Sustainable Fisheries Takes Off BIG TIME!

OK, I know as a die-hard liberal, I'm supposed to hate-no, ABHOR Walmart...but my cheapass Jew self loves the low prices the big box store offers. But they treat their workers and the environment like crap...until now.

Ah ha! Walmart vows to buy sustainable seafood!!! They are now stewards of my favorite cause, Sustainable Fisheries. I just found out from Seafood Watch that Walmart is going to source all of its wild- caught fresh and frozen fish for the North American market from fisheries that meet the Marine Stewardship Council's independent environmental standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. The decision will make dozens of fish products bearing the MSC's distinctive blue eco-label available to Wal-Mart's North American customers in coming years. Do you know what this means? Poor people can now buy eco-friendly fish!!! HOORAY!

I'm so excited to see sustainable fisheries is finally taking off! Check this out! And this! And people told me this wouldn't catch on. It's a grass roots effort baby...and it's finally taking off!!! W00T!!!

Work Dodgeball Tourney

Yeah, that's right, a dodgeball tournament. Somehow I got strong-armed into signing up to play dodgeball for my company's team. It turns out it's quite a complicated game.

Now, as anyone who's seen the movie dodgeball knows, there's 5 things you have to remember when playing dodgeball: Dodge, dip, duck, dive, dodge. In addition to these strategies, there are rules. Once you grab the balls at the start of the game, you have to "check" them behind a mid-court line. You also cannot hold a ball for more than 10 seconds or throw the ball at someone's head.

The balls we used were basketball-sized nerf balls. They were ridiculously hard to throw. They either went no where (if you aimed low) or flew off into space. Now I, someone who throws like a girl, simply practiced the act of dodging. That worked out OK...but once, I was 1 of 2 players left on the field; not a good thing. I can't throw, I can barely catch. I totally got knocked out...but it's OK, we had team unity.

That whole 10 second rule was rarely enforced...but it was a great psychological tool. Someone on my team would mention the opposing team members had been holding the balls for more than 10 seconds, so me, being the loudmouth I am, felt the need to shout "10....9....8....7..." and every time they just started frantically throwing without aiming. That and catching a ricocheting ball were my only real contributions to them team.

All in all, it was a fun afternoon. And in addition to tumbling in the grass (a beautiful round-off followed by two back handsprings), playing with a fabulous Weimaraner named Cally (who belonged to a complete stranger), and the great weather, one of my teammates and I enjoyed the beautiful eye-candy walking around the field on the opposing teams. Mr. Blue Shorts Guy...your body is ab-tastic...Steve the Pirate is so jealous.

I touched it!!

This past weekend, to top off my 52 hour work week, I took a 2 day long training course. It was frought with parties, a murder mystery, and larvae handling.

Alright, the party was in the hotel room next door and kept me awake. And the murder mystery, well...I'm not quite sure if there was an actual murder, per se, but there was a whole lot of screaming and thudding and a eerie silence (I did my good samaritan duty and called hotel security and then hid under my covers until the aforementioned eerie silence...But the larvae handling, that was allllllll real baby.

I got to take a class on sampling the Threatened (and in some areas Endangered) California Tiger Salamander larvae (pictured below)

Now, when I'm at work, I get to get close to these animals, but touch them? No thanks, I don't have $50,000 to fork out for "harrassing" them without a permit. But at this class, it was allowed. They teach you how to grab these guys using a dip net (a "D" shaped net that you run along the bottom of the pond and catch all kinds of cool stuff with). I was totally sucking and only catching treefrog tadpoles (NOT a threatened OR endangered species and therefore, not as cool).

Then, the instructor (who does a majority of the research on these critters) said,"You have to go faster. They swim really fast and they can sense you coming." So I RAN (as fast as as you can in felt soled chest waders) with my net firmly pressed against the bottom of the mud, quickly pulled up my net so no one could escape my grasp and there he was: a 105 mm (tip of the nose to tip of the tail) California Tiger Salamander larvae.

It was so exciting. Not only did I capture, but I was holding an endangered species in my hands. I got to transfer it into the bucket and measure him all by myself.

I'm so cool, I know you're all jealous!

You've GOT to be kidding me...

I had the good fortune to run into these guys at work today. My co-worker and I weren't quite sure what we were looking at, at the time; partly because these are so weird looking, but mostly because we have not memorized every possibly reptile and amphibian that may show up on our site. I knew I'd seen them in (and memorized them for) a class I took my first year at SJSU, but I couldn't for the life of me remember the name.

Seriously...these are high ranking among the dumbest looking animals ever.


A snake with fake arms and legs glued to it's sides...you ask? No my friends, that is the California Slender Salamander. I ask you...WTF can they POSSIBLY use those arms and legs for? For crying out loud...to see their "digits" on these pathetic appendages, you need a microscope, A MICROSCOPE!


I think they should just give up the ruse and give in to being a snake...I mean, they already pretend to be one...


...so why not just drop those pathetic things and move on! You can be a 3 inch long snake, go ahead, go for it. You can do it!

That's the face of a bad ass right there...he's saying,"Don't mess with me! I'll fake snake you to death!"

I FEAR NO ONE!!

Some background information for those of you not in "the know".

When I was 4, I went to Disneyland for the very first time.

I got bounced by Tigger and have been TERRIFIED of costumed characters ever since.

This past weekend, I conquered most of that fear.

Look at me!
I'm such a big girl!
NO FEAR IN MY EYES!!!
OK...maybe a little bit of fear...

Look out Tigger!

Next time...

I'M BOUNCING YOUR ORANGE ASS BEEEOTCH!

Thank goodness for my chinese food cravings...

OK fortune cookie...duly noted.

Just one question...how quick is quickly?

I know I know...patience...gah! Isn't 5 1/2 months enough??

Ouch! Alright, I'll wait.

Career Planning

So lately, my boss has been trying to drag me into his office (HEAD OUT OF THE GUTTER PEOPLE!) to plan my career. Not just, what's Samantha going to be doing for the next couple of months...we're talking years. They're planning me into YEARS of projects here. It's weird...I've gone into EVERY job I've ever had thinking,"This will do for now." Even this one, because I still need my Ph. D dammit! But shit...they're planning me so far ahead...it's freaking me out.

So today, we picked my path. I was pretty clear on where I want this supposed "career" of mine to go:

• I like field work and want to do LOTS of it; not quite a rarity, but apparently the enthusiasm I bring to learning how to sample and just getting out in the field is really appealing to project managers, so I shouldn't have problems getting out there...especially since I'm so low in the cost-structure, I'm cheap labor...clients love that!
• I love biostats and experimental design; SUPER RARE. I tell ya what...I never knew how strange that was until I began telling people I like it. I've said it once, and I'll say it again I LOVE BIOSTATS! He was telling me any training I request for this will likely get approved immediately because they're desperate for statisticians...can we say job security?
• The last thing I brought up was that my one true love has always been and will always be marine and estuarine environments and that I would love to focus on those projects...and river/lake projects would be alright as well. He's going to keep his eye out for projects where I can get water sampling (by water sampling I mean getting critters outta there!) experience. It all ties back to me being cheap to bill to the client. I also want to get re-SCUBA certified and figure out what training and experience I need so I can start helping with dive sampling...not only would that be friggin fun...but it would look fantastic on my resume for grad school (what? I still want to go, I should make sure I don't waste my time on crap that's not applicable...I mean hell, I've got a job where I can get PRACTICAL experience to help me get in...I'm using it dammit!)

So yeah, it's amazing to have a boss who not only asks what I want to do at work, but is going to help me make it happen. It's also terrifying to be planning 6 months ahead in my job, let alone years...but it's kinda cool too. Who knows if I'll actually stay with my company for that long...but it's nice to know that if I do, we've got a plan.

This is all just more evidence that I'm actually a grown-up...shit...am I...wait...I take that back...more evidence that I'm BECOMING a grown-up. Ahhh...much better.