My major is Biology and Society. I'm taking Numeracy in the hope that I can begin to think about ways to apply quantitative values to the life and social sciences. As problems become more and more complex, ye olde data-gathering needs to be used to construct a formal model as a matter of efficiency as well as accuracy.

When we're looking at, say, the implications of globalization on infectious disease, things can get a little hairy.

This class won't teach me exactly how to figure that out, but I think it will help me explore ways to make information in these sciences more useful by understanding the fundamental concepts that govern formal models and quantitative techniques.

This ties into my major in which I'm supposed to learn "conceptual foundations of the biosciences and their diverse interactions with society through Bioethics, Policy, and Law."

Have I mention I failed swimming? Now would be a good time to mention that I failed swimming.

My real reason for pursuing this major is, to quote Bart Simpson:

Bart: "How would I go about creating a half-man, half-monkey-type creature?"
Mrs. Krabapple: "That would be playing God."
Bart: "God shmod! I want my monkey-man!"

Summer has a blog! Read about her wacky adventures as she travels from one exotic locale to the next on her wee little legs!

I would have added her earlier but as I was checking my archives to find her earlier comment and acquire her site address, I discovered that nothing has been archived since I changed my template.

The information is all still there, but the link isn't being stored automatically. Cruel world.

I'm learning about different counting systems in my Numeracy class. Er, I'm trying to learn about different counting systems. I understand the Egyptians and the Mayans, but those Chinese are crazy. My goal is to be able to use an abacus by the end of the semsester.

We won't talk about the Babylonians and their base-60 system. They are dead to me.

I think most historians are with me on this.

Busy weekend. Birthdays. Work meetings. Sorority formals. Getting bitten by the meanest ferret ever (aka Cap'n Fuzzbeard) and even a bit of salsa dancing.

It occurs to me that I may be keeping myself busy just to keep myself from being introspective. I'm writing it down because I'm trying not to think about it.

I'm reading about Miyamoto Mushasi. It is hard to separate the man from the legend. Except for what he actually wrote. The greatest swordsman that ever lived and I can still hear his voice.

Nifty.

My schedule is approaching something almost normal. I've been going to sleep around two and getting up around 7 or 8. I guess that's not normal, but certainly much more regular. Like fiber for the circadian rhythms.

I made some dogtags at work today. Like most of the pet merchandise I buy, I intend to wear them myself. One tag says my name (legal, not my common name) and my social security number, much like my official and long-since-lost Army tags. The other tag says "Above all else, do no harm." I heard the phrase on an episode of Deadwood. It was uttered by a shell-shocked doctor. I'm not sure why I put that on the dogtag. I'm not exactly a pacifist.

I guess I'm just going to try and follow the spirit if not the letter. We'll see what happens.

If it doesn't work out I can always make new dogtags.

I have entered The Noobers in all-out fight to the death...er, fight to the cuteness.

My poor, poor, ugly dog.

In other dog-related news I have purchased a pair of "doggles." When my manager asked why I was buying them I told her "I'm going to wear them." And I am. I had to modify them a bit but they're still more comfortable than any other human goggles I've worn.

To the Dog-mobile!

I'm trying to breathe some life back into this long-neglected blog of mine.

Classes are in full swing and I feel very good about them so far.

Antics since the time of the last post include:

1. Accidentally sneaking into my little brother Luis's wrestling meet and saving 3 dollars. (It really was an accident; I can't help it if some people are intimidiated by dark-skinned people with shaved heads and satchels.)

2. While working at the pet store this weekend, it was my job to transfer the bunnies from the back room to the front of the store. This was fairly easy; I just picked up bunnies and put them in a pen I had prepared. I was carrying the last bunny when I passed by the dog toy aisle. I grabbed a toy stuffed bunny that was white like the bunny I was carrying. As I approached the front counter I shouted to my supervisor "Hey Amy! Catch the bunny!" and I flung the toy bunny in a high arc towards her. She managed to catch it. Fair play to her. After she got over the initial shock of me hurling what she though were live animals, she found it pretty amusing. I'm just glad I didn't mix up the toy bunny and the real bunny.

3. I am in the process of trying to get new contact lenses. I've been wearing this two-week pair for about...3 months? They've withstood the test of time and I have yet to get any weird eye diseases, but I think it's time for new ones. The problem is that my prescription is only good for a year and I can't order more contacts without paying for a new eye exam. My prescriptions haven't changed in the past four years, so I tried to go through a website to order contacts. The website wanted a confirmation of my prescription, so I got a copy of my last prescription, forged them very poorly, and faxed it in. I just received an email saying my lenses are on their way.

That's about it for antics, I think. But the year is young.

I can now add "sugar glider" and "chinchilla" to the list of animals that have bitten me. The sugar gliders hang out in little cloth pouches and I when I poked some food in for them there was an explosion of fur and teeth. I escaped relatively unscathed.

I can't really complain. Some other guy was bitten by one of the puffer fish while he was cleaning its tank.

Sunday was the annual marathon here in Tempe. I didn't run it this year. I felt I lacked the physical, mental, and financial resources to try it again. However, I did give some sick kittens their medicine and wear a ferret on my head. Not at the same time.

School begins soon. I've stumbled into mostly biology classes and another chemistry class. No swimming this year. Did I mention I failed swimming? Yeah, tradition dictates that I have to fail an un-failable course at least once every academic year. I didn't drown. It just got cold outside. Take a swimming course during the winter semester? What was I thinking?

I'm hoping to weasel into some kind of writing class before the week is out. Come to think of it, I'm hoping for a lot of things.

Good night.