Well

 

Things went well for my students at the science conference they presented at this past Monday!  I was pleased.  Each group showed strong presentation skills, and they each were very good at explaining our research work relative to the particular research experiment they worked on.  We had one group present on our rodent findings, one group present on our fruit fly findings, and a third group reporting on our longevity work (a dual fruit fly and nematode study).  Audience members were interested in our findings and their interest invigorated the students to feel even more motivation about their work.  

The day was quite long, however, as their talks/presentations ended up being spread out across the whole day of the conference.  This meant I did not have any time for play (as in going to the pipe shop I had contemplated).  Even though I regretted not being able to go, I needed to be there for them as for most of them, it was a big "first" professional presentation.  

Yesterday was a rather grueling 9.5 hours of "big voicing" teaching.  And, it was made more grueling because one of the students in the class had a medical emergency.  In the middle of class she fainted and fell from her chair to the floor.  This alarmed everyone, but especially the folks around her.  By the time I reached her at her side of the classroom, she was awake and alert again.  But instead of getting her up and back to her seat, I had her continue to sit on the floor, and asked her to rest her back against the wall.  Her hands and feet were somewhat twitchy, and she was very pale.  From my brief examination of her, I was ~95% confident she was dehydrated.  But, out of concern and safety, I called the U Public Safety, and a law enforcement officer and an ambulance were dispatched.  As is typical U policy, she was evaluated and then taken by ambulance to the nearby hospital.  

This morning, the student wrote to me and explained to me that she was given through intravenous drip, an entire bag of Ringers Solution (basically a physiological saline with a few additional ions) and that she was diagnosed as being dehydrated (as I had surmised).  She said she felt great now and would be back in class tomorrow. 

I ran 10 miles this morning (~16km) and am now writing three different letters of recommendation I have recently been asked to write for three students.  I have to tend to my rats, and I have to put together a couple of purchase documents for some proposed materials I need to request (one set documents for laboratory materials for my embryology course..... and one set of documents for my research lab).  I need to get these done right away as our U has a new, obnoxious system for purchasing and acquisitions that all the support staff hates like hell and they become grumps if you ask them to help you with the process.  

I also just received word from my oldest daughter, that her cat has had to stay at the veterinarian for a while longer than anticipated this morning due to a minimally invasive procedure. But, this was unexpected, and she had to get to work.  So, now, I am going to need to traipse across town to pick up the cat from the vet and deliver it around midday.  

I am still bound and determined, though, that I get to go to the Cigar Shoppe this afternoon.  I have been feeling a LOT of desire for a pipe lately.  VERY STRONG desire, probably in the 9 or so PCS range.  I am thinking, but not sure.... that when I go there sometime this afternoon..... if there are any of my friends there, I will have a cigar as per usual.  But, perhaps if I happen to get there and none of my friends are there, I may (maybe) will go to the upper floor room and read.... and if none of my friends are there, I may potentially have a pipe instead.  As Freud said, "a cigar is (just) a cigar".  It is not a pipe.  We will see how it goes.  Part of me is already imagining it being a bit of a "slippery slope" to have a pipe instead of a cigar, but it is what I would prefer..... so "Why not?"...... or perhaps that is exactly why NOT to do it.  

But, I will see what ends up transpiring.

PipeTobacco