What has changed?

Everything.

We have an official, main party candidate for the President of the United States who is a woman.  I never expected to see that in my lifetime - until we had a black POTUS. Then, I began to hope ... a little bit.

And now it's real.  It's so big that I can't really *feel* its reality yet.

I'm aware of her faults; politics is compromise (among adults, anyway). But I think she's the best candidate we've had for many a long, long year. Even Obama, while excellent in many ways, didn't have the years and breadth of experience she's got.

I can't wait to see what she accomplishes.

Just a sentimental scientist...

Just saw this on Bobak Ferdowsi's Twitter feed:


Philae Lander  Verified account  @Philae2014
It’s time for me to say goodbye. Tomorrow, the unit on @ESA_Rosetta for communication with me will be switched off forever...

RETWEETS 2,235
LIKES 2,522

7:00 AM - 26 JUL 2016

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and was very glad to see I'm not the only sentimental science lover whose eyes are a little bit wet right now.

Mom's birthday

July 25, 2016. Mom would have been 97 today. I’ve been thinking about her a lot. I know while I was responsible for her, 2002 - her death on Jan. 1, 2004, I tried very hard every single day to do it right. I knew after she died I would feel guilty no matter what I did but I tried every single day. Nowadays, I find I was right: I feel guilty anyway. But intellectually I know that her life was her own: she lived the consequences (and rewards) of her own choices, just like we all do. I found it hard to feel love for her, but I must have because it really hurt when she died. But that inner glow of love? Not so much felt.

But when I was a kid she could be a lot of fun. That was why so many people (including my friends) visited our house so frequently. She was the life of the party. And when there weren’t people visiting (okay, drinking - her adult friends I mean) we often had fun together. She gave me my love of reading, and of words. Some of my favorite times were when she was washing the dishes and I (grudgingly) was drying them (god I was an asshole kid; I resented having to do ANYTHING), out of sheer desperation I suspect, she would start word games: spelling, definitions, but especially the one where you say a word, the other person has to spell it - and then has to give you a word back that starts with the last letter of the first word. There was strategy involved! I loved it.

And I was in awe of her ability to rescue baby birds and squirrels and rabbits. No matter how young they were, seemingly she had it in hand.

I *think* we’d sometimes play two-person Rummy together. And maybe Scrabble. We weren’t hard-core Scrabble players, but our word games certainly enhanced Scrabble for us. But that wasn’t very frequent because I can’t actually *remember* these table games, I just have the feeling we played them.

She was also extremely kind and generous-hearted towards people having a hard time in life. She'd been a child of The Depression and that never left her. She'd help out down-and-outers and though she would complain if one occasionally ripped her off, it didn't stop her helping the next person on whom life was crapping.

Anyway, it’s a day to celebrate again those things she bequeathed me: love of reading, love of nature, love of humor. Those are mighty big things, and I can't imagine myself without them. Thank you, Mom. We both did our best.

Summer in the city, for sure

So last week when we had that little three-day run of days in the 80's, I was in the inertia phase of my mood and didn't get anything but the front yard mowed. The back yard is much bigger, and I kept thinking "tomorrow." We all know where that gets you. It gets you where I am: on a day when the heat index now at 1 p.m. is 105 degrees F, there is no way in hell I'm going out there to try to mow. I wouldn't last ten minutes. And the yard foliage grows and grows and grows - we've had rain the past 3 nights, I think, so the planties are very, very happy. 

Well, so (I hope) are the bees (who love all the Creeping Charlie when it flowers) and the lightning bugs (who love the taller, wetter grass or at least seem to; I think we should be at the end of their usual display season but they don't seem to be abating). And therefore all the other little crawly critters are happy and therefore the birdies who eat them like popcorn are happy. I'm a biologist and I love mess and diversity in my yard - but I think it probably drives my recreational-mowing neighbor crazy. I don't mean to, honest. 

One month later...

I haven't been posting because I've had nothing interesting to post. Oh, I've been reading books, but kind of lost interest in writing about them. I visit several book reviewing blog sites and I don't have near the skills or insights those folks have, so I figure it doesn't hurt to let one tiny insignificant corner of the internet shut the hell up for a few days/weeks.

Everything's fine. I'm just really really low-energy this summer. And enjoying it!

NASA photo: Earth from Mars, a Curiosity rover photo.Yes, it's there. About a third of the way from the left side, and about a third of the way down from the top. It's maybe one light gray pixel. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

Perspective.

As in, yesterday it was one year exactly since my cancer surgery last summer. I'm doing great. My one-year check-up will be next month; I'll get nervous the week before, I'm sure. I tend not to take things for granted anyway, but since last summer, I really don't take any doctor's exam for granted. You never know what those wacky folks will say!

But seriously: I adore my oncologist, Dr. Nadkarni. She is the BEST. Thank you, Dr. Nadkarni.

One month later...

I haven't been posting because I've had nothing interesting to post. Oh, I've been reading books, but kind of lost interest in writing about them. I visit several book reviewing blog sites and I don't have near the skills or insights those folks have, so I figure it doesn't hurt to let one tiny insignificant corner of the internet shut the hell up for a few days/weeks.

Everything's fine. I'm just really really low-energy this summer. And enjoying it!

NASA photo: Earth from Mars, a Curiosity rover photo.Yes, it's there. About a third of the way from the left side, and about a third of the way down from the top. It's maybe one light gray pixel.

Perspective.

As in, yesterday it was one year exactly since my cancer surgery last summer. I'm doing great. My one-year check-up will be next month; I'll get nervous the week before, I'm sure. I tend not to take things for granted anyway, but since last summer, I really don't take any doctor's exam for granted. You never know what those wacky folks will say!

But seriously: I adore my oncologist, Dr. Nadkarni. She is the BEST. Thank you, Dr. Nadkarni.