Daily Plethora

I am really excited now! I finally got the chance to meet my mentor, Dr. Matt Lovern, and tour his labs.  After discussing the research that we will be conducting (sorry, can’t talk about that), we went down to the rooms where his subjects are housed.  His research involves green anoles and brown anoles–lizards!  Cute little bug-eaters!  We couldn’t visit the adults as there was a video session going on in there, but we did get to visit the nursery.  Eggs are incubated and the neonates are moved to cages where they are fed and observed.  They are tiny little things! On Wednesdays and Fridays, Michawn and I will be responsible for feeding and caring for them.  This may not really trip many of you, but learning how to care for a different species is a definite thrill for a lab animal science major.  So my next 8 weeks will be spent feeding little bugs to little lizards!

I also have some research and informational articles to read, goals to define, and some online courses/quizzes to take, so this posting is going to be a bit short.  Hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I am mine!

This morning began with procuring ID cards…PHOTO ID cards.  Don’t you hate having your picture taken for a permanent record?  It never really looks like you…unless you’re looking into a camera again.  Just like the picture on my driver’s license.  The young man checking my license as a prerequisite for issuing me another form of identification had to look twice to make sure it was really me…and that picture is only 3 months old.

There’s always some doubt as to the facial expression you should use: should you smile in the picture on your license?  I don’t think so; when you’re pulled over, do you usually grin at the officer? Or do you have that deer-in-the-headlights look? Can you imitate that expression when you get your picture taken? Probably not.  What about that college ID? Should you imitate that been-out-all-night-partying-last-night look? or the been-up-for-three-days-working-on-a-presentation-and-high-on-caffeine look?  In my opinion, these are more likely to be the conditions under which you are asked for your ID, so that’s what the photo should look like.  Never gonna happen.

Then it was off to the library.  Oklahoma State has a beautiful library.  Plenty of room for quiet study, research, and just plain reading.  We were given instructions on using the available databases and I am pretty sure that we will be doing exactly that.  When the librarian (I thought they were all referred to as media specialists now…whatever) asked how many of us were familiar with the Dewey Decimal system, only three of us raised our hands – and 2 of us are over 35! What are they teaching the kids these days? Oh, well, with computers, who needs card catalogs any more anyway. Do you remember the card catalogs in the libraries? Cabinets with drawers in them filled with cards filed alphabetically by subject, title, or author? Nevermind….

The last meeting of the day was a little informational session hosted by the directors of the program.  We were given some suggestions concerning defining our own goals for the summer, things to put on our CV, and the discussion was opened for questions.  Have you ever noticed how you can go into a meeting like this with the intentions of asking a specific question and totally forget to ask it? Yeah…I had one of those.  That’s OK…I’ll ask her Wednesday at our next meeting…unless I forget again.  Maybe I had better right this down. Umm, I can’t seem to find a piece of paper.  Oh, well…I’m sure I’ll remember it this time.

I’m going to turn in now…I meet my mentor in the morning and I want to look like my photo ID, not like I’ve been up all night.

Some of you may need to sit down for this…I climbed a 65′ pole today to cross tight wires, suspended logs, and a bunch of wooden ladders hanging between the pole I climbed and five others just like it.  After crossing these spans, the only way back down was a zip line to a platform 75 yards away.  Yes, I did it! No, I DON’T want to do it again! What was I thinking!?  I can hear Miss Agnes now saying, “You WHAT!?”  Yes, Ma’am, I did!

This was all part of a team-building day of mental and physical exercises that challenged our group of 14 in many ways.  It was a most enjoyable and successful activity–not to mention exhausting–which allowed us to interact in decision-making, problem-solving, and to test our own limits.  We had the opportunity to get to know one another and to learn each one’s strengths and weaknesses, some in leadership, some in the understanding of the laws of physics, and some in crossing a river of toxic peanut butter…blindfolded…without speaking.  You can check it out at http://campusrec.okstate.edu/outdooradventure/challengecourse.

We were at Camp Redlands from 9 a.m. this morning until 5 p.m. this evening.  Yes, it was hot (96° by the bank clock on the way back to campus), but it was a dry heat.  Unlike 96° in NC weather, where sweat runs into your eyes, streams down the back of your legs, and soaks everything you are wearing , we were perspiring but it was evaporating as fast as it was exiting the sweat glands–that’s the way it’s suppose to work. I could get used to this!

Back at the dorm, the only thing I wanted was a long shower, a quick supper, and to fall climb into the bed (I’ve got to lower that thing–it’s higher than my kitchen cabinets at home!).  I’ve had the shower, eaten, and the only thing left is to climb into that bed that is calling my name.

At least it’s not 65′ high!  “Come on, Kathy! You’re almost there! You can do it!”

Back we come to that technology thing again :-/  My cell phone and my TomTom (I think…I’ll have to check that one again) automatically switched to Central time, but my computer and my watch are still on Eastern.  I hate changing my watch…twice a year is enough! But rather than be an hour early to everything, I will comply.

I checked in when I arrived late last night, got my room key, and promptly got lost…again.  In my own defense, it was dark…you can’t see the building names well in the dark.  But it’s not like this is the first time on this trip…that was in Lexington. Yeah…NC…25 miles from home.  I suddenly realized that I had missed the US 64 exit…there was an 18-wheeler in the way of the sign! Not my fault, right? It’s not like I had been through that exit before…except to take Daniel to work…a couple of times.  OK! But I did figure it out before I got to Concord!!  Give me credit for that!  I think I did pretty good overall getting here without having to backtrack more than twice…ALRIGHT…six times!

I mentioned the kudzu on Day One…remember?  Do you know the history of this creeping blanket?  In the early 1900′s, the US government offered root cuttings to southern farmers for erosion control, actually PAYING them to plant the stuff.  My great-

grandfather jumped on the bandwagon and sent his son (my grandfather) to obtain some of these roots.  My grandfather tried his best to convince HIS father that this was not a good idea, but being the good son that he was, went to do his father’s bidding.  The story that came to me through my mother was that my grandfather picked out the deadest-looking roots he could find, brought them home, dropped them on the ground, and stomped each one once.  The rest of the story is still visible on the shoulders of NC 50 south of Garner – kudzu covers anything that doesn’t move out of its way.

This vine, which was imported from Japan, grows up to a foot a day and can cross a busy

highway.  It can endure drought, severe mowing and close grazing, and does well in poor, rocky soil.  It has spread into the midwest and northeast parts of the country and appears to be becoming even hardier.  Some herbicides make it grow better.  It’s even said that you should close the windows at night to keep it from coming into the house.

 

And you wonder why some people don’t trust the government….

I can’t get an early start no matter how hard I plan it!  Today, it was due to a lost pair of sunglasses…at least they weren’t prescription! But knowing that it was going to be hot and sunny, I decided that I needed to get another pair.  So I gassed up the truck, stopped by the local RiteAid, and proceeded toward the mighty Mississippi.

After crossing the Mississippi, I spent most of the day in the Natural State. NO, not NAKED…Arkansas!  That’s the state nickname. Like the Volunteer State for Tennessee and the Tarheel State for North Carolina.  Arkansas reminded my a lot of NC: flat and open in the east and hilly in the west.  It might have been natural at one time, but all those rice paddies were rather odd-looking.  Did you know that Arkansas is the leading producer of rice in the US? I’m learning a lot on this trip…now if I can just keep up with my sunglasses.

I did not plan to make the rest of the trip today, but once I crossed the Oklahoma line and wasn’t tired, I decided to keep going.  Suddenly, I thought it was raining, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky! Bugs! All kinds of bugs!  For miles and miles, they continued to sacrifice themselves like kamikazes on my windshield! When I stopped for gas again, I cleaned the windshield, but more just took their place.  Talk about a bat smorgasbord!

Tomorrow is a big day – I get to meet my roommate, become familiar with the campus, and hopefully meet the professor I will be working with for the next eight weeks.  For now, though, I am ready to turn in for the night…or I should say, morning.

Oh, yes…the Tennessee highways appear reddish because some of the gravel they mix with the asphalt binder is rust-colored. I’m still trying to find out exactly what it is, as some of the larger cobbles used for erosion control are partly gray and partly rust. Whatever it is, it must be quarried in Tennessee – that’s the only area I’ve seen it. Anyone have any ideas?

Technology discriminates against the individual who wants to deviate from the norm. Computers tell us how much change to return to customers at the register, correct our spelling and grammar “errors”, and choose our routes for us.  Maybe I meant to spell that word like that, or perhaps I want to take the long way around.  I am finding that following a lesser-used highway (i.e. not an interstate) is not as easy as it would seem.  This morning I actually had to use a printed map and ask directions to find my way back to US 64 from Fort Oglethorpe, which is where I stayed last night.  Once I finally found the section of westbound highway I was seeking, my TomTom kept directing me to the fastest route instead of letting me follow a specific highway.  The only reason I even left it on was to confirm that I was still on the correct highway, since this particular state is saving money by putting up signs which are few and far between.  I didn’t want to “turn left in 400 yards” or “take the exit right” or “turn around as soon as possible”…I wanted to stay on THAT highway, even if it was slower and farther than the computer wanted to go.

Are we becoming dependent on these machines to make our decisions for us?  Am I the only one who is worried about this?  Or am I just too much of a non-conformist? Technology is great (I could not write this blog without it) but, like a child that talks back to his or her parents, someone needs to put it in its place. It is here to help us – not make us do its bidding.  So…shut up TomTom, or I’m going to put you in time out…I mean, silent mode.

In spite of ignoring the suggested detours, I did make it to Memphis today.  Tomorrow I plan on having some ribs (as I’ve been told I must), finding out why the roads in Tennessee are red, and crossing the mighty Mississippi into Arkansas.  Stay tuned and watch the Purple Tumbler, the Purple Torpedo, and I move from the Volunteer State to the Natural State…um…that’s Arkansas’s nickname…not my couture d’jour.

After picking up another foster to transport to the vet and finishing the truck servicing (which I thought was finished), I hit the road…specifically US 64…and headed for Oklahoma.

One of the items in my bucket list is to travel the entire length of this highway.  We covered the part from Asheboro, NC to the Atlantic coast several years ago (with bad U-joints…but that’s another story) and westward as far as Morganton, NC;  but there is a LOT more to this road that stretches from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to Arizona (just south of Four Corners). I believe HALF the length is folded between Morganton and Hendersonville.  My TomTom got dizzy!  I finally had to switch it so that only the vehicle icon turned…it was looking a little green!

US 64 travels through some beautiful and varied terrain in North Carolina and much of it was enjoyed on the trip today.   Journeying along the Broad River, I could watch others braving the rapids in canoes and kayaks…that is NOT on my bucket list!  The haze for which the region is known gave a smokey, bluish cast to the distant peaks.  Shades of green deepened and lightened as clouds cast shadows on the vegetation.  Between the clouds, sunlight filtered through the canopy as flashes, illuminating the road.

While I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to stop and smell the kudzu, I still enjoyed the experience and found a few places I would like to check out a little closer.  Perhaps on my trip back…or on another trip later…I can spend some time watching the anglers or sampling some fresh molasses or even buy some of the items crafted locally.

In spite of the afternoon showers and the late start, it was still a very successful day.  Tomorrow will be spent checking out the Tennessee section of US 64…a very historic highway in this state.  Join me tomorrow evening and learn what I discover while driving another long section of this highway.

Today is final preparation day before I leave for Oklahoma! But more importantly: today is Memorial Day – the day we honor our fallen heroes who fought so that we have the freedom to communicate through media like this. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from oppression, freedom to bear arms,…. The list is long, but not as long as that of the brave men and women who have died.  If you know of someone on this list, thank their family and pray that those serving now will not be added to that list.

Speaking of the right to bear arms – I have discovered that North Carolina has very permissive gun laws compared to other states.  If you are not a felon, you can openly carry a handgun in places where it is not specifically restricted. These restrictions usually are posted in plain sight, but you might want to avoid schools, banks, courthouses, airports, etc. – just in case you don’t see the signs. [Disclaimer: Do NOT take this as legal advice! Do NOT do this just because I said so - I may have overlooked certain statutes of specific localities! I will NOT post bail for you!] Anyway, other states that I will be traveling through–Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma–do NOT permit open carry, even with a concealed carry permit! Really!? Oklahoma!? So…what is a woman who is traveling alone in a truck with out-of-state tags (gee, does that spell TARGET to you?) do for protection without getting locked up? Can you say “Taser”? Guess I’ll be shopping today for a little “buddy”!

I am really excited about this whole trip! Just to be on the road by myself, listening to the stations I choose, stopping whenever and wherever I choose, eating when and where I choose, and …nevermind. WOOHOOOOO!!! Not to mention, the awesome opportunity to do some animal behavior research with Dr. Matthew Lovern. Don’t pinch me…if I’m dreaming, I don’t want to wake up!

But, in order to leave tomorrow, I must finish some things here at home – laundry, packing, loving on the puppies (who I will really miss…the “boys” not so much!).  The truck has been serviced and washed, I have my TomTom and my AAA packet (thank you, Daddy!), and my prescriptions filled. I look forward to sharing this adventure through this blog and hope you have even half the fun I expect to have this summer!

‘Til tomorrow, hug a vet! (veteran, not veterinarian…well, that’s OK, too…I guess…maybe…depends on the DVM…anyway…) and stay safe!