Isabela at Last

6/8 Field Trip to Isabela!

TARS has a site in Isabela, in the northwest part of the island. It’s about 45 minutes from Mayaguez. On the way there, we passed several malls, a town center, plenty of Walgreens and fast food joints, an air force base, and a water park. It rained lightly all morning. Thank goodness for hats and rubber boots.

At Isabela, there are papayas, bananas, lychees, rambutan, dragonfruit, mama zapote, nisporo, starfruit, longan, and attamoya.

The papayas have all been harvested. They were part of an experiment involving papaya ringspot virus.

There is a live germplasm collection of banana. Today, we collected data for an experiment with sigatoka, a fungal disease. Fungicides are quite expensive and need to be applied regularly. As such, they represent a significant cost to growers. Finding a resistance, or even tolerant, variety could save growers money and also reduce the environmental impact of banana production. There are two types of sigatoka, yellow and black; the latter causes significant damage rather rapidly. To support a growing bunch of bananas, a plant needs at least 8 healthy leaves. Involved in the trial are two banana varieties, a commercial variety and a tolerant variety. We collected the data and then did some general maintenance. Stacy used a machete! We cut the rachis just above the “false hand,” the hand farthest from the end with a small banana. Note to self: banana sap stains.

Some more information on bananas and sigatoka: http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2005/3-23-2005/banana.html

Lychees we know. I have a love-hate relationship with lychees now. So sweet and delicious. But a pain to weigh and sort and count.  At Isabela we had to cut the air layers (acodo) that were started in February.

Rambutan produces spiny red fruits that remind me of little pompoms. Not my favorite tropical fruit.

Dragonfruit (pithaya) is a member of the cactus family. The plant is trained on a trellising system. The large white flowers open in the evening – bat pollinated? The fruits are red when ripe. The flesh is magenta with black seeds. It tastes like a kiwi without the sourness. Very refreshing. Winning fruit for the day.

We had to harvest 80 lbs of mama zapote. These are large brown fruits with a red-orange flesh (when ripe). We also harvested 50 lbs of nisporo. These are an absolute pain to harvest. It’s difficult to tell when they are ripe so you have to use your fingernail to make a little nick in the skin. It should be yellow inside. The taste is somewhat reminiscent of brown sugar. I am not personally a fan, but, then again, I’ve only tried it once.

There is also carambola, or starfruit. We drove through the field picking fruits off trees. Better than any Burger King.

Lotsa Lychees

6/5: Well, I’m here in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The grounds of the Tropical Agricultural Research Station are beautiful. We are living in a cute one-story house: 3 bedrbooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, washing machine in the backyard and “dryer” (read: clothes lines) outside (underneath an overhang, of course). The station director picked us up at Mayaguez airport. We took a Cessna (a full flight = 7 passengers) from San Juan to Mayaguez. It was a little frightening, I admit, but we got a beautiful view of the island.

The station director was kind enough to give a short driving tour of the town (it is a rather small town) and university campus. He then took us to the grocery store. Prices are pretty similar to those in NJ, and so is the variety of foods, actually. I found tofu and soymilk. However, my worst fear did turn out to be true –no hummus! Ah! So I bought chick peas and used the house’s blender. It ended up a tad bit garlicky…I did, however, find pitas. Someone please explain. Also, Breyer’s was like $8. I sadly walked away. Our cashier and bagger both had the same name, according to their name tags. I found this hilarious and really wanted to ask if they found it funny, too, but they didn’t seem to want to be working  and I  worried the language barrier would get in the way of me trying to make a joke.

A bit about the TARS station. It is part of the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA and was established in 1901. Some key research areas include the genetics of sorghum and dry beans and development of new varieties; introduction, preservation, evaluation, regeneration, and distribution of tropical fruit germplasm, and evaluation and development of management systems. The station has 127 acres in Mayaguez and employs 7 full-time scientists. There are additional farms in Isabela and St. Croix.

Observations from my first walk around the grounds: There are plenty of different smells, from floral to earthy to rotting. The mango trees are loaded with fruit! Becareful, mango is related to poison ivy (as is cashew) and if you have bad reactions to poison ivy you may wanr to ask your friends to pick manoges for you. There are little lizards everywhere (including the house – I think we named him Rico but I still call him Mr. Lizard). There are also chickens on the property. I’m not sure to whom it is exactly that they belong. I saw a couple of them in the tree and wondered how they got up there. They seemed to be wondering the same thing.

I started reading the Core Pesticide manual. I can’t imagine myself spraying pesticides. I’m pretty awkward, as I’ve said numerous times. I feel like something could go terribly wrong. But certification makes one more hirable and it’s probably good for me to learn the material, so I’ll read the book and sit through the class and take the exam.  Yes, another exam. Now that GRE’s are over I have to sign up for more exams, right? So, for the fall, it’ll be pesticide certification and biology GRE’s (arg, ETS I hate you for taking my money! Hopefully, I’ll get a fellowship out of the deal? Fingers crossed).

6/6:

We had an early start today. Up at 4:45 AM. We went for a run (apparently I’m pretty good – I was able to keep up for the 10 minutes I actually ran – though I was out of breath in 5 minutes…I’m in terrible shape it seems). We met the horticulturalist at 6 AM for a day of lychee harvesting! Have you had a lychee? If so, it was probably at a Chinese buffet or from an Asian food store. They remind me of extra-sweet, extra-large grapes, but with a bumpy, raspberry-red peel. They are conducting variety trials and we helped harvest the lychees from several different trees for evaluation. (I’m at the coffee shop in the Plaza right now and they have a pretty nice playlist going…Is this Beatles or Monkees? Sorry. Anywho, it’s nice. Some guy just interrupted to ask (first in Spanish, then in very clear English) if I’d be interested in getting internet set up in my home.) Some of the apparent differences: color (from raspberry red to orange-red), fruit size, fruit shape (one was heart-shape), and yield. Because lychees need a period of cold to stimulate flowering (and, consequently, fruit production) the test sites are in the mountains. The drive was 2 hours each way. No wonder we start at 6AM! I’m not complaining though, the scenery was breathtaking, and, in some respects, particularly the vegetation, reminiscent of Costa Rica. We drove along highways and through a few small towns. There are houses anywhere – not exactly everywhere, as there is still plenty of forest and farm and open space, but anywhere, from valleys to mountaintops to the precarious slopes in between. Many of them are painted “happy colors” : pink and lilac and yellow and peach. Some of the houses are really quite beautiful. Our driver joked. “ We may need to stop by my house on the way back to Mayaguez” (indicating a beautiful light orange mansion with a circular driveway. I preferred the slightly smaller pink house next door. Hey, we could be neighbors! (In our dreams…)

We passed through Lares. The city of beautiful skies, as it was renamed by the mayor. Or, more historyically, the city of screams (?). Independence fighters led an uprising there. There has been much controversy over the name change, or so I was told. We saw chickens and dogs on the sides of (and in) the road. We saw plenty of coffee trees and banana and bamboo and orange trees. Actually, after we finished harvesting in Castanera, we dropped some fruits off with the landowner and he gave us oranges. We watched as the oranges (tons of them!) were unloaded onto a converyor belt to be washed, waxed, and sorted by size. They were all destined for local markets and therefore were not the bright orange color I’m used to seeing in NJ grocery stores.

We had lunch at a beautiful creek near the extension station. Sat on rocks. Watched the water. Watched water bugs fight over bread crumbs. We then harvested two lychee trees at this site (there wasn’t room in the bed of the truck for any more fruit. There was barely room for what we picked!) (Oh, by the way, the café is now playing some more traditional Puerto Rican music). This second site was just perfect – ideal temperature, sun was out, breeze was blowing. Ah. And plenty of lychees for all.

On the way home, I noticed a number of roadside fruit vendors and food trucks, including one selling doughtnuts and one selling fruit frappes. At one intersection, a man was selling water, plantains, and coconut candies to stopped cars. There is also an abundance of fast food and other chain restaurants, from Church’s Chicken to Burger King to Subway (all advertising proudly that they serve desayuno). There are plenty of Sears and Walgreens stores, as well as a K-Mart. One of the staff recommended trying El Meson – it’s a Puerto Rican chain that makes great sandwiches. Gas is about the same price as in NJ, but this is not clear at first glance, as it is sold by the liter in Puerto Rico. I was so confused. $0.92 would have been a steal!

We talked a bit about the music scene. Reggaeton. Daddy Yankee we all knew. I was disappointed to learn that they had not heard of Bolo Flow (I saw him in New Brunswick at the Urban Arts Festival last Sunday, or was it Monday? And got a free CD because I don’t really give a damn and dance when I like the music.) I was told he was pretty big in Puerto Rico. I’ll have to bring the CD for the car ride to Isabela (which is half as long as the trip to the lychee sites) tomorrow.

Also, quick tip, if you ever come to Puerto Rico, don’t ask for Pit USA – the department store name is pronounced Pee-too-sah.

I’m in the town plaza. It’s set up like any town center – the mayor’s office and then an open square with a fountain and status and such and the church. On a building across the street, someone painted a pirate ship – I love it; the sails are purple and the skull and crossbones are pink. Diamonds and hearts are “raining” from the light grey storm cloud. The ocean is light blue.

Ready for another early morning tomorrow!

OK, so still at the plaza, even though I can’t connect. At  least I know it’s not my laptop because the barista (barrister? It’s a guy…) can’t connect either. There’s a young man at the table next to me. I suspect he’s not from here. The books he has with him are in English. And he really does not look Puerto Rican. He’s wearing a red lifeguard shirt. However, he apparently has friends here. A guy and girl just arrived and they all are ordering coffee.  I wonder why the trees in the plaza still have Christmas lights on them (They are red, white, and green lights after all).

This breeze is wonderful. The bugs are probably going to start biting soon. I got off pretty light today. Maybe my bug spray is just superfantastic. That was one thing my AZ brother in UPR-Mayaguez kept asking – did you pack Off? Did you pack bug spray? Of course. Haha.

Darn. I can’t eavesdrop on the trio at the table next to me. I really need to learn Spanish! I heard Colombia. Maybe she’s Colombian? Neither of the guys look Hispanic. However, the island of Puerto Rico is fairly diverse in itself, a rainbow of skin tones and a variety of backgrounds. A number of different cultures have influenced the culture here.

I hope I do not offend anyone in my blogging. I am simply observing. Puerto Rico, though part of the U.S., is unique. Sure, both NJ and PR have Wendy’s and Wal-Marts and our laws and regulations are, for the most part, the same.  Puerto Ricans are US citizens after all. Yet, I found myself speaking as if Puerto Rican were a foreign country. 

OK, I really should go make dinner. I made a huge pot of rice yesterday – it better damn well last the week! We bought a huge bag of white rice at the grocery store yesterday. Thank goodness we had a ride. Carrying that home would have been terrible. I’m such a weakling. Though you should all be proud of me. I helped carry a tub full of lychee fruits today.

OK, so maybe lifeguard boy is from here as he just called over someone else he knows. It’s a reunion! Damn language barrier. I like to people watch and listen.

Signing off for now. Another early start tomorrow! Though no run. She is working with the chemist for the rest of the week. He gets in at 7, not 6, so she doesn’t have to wake up as early as I do. Do you really think I could push myself to run alone? Haha. I laugh. But maybe if I run with her the weeks we get up together I could kind of be in shape enough and continue that until the Big Chill and actually run the entire thing? Umm…I have my doubts…

6/7 Today we stayed at the station in Mayaguez. Our trip to Isabela was rained out. Instead, we sorted and counted the lychees we picked yesterday. Not all of them - there are too many! We finished over 5,000 though. We sorted them into commercial and non-commercial (small, underripe, etc) fruits and further subdivided the commercial into good and bad (brown, torn skin, etc.). We started at 6AM, took an hour break for lunch, and finished at 3PM. Just weighing and sorting and counting. The data will be used to determine the best variety/varieties for the region. Brix will also be measured. You want delicious fruits with high yields of sellable fruits. One of the varieties with a beautiful, heart-shaped, delicious fruit may not turn out to be the variety of choice, for instance, because the fruits brown quickly.

During a short morning break, I asked the secretaries if the station had a library. It did, but most of the books have since been given to UPR and the rest are completely disorganized.

"Is there anything in particular you are looking for?"

"Something on tropical fruits, to complement my work."

"Oh, I can give you a book some of our researchers wrote" (in the 1970s).

I have just begun reading this book on major and minor tropical fruits. Be prepared for fun facts.

Some more info on lychees: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lychee.html

My Dad Has Outdone Himself

My last night at home. Of course my dad has to make a flaming dessert. It's a new family tradition.
So today we had a lovely fajita dinner complimented by an '07 Shiraz (apparently it was on sale at the liquor store). I learned that some winemakers blend viognier, a white grape, with Syrah (France)/Shiraz(Australia) in order to improve the aromatics of the wine.
I also learned today about the rums of Puerto Rico. Did you know that Puerto Rican rums must be aged in white oak for at least one year? Didn't? Well, now you do.
My dad made bananas foster for dessert. I highly recommend you try it some time. It was quite exciting (and delicious) to say the least

Memorial Move-In

My bed is so badass. My dad bought some wood and built it in the room in my last house. Then he sawed it apart so we could get it out. It sat in the minivan with my mattress and desk for a couple weeks until I could move in to my new place. He bought more wood and wood blue and nails and screws and such and reassembled and reinforced it. It's like a Frankenstein bed, all full of bolts and screws. But it didn't fall apart when we put the mattress on it and I slept on it one night. So we're in business.
Went to State Theater's Urban Arts Festival. Great music and food and vendors. The Band Called Fuse played. It'd been a while since I heard a woman with a real voice. Their female lead singer is amazing. Bolo Flow, a reggaeton artist from Puerto Rico, also performed. He was the last act. By that time, it was emptying out. But there was this one girl, a diehard fan. She clearly wanted to dance and her friends didn't. So she and I danced and got some free CD's out of it. Some middle-aged women in broad-brimmed sunhats were wiggling their hips to the music, too, as was an older couple. There were also graffiti artists who made a beautiful mural.

I finally returned my library books. They weren't due for another week but it had been killing me. Feels nice to have gotten rid of them.
At work, we cleaned the outside tanks. What should have taken 3 hours took pretty much the whole day. There were holes in the hoses and the lid was dirty and the seal was leaky and there is unrest in the Middle East. But the tanks did get clean (I had to go inside one of them - pretty warm in there).
On my way home from work, I got stuck behind a Johnny-on-the-Spot trailer. Umm. Gross?
Dinner at Pithari in Highland Park. Best baklava ever. I mean, you can actually cut it pretty easily rather than struggling to get the darn knife through the piece.

A Piece of Car Advice and a Night of Dancing

Ah, a night of swing dancing in Princeton. Great way to spend the evening. It is way past my bedtime (1 AM. This is ridiculous people. I always go to bed by 11 PM. Really, this is nuts, but I suppose I am a dedicated, ahem, addicted, blogger now.)
On our drive down to Princeton, we saw a most interesting vehicle. If you ever get the urge to purchase a pepto bismol pink stretch Jeep, don't succumb. Other drivers will mock you.
Turned out Princeton University was having a reunion. I guess their grads actually liked going there and enjoy coming back and have well-paying jobs so they can afford to come back from all four corners of the earth and swamp the town and line up at the ice cream shops and deter my group and deprive me of ice cream. Thanks a bunch. 
Then onto dancing. A lovely night, for the most part. Some of these guys are too advanced for me (both skill and age wise). I think I hit a couple people on the dance floor. Ooops. But no one was taken away in a stretcher so I'd call it a success.
Well, falling asleep at the table now. Perhaps I'll add more tomorrow.
Sweet dreams

Red lights aren't so bad when you are on a moped

So, I took my moped out today after what had been way too long. I got it when I was 16 so I could take myself to school and work.
On my way home from the dentist, I followed some signs to a yard sale. I turn off the bike and this woman, middle-aged, I'd say, comes toward me. She is holding a pillar candle, a recent purchase. "Who's riding this?" indicating my red moped. Accent- eastern European perhaps?
"Umm. I am?"
"How many CC's?"
"Umm. I'm not sure?"
"You should have answers ready. You impress the men that way. Even if you don't know what you're talking about, you make it sound like you do."
I feel like I could do that...
"I started with one of these. And then, as I got older, graduated up. I have a Harley now. I love it. The freedom of it. You're free. Your body's free. No one can really explain it to you."
Yea, what she said. I love my red moped and my pink helmet. I even love red lights. But only when I'm riding.
"One piece of advice: don't be afraid to use your horn. They'll hear you before they can see you."

I Love My Job

I love my job. I come home sticky and smelling of wine. Could it get any better? Well, it could get worse if a cop pulled me over and smelled the alcohol on me. That could be an issue. I spit all the wine I taste. Can I help that I'm awkward and spray myself with wine?
I work in a winery. I don't know if I've mentioned this.
Today, we filtered and tested acid and sugar levels and added acid.
I love that wine yeasts do whatever they want without regard to logic or science. I mean, how does a blend of wines with relatively low sugar levels end up with a relatively high sugar level? Riddle me that!
I love that people don't realize how much we do to some of these wines. Really? You don't just stomp grapes and let it all sit for a couple years? Haha. That's funny. No. Some wines are real darn finicky - or the microorganisms in them are - and we have to do quite a bit. Today I added over 20 lbs of tartaric acid to a tank of wine. I've also used PVPP (polyvinyl) and copper and citric acid (very rarely) and potassium sorbate and nitrogen. I write this not to scare anyone away from buying wine, only to educate. Everything we add is perfectly safe in the amounts that we add it in and we don't add anything we don't need to. Even the sulfites, about which there are many misconceptions, are perfectly safe in the manner and amount added to wines. And, by the way, it's probably not sulfites that give you a headache.
So, about the spraying of wine on myself? I was dissolving the powdered acid. I needed to take some wine out of the tank to do so. It came out a little faster, more powerfully, and more umm...perpendicular than I expected. Half went in the bucket - and half got on me.
Ah. I love it.

Gettysburg Getaway

I enjoyed a wonderful weekend getaway in Gettysburg, PA. But, before I get to that, let me rewind to Thursday night.
I had a terrible nightmare, so a relaxing weekend was welcome. So, I'll be meeting up with an old friend (we actually dated in 7th grade if 7th graders can have real relationships, which I very much doubt) on Friday and am so excited! NYC here we come! I mentioned to him that another one of our classmates lives down the street from me. "I haven't talked to her in years!" he replied. OK, whatever no biggie. Apparently this is a big deal to my subconscious. I dreamed that, after meeting up, he ditched me to spend the day with the girl down the street. It seems I have some self-esteem or jealousy issues. Insecure? Perhaps. Unresolved issues? No, well, maybe, a few, a lot, more than I can list here. I mean, part of me reveled in the fact that the girl getting married in Bridesmaids is the BRUNETTE and the one struggling is the BLONDE! It's really the little things in life.
Best not to wallow in misery and self-pity, though. That gets no followers.
I left Friday morning, driving through at least 10 different rainstorms to arrive in Gettysburg, PA by mid-afternoon. On my way, I pulled off at Ashcombe Farms. I was running ahead of schedule and there were signs leading from the highway, so why not? It reminded me of Sickle's or Delicious Orchards or Terhune. Unfortunately, no apple cider donuts. Really? Poor business plan I say. How can you run a store like that without apple cider donuts? Disgraceful!
I ended up watching some honey bees on purple flowers that, according to the "pollination syndrome" literature, should be more attractive to butterflies. I saw no butterflies. Again, another situation in which the local pollinator community has failed to read the literature. And, on top of that, these honeybees were horrible models. I could NOT get a good photograph.
So for a 4-hour drive (give or take, well, take, it took me less than 4 hours - I mean, come on, I'm a New Jersey native) what does a girl like me listen to? Well, I did listen to NPR, until I couldn't find a local station anymore. Then I scanned the radio a bit, but there was a lot of country music and Jesus talk so I gave up on that. Thumbelina soundtrack! Yes! I repeat, I listened to the Thumbelina soundtrack. Of my own accord. And it was fantastic. I may instantly fall in love with any man who sings Let Me Be Your Wings to me. (Barring missing teeth or really terrible body odor or a combover.) I also thoroughly enjoy the song from the beetle ball and I really hope that the entomology department one day has a beetle ball. It'd be so fantastic.
I then moved on to the Disney collection and realized how many Disney songs there are that I don't know all the words to and that made me very sad. If you don't enjoy sing-alongs, don't take road trips with me. As I was listening to Spoonful of Sugar a stupid CT driver cut me off. Arg.
But I made it alive to Gettysburg and checked in at the B+B. Very cute and quaint and excellent location. The owners also run the store downstairs. The shop sells model planes and pin-ups and some other neat knick-knacks. I personally liked the pop-up pin-up book and was really tempted to get it (http://www.amazon.com/Pin-Up-Pop-Up-Book-Movable-August/dp/B001FVZHBA). But I restrained myself.
My friend met me a little later. He hit traffic. : ( But he got there and we started exploring that very evening. After getting a feel for the town, we stopped in the David Wills House, where Lincoln stayed when he came to Gettysburg to give the Gettysburg address. A nice museum right on the square/circle/diamond. (The townspeople clearly did learn their shapes in kindergarten.) The woman at the front desk was about to charge us both youth admission - you can't be more than 16. Thanks. Thanks a bunch. I should've just taken the youth price - it was cheaper than the AAA.
I took notes in the museum, as if this were a school trip or study abroad course. You laugh? Don't. Geeks rule the world I tell you. (Or maybe electrical engineers...actually, they are just plotting to take over swing dancing. Please see previous post.)
So, a bit about the battle of Gettysburg:
At the time, the town had a population of 2400 people. 
51,000 men were killed (and only one civilian)
more than 20,000 were wounded, outnumbering surgeons 100 to 1
3/4 of all surgeries were amputation (break out yer saws folks)
the anesthetics included ether and chloroform (by the way, I use chloroform in the lab for my medicinal plant work: I'm pretty sure there are skulls and crossbones and warnings on the bottle; we can't even pour the stuff down the drain)
Who was David Wills? Why, I'm glad you asked!
David Wills facilitated the creation of the National Cemetery. I don't think I would ever sign up for such a task.
The bodies of the Union dead had to be moved from the battlefield to the designated site. The graves of all the men, regardless of rank, are the same. A sign of equality. (Note: neither confederate nor colored soldiers were buried in the new cemetery.)
The museum also had the saddle cover Lincoln used when he rode to the cemetery dedication on 11/19/1863. I cannot imagine President Lincoln on a horse. Honestly, can you? It seems like it would be very awkward for both the horse and Mr. President.
The museum also has the bed he slept in when he stayed there. He, as in Mr. President, not the horse. Looking at said bed, I imagine that Lincoln's feet hung over the edge. He probably fidgeted a lot and struggled to make himself comfortable. I have enough trouble myself getting comfortable in beds not my own. And every bed I've slept in is certainly big enough for me!
At the cemetery dedication, Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg address. It took about 2 minutes (10 sentences; 272 words). Everett gave a 2-hour speech. Really? Wasn't it cold? Did people stand there the whole time to listen? I mean, did anyone really listen or did they just stand there and whisper to each other about how terribly long this speech was and really it is very cold out and there are wounded soldiers still in my house and can't we just get back to normal yet?
We went out to dinner at a pub and restaurant right on the square/circle/diamond. There are plenty of pubs and taverns. We got a little lesson in PA legislation with our dinner. No serving alcohol to those aged 21-25 if they are accompanied by a minor. My birthday can't come soon enough.
After dinner, we went back to the B+B. The innkeeper was restocking the kitchen with more "goodies" for us. Oh, she's such a sweetheart, a little too sweet, but who am I to complain. Some may say I'm just a little too bitter. I worked on GRE stuff and read Portrait of a Lady (I love classic literature; this is such a soap opera). He did genetics HW. I passed out at 10 PM. Oh, we are party people. Then again, is Gettysburg really a party town?
I woke up early Saturday morning. Not surprising in the least. I had another terrible dream. Stupid me, I checked my school e-mail before I went to bed.
Message: Dean's tour on Monday. If you're not going to be in the field, please come into the lab.
Clearly, that was not happening. I dreamed I had a confrontation with my PI about my absence and was subsequently kicked out of the lab. 
My sister and I talked briefly before she got on the plane for her own getaway. 
I claimed the only ripe banana from the kitchen. (No hot breakfast, but fully stocked with "goodies.") Not just yellow, but beginning to brown. Now that you know my preferences concerning bananas...oh, ummm...please don't think any less of me.
I went out Saturday morning looking for the farmers market which I thought would be right in town but later learned is in a shopping center somewhere. I peeked in some shop windows. One of the construction workers (roadwork) yelled to me "A little early, isn't it?" I was startled. "Umm...I was up?" He must have thought I was a creeper.
There was an antique fair going on. We picked a busy weekend! Antique fair and graduation. I love the beautiful china teacups. And all the costume jewelry.I think I could pull off a rooster pin. An alligator ring, maybe not. I have long, slender fingers that don't carry rings well. Another hint to a future suitor: no engagement ring, just earrings or a necklace please.
There was plenty of bargaining going on. One vendor was determined to sell his box of comic books to a man who clearly could not afford them. "$30. I'll give it to you for $30."
"I have $30 to my name and can't afford to spend it all on these comics."
"$30, it's a great deal."
Hmm, comic books or groceries? Tough call, man.
We walked through the National Cemetery. I loved that all the trees were labeled : ) I also noticed that NJ had plenty more unknowns than Michigan did. Even back then, Jersey wasn't really on the ball.
We toured the Jennie Wade house. The girls working the museum and shop were clearly not very excited to be there. There was an older couple buying tickets to the museum, as well. The woman was evidently upset by how much it cost and tried to haggle. Really? Come on, now. Just pay and mutter under your breath. Whatever, turns out her husband was military so they got a discount. If they didn't, we might have had another battle in Gettysburg. After the elderly couple, a family. The mother was quite peeved. "Do you have AAA?" one of the unenthusiastic girls asked. "You're only about the 100th person that's asked us that. No, we do not have AAA." Umm, sorry lady?
Walking through the gift shop, I was struck by several things:
Gettysburg battle snowglobes. The battle was in July. I highly doubt it was snowing.
Shotglasses. What alcohol do you drink from Gettysburg shotglasses? Union? Confederate? What was Lee's favorite? Did he drink So Co? All very good questions.
I was also struck by a sign hanging up outside the Crystal Wand: "No more than 2 teenagers in the shop at any one time." Haha
Candy. Did they have skittles in the 1860's? I doubt it. The forerunners of NECCO, however, did exist, though the NECCO wafer was not widely advertised until the beginning of the 20th century (http://www.necco.com/aboutus/history.asp)
(Another confusing consumer item, totally unrelated to the gift shop or Gettysburg. Razors with scented handles. My soap/shaving gel has a scent. Does the handle of my razor also have to smell good?)
So, we did make it into the Jennie Wade house. Turns out it was also her birthday. (Happy 168th birthday Jennie!) Jennie Wade was the only civilian killed in the battle. A collector still has the wood stained with her blood. Why? Why would you hold onto that? It's not exactly a good coffee table item, though I guess you could make a coffee table out of it. Ewww. While I was there, I put my ring finger in the hole the fatal bullet made in the door. It is rumored that young single woman who do this will get married within a year. Is that really the most romantic way to spur on a marriage proposal? Putting one's finger through a BULLET hole? Really?
After lunch (yum, crepes), we went on a bus tour of the battlefield. Again, I took notes. But my hand got tired after the first day, so I gave up. There was more fighting on the 2nd and 3rd days, I assure you. Our guide on this tour was much more enthusiastic. I'm not a war history buff but I found myself getting pretty interested in it. Want some history? Of course you do.
Gen. Lee wanted to move the war to the north. The south was ravaged and there was little left in the way of supplies. If he attacked Harrisburg, he could capture a key city in the north and cut off coal country. Also, a big win could inspire England and France to provide more support. His plan was to pinch Harrisburg, with troops attacking from both sides.
We passed his headquarters on Seminary Hill. Now, the Appalachian Brewing Co. is there. I'm sure Lee had a watering hole nearby too.
Lee canceled his attack on Harrisburg when he learned that Meade was moving the Union armies toward PA. Lee wanted to centralize the Confederate forces in Gettysburg. Though Gettysburg wasn't a large or influential city by any means, he could still manage a big win.
Our first stop on the bus tour was a monument, dedicated in 1938, commemorating forgiveness and survival of country and unity. It is made of both Alabama limestone and Maine granite. An eternal flame burns atop. It includes both Lady Liberty and the Spirit of the Confederacy.
I will not retell the battle. I will however, share with you one interesting fact: they took a lunch break. Both armies. I think that's fantastic.
So, a bit about some of the other folks on the bus.
We sat in the way back. Next to us was an elderly couple who likely went on bus trips with other active adults quite often.
"On other tours I don't like sitting in the back because you are always last for lunch, but on these short tours it's nice." Yes, very nice for you, because you were screaming to your wife, who happens to be sitting RIGHT NEXT TO YOU the whole time.
In the row in front of us, another older woman. She did not want to be there. She was not the least bit interested. She didn't get off the bus to see the monuments or anything. Why would you pay $25 for a bus tour of something you are not interested in? She did tell us, though, that Pittsburgh is very interesting and that should be our next trip.
Dinner at the diner (how does a Jersey native find herself in a PA diner when she hardly goes to them in her home state?) There was a trivia book on the table. And a spider lowered him/herself over our plates. So I brought him outside. Some passersby saw me and my friend said they clearly were judging me. I was saving a life, though. That's a mitzvah, ain't it?
After dinner, ghost tour! Yes! I've been on ghost tours in Cape May, D.C., Quebec, Asbury Park, and Red Bank. I love them. It started at 9 (and by about 9:30 I had to pee) and went till quarter to 11. Past my bedtime, I know. Very gruesome stories. Pools of blood and amputations and sawing off arms and field hospitals. Ick. We walked around the college campus. I don't think I'd get much sleep if I went there.
We passed a frat party. It was the night before graduation. It seems that they do know how to throw parties.
I love that our tour guides told us about some of the exceptionally stupid questions they've been asked. (I won't steal them. You just have to go on more tours.) I also love that one of the women on the tour was shocked. She needs to get out more. There are plenty of stupid people in the world and more coming through college right now.
Sunday was another busy day. In the morning, I reviewed 8th grade American History in the Hall of Presidents. 5 rooms of was figures of the presidents with accompanying audio. Some of these figures were exceptionally creepy. Ahem, Clinton. Made me wonder what Lewisnki was thinking. (I'm sorry, that was uncalled for, wasn't it.)
In the Soldiers Museum we got a quick recap of the 10 key battles of the Civil War.
We dined at the Appalachian Brewing Co. My friend was so excited to get birch beer. Is birch beer just a Northeast thing? ABC has white birch beer, which I had never seen. I bought a 6-pack. I would have loved to try their barley "wine."
We took a drive around the battlefield. I wonder what the landscape really looked like then. Farms? Grazing fields? Forest? Town? NY erected so many beautiful monuments. Even a castle on little round top. I ran into some other Rutgers students there. I was wearing an RU tee. We really are everywhere.
I saw only two NJ monuments. Both very simple and small. (One looked pathetic in front of the Pennsylvania Monument.) One was an obelisk. Both were phallic symbols. According to my Michigan friend it's because we're all pricks. I couldn't really argue, could I?
We enjoyed a nice dinner at the Farnsworth Inn. I like wearing dresses - it was nice to have an excuse to dress up. We sat outside, next to the waterfall. There was a frog statue - that made me very happy. I was also elated by the fact that the waitresses were in period dress. And the apple butter was fantastic.
Later on that evening, I took one last walk (and stumbled across an ice cream store and just had to get myself dessert. Oh my love for ice cream.) I wasn't out long though. I finished my cone and decided I was too spooked to walk around town in the dark by myself. Ah, ghost tour. I tell myself I won't let it scare me, but it always does.
We left early this morning and I made it home for lunch. Not bad time.

Why Am I Awake?

Why am I awake? Oh gosh, I don't know, honestly. I should be asleep, resting up for my drive out to Gettysburg tomorrow, preparing to deal with Pennsylvania drivers - ah the trials and travails of a New Jersey driver outside of her native land. But I'll get to that when the time is right.

Yesterday work all day. But work is not really work when you love what you do and you work at a winery. It's much more enjoyable, and often dirtier, though no one really expects that. I met my friend for dinner and showed him my purple-black palms. Charming, I know. Looked like someone went to town with a bat on my hands. No, that's just from topping off the pinot noirs and all our other barrels of red wine. : ) Topping off - putting more wine on top of the wine in the barrels to prevent oxidation. Just some little trivia for you wino's!

Today: photocopying! Umm, fun? No, not really. Did I have to? Well, yea, I guess. It's a good research skill. Get in the habit of photocopying books on loan from other libraries. Make PDF's on the title pages as well as all relevant pages and keep a file on your hard drive. That way you can easily reference it without waiting for the library to get the book in again.
While I was walking around New Brunswick today, a couple boys stopped me:
Are you Christian?
No.
Then what are you?
Jewish.
So you study the old testament?
Umm, sure. (Yea, haha, "study." I read Torah for my Bat Mitzvah. I have no clue what it says.)
Yada yada yada. Bible study meeting.....Yada yada. Elohim. Gods. Something something.
Sure. Great. Awesome. Really can't. Busy. Gotta get somewhere. Sorry. Bye.


Then, dinner and a movie with my sister and Jess! Highly recommend 'Bridesmaids.' Maybe not the best piece of art, but so funny. Just what I needed : )
No GRE vocab in this post. Umm, you're welcome?

Is that a hickey or a tattoo?

Electrical engineers don't often have the best social skills, but they are taking over the Philly swing scene and I'm not about to complain.
I ventured into Philly last night for a swing social. Only my third event, and I'm not too good, but I try to follow. I smile. And I haven't elbowed anyone in the neck, yet (this did occur last night. Poor guy.) Swing socials are a great place for people who don't need alcohol to dance. Yes, such college students do exist! And they are pretty good dancers. And I appreciate being able to SEE who I am dancing with rather than just feel our bodies making contact and smelling the alcohol on his breath. It's a refreshing change.
The first five guys I danced with were studying electrical engineering. As one explained to me, his mind is always going so swing gives him something to focus on and it's a good way to make friends. Sounds good to me.
The opening question from another dancing partner (after, would you like to dance? (of course!)) : is that a hickey or a tattoo? I have temporary tattoos on (grapevines, they are quite nice and I'm growing rather fond of them). One is on my chest and I was wearing a v-neck,
So, because I didn't get to study all too much yesterday, I'm going to now throw some vocab at you. Stop reading here if you'd like.
Some were rather taciturn, too focused on dancing to talk. Others were more talkative and I met a lot of interesting people.
To some of my classmates, this type of dancing may seem archaic, something for older generations. But, as one dance partner pointed out, the lyrics are rather suggestive, perhaps more than some of the current songs!
Two girls, new to dancing, sat on the sides the whole time, chary to dance.
She needed a new prescription for her contact lenses as she struggled to descry the words on the street signs.
Thank goodness none of my dance partners was fastidious! I am still a novice swinger.