Summer Easier Decisions Than Others...

Barring any more academic hiccups this quarter (lamentably a very valid concern), I will, in fact be a proud graduate of the University of California. Like many of my fellow Bachelors, the time has come strategically pick jobs that will advance my career in the direction I am hoping to head in over the next few years.

I believe I have mentioned that I will be conducting research with a doctoral candidate here in our lab over the next year, with the potential for more collaborations with other graduate students. Unfortunately, the job is unpaid, and this poses a serious dilemma: I need publications to get into grad school, but I gotta eat too!

For a while, I was toying around with the idea of moving to Sacramento or Dixon, and getting a cheaper studio apartment, but I realized that with gas prices rising, I was better of staying in my current place. This means new roommates, which are always a wildcard, but at least I don't have to stress over moving this summer.

Rancho Alegre offered me a position on their summer camp staff this year, in the Nature program area, but it's only $200/week and four weeks in the middle of summer. It also overlaps my July 12-14th visit to Purdue for the fourth annual National Association of Forensic Entomologists conference. But, I don't think they'd be hiring me a month before the thing started if they weren't short on people...

The most viable option right now seems to be to get my Class A license and drive for Morning Star this summer. Truckers are known, during the harvest season, to make about $10,000 - $12,000 per summer and I would not have to worry about rent for an entire year if I spent my summer working hard with this company. Of course, this means I won't be able to research for three months.

I also don't know if I should look for a night job in the fall, or if I should try to work 10 hour shifts 4x a week, and research 3 days a week.

Can someone just share their winning lottery ticket with me? It'd make life much simplier...

Slim Pickin's

So last night, I was supervising Bethany's last training event for her new promotion to Student Lead (aka, middle management) when a elderly woman accosted us and asked if anyone could help her get her keys she locked in her car. Apparently the ace locksmith in the group, I was dispatched to assist the woman.

The two minute ordeal was pretty simple; pop locks are always a piece of cake to open. But this time the woman tipped me $10, despite my violent protests!

So, in summary: I got paid to sit there and watch my someone supervise a parking permit sales event with my friends, that someone was my girlfriend, I got tipped $10, and I got to break into a car.

How sweet is that?

QotD: Do You Have Any Weekly or Daily Rituals?

Answer: Yup! Every Tuesday night, I get together with some fellow forensic entomologists, morticians, and assorted acquaintances for Trivia Night at the bar in Sophia's Thai Kitchen. So far we've tied for third three of the four times I've gone, first as Poopstained Jacket, then the Star Spangled Butt Guppies, and most recently as Malignant Defecation. Yes, we are a mature group of adults...

It used to be that I also always had Spicy Pork at Hibatchi Grill with Bruce, Stan and Jim, but then our lab meetings got moved to Tuesdays at noon, so that fell apart. I kinda miss having a set event to rely upon being there. If it were possible, I think I'd ideally live a life full of little habits like that interspersed with random, variable events, for just the right combination of security and surprise. Hopefully that makes some sense.

It's Been a Bessie Day...

So, after three days of thawing, the cows were removed from the lab in Briggs. I even dressed up for the occaison: worn out wranglers, wifebeater, and broken down boots for the complete redneck effect. You should have seen the glances we got carryin' those things through the building to my truck!

Of course, the poor cows were not just subject to speculation and putrefaction. Nope, we invited the premiere ballistics expert in the Western United States to riddle them with pistol and rifle rounds:



The little pig Lindsay is holding was later used as a demonstration of gunpower tatooing in close proximity gunshot wounds. Admittedly, this is slightly better than the fates of some of the other pigs:



While the rest of the groups continued to set up their projects, I took a few bites of the Spam Wasabe Joe brought for us, and reflected back on how much I enjoy my strange little life.

To think I almost went to art school, too...