Tales from the Microbial Laboratory

'...simple gifts'

 

The first daffodil opened today - I suppose it's not fully open, it probably didn't see the point on this cloudy and drizzly day - but I was certainly happy to see it there, reminding me that the days are growing longer and that spring, or at least hints of spring, will be more frequent in coming days and weeks.  Yes, 'simple gifts' indeed.

~~~~~

When I was reading the NYTimes this morning, the online version - I saw the piece from last Thursday about the performance on Inauguration Day of the John Williams piece 'Air and Simple Gifts'.  I thought that it was a beautiful piece, and when I read that it was pre-recorded, I first thought 'who cares?' and then realized that I cared so little that I found it odd that they just didn't say so.  Transparency, right?  Nonetheless, I enjoyed it - especially the section performed by the clarinetist, Anthony McGill (taken from, I believe, an old shaker hymn tune).  If you haven't heard 'Air and Simple Gifts', do listen to the pre-recorded, but matched, version...which '...served the moment.'

~~~~~ 

~some good music in the lowcountry~

 

~Cravin' Melon with the Whisperjets~

Yesterday I attended one of my favorite local events - the SeWee Association's annual Music and Oyster's for Wildlife.  I went last year - and thoroughly enjoyed myself despite the rain.  This year it was cool and sunny, just perfect really.  Perhaps I'm biased - this event is held just a few miles north of me, out behind the SeWee Outpost, in an area that I affectionately refer to as 'LA' or Lower Awendaw.  My hood.  I can get there without going through a stoplight, and it's next to Hidden Ponds Nursery, a place that I've grown quite fond of.

~~~~~

  

~Musicians & Songwriters Guild of South Carolina~

Since I'm not very fond of oysters, I generally go for the cold beer (Palmetto Amber) and the music.  The music is always fun - and it was nice to see a new group there, a SC non-profit organization that calls themselves the Musician & Songwriters Guild of South Carolina.  I spoke to one of the Directors, Vicki Whitehead, for a bit, and it seems like a great group - nice folks that are passionate about music.  According to one of their brochures, they 'sponsor music events, songwriting competitions, performance opportunities and educational clinics.  Our goal is to bring recognition to local talent and enrichment to the community through collaborative efforts and events.'   They're also collecting donated stringed instruments that they refurbish (if necessary) and provide to children without access to such instruments.  I don't have a stringed instrument to donate - but boy, what a good cause. 

The other Director of the organization, Danielle Howle, was one of the performers.  (You can download some of her songs from her website, if you're not familiar with her).  Through her website I learned about The Christopher Conner Foundation -- who:  '...works to support musicians and their families within our local community with medical and education fund assistance. The foundation's objective is to host annual events showcasing local talent and continuously striving to assist, promote, and sponsor "up and coming" performing artists.'  Something good emerging out of a lung cancer tragedy - yes, that's definitely a wonderful thing.

  

~Danielle Howle~

~~~~~

     

~The Whisperjets~

So another group that I heard for the first time last year is The Whisperjets.  These guys are in high school - and these guys are crazy-talented. 

~~~~~

 

~The Blue Dogs~

I hadn't seen The Blue Dogs in awhile - I think that some of the band members played last year, but not the whole group.  How could I not like a group that names an album 'Soul Dog Food' (1993)?  Anyway, they're a perennial favorite around here, and it was great seeing them again.

~~~~~

 

~Cravin' Melon~

It was nice to see Cravin' Melon playing together again - I remember hearing them when I first moved to Charleston, and I think I read that they had stopped playing together in 2001, but are playing together again now.  They're good - originally from the upstate I think.  Head over to their myspace page and listen to the song 'Sweet Tea'.  It's about as southern a song as a song can be...'...on the eighth day God made sweet tea...'   Seems that Doug Jones, lead singer has a solo album that I hadn't heard about.    

~Doug Jones~

~~~~~

  

Perhaps one of the most interesting thing I learned yesterday was about Awendaw Green - whose sign I first noticed months ago just north of Hidden Ponds Nursery.  It seems to be a budding local music venue - and I think I heard them say yesterday that every Wednesday night at 7ish they have performances (and food).  It sounds like alot of fun. 

~~~~~

   

Which brings me to the final thing that I learned.  I hadn't heard about this at all, I'm ashamed to say.  It seems that we have an internet all-South Carolina radio station:  WeAreRadio.  I've been listening to it some tonight, and it's pretty good.  I think I'm going to enjoy listening - and I need to figure out how to add a link to the side bar with their logo (I know, I know - it should be easy).

~~~~~

So you see, you don't need to like oysters to enjoy this event - the music will carry you through the afternoon, rain or shine. 

          

~Odetta~

Odetta Holmes, 1930-2008

~~~~~

 

~letting go~

 

River Birch, Betula nigra

~~~~~

I planted this river birch eight years ago - a young tree that was only a few feet tall - that now fills in it's own bit of air space, devoid of leaves today as I prepared the garden for it's first freeze of the season.

I always think that I should pick all of the flowers, fill my largest vase with water and fill it with salvia and perennial marigold and butterfly weed and roses -- but after I've wrapped the citrus, brought in the plants off of the deck - I tend to let the garden do what it needs to do:  rest for awhile, take it easy, close down the show - perhaps go on an extended sabbatical.  Here, in zone 8b, we're on the 'cusp' of growing so many things, that often we're too tempted to take chances (which I suppose we all do), and the night of an early freeze (and perhaps a freeze that might last for more than a few hours) is a lesson in letting go.  I've done what I can tonight, the garden will do what it can - and I'll find out tomorrow exactly what that is.

It's all okay.

~~~~~

The day was an interesting one:  it was our 'every other year' biosafety inspection, consisting of three very funny and smart individuals assessing the lab's handling of microorganisms.  We did well, that is we 'passed' - learned a bit, have to modify a few things, made a deal (rather, a swapping of favors) - and humorously may incorporate a protocol into our lab's biosafety protocol that deals with how to dispose freshwater fish in a BSL-2 level facility.

Yes, that is when Rico or Joy pass on to the great fish pond in the sky, they'll have to be soaked in 10% bleach prior to being taken out of the lab (in a biohazard bag) for the traditional viking burial.  I only wish I had videotaped the conversation discussing the lab's aquarium, and how to handle 'living biologicals' (other than ourselves and our microbes) in a BSL-2 lab.  It was pretty hilarious.  

Of course, I had to mention that CatDaddy was still in a petri dish, in the freezer.  Now we'll have to also have him in a ziploc bag (with a biohazard sticker) - and yes, it's rather pathetic that we haven't found the time for his viking burial.

We're all busy, okay?

~~~~~       

So I can't resist posting another Kasey Chambers song - this one with her husband, Shane Nicholson, off their Rattlin' Bones album.  The song is 'Wildflower' - how beautiful.

And tomorrow the garden will still be beautiful -- just different.

 

~'When I grow up, I want a pony...'~

Ever have a voice just stick with you, follow you around as you go to work, stop and get gas (gasoline that cost below $2 a gallon) - another stop to buy dogfood (and a new ball for one of the Pointer Sisters) - and deal with the details of the day?  I must thank Blue Ridge blog not only for her wonderful images that remind me of home, but for this post that introduced me to Kasey Chambers.  I wasn't familiar with her.

What a voice! 

~~~~~

~rip~

When I had my blues radio show, back at Virginia Tech, boy did I love playing this song.

Bo Diddley, you will be missed.

~moanin'~

So I haven't spoken in awhile, in a long while, about my pending Airstream lifestyle. 

It's still out there, on the horizon (and literally in the back corner) - and tomorrow morning I meet with my architherapist and I'm hopeful. 

When my Mother's cancer started spreading...over a month ago now...I decided that the new house was something that would happen - when it happens.  It's given me time to accomplish a few things that will ultimately make Airstream Life more pleasurable.

(I know, I know - you're thinking - what could make such a luxurious life...more luxurious?)

Now, living in a 27.5 foot aluminum trailer is sounding nicer and nicer as time goes by - it sounds, well, - simple - and today in lab meeting I caught myself saying that I'll probably be spending alot of time in a chair, under the Airstream's awning, drinking any beer that is on sale and sold in cases.  I can see it.

So I've been, over the months, simplifying. I'm getting by with less and less.

It's not such a bad thing, really - it isn't. 

But the most exciting thing that I have accomplished of late is that I have copied all of my CDs into my iTunes library - over 25 GB's worth.  I love it.  I've never been a huge fan of iTunes, but I am now a huge fan of easy - and so now all of my CDs are packed away - yet I still have access to everything - and I also now have an adapter for my car so I can play my iPod through my car speakers. 

I feel so musically organized.

And having all of this music - all of my music - with me in the Airstream is extremely comforting.  I would hate to be musically-deprived.

(Now, if I could only squeeze my clothes washer and dryer in there somehow...).

But music!  It's a must.

Charles Mingus.  Moanin'.  Even in the Airstream.

   

~the vegetable orchestra~

The world is indeed a strange and interesting place.  (I'll never look at my vegetable garden again in quite the same way.)

The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra.  (And to think that I went to Vienna and only went to the opera).  From their website:

The Vegetable Orchestra performs music solely on instruments made of vegetables. Using carrot flutes, pumpkin basses, leek violins, leek-zucchini-vibrators, cucumberophones and celery bongos, the orchestra creates its own extraordinary and vegetabile sound universe. The ensemble overcomes preserved and marinated sound conceptions or tirelessly re-stewed listening habits, putting its focus on expanding the variety of vegetable instruments, developing novel musical ideas and exploring fresh vegetable sound gardens.

~sometimes, on a Saturday morning~

Sometimes, on a Saturday morning, you just need to get out of bed and stick in a CD that one of your graduate students handed to you (while saying 'hey, this will cheer you up!") and just dance in your kitchen.

Kitchen dancing is perhaps the most therapeutic thing there is, except for, quite possibly, planting hydrangeas (which comes next).

Imitosis - Andrew Bird

He’s keeping busier
He’s bitten stones
His imaginations and his palindromes
It was anything but hear the voice
Anything but hear the voice
It was anything but hear the voice
That says that we’re all basically alone

Poor Professor Pension had only good intentions
When he put his Bunsen burners all away and turned
Into a playground a petri dish of single cells that would swing
Their fists at anything that looks like easy prey
Nature show that rages every day it was bound, a part his intuition
Say
We were all basically alone

And despite what all your studies had shown
What was mistaken for closeness was just a case for mitosis
Weighed deception or mercy
Where others train for the show
Tell me doctor can you pull my file
‘Cause he just wants to know the reason why

Why do they congregate in groups of four
Scatter like a billion spores
And let the wind just carry them away?
How can gametes be so mean
Our famous doctor tried to glean
As he went home at the end of the day
In this Nature show that rages every day it was bound apart of his intuition
Say

Despite what all your studies had shown
What was mistaken for closeness was just a taste of mitosis
She fatal doses, malcontent to osmosis
Weighed deception or mercy
Where others will pay for the show
Well doctor can you pull my file
The reason why.

James and Luciano

Sometimes you just have to sit back, listen and marvel at how strange and interesting a place this world truly is...James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti, Modena, Italy, 28 May 2002.