Aquarium Excitement

Today at the aquarium I was introduced to the world of Marine Chemistry and it was amazing. It started off with simple tank-side tests of pH and salinity.  The tools for those recordings I often work with at my day job so the excitement was minimal.  BUT, once I collected all that data, I asked my boss if he needed the nitrates tested. (I knew this was my chance to get into the elusive 3rd story lab, only accessible by a special key).

He looked at his watch and said, "Yes, I think we have time for that."  Inside my head: "YEEEEAAASSSS!!!!"  Party dance to music.  Real life response:  Stupid grin.

We head up and I see the best view from the aquarium.  Behind a fancy microscope with was probably worth my future firstborn, was the most serene and colorful tidal creek, dunes, and ocean scene I have seen in a while.  Once I got focused on the actual lab, my boss began instructing.

Nitrate testing is very time sensitive.  You break the tip off of a vacuum-sealed vial with power inside the liquid you are testing.  You shake it for 1 minute.  Then you let it rest for 5 minutes while you zero out the testing machine with some of your water sample.  Then at exactly 5 mins you run the sample, a wave of light passes through and a number appears on the screen.  Easy as pie...but time consuming.  So each volunteer makes up their own way to run multiple samples at once in a ballet of movement all based around timing.  I however could only run 2 samples at once before blowing up my brain.

I had just broken the tip off of two vials when the real excitement started.  An aquarium worker busted through the doors to the lab!  There was a flashing light behind her and a siren (neither I could sense due to the 1hr firewall that surrounded the lab) .  "We are evacuating the building!", she called out.  I looked at my vials.  I didn't think we could get out and back in 5 mins and I didn't want to leave my experiments.  "Do I have time to finish my tests?", I asked thinking only of the stopwatch ticking away.  "NO!", was the reply as I was hurried down a stairwell.

Once outside, we learned that a over-zealous worker pulled the fire-alarm when a machine started smoking up a pump room.  But by the time the fire-marshal declared it safe to return, my stopwatch was well above 5 mins and my samples were toast.  BUT, it was exciting!

Next week should be equally exciting if my boss follows through on the promises of this week.  He says that I will don a wet-suit and snorkel in our estuary tank scrubbing oysters with a toothbrush.  Um!  SNORKEL IN THE AQUARIUM!!!!  YESSSSS PLEASE!  Fingers crossed that he remembers.

Hello Helo-Ride!

The Photos I promised "Y'all" (you guys!):

Little Miracles

I thank God for little miracles in my life.  I was over-joyed to share the following with my community care pastor over email this morning:

xxxx,

I had a little miracle happen today.  :-)

I volunteer sometimes at an animal sanctuary and rescue for birds.  I went there this morning and ended up helping with the Red-Tailed Hawk.  She's a beautiful bird, but a dangerous one.  God made it as a hunter and a fighter.  Her sharp talons are for tearing flesh, and each claw can grasp with 20lbs of pressure.

We were putting her into a transport cage in the car when she suddenly turned and attempted an escape.  Mary Ellen (the expert) had her by a leather foot strap but nothing else.  She was flapping wildly and to help I tried to grab her too.  In my mad grab to pin the wings down, I ended up grasped by a talon, BUT it was so gentle.  Things were happening fast and wings were pounding and everything flailing, but my hand was protected.  What should have torn through flesh and muscle simply left a pin-prick of blood and zero pain.

I  don't know if God had His hand on mine, or if He told the bird not to squeeze, but either way, I PRAISE HIM!!!!
Just a thought for today,

Caroline R.

~Ps.  I think I will blog about this and share the Good News!

And thus, I shared with you.

Sooo.....

Soo...the Helicopter ride didn't work out yet.  Engine trouble the morning of our ride.  At least it wasn't engine trouble the moment of our ride... O.o

Sooo... I went to the store yesterday for some necessities.  As I entered the Laundry Detergent Isle I found a middle aged man and an older woman staring blankly at the rows upon rows of colorful bottles.  So I stepped into the middle of them and did the same.  My thoughts, "Wow so many,  do they all do the same thing?  I want the one that cleans the best but costs the least....and it should smell good too."  Continue blank stares.

There was movement on my right, the older lady leaned in to read the Purex a little closer.  Then stepped back again.  The man on my left is still motionless....baffled even.  So I take the opportunity to speak.

"Do you think perhaps they gave us too many options?",  I say.  The woman shoots me a semi-dirty look and grabs the ALL before leaving.  The man on my left says, "It's like Jeopardy, looking at the stuff makes you feel dumb."  Then he turns around to face the fabric softeners with a look of enlightenment.  "Ah, there they are!"

He grabs a bottle and leaves as well.  I decided that using my sense of sight wasn't working through this problem, so then I started smelling them until I came to one that worked for me.  Still don't know what brand I bought...but I am not sure it even matters.

NOW, don't get my started on toothpaste.  First of all, shouldn't they all protect from cavities, I mean the very nature of brushing your teeth is for that specific purpose.  So, what makes a toothpaste worthy of the mark, "Cavity Protection."  Then, everyone claims to whiten the teeth, but surely some whiten more than others.  Maybe we could have a Whitening scale.  Like, this paste kinda whitens while this other one extremely whitens.

I was at a loss since I couldn't sniff or taste the paste.  Instead I tried to find something unique about one so that it stood out to me.  I ended up with some sort of Aquafresh micro-foaming paste...because nobody else claimed to make little bubbles...just saying.



A RANDOM POEM TO FINISH US OFF:

I may never be an effective shopper

or fly around in a helicopter

But I think I would be a hog

if I didn't make a video blog

for my dear friend Eliza.

The Video blog is coming soon dear, thank you for your patience.