Another Thursday, Fall 2009: Bob talks at University of Pittsburgh
Bob is giving a talk at the top of the hour in the geology department here at the University of Pittsburgh. I'll be walking up the hill to attend the talk. This should be good, I'm looking forward to hearing it.
Thursdays are my long days, starting at eight in the morning at work and going without a break until mid-afternoon, then continuing during choir practice to about ten thirty at night....
Bob's talk will be a refreshing respite in my day.
Labels: California, Pittsburgh, science, soils, walking, work
Graham Clan Reunion: SSSA National Meetings
Met up last night with the Graham clan at August Henry's for dinner. Spotted April and Debbie first, met Doug, saw Bob, Tanya, Tom R. from CP-SLO, Rosemary, and Brian; sat next to Ron T. from SLO and across from April and Debbie for dinner. I had a Pittsburgh steak salad for dinner.
The three girls headed to salsa and drinks after dinner---I danced thrice after speaking with Bobby, the DJ. Tanya, Sylvie, and Brad met up with us.
A fun night that ended with my two former labmates walking me to the bus stop.
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Met up with April at the bus stop downtown for a tour of the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Music Hall, and Carnegie Library Main, and Carnegie Mellon University. We saw the Cathedral of Learning, the outside of Heinz Chapel, Carnegie Music Hall, the Carnegie Library (said hi to Lisa R. there), and took the bus to Carnegie Mellon University, 
where we stopped at Entropy, the Randy Pausch bridge, the Gates building, the School of Fine Arts, and other places.
We met up with Debbie and Susan for dinner at Sonoma Grill. I enjoyed the crab cakes and fettucine. We headed to a bar, Seviche, for drinks afterwards, and saw Tanya, Brad, Paul, and a fellow from Alaska, too. My two former lab mates walked me to my bus stop before bidding me adieu.
Labels: career, Carnegie, dining, friends, meeting, museum, photos, Pittsburgh, soils, visitor
Riverside Reunion
Tonight I have a riverside (Allegheny River) reunion with the Riverside (California) clan. I'm really looking forward to it...haven't seen the Riverside folks (save Grace, Jason, and their little family) since graduation!
The annual Soil Science society of America national meetings are in Pittsburgh this year, with the theme being sustainability. Pittsburgh was chosen as the site specifically for that reason.
Labels: California, Pittsburgh, Point, research, reunion, soils
Confused Forsythia Flowers
This Saturday I was having a discussion about the fall season. This past week we had temperatures ranging from freezing to the high 60's Fahrenheit (the next day). I commented that I have seen the rose bushes/shrubs on Fifth Avenue, and some had still had blossoms remaining on them. My friend had commented that he had seen the "forsythia blooming this week,"
They're spring flowers! I exclaimed.
"Poor flowers," he said, "They're confused."
Labels: biology, garden, global warming, science, seasons, soils, St. Paul Cathedral, surprise, weather
Carnegie International 2008
Last night after faith sharing Karina, Jen, Fabiola, Christina, Alroy, and I went to the Carnegie Museum of Art for University Night. There was music, food, and the galleries were open...specifically those for the Carnegie International show, Life on Mars. I brought my cane/chair combination, and we enjoyed the crackers & veggies with hot and cold dips and cheeses, drinks, and candy. The rest of the group quickly toured the galleries and reported back the "haunting" nature of the art in the CI show. What a fun evening!
Labels: art, Carnegie, celebration, Church, Faith, museum, soils, walking
LA Earthquake 5.8
I saw breaking news about a 5.8 earthquake in the Los Angeles area...
~~~
4:45 pm EDT
...which has been revised to 5.4...
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2:00 to 2:22 pm, PDT
My friend, who works at the USGS at Pasadena, emailed me:
it was a pretty good little shake! It got my attention,
and I got ready for further action!
And my uncle wrote:
Things went back to normal here at work,
a few minutes after the quake. We
didn’t even evacuate our building.
~~~~~
~8:23pm, PDT
My friend and a current Southern California geology professor emailed me:
All is fine except I was a little rattled! I was giving a test
to 17 adult students who got panicky with the shaking
which lasted at least 6 seconds. I remember yelling
"extra credit" as a joke and then telling them to get under the tables.
When I looked up a few seconds later every student was under their lab bench.
Amazing. I wish that they would always be so well behaved! We all hurried out
onto the lawn away from the building. And then we saw a big cloud from a landslide
on Cucamonga Peak. It was more than 15 minutes before the last of the dust settled
on the mountain.
Labels: science, soils, stress, surprise
Hair Cut, July 2008
Mom and I have hair appointments with Mary Jane today to get our hair cut. I am excited, it has been a while since I last visited her. My hair has got considerably longer, and right after I left the hospital fell out in small clumps as I brushed or washed it...probably the stress of it all.
It doesn't fall out at such a high rate now, but this week Dad made a comment reminiscent of Kathe', the lab manager from graduate school: She'd be sweeping the lab floor and noting that she saw a LOT of my hair on the floor (I was the only brunette in the group; all the rest of the lab clan were blondes). We came to the conclusion that I was under a lot of stress and losing my hair...
I just hope that this is not the beginning of my hair really going white. :n(
We all look forward to our trips to Mary Jane's salon. Phyllis recommended her to us, and still visits her in her old neighborhood. Marissa has also gone to her, and blogged on the event.
Labels: excited, family, hair, health, research, soils, stress, surgery
Bob's Geology Article, 2008
My environmental sciences graduate advisor, Bob Graham, and his colleagues in the Soil Science department at the University of California at Riverside have authored an article on nitrate concentration in desert pavement-laden surficial soils for Geology this spring. This is a previously unrecognized pool of desert nitrogen. This concentration of nitrate is fine, as long as its uppermost surface soil (desert pavement) remains intact. If that pavement is disturbed through road construction, off-the-road vehicle use, or military training; then water can infiltrate to the nitrate-rich layers and mobilize the nitrate, perhaps into even groundwater. Other, distant, nitrogen-limited ecosystems may also be impacted.
Labels: California, research, school, science, soils
Lady in Waiting I
While I patiently await my surgery date, I struggle with the tail end of a cold, making lists of things to mention to the doctor and anesthetist before surgery, list things to pack to the hospital, and wait for the weather to warm up (it has nicely sprinkled throughout the week) so that Beatrice and I can put in the garden at her home.
It was fun dining with Beatrice and her family last night. Before dinner, Beatrice and I read library books before her daddy showed up, and she joined Solomon on the Gymini mat from Lola Helen Faye for some playtime. Solomon has filled out nicely (all that nursing and sleeping has paid off, buddy!), and Beatrice is a hearty, neat eater at dinner time. She feeds herself with a spoon; she proudly announces when she is finished, and gently gives a small push to her dinner plate. Same with her bottle. She knows all the colors in the box of blocks I gave her when Solomon was born---and more colors! What fun times we have had!
Labels: BAD, Beatrice, cold, family, games, garden, library, niece and nephew, read, soils, surgery, water, weather
my BAD hips
I have cBAD (congenital bilateral acetabular dysplasia). That means I have bad hips from birth. No clue of this status for me until ~4-5 years ago....
I started having pain after a few-month hiatus from swing dancing (Big Band music). My then-boss used to write emails to her friends making fun of my use of assistive devices. I am glad that I don't work with her anymore. I quit dancing on a regular basis about that time. Until then, I had danced 3-4 evenings per week---Irish ceili/set dancing, ballroom dance, swing (big band) dance, and sometimes Latin/mixed ballroom/swing dance. Boy, I really enjoyed my dance.
I am really excited about having my procedure done...total hip replacement. My medical team insists that I will be able to do basically "anything [within reason]" after my surgery. I guess that means getting back to dancing, swimming, maybe [stationary] biking, but I guess I won't be able to play the violin [snif].
I am currently held together by "string, tape, muscles, and God." What I have done in my life up to this point is pretty amazing---scratch that, miraculous---considering my bone structure, or lack thereof: Ballet to pointe (I was accepted to a ballet school for a large-city Ballet Theater), gymnastics, I lettered on the track team in high school (100m hurdles and 400m dash), modern dance and choreography in college (with my good friend, Liz, through MIT Dance Theatre), rockclimbing in college and beyond, hiking for recreation and work (our little research group of American and Mexican scientists were self-entertaining when we were lost!), and the dance styles I took up in Pittsburgh, mentioned above.
~~~
I am truly thankful that my parents did not inform me of my bone structure until I started to have pain when I reached "a certain age": That they did not limit my activity as a child. "Hey, she can walk---let her be, have a normal childhood."
I am thankful for a good orthopedist: Who understood my need to try to strengthen what was already in place with physical therapy.
I am thankful for a good PT team that has held me together with a little more muscle for good measure.
I am thankful for my PCP and treatment team which have been part of my greater support network.
I am thankful that I have one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the region doing this procedure for me.
I am thankful for everyone who has gone before me in this procedure: Gene, Joyce's father-in-law; Tom, Jen's dad; Dr. Linda, who gave helpful advice...and especially for Gene's helpful hints to me during our visit to California.
And finally, I am thankful that I have a problem that can be easily solved by the miracles of modern science, technology, and medicine. I am truly fortunate.
Labels: BAD, Carnegie, dance, excited, exercise, family, international culture, Ireland, research, soils, surgery
Graduate School II
So, I still keep in touch with my friends from graduate school in environmental and soil sciences. We are all still email buddies and occasionally write to each other. Most notably, Katherine had married Bob, and added two more to their brood--she stays active with the Geological Survey. Lynn, my labmate and housemate, is happy back at SLO with her hubby; my classmate Jane and I talk occasionally and she still keeps in touch with the geomorphology groupies. Jane has a tenure-track position at a local community college. Jodi has a tenure-track position at the University of Idaho, and is still happily married with children. I don't know what happened to Julie C. and her brood, or to Sylvia, our then-undergrads in the lab. April and Wendy are still on Bob's website/radar, as is Debbie, the first graduate from the group. What a great group. All women. I "broke the barrier" [ha, ha] by being the first brunette in the group. We made quite a sight at the national meetings...the only all-female research group at the SSSA meetings.
I guess things have changed since the early/mid-nineties. More guys have decided to go into the environmental sciences. Bob's group has male alums now and I suppose there are more women in the other research groups, now, too.
Labels: school, science, soils
Just for Fun
I received an email from Laura, in which the point is to complete abbreviated lists. Here are mine:
4 jobs I have had in my life
1) Biology Lab Instructional Faculty, Univ of Pittsburgh
2) one of the last staff at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Science and Tech Dept.
3) NASA research fellow: Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, CA; Univ of CA, and remote locales
4) Jewish Community Center, nursery and Kindergarten aide, Pittsburgh
4 movies I would watch over and over:
1) The Lake House
2) Dead Again (the lead character is a "Grace")
3) ----
4) ----
4 places I have lived
1) by Yankee Stadium and Joyce Kilmer Park, Bronx, NY
2) in a beautiful home on a hill overlooking the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers
3) in a gothic dorm, in a room overlooking the green and the lake, Wellesley College
4) within 2 miles of the San Francisco Bay, Berkeley, CA
4 TV Shows that I watch:
1) Monk
2) Curb Your Enthusiasm
3) Keeping Up Appearances
4) Dancing with the Stars
4 Places I have been:
1) the Philippines
2) the "Continent"
3) S. Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales
4) Baja California, Mexico
4 people who e-mail me regularly
1) Mom (at least once daily, when she's not away from the computer)
2) Joyce
3) My students
4) My girlfriends--Lisa, Laura, my choirfriends, Marva, etc.
4 of my favorite foods:
1)Mom's home cooking
2) Anything I don't have to prepare
3) Thai/Filipino
4) Irish/Scottish salmon
5 places I would rather be right now:
1) At home, in bed, asleep (Just came from choir practice, Mass, and a 3-hr. mtg...boy, I'm tired).
2) In a warm bubble bath
3) Lying down, with my legs up.
4) Visiting with my family, either distant or not-so
5) In the kitchen, drinking good grape juice...
4 Things I am looking forward to:
1) tomorrow
2) and tomorrow....and tomorrow (a great Vonnegut title).
3) I agree with Laura: A Liberal in the White House
4) whatever the next thing brings!
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This email Laura sent me today reminds me of one I received on March 16th 2006: Tag, You're It! from Marissa. That email asked for fave hobbies, and I listed "exercise: Dance and swimming" as favorites. My current condition makes dance unable to be done. My, how fast things change....
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10 March 2008
I thought of a great movie to add to my "list" of two--Sliding Doors...
...and another, The Rock.
Labels: career, Carnegie, children, color, dance, health, list, love, Monk, New York, Philippines, Pittsburgh, pool, science, soils, teaching, travel, TV, Wellesley, work
the Green (deciduous) Tree
When I rode the bus to the South Side this afternoon, I saw on the north side of the Cathedral of Learning "the" green (deciduous) tree that has decided to stay green through the cold up to this point in winter.
I do not know if it is due to warm soil below, but it is gaily adorned amidst its kindred (deciduous) trees that have gone leafless.
Labels: biology, color, global warming, seasons, soils, weather, work
Enchanting Autumn
This morning I read at morning Mass, the Memorial for Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude. Fr. Tom celebrated the Mass, with John serving and Don supplying the music ministry. I received calls from the campus Emergency Notification Service (E.N.S.) about a threat to my work building complex, so delayed going there for a while.
Later, mid-morning, as I was dropping off graded papers at my work building, and after sitting in on a colleague's soil class in the geology building at midday; I noticed the diversity of trees once again. On the north side of the academic quad: Scarlet, orange-rust, and green; each tree bedecked in its own color. In front of the SRCC the trees were green with golden yellow and red tips, as paintbrushes. Most every tree still had all its full layers of glory. The sparse but thick flakes falling and blowing from the sky added an additional layer on my own bright red coat, which further enchanted me.
As there was no work in-service meeting this week, I took a well-deserved nap.
We are enjoying an enchanting Autumn, albeit late.
Labels: biology, color, geology, Mass, Pittsburgh, read, science, seasons, sleep, soils, St. Paul Cathedral, weather, work
Soil Science Colleagues
I had a chance today to visit with Rosemary and her graduate student, Tanya. We spoke about our connections to the West Coast soils crowd and the network. Soon thereafter I sat in on Dan B's soil science course. I was pleased to see that in talking about water movement in soils, he addressed water-mineral interactions.
Labels: geology, science, soils, water
Southern California Wildfires, 2007
There are a number of wildfires in the greater Southern California area, indicated on the map. I must contact my SoCal contacts to make certain all is well down their way. There is even a SoCal Wildfire 2007 blog.
~~~
I just returned from a meeting with Wellesley and other Seven Sisters alumnae, with the event led by Folly Patterson of the Wellesley Center for Work and Service (aka, the Career Center). The workshop was on "After Passages," about life transitions. We had a lively exchange over hors d'oeuvres and handouts. One interesting discussion ensued about computer communication and its difference from human contact. Great planning by Kelly U. and nice turnout! I handed off to Natalie M. a couple of CDs of RIS shows with Tim as guest speaker. I also shared with Natalie M. and Kelly U. the article from Jet Magazine which Marva had shared with me.
Back at Mom and Dad's home, Beatrice plays, despite a slight fever.
Back to grading!
~~~
Thursday, 25 October 2007; 9 AM
One of my friends and a University of California colleague emailed me yesterday about the fires in SoCal:
No fires in Riverside, just a lot of smoke.
Labels: alarm, Beatrice, blogs, geology, global warming, light, love, RIS, science, soils, thankfulness, water, weather, Wellesley, work
Soil Science I
I have one of my graduate degrees in soil science, and I currently teach in a biology department. Most US soils departments grew out of agronomy departments, and I noticed how diverse the types of questions asked by soil chemists, physicists, biologists, geomorphologists, pedologists, etc. were whenever I attended a national meeting.
While I was a grad student, mi asessor, Bob, once asked me if I had any ideas as to why more women were entering a field such as soil science. I replied that much of soil science is allied with the life sciences, which more women tend to gravitate towarda and to be graduated from graduate school; and it is an interdisciplinary field, which may tend to attract more women. I don't know how true my second statement was as a generalization, but it was true for me when I was in grad school....
Now, my students are studying microorganisms in the biology classroom and we ask some questions about soil as thought questions for our students. I have differences about some of the basic assumptions about soils (generally) that are stated in the questions, which I have relayed to my current asessor more than once. Such a new curriculum, there are SO MANY new insights and questions. I hope my concerns don't end up on the back burner...Soils deserve a decent place in our curriculum, especially when discussing microorganisms and also N-cycling.
Labels: biology, geology, science, soils, teaching
