Who is Dianne Gabriel …

JAVMA (The Journal of the American Veterinary Association) had a really cool pullout poster this issue. It’s the only time in the past ten years that I can recall them doing such a thing. The poster is a listing of “Disease from Potential Bioterrorist Agents”. I rather doubt these will be used as bioterrorist agents,…

The Prof goes for his interview today for the full time tenure track position. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this nervous about anything before, and it surprises me. He’s worried about being asked to work a problem he can’t handle, or asked a question he doesn’t know the answer to. I’ve tried to…

I’ve taken hundreds of pictures over the past few weeks in the Preserve. I’ve become absorbed in identifying everything as accurately as possible. I’m glad I’m doing this, as I’ve discovered that I have been a veritable warehouse of half-facts and out-and-out misinformation about some things (especially the smaller wildflowers). I’m discovering that some identifications…

I love lazy Saturdays. I love being the only one up and awake. I love watching drowsing cats sunning themselves in the checkerboard patterns of sunlight on the kitchen floor during their period of post-prandial morning bliss. I love that initial buzz from a really good cup of coffee that opens my eyes up to…

That “beautiful cat” was Lyta (Lee-ta) Alexander. I adopted her back in 2004. She was brought to the rescue I was volunteering for then at about one-year of age and very pregnant. One of the other volunteers fostered her until the kittens were ready for adoption. They named her Faline, after Bambi’s girlfriend, and her…

I got my annual raise today. It works out to 3.25%, which is slightly over the 3% rate that the head of my department was given to work with for our entire department. My .25% is someone else’s loss. I feel gratified that they value my work so highly, but I feel badly that someone…