Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

An Allosaurus skeleton in the lobby of AMNH, New Year’s Eve, 2007.

Image: GrrlScientist 2007. [Larger view].

As proof that my readers are the bestest of the best, I met one of my long-time readers and her daughter at the American Museum of Natural History today and spent the afternoon with them.

It was great!

I took them to my favorite watering hole (their choice — this is where I write for my blog when “my” library is closed (evenings, sundays and holidays)) and she and her daughter treated me to a delicious lunch and to wonderful conversation about all sorts of things; education, science, politics, religion, literature, writing, pets and other things. In short, I was so pleased to meet them and found such delight in their conversation that I didn’t want it to end. But we should always leave our friends while they still want more, right?

Anyway, because it is New Year’s Eve, and partying tonight is exceptionally expensive (even by NYC standards) and because things get really wild in NYC (as you might have guessed), I have returned home to my parrots, where I will spend the night, reading, listening to music, watching DVDs, and making sure that my wacky neighbors don’t shoot flaming fireworks into my apartment windows, which are wide open. I wish I could get to sleep at a reasonable hour, but alas, I will probably be awake until the wee hours of the morning, as has been the case for several weeks now.

For my bird watching pals, I just wanted to say that on my way back to my apartment, I saw an adult sharp-shinned hawk flying low over the buildings. I am sure this is the last wild bird I will see in 2007, although the last bird I see in 2007 will be a toss-up between my various roommates; the yellow-bibbed lories, the Eclectus parrot, and the hawk-headed parrot. (It’ll probably be the hawk-headed parrot, Orpheus, since he is sitting on my knee at this moment).

So how did you spend your New Year’s Eve?

Comments

#1 Coturnix
December 31, 2007

Very low-key – we ordered in some Chinese and will open a champaign after midnight, then go to bed.

Happy New Year!
#2 carolyn13
December 31, 2007

I’m spending the evening at home too. I usually do. I make an easy buffet and tell everybody to stop by if they don’t have anything better going on. That’s led to some pretty fun spur-of-the-moment parties but I think it’s going to be quiet tonight except for my red neck neighbors shooting off guns and fireworks.

Here’s a weird thing I do on New Year’s Eve. I have to have new sheets on the bed. Maybe it’s that southern superstition about having a clean house on New Year’s day or maybe it’s just an excuse to buy sheets.

Boy, that sounds like a really dull evening but I drinking some peppermint schnapps, so I’m not totally ignoring New Year’s.
#3 carolyn13
December 31, 2007

But I am drinking some peeppermint schnapps. I’ve only had two, so that’s no excuse for bad proofreading.
#4 David Harmon
December 31, 2007

I Went out to the local First Night with my parents and my sister’s family (her, hubby, and 3 kids ranging from 4-something to 9). We saw a magic show and a comedy/swordsmen act. (tagline: “Two Bold and Stupid Men”). I passed on staying up to midnight at Sis’s house because I was feeling too tired; this turned out to be a good thing, as once I got home I realized I was actually exhausted. I called a couple of friends back in NYC, one of whom I reached and chatted with a while.

Happy New Year!

Zzzz….
#5 carolyn13
December 31, 2007

This is why I never correct my mistakes. I could fill up the thread. Peppermint.
#6 "GrrlScientist"
December 31, 2007

haha! my neighborhood is so quiet, it makes me wonder if there was a fire alarm when i was not here to evacuate .. anyway, i am here. listening to WNCY — you should listen to it (streaming), too! it’s the local NPR affiliate, so they have some great music and conversation .. so much so that i still haven’t finished my book nor have I watched any DVDs, as i’d planned.

ho-hum!
#7 carolyn13
January 1, 2008

I’m too deep in that peepermint to make a long post. Happy New Year!
#8 carolyn13
January 1, 2008

My God, Dick Clark looks like The Night Of The Living Dead!
#9 "GrrlScientist"
January 1, 2008

HA! this is the reason i don’t have a TV!

(not really, but it makes a good excuse)
#10 Chris' Wills
January 1, 2008

Well a quiet New Year, watched the fireworks over the bay, had a drink or three and then to bed.

I’ll potter into work around about midday, it’ll keep me occupied and allow me some time to get updates done.
#11 Engineer-Poet
January 1, 2008

I had dinner out, then drove to hang with some friends I hadn’t seen in a while.

Ate cheese and crackers and shrimp cocktail while exchanging chitchat and watching the various stuff on the boob tube. Wondered why the hell Dick Clark would want to be remembered that way.

Took off when the snow started coming down, out-paced most everything else on the roads including the salt trucks. Got home and fired up the laptop, found my way here. Ah, insomnia!
#12 kai
January 1, 2008

Spent the day with my mother and then returned home. The evening I read various stuff. At one point the Only-begotten Son and I did some cross-style martial arts sparring (he let his old man win . The Only-begotten Daughter spent the night gaming with friends and came home just now and went to bed after having had a bite of breakfast.

All kinds of well-wishes for the new year!
#13 Alternate
January 1, 2008

Just for variety’s sake… Sorry if this is TMI, but you asked, and I’m feeling ebullient after a fun party.

I went to some friends’s house for a nice dinner and conversation, then we all retired to the dungeon and I started spanking at 11:45, with plans to do a countdown of the last 60 seconds or so of 2007, but got too far into it and at 12:30 we realized that we kind of missed the new year countdown. Floggings until 12:45, then hot wax (first time for both of us!) until 1:15 or so.

More chatting until we all turned into pumpkins and went home. The only biology that came up was discussion about the evolutionary conservation of CYP450 enzymes while talking about drug interactions.
#14 Bob O'H
January 1, 2008

I had a quiet new year too. The cat enjoyed the fireworks, though.

Bob
#15 Barn Owl
January 1, 2008

I took the dog for an early evening walk, to avoid the fireworks (and falling bullets). I live in a subdivision that’s surrounded by several small ranches (one of which has large Ron Paul signs posted on the boundary fences-yeesh!), so we get the mix of suburban and semi-rural New Year’s gunpowder celebrations. I’m just inside the city limits, and there are dozens of fireworks stands just beyond. It’s been dry here, and not surprisingly we had a number of brushfires last night.

I really enjoy all the bird photos and bird stories on this blog; hope there will be more to come in 2008!
#16 Elf Eye
January 1, 2008

It was a quiet night in Lake Woebegone, where my daughter and I watched the doings in Times Square from the safety and warmth of mounded up blankets whilst nibbling on candy left over from our Christmas stockings. In another room my 84-year old mother, for once not fretful and querulous, dozed on a couch, waking up in time to watch the ball drop. And in the orthopedic rehab center, my father, also 84-years old, enjoyed a sound and pain-free sleep that augurs well for his future with his new knees. All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a better New Year’s Eve. May your New Year be as fortuitous, GrrlScientist.
#17 Travis McDermott
January 1, 2008

Great Picture Grrl. It looks like the crowds are fleeing the T-Rex.

Happy New Year!
#18 The Ridger
January 1, 2008

Watched Fred and Ginger on TMC … merlot and Papa John’s pizza.
#19 The Ridger
January 1, 2008

ps – great to see you getting so much enjoyment out of the camera – I second Travis’ praise of the picture.
#20 Hai~Ren
January 2, 2008

Happy New Year!

Sorry, not to quibble, but I think the dinosaur pictured above isn’t Tyrannosaurus, but Allosaurus.