Where To Begin...

041312: I decided to hang out with my neighbor since he was needing to find an apartment to move into. He was thinking of moving out to Los Angeles because the apartments are bigger and better but a little more expensive and he was looking into Koreatown. (MMMM, Korean BBQ) But it was raining so much! It was crazy and the weather was like, 40~45 degrees! And we didn't have an umbrella so we were talking through K-Town in the rain and when we saw the apartments, it was either that the lobby man was a jerk and we couldn't see the apartments or at least have a floor plan or the apartments were just ugly. So we made a trip out there for nothing, really... And we were stuck in traffic for hours. It took us like four hours to get home. It was soooo bad it took us an hour and a half to just drive six miles. HORRIBLE. And it was the "phantom traffic" which is the kind of traffic that's the worst for no reason; no accidents, no blood, no horror... Just traffic because people drive slow. But, since it was raining, I told my neighbor that it was "pizza weather" so we arrived home, cleaned up his place a bit, changed Salome's kitty litter, took Ivy out, bought some pizza and wings and watched "Training Day". Good day, even though my butt was sore.

041412: Today was a eventful day. The morning was a little rough, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed but it was good when I went to the Museum of Science with my churchmate Joe. (he's the Samoan guy that baptized me) and we also stopped by Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles which is really good~ It's good old fashion soul food for your soul. Homemade waffles, some good fried chicken, collard greens, homemade chili on fries and more chicken bits, and some good cold coke. I'm sorry but that's some good sh*t. It's so good, you better come in with your pants unbutton because they are no joke! But the museum of science was amazing, I learned a lot about the universe and the earth and even ourselves. (even though I already knew, it's good to refresh) and the next time we go, we're going to go to the Museum of Natural History. I CAN'T WAIT! And now, I'm home, uploaded all the stuff on Facebook and I'm food as heck right now with a bunch of left-overs. I'm excited to go to church... I miss everyone. I feel like I haven't seen them in forever! But I came home with tension and it's weird. My best friend is crying, her boyfriend is stoned and she's in the bathroom, crying and I really need to go number two. I might have to ask my neighbor if I can use his bathroom. LOL. I hope not.

Sigh, now I have to get changed and situated before bed. I got church tomorrow! :)

Stuffed,
Otter

Smart Turtles! What About Otters?

Embryonic turtles communicate to coordinate when they hatch?!

Apparently, Murray River turtles communicate with their siblings while they are still in their shells, buried under the soil, in order to coordinate when they hatch.

Achieving this synchronicity isn’t easy. Although the eggs are always laid at the same time in the same nest, those at the top of the nest near the sun-drenched soil develop much faster than those buried deeper in the cooler soil. However, Murray River turtles are able to tell whether their fellow hatchlings are more or less advanced and adapt their pace of development accordingly, allowing the slow-coaches to play catch-up.

The team concluded that the embryos must be able to communicate with each other while they are still in their shells, but it’s not clear how. They suggest that it could be down to changes in the nest that trigger certain hormones that change the turtles’ metabolism. Embryos produce more thyroid hormone when oxygen levels fall. The fast-developing embryos could use up the oxygen levels around the next and emit more carbon dioxide. The reduction in oxygen could cause the slower developers to produce more thyroid hormone and therefore grow faster.

Geez! I’m inspired. When’s the last time you put that much effort into cooperating with your siblings? Sadly, I'm the only child but you know what I mean!

Bettings with Blue Fox.

Otter: Did I make you smile?
Blue Fox: You could make me smile in an a apocalypse.
Otter: Is that a good thing?
Blue Fox: I think that's a good thing but people might think I'm a mad man.
Otter: True. Hmm. You can make me smile even if our earth was being affected by a gamma ray burst.
Blue Fox: (laughs) Would we have time to smile?
Otter: Yes. We would have 6~8 minutes until we realize that the sun's no longer shining...
Blue Fox: Correction! 8 minutes and 34 seconds...
Otter: Are yoooou suuuuuuure? 8:34?
Blue Fox: I'm actually sure of 8:20.
Otter: I don't think so. I think it's 8 minutes...
Blue Fox: (laughs) Is that another bet I smell?
Otter: I think so!

I love how we're both science-y,
Otter