la mer.net

At Last...

2006-08-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

The website I have been waiting for...

corkd

Join in so we can share a love of wine!

Happiness is....

2006-04-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

* learning to knit

* eating sushi and drinking premium sake

* checking out new music, and totally digging it!

* new top-down-bottom-up honeycomb shades

* walking home at 7:00 before sunset!

* MacGyver
(just because)

Pillow Fight!

2006-02-14T21:12:00.000-08:00

While waiting for my BART train in Berkeley I saw two people getting off the train from San Francisco, each carrying a pillow. No sleeping bags or suitcases, just pillows. It's not the strangest thing I have seen on the BART, but it did make me stop for a moment and wonder "why?".

Well DUH! Obviously they must have just come from a massive PILLOW FIGHT in San Francisco!

It was "organized" entirely over the internet, so naturally the event is already well documented on Flickr.

Let the feathers fly!

First Surf Trip

2006-02-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

Cowell's beach2
Originally uploaded by Dr.Mer.

We travelled to Santa Cruz this weekend and surfed Cowell's Beach.

Yes, I "surfed" for the first time!

Mostly that meant hanging out in the water with a board, paddeling, and fighting the waves. I did get some "rides" in after Dom gave me a little push to get started.

Come join us next time!

Google Talk Rocks!

2006-02-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

Google Talk Rocks!
Originally uploaded by Dr.Mer.

I am blown away by the new chat feature in Gmail. My friend, who is currently traveling in Bolivia, suddenly appeared in my buddy list. At first I was confused because we don't IM but then I realized...she must be using her Gmail account and since she's a contact of mine she automatically appeared when she logged in.

THAT ROCKS!

Stoked!

2006-01-03T23:23:00.000-08:00

As heard recently in the Sagolla household

"Honey where is the battery for the camera"
"Which camera?"
"THE camera!"

Oh Yes! That's right. The Digital Rebel XT I got for Christmas from my wonderful husband. Now I can finally stop adding it to my Amazon shopping cart just to see how it feels to almost own it.

Let the Flickr games begin!

A scene from ASCB

2005-12-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

A peek into the life of a Ph.D. from the American Society for Cell Biology meeting

Scene: purchasing a bottle of water at the consession stand at the Moscone center

Cashier: That will be $2.75

Me: (fumbling through my change) $2.75!? For Water? I can't afford that!

Cashier: Oh honey, just wait until you are a big Doctor.

Me: But I AM a DOCTOR!

Hangin' 10

2005-11-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

Hangin' 10
Originally uploaded by Dr.Mer.

MacGyver and I went with Dom out to Linda Mar beach this morning. It must have been 70 degrees! Dom caught some waves, MacGyver ran with the pack, and we all enjoyed the summer like weather. Macky got his first surfing lesson, next time look for him out on the waves. Surfs up!

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T13:04:00.000-08:00

Macky Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by dom.net.

Ah, the New Yorker

2005-10-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

Just when I think I should cancel my subscription to the New Yorker because I don't have time to read it, I come across articles like this one...

Intelligent Design

Clearly the solution to this particular dilemma is that I should spend more time reading it!

Joel got a scanner

2005-10-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

bug
Originally uploaded by sconartist.

Awesome!

Geek vs. Geek

2005-10-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

Last night Dom and I attended the Web 2.0 party at Swig. It was a great bar, although a little too crowded for my taste. After seeing the pictures I realized that we inadvertently showed up color coordinated (yet again)! Dom wore a brown shirt under his blue button up while I had on a blue t shirt under my brown jacket. This time however we had a legitimate excuse. Dom was sporting his new
Odeo Tee-shirt while I had on my "Science Rocks!" shirt. I had to represent for my contingent of the geek-o-sphere. I think we all agreed whether it's computers or biology Science does indeed ROCK!.

Podcasts + microscopy = happy Mer

2005-09-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

When sitting alone in a dark room for hours on end having a little aural stimulation helps pass the time. When the iPod was first introduced I knew it would greatly enhance my work life. I can't have a radio on in the dark room because the vibrations would affect my primary purpose for being there....watching cells in the microscope. While music does help while away the hours I have discovered something even better....podcasts! Music is nice but really it's just a distraction with podcasts I can keep my mind engaged on something...perhaps even LEARN something, while learning something about my cells in the microscope.

Yesterday I enjoyed a fantastic episode of Science Friday from NPR. The topic is on the use of biological organisms in the development of nanotechnology since molecular machines already exist inside of cells. You just have to know where to look, and to figure out how nature did it first.

Since you asked....

2005-09-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Recently I recieved an e-mail from a good friend of mine asking about my opinion on the use of genetically engineered yest in the practice of wine making. Apparently this is a big issue in the South African wine industry right now.

Genetic engineering and wine happen to be two of my most favorite topics so I couldn't resist writing back with my thoughts about the subject. I actually enjoyed thinking about it so much I thought I would share.

Her question...

Sitting in my intro to biotech class right now and we’re discussing a case that deals with using GM yeast in the production of grapes at wineries in S.Africa. Any thoughts coming from the science side and someone who knows something about the wine making process?

My answer:

Ok so you asked about wine and yeast..two of my favorite topics! Unfortunately I haven't been following the whole GMO
controversy as closely as I once did, so I am not current on the "view" of the scientific community on the topic. As far as I know the community is still very divided on the subject. Until long term studies are done on the safety and effect of widespread distribution of GMO organisms the field will be very divided. I do know that many of the big pharma companies that were once investing heavily in R&D of GMO crops (corn, soy, cotton, etc.) have slowly moved away from agressive growth and funding to spinning off their plant biotech divisions as independent companies which have slowly faded due to public pressure and negative press. However most of those companies as I said were focusing on crops that are able to resist herbicides or produce their own "pesticides". These are scary to consumers because they feel there are unexplored health risks or the potential for non-GMO plants to inherit the modifications of the GMO crops and thus have the very plants we want to eliminate with herbicides become resistant as well.

The yeast argument on the other hand seems to fall more in the category of stem cell research wherein there is minimal risk to cross contamination because the yeast would be used in the confines of a winery and not out in the field where it could run the same contamination risks as I mentioned above (more so actually because the ability of yeast to cross breed would be far greater than plants). But rather it becomes a question of should we be manipulating a natural process at all. In fact we have been
manipulating nature for years with selective breeding and selection of desirable characters. This is certainly true of the wine industry. Wine can be made naturally by picking grapes and allowing them to naturally ferment...that's how wine was discovered. But you wouldn't necessarily want to drink it, or sell it. So wineries will add yeast cultures to their fermenting grapes in order to both
speed up the process (more yeast = more fermentation) and to control the quality (good yeast = good wine). So this natural process isn't really all that natural anymore. Many wine connoisseurs will tell you that they can taste a wine and tell you where it came from sometimes down to the actual vineyard by the specific qualities of the wine. When you make wine you don't wash the grapes first. Everything goes in dirt, spiders and all (isn't that a nice thought), which will ultimately affect the flavor of the wine. So given that the kinds of bacteria, dirt whatever that is particular to a certain vineyard will give wine a unique flavor. Using biologically engineered yeast and bacteria could mask these nuances or allow vintners to manipulate the flavor of the wine according to the strain they use. So the question becomes what really is the difference if the common practice is to add yeast anyway.

Another use I read for GMO yeast and bacteria would be to help avoid the use of sulfites in the wine making process. As I said everything goes in the mix, and so to keep unwanted critters from growing and contaminating your wine winemakers add sulfites. A yucky terrible chemical,and something that many people are allergic too. There are many people who can't drink red wine because of the added sulfites. More sulfites are used in red wine I think because the skins are around during the fermentation process whereas they are not in white. In my book avoiding the use of sulfites would be a wonderful thing.

Here are the issues as I see it.

1. Cost and availability. R&D to make a genetically engineered yeast or bacteria is expensive. Would wineries who use this technology charge more for this wine and would that be desirable? Would you pay the same for a bottle of 2 year old wine that had the same properties as a reserve blend that has been aged for 5-10 years? In this age of digital cameras and instant messaging we have become accustomed to instant gratification, so there could be a market for that kind of product.

2. Safety. There is no doubt that the public in general is wary of GMO products in the food supply. This fear shut down aggressive plant biotech expansion as
I mentioned. However yeast is filtered out of the wine before it is bottled, some will remain but to a very low degree and the kind of changes they are talking
about making to these yeast are not the kind of changes they make to crop products (ie. no internal pesticides or herbicide resistance) they basically just alter the metabolic processes already naturally occurring in yeast. So the fear factor might not be as big of an issue for consumers, although you can't escape those who would only drink organic wine or eat organic food and think the term GMO = evil. But as I said sulfites are evil too and so I think that seeing the big picture
might help people understand some of the benefits.

3. Old practices vs. new practices. Wine is one of those industries that I think would benefit from resisting too much modernization. In my opinion many mass produced wines are good, very drinkable as a table wine. But the best wines I have ever had are made in small(er) batches and aged well. I don't think this can ever be replaced. Another danger would arise if using GMOs in winemaking (or any practice) becomes the norm smaller producers may have to comply in order to be competitive which could end up being too costly.

As I was doing some research on the subject I came across this article that also reflects my opinions on the subject.

What are your thoughts?

Could it possibly be?

2005-08-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yes it's true, it's our 2nd wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe it's been two whole years since that fateful day, and the magic still hasn't worn off. This year has been filled with many adventures, achievements, plans, possibilites, and growth....not to mention a whole lotta' love. Our family grew when we brought MacGyver into our home and every day we realize how grateful we are for him and for each other. I think he's pretty happy with us too.

Tonight we celebrate to the sound of Ben Folds....who also serenaded us as we danced our first dance as husband and wife.

Dom, I love you more and more every day, after every trial, and every sucess. I can't wait to see what lies ahead. -your adoring wife

Flickr had some fun with Eric's photo

2005-07-31T23:46:00.000-07:00

Flickr had some fun with Eric's photo
Originally uploaded by Dr.Mer.

I see Eric is sporting a new Do' at his birthday party last week. It's a nice color for him don't ya' think? Maybe this is a new feature Flickr is offering....try out a new hair color, or skin tone...or perhaps as an alternative to actually taking a hallucinogen Flickr offers virtual tripping. Fun!

Change

2005-07-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes change is necessary, which can involve moving, finding a new job or altering your appearance. Since my graduation six weeks ago the desire for change has been a driving force in my life. The first thing I changed? My hair.

The first picture was taken six weeks ago, as I was turning in my dissertation.

The second picture was taken four weeks ago after I cut off the first eight inches, the release of all the stress that had built up in my hair.

The third picture was taken four days ago as I finally braved the big chop, where I lost the last 4-5 inches.

How does it make me feel?

Free, and ready for anything.....

Finding Giardia

2005-06-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I completed my Ph.D. dissertation on the lifestyle of a well known, but not wel-come critter...Giardia lamblia. I have spent hours upon hours staring at this little bugger in various microscopes, during various stages of its lifecycle trying to understand how it divides. There are many reaons for studying this which I would be happy to discuss at length, but for now just assume that it's the most facinating thing in the world to spend years of your life studying!

One frustration we scientists often have is sharing our excitement for our chosen passions with non-scientists. I had the pleasure of working with a talented group of animators at Stylus an exciting new company that makes 3D animations (a la Pixar) of biological processes for use in presentations. They made an animation of the lifecycle of Giardia as it passes through the intestine of an average unassuming animated creature. Not only is it wonderful to see a true artists interpretation of the information we were feeding them, but I think they really made something that captures the imagination..leaving people wanting more! In fact it inspired our friends to make their own video interpretation of my research.

In my unbiased opinion I think it's pretty exciting...what do you think?

Sacked out

2005-05-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

Sacked out
Originally uploaded by elcaseo.

I'm learning new tricks with my flickr account. Here's a pic of Eric's new best buddy....Jerry (or Jerreh).

Last night I set up my new flickr account, it's so much fun! I love the fact that I can post pictures directly to my blog. However I don't like that I can't edit it from flickr. In my excitement I forgot to post a pic of our little guy MacGyver! I'm sorry Macky for posting a picture of another dog before you. Without further ado...here's our little man showing off his Yoga strap!

The Audition!

2005-03-07T15:23:00.000-08:00

Today I traveled over to the land of beautiful people (aka Russian Hill in SF) to audition for a commercial! Now... I'm a scientist, not a model, but I challenged myself to take a walk on the other side.

How did this come about you ask? Well actually it's a funny story....

Last Friday after two days of being cooped up in the house in front of my computer and sporting a classic "crazy scientist" look I decdied to take our puppy for a sunset walk. On our way down from the park, we noticed a guy on an orange bicycle and his companion down the hill holding a stop watch. These two seemed to take notice of Macky and I as we decended down the hill. This is not an uncommon occurance as people are easily charmed by the little Mackster. As we were walking by they stopped us, seemingly to ask about the pup, and to give him a little pet. Next, the guy with the orange bike looks at me and asks "How old are you?". I was a little shocked because I had been thinking he was only interested in the dog. I figured answering his question was a good way to find out what they were doing out there with bikes and stop watches, so I answered "28". His face lit up and then he got really excited and started telling me their story. It turns out the guy on the bike is a location scout, and his companion is a director. They were out scouting sites for a new commercial! His next comment really surprised me, "We are looking for someone with your color hair to be in it, and if you have any interest at all we would love to have you audition!". This was followed by many comments pertaining to the legitimacy of this venture,and making sure I knew wasn't a crazy stalker. He gave me his business card and the name of a person to contact about the audition. I was still in shock when I got home, but I proceeded to check out his story online, just to make sure it was legit. Sure enough everything added up, and so today I found myself in front of a camera, auditioning for the commercial!

The Audition:

Actually I had decided not to go. I don't have time for this, I have a dissertation to write! But as fate would have it, my monday morning meeting ended early, and I happened to be in between chapters. So dressed in my brown cords, and Old Navy "Science Rocks"tee-shirt, I went.
I walked into the empty hallway and was met by a sign with instructions on the audition protocol, but the place seemed deserted. My first instinct was that I had shown up too late. I was about to give up, when I saw a tall "modely" looking woman enter the hall and diappear behind the heavy metal door. So I followed her in, trying to act like I knew where to go all along. Inside were the signup sheets and the other anxiously awaiting candidates. Trying to look casual I grabbed the paper work and sat down. In the room were two tall Kate Moss-esque generic model types, and a plump middle aged woman. I chose to sit next to the latter. I read over the questionaire...AGENT? UNION AFFILIATION? Shirt size? I pretty much only filled in my name and contact info. A few minutes later a girl with dyed red hair, and cotton tank top enters the room and sits by me. She has in tow a canvas bag apparently filled with emerency modeling supplies. She turns to me and says "Everyone here is wearing jeans." (I wasn't) "Maybe I should go put on jeans." She pulls out a pair of worn jeans and heads off to put them on. When she returns one of the "Kate" clones speaks up, "The casting call said to wear jeans and a tee-shirt, that's whey we look like this". By "this" I assumed she meant the stylish baby-doll tees and designer jeans they were wearing. The girl with the red hair panics and turns to me, "The e-mail said dress causually, were you told to wear jeans? Maybe I should go put on a tee-shirt." I couldn't admit that I was not infact a working model, and had never actually seen the casting call. So I simply responded "I was told to dress casually so I'm sure you are fine." In retrospect the real adution was sitting in the waiting room, trying to convince my companions that I too was a seasoned aspiring model that had a clue about what was going on. Shortly after, my name was called and I had to leave my companion to panic about her outfit on her own.

In the audition room, I was met by a girl, probably several years my junior who pointed a video camera in my face. I promptly confessed to being an impostor, which actually seemed to relax her a bit. I answered some questions on tape (yes, I'm actually a PhD candidate, yes i am over 25, what did I do during the gorgeously sunny day yesterday? honestly I sat in front of my computer writing my dissertation). She took some pictures and then it was done! As I left I wispered "good luck" to the girl nervously awaiting her turn as if this were her one chance to "make it big".
Now we just wait to see what happens!

Are you nerdy enough to take this quiz?

2005-01-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday, and I have spent the entire weekend working on my PhD. dissertation, except for right now when I am actually in lab working. Naturally when I found this "How nerdy are you" quiz on the net (yes, everyone needs a little break to surf the net) I had to take it!

Here is my result!

How nerdy are you?

On the Road

2005-01-06T19:51:00.000-08:00

Why have I been ignoring my blog you ask?
Well if you must know I've been On The Road!
These last few months have been an EPIC travel period for me. Since Sept 20th I have travelled to the East Coast FOUR times. I have set foot in seven states, not to mention the airports in three additional states I briefly visited. Here is a little summary.....

Sept 17th SFO - Boston, drive to Woods Hole on Cape Cod
Sept 22nd Boston - SFO

Oct 15th SFO - Syracuse, NY (via Chicago)
Oct 17th Syracuse - SFO

Nov 7th SFO - Miami, FL
Nov 9th Miami, FL - SFO

Nov 24th drive from SF to LA
Nov 27th LA to SF

Dec 3rd SFO - Raleigh, NC (via Philly)
Dec 4th Raleigh - DC - Alexandria, VA
Dec 5th Alexandria - DC
Dec 9th DC - SFO

Dec 23rd Oakland - LA
Dec 26th LA - Whitefish. MT (via Salt Lake City)
Dec 31st Whitefish, MT - LA
Jan 1st LA - Oakland and home again!

Whew! It makes me tired just thinking about it!

I love the bay area

2004-11-12T13:29:00.000-08:00

Today's poll on sfgate.com

option 4 is brilliant!

Vice City

2004-11-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

What do art deco, malaria, and Paris Hilton wanna-bes have in common?

No, they are not just things that make you sick...

It's the 53rd annual ASTHM meeting in Miami Beach!
Although I know it's obvious, that's the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Yep I spent the last three days at the Fountainebleau hotel learning about the spread of nasty tropical diseases such as malaria and schistosomiasis, and the biology of the little critters that cause them. Sounds like fun, eh? The meeting might have been more impactful if it hadn't been taking place no less than 100 steps away from the white sands and sparkling blue ocean with 80 deg weather. I'm trying to convince myself that's why only 15 people showed up to my talk.

Miami Beach is an interesting place. I actually felt like I had been there before after hours of watching Dom play GTA:Vice City. Especially when I got hijacked in a limosine, and dropped off in a random strip mall in South Beach. (I wish I were kidding).
I've seen enough pastel decor and fake boobs for awhile, so I don't think I will be heading back there anytime soon.

Life wouldn't be complete without Blogger

2004-11-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

I have Gmail
I read Google News
I have the t-shirt AND the hoodie
My husband has a Blogger Blog
I know people on team Blogger

so naturally it was only a matter of time before I broke down
and started a blog of my very own.
And here it is.
now the circle is complete.