Gustavo

As promised, here is the life story of a much loved pet fish named Gustavo.

Labor Day weekend, senior year of college, my roommate and I decided to get pet fish. So we went to PetCo, and we each got a beta fish. Angie named hers Bruce, and I named mine Gustavo.

Because our male beta fish were aggressive if they could see each other, one lived on the coffee table and one lived on the dining room table for their own safety.

Bruce had a short life, taking the trip down the toilet after only about a week with us.

Gustavo missed him, but soon had a new companion. Angie's boyfriend Tony stepped in and bought her a new fish, christened Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee lasted several months before joining his predecessor Bruce.

After an appropriate mourning period, we welcomed Bruce Wayne into our household. He and Gustavo would be lifelong friends, despite spending the last year of their lives apart.

Upon graduation, Angie, Tony, and Bruce Wayne moved to the northwest, and Gustavo and I moved to Tucson.

For the 1500 mile journey, Gustavo's bowl was nestled into a 5 gallon bucket that sat between the bucket seats of the UHaul that my dad and I drove from St. Louis to Tucson. As it was July, it was quite hot, so every night Gustavo was snuck into the hotel. Gustavo and I were subject to quite a bit of ridicule from my father, but he was very tolerant when I insisted Gustavo come in with us.

Shortly after moving to the northwest, Angie and Tony got a pair of kittens, Cosmo and Dot. Alas, Bruce Wayne and his bowl had to move into a cupboard to be safe from the curious kittens.


All through the trials and tribulations of my first year of graduate school Gustavo was a faithful friend. When I went out of town my first semester he went over to my friend Dallas' apartment for a visit. Second semester, I left him in the care of my roommates.

In the middle of July, the summer after my first year, I noticed that Gustavo had become unusually lethargic. A few days later, on Angie's birthday actually, I came home from school to discover he had died during the day.

When my roommate Lisa got home, she instantly knew something was wrong. She kindly agreed to flush Gustavo up to heaven, as I was too squeamish to do it myself.

Bruce Wayne did not long outlive Gustavo, dying just a couple weeks later. (Actually, neither Angie or I quite remember when Bruce Wayne died. I only remember it was the same month as Gustavo, but it sounds better this way.)

And that, is the story of Gustavo the fish and his friends Bruce, Bruce Lee, and Bruce Wayne.

Like in a Movie

Last night I'm happily chilling on the couch watching the season premier of Project Runway, when I get a Gchat message from Sugar Pants.

Sugar Pants: anne

you there?

me: yes

what's up?

Sugar Pants: I did a boo boo [At this point I'm thinking he's in lab and messed up an instrument somehow.]

i locked myself in my garage

me: hahahahahahhaha

Sugar Pants: i know i know

can you come save me?

the front door is unlocked

me: haha ok

i'll be there in a few minutes

Sugar Pants: thanks

He recently bought a house, and has been doing some work on it in the evenings before he actually moves in. Apparently last night was the night to disassemble the built in cabinets in the garage (you know, so you could actually put a car in it) and install a lock on the door between the garage and the house.

About 10 minutes later I pull up to Sugar Pants' house just as his neighbor is pulling into her garage, which is immediately adjacent. I go through the house and open the door to the garage. He's sitting on the floor out of view, so I step into the garage. Before I know it, the door has swung shut behind me.

Yes. Yes, that's exactly what happened. I went over to free Sugar Pants from his garage and got locked in there with him. Go ahead and laugh. I know it's funny.

I told him his neighbor pulled in when I did. So he pounded the wall and yelled, but she'd already gone inside. He asks if I have my phone to call Dallas. My phone is in the car... (Next time I'll take my phone with me before freeing somebody from a locked room.) He doesn't have his phone either, the key to the newly installed lock is on the other side of the door, and the garage door is padlocked from the outside.

Sugar Pants has his laptop, but the battery is quickly dying. E is on Gchat still, but not answering. He asks if I know her number - I don't (Actually, since my parents phone number changed when they moved, the ONLY numbers I have memorized are my cell phone, my office, and my grandparents'.). He knows his girlfriend's number, but she lives in Pheonix. He uses Google's call feature, and calls twice before she picks up. After explaining our predicament, and some totally justified laughing on her part, she agrees to call Dallas.

After another uncomfortably hot and humid 15 minutes in the garage (seriously, why won't it just monsoon already!), Dallas arrived with his girlfriend to laugh at us. Before actually letting us out, he tried to convince us that the front door was locked, so he couldn't get in to open the door. After we called BS about 8 times he let us out.

There's a key to that lock hidden in the garage now.

Introducing Leopold

Me: hi

Little Sister: HI

i'm legit

about to go to bed

BUT

i'll fill you in

i got a new fish!

Me: hahahahahaha

congratulations

did [friend] get one too?

Little Sister: yes

betas

hers is garfunkel

mine is leopold

Me: hahaha

nice

my fish was gustavo [I'll have to tell you all about Gustavo another time.]

Little Sister: but dad hasn't met him yet

i left him on the counter

with a sticky note

that says meet the newest addition to the family - leopold! hes the most handsome beta around

mom came home like 20 min ago

and i was sitting in a chair next to the counter talking to him

i love him

my little fishy

Me: oh my goodness

Little Sister: mom thinks im gonna give him a complex

bc [other friend] told me its a girl

but i dont want a girl fish

so im gonna pretend its a boy

but i told her i want to laminate a prince harry and put him in his fish bowl so he can have company and bc its prince harry

and hes beautiful

and mom reminded me its a boy

she really thinks im gonna give him a complex

and the stones at the bottom of his fish bowl are bright pink

like breast cancer pink

Me: actually i think they generally sell boy beta fish because the girl beta fish aren't pretty colors

Little Sister: oh ok good

i think its a boy too

bc it made a bubble nest

and only the boys make those

Me: what the heck is bubble nest?

Little Sister: its what they do

when they prepare to mate

it means they're really happy!

my fish is happy!

because he loves me

OK WEELL

going to bed

byee

Me: goodnight

Sugar Pants' Birthday

Yesterday was my labmate's birthday - we'll call him Sugar Pants for this conversation - and he requested German chocolate cake. So E and I made him a cake - using this recipe from Annie's Eats (a fantastic cooking blog with all sorts of delicious looking stuff, including, but not limited to super fun cupcakes).

It's two layers of cake, cut into four, where each layer is covered with rum syrup followed by a coconut and pecan filling. The sides are then coated with ganache.

Apparently it was so delicious that my other labmate, Slim, decided he wants this cake for his birthday, too...which isn't until January.

Happy birthday Sugar Pants!

Quote of the Day

A friend/labmate, upon tasting his beer:

It tastes like they poured church wine into PBR.

Yeah, right!

I just got the following email:

Thank you for making an oral presentation at the 2011 ASMS Conference. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of your oral presentation webcast recording, please fill out the attached form and return it to me.

Thank you,

Joe Schmoe
ASMS Office

Ha! Fat chance! There is no way in hell I'm paying $20 to have a copy of me giving a talk! Giving it was torturous enough the first time, I certainly don't ever want to listen to it again!

What are the odds?

Monster Cupcakes

While I was home, I made these ridiculously adorable Monster Cupcakes with my sister and a couple of her friends.

PHEW!

Yay!! The Queen says that aside from looking up fellowship application deadlines and putting out a few feelers to professors about fellowships that I can stick my head in the sand and ignore all life-after-graduation-decisions until after Christmas at least! PHEW!

Quotable

Here's a sampling of the ridiculous or funny things my sister said while I was home. I'm sure there will be a similar post following her trip to Tucson next month.

Me: So what should I cook while I'm home?
Little Sister: Can you make that dish you made before, with the orange chunks?
Me: Butternut squash chili?
Little Sister: Yeah. Or I could just to go Wendy's and get their chili.

Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" is playing while Little Sister and I are making dinner. She's singing along.
Little Sister: ...wife of the post man, wife of the post maaaaan.
Me: I think that line is actually "wife of a close friend..."

We went running on the track at the local high school, and just over 2 miles into the run, Little Sister darts off the track, hops the fence, and bee lines it to the porta potty by the next field. Little sister, while we stretch after running: I claim dibs on showering first because I went in a portapotty.

During our run there was a bunch of lightening off in the distance, which we ignored, because it looked far away and it wasn't even raining at the track. Just as we walk in the house after our run we see the ground crew at Fenway pulling the tarp over the field. It's like the bottom of the 8th inning, and not pouring, so you'd think they'd push through it to finish the game. Then they show a pretty fantastic shot of lightening just beyond the 3rd base side of the stadium.
Me: Ooh, they're probably really having a lightening delay, not a rain delay.
Little Sister: Why? They use wooden bats!

Little Sister, while decorating cupcakes (which I baked, with frosting that I made): Baking is a good time to practice using common sense.

Little Sister, while applying sunscreen at the beach: I gotta be sure to get my nose, cause it's so close to the sun ya know.

One Year Later

**Warning! Not for the squeemish!**




July 5th marks one whole year since I did this sliding into 3rd base playing sloshball:
For the record, I was sober. Also for the record, it wasn't worth sliding, but I can't help it.

The day after:

After the first trip to Student Health:
This is after they decided it was infected, but before I realized I'm allergic to sulfa antibiotics. It's a shame I didn't keep the photo I took of my leg after the reaction. That was gross.

My awesome roommates kept me stocked with whatever color Koban I wanted:
That $&!# is expensive! This is after the swelling from the injury and the allergic reaction went down. My right leg was like twice the size of my left...

One year later:
Yep, pretty sure that scar is here to stay. Despite the Tucson heat, I've worn knee high socks and pants every time I've played softball since then. Even so I've scraped my knees a few more times sliding. As my sister puts it, I apparently like the burn victim look.

Tales of the Road

Yesterday evening I flew back to Tucson after a trip to the northeast to see the boyfriend and family over the 4th of July holiday. Both flights were pretty bumpy, but on time, so no complaints. A couple funny incidents and thoughts to share...

While boarding the flight in Boston, a middle aged woman comes down the aisle with a fairly heavy-looking carry-on that needs to go in the overhead. Her seat is in front of a man holding a baby.
Woman, to man: Can you help me with this?
Man: Sure! Where should I put my baby?
Fortunately a baby-less man from across the aisle stepped in to help.

While the plane is taxing towards the runway, a flight attendant comes over the PA system.
Flight Attendant: Is there a passenger with an iPhone? I need a passenger with an iPhone. (A half dozen hands in my section go up.) I have a passenger in first class who doesn't know how to turn his off. (Entire plane laughing.)
Pilot: Throwing it on the ground and stomping on it usually gets the job done.

There was a family a few rows ahead of me with 4 kids under the age of about 8, and when the plane took off, they all yelled like they were on a roller coaster.

While riding the tram between terminals in Atlanta, they made announcements as we arrived at each terminal. Terminal A as in alpha, B as in bravo, etc. It occurred to me, isn't it a bit strange that we use C as in Charlie...when Charlie starts with a "ch" sound rather than a hard "c" sound?

My flight to Tucson left Atlanta from the international terminal. Now, I know Tucson is kind of a strange place, and it's not at all far from Mexico, but really? The international terminal?

There were TONS and TONS of uniformed military personnel around my gate. I'm used to having a handful of military people on my flights to and from Tucson because there's an air force base in town, and an army base about an hour away. But I'm talking easily a couple hundred people here. The flight across from mine was going to Kuwait. Which then got me wondering, were there any civilians on that flight? Who voluntarily goes to Kuwait??

Some of you know that I frequently buy Cosmo magazine when I fly. Now I know it's trash, but much of it is entertaining trash. I find it funny that every month they have another version of "99 ways to please your man," because clearly the 99 ways they offered last month won't work anymore. Anyways, this trip was no exception, and I had a Cosmo with me for my in-flight entertainment. Except on my way to Tucson I found myself seated next to a very nice little Muslim family. I've felt a little awkward reading Cosmo when I find myself seated next to a man like my dad's age, or an old woman like my grandmother's age...but this was different... I twiddled my thumbs until they went to sleep so I could read my Cosmo without feeling like I'm going to hell.

How to Kill Time Between Spectra Late at Night, Volume 3

Back by popular demand, and because I'm working super late again, here's a running list of how I've kept myself "busy" tonight.

• Take out recycling
• Get dinner with E (who is also working late)
• Gchat and Facebook chat
• Write blog posts
• Contemplate my future, panic a bit
  
• Read some papers
  
• Research Crater Lake National Park (Did you know that all the boats on the lake were delivered by helicopter??)
  
• Think about how to organize results into publishable units
• Ponder why my office and lab are so cold. Go stand outside briefly to warm up.
• Obtain caffeine from vending machine
• Inform E that her faithful readers are waiting for more fashion advice
• Tidy desk
• Make packing list
  
• Watch Blue Crush on Netflix to try to stay awake during last spectrum (Yes, I'm judging me, too.)