Utah

I've told some people, but here's the general announcement:
Next week I'm going to be in Utah.
I've been invited to give a research seminar.
I'm pretty excited. It should be a nice trip.

Busybody Peanut

I remember Busybody Nora when I was a kid. I liked it a lot. Truthfully, I don't remember much about it right now. But that's where I first learned the word "busybody."

Normally, I wouldn't describe myself as a busybody. Razor--yes. Me--no. Afterall, it's Razor(with Cher's assistance) who keeps tabs on the comings and goings of our neighbors. And Razor who dutifully monitors the activity in our backyard, barking at squirrels, birds, and passing cars as she sees fit.

This morning, however, I did kind of a busybody thing.

It started Friday night, when I got home from work. The front door of the townhome 2 units down was open. This was surprising because that unit has been vacant and available for rent almost since we've lived here. My first thought was, "Oh, look, new neighbors." As I pulled up, they were leaving. I haven't seen them since. Nor have I seen any indication of someone moving. And the "FOR RENT" sign is still in place outside the door.

I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for it all, but this morning, just in case, I called the property managers. Busybody.

Whale Watching

A couple weeks ago I went to a conference in Ventura, California. It was pretty good. Really science-y. But the best part was taking an afternoon and going whale watching. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Yep, that's me.
Looking back at the shore.
Do you see the whale spray? These were grey whales. We followed them for awhile. There were two of them swimming together. In fact, I think there's the last part of the other whale's spray off to the right of the one in the center of this photo.
This shot shows a nice view of the whale's "fingerprint". Apparently the pattern on the underside of a whale's tale is like our fingerprints--every whale is different with a unique pattern.

On the way back in to shore we also saw a bunch of dolphins. But I don't have any cool pictures of them.

Very cool trip.

Self Care

For awhile now I have felt not quite right. And although I recognized it, I didn't do anything about it. Instead I took a watch and wait approach. Sort of like, "Hmmm. Not feeling great, but am I really depressed? Nah, I don't think so. Let's see how I feel next week." And it went on like that week after week because although I knew I was feeling not quite right, I wasn't sure if it was bad enough to seek help.
Kind of like a persistent low-grade fever, I've had a persistent low-grade depression.
Well, with the start of the new year I decided it was time to act. This post of Shana's helped motivate me too.
First, I decided that I needed at least a month to focus on me. Me time. So I told my part-time job that I wouldn't be available for any projects for awhile.
And then I called my therapist. The last time I saw her was early in 2007. But we'd discussed that if I felt like I needed to see her some more, she'd fit me in.
An aside about therapists...I love my therapist. I think she's fabulous. But the first one I saw about a year and a half ago bugged me. He grated on my nerves. And I didn't connect with him. I'd watch the clock and count the minutes to the session's end (and yet I still dutifully scheduled one appointment after another--and showed up too!). So after I used up my free EAP covered visits, I never went back. A few months later I knew I needed to see someone, so I called the therapist that my dear, sweet neighbor recommended. One visit with the new therapist and I knew I'd found the right one for me. Like I said, she's fabulous.
Anyway, I went to see my therapist again.
I've also started Yoga Therapy. This is something suggested by my therapist after I mentioned the idea of enrolling in a yoga class. The woman I see for Yoga Therapy has some small classes, but she also has one-on-one sessions. I opted to start with some one-on-one sessions. And for the past two-weeks for 90 minutes in the morning, I've had my yoga time.
Between my talk therapy and yoga therapy I'm getting the help I was looking for. Although external stressors and pressures haven't changed, I'm working on myself and how I cope. I'm dealing with my stress and anxieties and not feeling so worn down by them. I'm adding peace and serenity to my life. Re-centering and re-focusing.
I like it.

My Amazon Purchase

Thanks for all of the good comments and suggestions on how to spend $100 on science-related items. Although I liked the telescope suggestion a lot, I decided to go with books.
Here's what I ordered:

Einstein, by Walter Isaacson
This is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel J. Levitin
Four Laws that Drive the Universe, by Peter Atkins
Strong at the Broken Places, by Richard M. Cohen
The Language of God, by Francis Collins,
The Dancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav
Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet

I'm pretty excited about them--they should arrive soon. Of course, I'm not sure how quickly I'll get them all read--as it is, I've got 4 books on my bedside table waiting in line.
_____
Side note: for those who missed the link that Woodine put in a comment, or who just didn't follow it, you really should. Here it is.
And by the way, PCR stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction. In case you were wondering.