What do the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association), Exxon Mobil, and "An Inconvenient Truth" have in common? This is depressing and pathetic:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400789.html

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday a very happy and special one! I especially have to thank Darryl for putting a lot of effort and thought into activities for my birthday and for his continued love. :-)

The number of gifts I received is too numerous to mention, and my family members were really too generous in their gifts (especially Dave -- crazy bum! :-). I got a lot of small, interesting items, I got a lot of books (a lot! including two sets of Arthurian tales), I got the PS2 game "Guitar Hero II" which we tried out on my birthday (I'm pretty good at it; it looks like it will be fun), another PS2 game "Karaoke Revolution 3" which I know will be good (thanks for the 3rd package, Dave... you really are extravagant, though!). I got some maternity tops, Christmas decorations, and my first cute tiny baby clothes! A little t-shirt & diaper one-piece with little pictures of dogs on it. I found that to be very meaningful. Just imagine: in just over half a year, I will have a real little baby of my own to put into those little clothes!! I got some candy, and Darryl got me two old kids' books illustrated by the same guy (Dale Maxey) who wrote & illustrated the book "Fidget" that I used to have as a child. He also made a donation on my behalf to MCC, to help youth in El Salvador build skills: http://mcc.org/givingprojects/building_skills_for_youth.html . He was afraid I wouldn't like it. The cats, especially Dennis and Pokey, were very happy to get all of the tissue paper and air pillos wrapping. They've been playing in it for the past couple of days and making quite a mess!

To celebrate my birthday, on Saturday Darryl took me to Fort Toulouse where we had a lovely nature walk. It might have become a foggy event stuck back in the recesses of memory some day, but for two things we saw: A pig. This was a large blackish pig that was rooting around in leaves and acorns. It didn't look particularly wild, but we wondered where it came from, so we asked the guy manning the museum. He said they'd raised two piglets but then had no place big enough for them, so they were turned loose on the peninsula to root around for themselves, and this one had been around for about 5 years. This was the first time we saw a pig there, though. The other thing we saw was..... something floating in the river. First we thought it was man-made debris. Then we thought it was a log. Then Darryl said it was a deer. Which it was, sort of. It was a mounted deer head, just floating along the river. How odd!

Later we were going to eat at an Indian restaurant in Montgomery, but my finicky pregnant self did not feel like I could eat Indian food, so we went to Carraba's Italian grill instead. The food there was wonderful, if a little rich and garlicful. We stopped in at Books-A-Million and bought a bunch of books, and later went home. On Sunday, Darryl made some cupcakes for me (you can see them in one of the photos), the first time he'd ever made any.

I had a very nice birthday, and again thanks and hugs to all of you who helped make it happen! :-)

Happy Birthday Kristina

My Wonderful wife Krisitina turns 29 today. Everyone take a minute to please wish her a Happy Birthday.

Kristina I Love You and I hope you have a wonderful Birthday.

Your Loving Husband
Darryl

The bookcase we bought & assembled this weekend is already filled with books! :-) Time for a new bookcase.... (and some more books)

Before & After

Darryl got his hair cut!

Try this website:

http://www.weffriddles.com

It's got levels and levels of riddles. Many of them are not at all obvious (or weren't to me!) and require maddening amounts of lateral thinking! There is a forum that can offer hints if you get stuck (and you will get stuck). These riddles are very fun and very addicting and I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I am (right now I'm on level 22). Good luck!

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards/chickenliverbake.html

Some light-hearted fun prior to the election melodrama of tomorrow. The link above shows photos of some old (c. 1970s) Weight Watchers recipe cards, and the individual who posted the photos makes some commentary on them as well. Definitely don't stop with just the Chicken Liver Bake--use the arrows to scroll through dozens more of these 'appetizing' meal choices. I am quite sure I would lose a LOT of weight if I had to rely solely on the recipes from these cards! Just take a look: it's funny!!!

Here are some photos from Hallowe'en! We had a nice party at Sandra & Jerry's, and the kids dressed up, played "pin the tail on the monster cat", bobbed for apples, told ghost stories around a campfire, and roasted marshmallows. It was a lot of fun! You can click on the small photos above to see larger versions of them.

As far as Hallowe'en at our house: we got 2 trick-or-treaters. A new low!

- - - - - - -

Today was a nice day outside, so we raked leaves. Yesterday I burnt some pre-peanut brittle, so I baked an apple pie instead. yum :-9

Matthew McRae was born to our friends, Mike & Carey, on Tuesday October 24th. He was 8 lbs, 12 oz and measured 20 3/4 inches long. As you can see, he is an absolutely adorable baby and I know parents and grandparents alike are absolutely thrilled!

Congratulations Mike & Carey!!!! We know you'll be wonderful parents, and we wish you all the best. (I'm looking forward to our kids playing together!)

http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jckr.htm

I came across this today (it's a slow day at work...). It talks about the similarities between Jesus and Krishna (of Hindu fame). I used to have a book talking about the similarities between Jesus and Buddha. It's pretty interesting. I recommend Christians (and other curious parties) to check out this link.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

In other news, I am terribly excited at the thought of.......BREAD! Our Wal-Mart has decided to "upscale" (mostly by rearranging things and putting in some vinyl "hardwood" flooring). Another consequence of the upscaling is that they carry a much improved selection of bread. Some of it may even have been baked that day! :-) I'm talking about crusty bread here, and not just white bread. Among the breads, I found one from a bakery about 1.5 - 2 hours south of us in Daleville, AL: www.karlsgermanbakery.com I have yet to try the bread, but it will be very exciting if it tastes good, because we can potentially make trips to their store, get the bread from Wal-Mart, or order it directly from the bakery. All this thinking about bread made me really hungry for the best German bread, namely Dimpflmeier in Toronto: www.dimpflmeierbakery.com ....... I may order some bread from there too! I took a look at their website not too long ago, and I practically salivated upon seeing (and reminiscing about) the various types of bread.

Yes:
My name is Kristina, and I am a breadaholic.

Here's a good quote I just read today:

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." -Jimi Hendrix

- - - - - - - - -

Okay, so now that most everyone knows that we're pregnant (!!!), please feel free to visit our pregnancy blog: http://dkpreggo.blogspot.com That is, if you feel like reading about morning sickness, pregnancy symptoms, and baby development! :-)

Pillage on the Plains III

This weekend we had our Shire's SCA Event, Pillage on the Plains III, in Tallassee. The site was lovely and we (especially Darryl) had been working hard (along with many others) to get it ready in time. It's the same place where they hold a civil war re-enactment having to do with the armoury in Tallassee, that was held secure against the Union troops.

In any case, Darryl took Friday off so he could help get things ready. He picked me up after supper and we headed up there and set up our tent. The whole campsite experience was great: lots of period tents (i.e. medieval-style tents) were set up, and there were lots of colourful banners and torch lights. There was a campfire going and we sat around it till about midnight, talking with others there and Darryl sampling various alcoholic concoctions that Jocosa (Tonya) had made.

Darryl's duty this weekend was: herald - that means he had to announce to everyone what events were happening when and where.
My duty this weekend was: nastycrat - that means I was in charge of making sure trash cans were emptied and that the port-o-potties were relatively clean and the toilet paper refreshed.

Early Sat. morning, Darryl had to get up so he could announce breakfast. A lot of people had come Friday night and set up their tents, but others were just day-tripping, that is, coming on Saturday only. Breakfast was some odd breakfast burritos with some kind of questionable sausage (I didn't eat it), eggs and burrito wraps. Afterwards, people were just milling around, taking classes (e.g. Heraldry 101, learning about herbs, etc.), socializing, or whatnot. I started painting a scroll. At some point, the newly-crowned Queen Kora attended, and a rapier tournament was held to determine her rapier champion. Going on at the same time was a heavy weapons combat tournament. Other people were setting up for live weapons (spears, knives, axes, and archery) competitions, and merchants were trying to sell their wares (I liked the pottery, but we didn't happen to buy any). Somewhere during this time there was a fundraiser spaghetti lunch; Darryl & I just had some bread, cheese, carrots, apples, and salami that we'd brought.

Darryl did some competing in the live weapons tourney; he wasn't particularly good with a spear (that's the only one I was there to watch), and his axe handle split. Unfortunately, his ability to compete was cut short by the need to herald some more events. Later, Allen and Emma came up to the site to say "hi" and no doubt to wonder why we would want to dress up like medieval people (!); I also said "hi" to Annette in the van. During that time, Court had started (this is where the Queen addresses petitions or any court business). For example, this is where the winners of the various tournaments were awarded. Later that evening, there was "feast"--a big dinner which was held mostly by candle and torch light, after a traditional hand-washing. The food was less exciting than the company and the atmosphere. It's hard to explain and I wish I had some photos, but alas... Afterwards, most people gathered in the bardic circle around a campfire and socialized, played instruments, etc. I think that the bardic circle turned then into the hafla (some kind of middle Eastern festivity with music and dancing) that was supposed to be held somewhere else. I went to bed about half an hour before it started because I'd gotten far too little sleep for the past 2 weeks. I could hear the drums and middle Eastern instruments playing, though. Darryl had fun recounting to me next day the male bellydancer (dressed up as a woman).

And then today, we ate breakfast from our little stock of food, and cleaned up our tent and site.

All in all, it was a really enjoyable weekend: far better than the previous (and only other) event I'd attended, July feast. We enjoyed the company of: Teresa & Dennis, Debbie & Mike, Eric & Audrey, Jocosa & Kennric, Bjorn & Katherine, Davey, and Danny & Bree. By an odd coincidence, I had actually met Danny previously during my "first" trip to Alabama in March 2001. He was James Y's friend and we had gone to some Chinese restaurant in Huntsville with Danny and his then-girlfriend/wife. And I'd also been in his new doublewide. Small world.

Please feel welcome to look at photos from this weekend HERE

Well, well, well...

There's been a minor commotion (mostly whisperings) at my work recently due to a PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) expose'. What happened is: PETA apparently paid some student to work at the Scott-Ritchey Research Center (SRRC; where I work) to do some undercover investigating about an Iams nutrition project that PETA was concerned about. I think the Iams project was discontinued, but this student went on to covertly videotape and tape record converstions, procedures, and kennel animals using his cell phone. And now PETA is making a big stink about Auburn's vet school, right on the front page of their website!

The PETA story: http://www.stopanimaltests.com/f-auburn.asp (video too)

My former boss, Dr. Griffin, was really incensed about the whole thing, in favour of PETA's position. I personally do not know much about the kidney transplant study in question, so I cannot say whether I believe animals have been unethically treated there. However, I do believe that Dr. Lothrop (the vet who cusses during the video) has some serious problems with his attitude and does not remotely provide his employees and future vet students with an example of the professionalism that should accompany the field of veterinary medicine. If I were head of SRRC, I would certainly reprimand him. He's been absent from the hallways this whole week, so I don't know what will happen, if anything.

As for the housing of the animals, and their care: I do believe that the greyhounds are housed in runs too small for their large size, and that they don't get the level of outdoor exercise and running that I would be happy seeing. I find this is true for some of the indoor-housed beagles as well. However, I know the greyhounds get the best care possible for their size and housing conditions; Steve, the tech who looks after them, is very conscientious and I believe he cares about them. The other dogs in the outdoor kennels and even the downstairs indoor ones that I've seen (including nursing ones) have pretty good space, their cages/runs are kept clean, and they are socialized and often very friendly. It should also be noted that all of Scott-Ritchey's animals are housed and cared for in accordance with protocols from IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee), AU's DLAH (Dept. of Lab Animal Health), and the USDA.

Here is the statement released by Auburn on this matter:
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5503977 (there's a video too)

This is really abhorrent:

WCNC.com (North Carolina) - Residents of a North Carolina town feverishly cut down trees of the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker because they fear restrictions on land use and property values

"What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a 'Liberal.'"
-John F. Kennedy, September 14, 1960
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

And, finally, some heartening news:

NY Times - Sir Richard Branson pledges to finance clean fuels

Do you ever wonder how many pieces of yourself are left behind?

I was going through some photos my dad sent me, most of which were taken in Canada, some of which were taken in Toronto. I live now in Alabama, but a piece of me will always remain in Canada, the country I love. Another piece of me is left behind in ecology, in the what-could-have-been of a PhD in the field I love. So many pieces of me are scattered in different places and different times -- will I run out of pieces one day?

What do I do at work all day?

(click on the picture above to see it full-sized)

This picture represents the culmination of the work I have been doing of late. Essentially, all the DNA extraction, PCR, gels, etc. are done to obtain this bit of sequence from the genomic DNA. I don't know exactly where in the genome this sequence falls, but it represents the place where Burmese cats (the breed) may have a mutation that will result in a type of GM2 gangliosidosis, an autosomal recessive disease. That means that the cells in their brains won't be able to degrade a certain cellular byproduct, leading to progressively more bodily shaking until they eventually die. The tests I do are diagnostic: trying to see whether cats have this disease or not.

The DNA sequence between the orange arrows represents the normal condition, so this particular cat is normal. In mutant cats, they lack this particular sequence of 15 base pairs--it has been deleted from their genome. Carriers have both the normal and mutant sequences, so you would see two humps in the graph portion from the first orange arrow onwards.

There are several different mutations that can cause similar physical effects, e.g. GM1, GM2 Baker, GM2 activator, GM2 Korat (in Korat breed cats) and GM2 Burmese (in Burmese breed cats). I will test our colony cats for the first four of these, and Burmese breeders from around the world send in their cats' blood samples, which I test for the fifth.

It's pretty interesting stuff! :-)

Hooray at last!

Yay! Today in the mail I finally got notice that my application for permanent resident status (I-485) was approved! I know that I previously (last year) told y'all that I was approved, based on what the official conducting my initial interview said. However, if you've talked to me at all within the past year, you'll know already what a mess it's been to figure out what happened to my case and why I hadn't received a green card yet.

Finally, though, I have something in writing. Very many things in writing, in fact: the USCIS center sent me about 5 notices (exactly the same) saying that my application has been approved, and that Darryl's petition for relative (I-130) has been approved. However, I still have to wait to receive either a green card by mail or a notice that I need to have my photo and fingerprints taken (yet again) prior to being issued a green card.

Thank God!

This is a huge deal for me. It means that I can: legally live here, travel to and fro as I please when I please without seeking prior approval (or paying fees), work here without having to renew a work permit (and associated fees) every year, own property, and in 3 years I can become a U.S. Citizen. This is such a relief!

I still don't think I'll be able to make it up for Dave's birthday, though, since I would have to have my green card in hand. That's a bit of a bummer, but I rather have the whole shebang approved than simply the travel papers. Honestly, I think that perhaps it was through the application for travel papers that my case finally came to be approved: the people looking into the travel papers application may have had to look for my case file and, when they couldn't find it, made inquiries, etc. to get it out of that storage place and finally looked at. I am really grateful that this finally got done. I was really starting to feel as though I had fallen into a bureaucratic black hole.
_ _ _ _

My first test in 2.5 years went well, I think. It was easier than the sample exams the prof had made copies of from previous years. So that was some good news as well. :-)


mood: ECSTATIC!
currently reading: "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank

Welcome to Blogger

Although not very many people read our previous blog (in LiveJournal), I've been persuaded to move myself over to Blogger. It will allow me to customize layout to a greater extent (I hope!) and essentially just "start fresh". This will be my adult blog. Hopefully I'll update it more often than I was wont to do with LJ, and hopefully I'll have more interesting things to post. Our old blog is still available for viewing (it does record our history from May 2004-September 2006) at: http://dkpendergrass.livejournal.com.