30th Party Pics

As promised here are some pics from Mark's birthday party. The Kagemand is a traditional kids birthday cake but I loved making it so much I think we may do it for all of our birthdays from now on. For dinner we had burrito wraps which were quite a hit and fun to watch his family make and eat.

Your Carolina

Yesterday my mom co-hosted a local TV show in my hometown Spartanburg, SC, called Your Carolina. She talked a lot about us!

It's good stuff link to a clip from the show.

No more Sprog Skole

I hinted at this on Twitter, but I wanted to make an "official" post about what happened with me and language school. I have been struggling since January when I started at Copenhagen University to fit sprogskole into my schedule. I wanted to go to a really stellar school in Copenhagen since I was already planning to be in town 4-5 days a week. However, only one of the courses they offered fit my schedule. I tried to get in it, twice, but was told both times that there was no space for me in the class. Well, obviously it wasn't going to work with them so we needed to figure out something else.

I emailed my immigration contact at Kalundborg Kommune to see what we could come up with. Her first solution was to hire me a private teacher to come to my house once a week. Too good to be true and they rescinded their offer the next week. Damn I was really hoping that would work since I am so eager to have a structured method of learning Danish again.

After a few phone calls and emails back and forth, it was decided to set up an in person meeting to discuss this with the kommune, Kalundborg sprog skole, and us. We talked about what the school could offer me. She kept suggesting Saturday school which I had already tried and knew it was not the solution. Finally the kommune proclaims that university is the most important thing right now for my integration and that I will eventually learn the Danish on my own since I already have such a good use of it. WOW. We have been saying university is the most important thing all along but now we have the kommune agreeing with us! I want to study Danish but it has been so stressful trying to figure out how and what and when and where. So they put in my immigration contract that this is what we have decided on. I have no time limit to take the language proficiency test and I am allowed to continue with language school if/when it fits my schedule. And until then, practice and do independent studying with some online resources we found on Ny I Danmark.

There is one small point that was brought up that we found rather odd. If we had agreed to me attending Saturday school again I would be required to have 85% attendance. Which means missing even1 Saturday/month would put me in big trouble. It would be a bad mark on my immigration records and could jeopardize getting permanent residency. So in essence, it would be better for my record to NOT go to school than to go to school and have to miss a few days here and there for university stuff. How strange this system is!

Hatfield and McCoy Genetics

Today one of my professors made a bold claim....the Hatfield and McCoy feud was caused by a genetic defect! Evidently descents of both families both suffered from a disease that is a result of absent or defective primary cilia which causes extreme aggression and anxiety.

I didn't believe him so when I looked it up online I found this Structure and function of mammalian cilia. It is a paper he co-authored but still there it is!

"Dream" Jobs

Many of my American friends and family think we are never coming back to the US. But honestly who knows what the future will bring? Just for fun, I occasionally look at USA Jobs the Federal Government's Job database. Here are some of the jobs I found today that I would actually be very interested in and if I'm not currently qualified I will be very soon.

A few things you might notice with the jobs I have chosen...All of them are on the east coast ( I want to be in driving distance of my family if we move back) and I am making a shift in the direction of my career. I enjoy the medical side of biology a whole lot but I miss my animals and conservation studies. The real oddball is the first one with the FBI. I am planning to take a bunch of DNA and evolution courses in the fall so it wouldn't be so odd for me to do something like this. Beside...how cool would it be to do research for the FBI?!

Just remember this is only for fun and I haven't actually applied for any of these jobs. I just thought it would be interesting to share what some of my "dream jobs" would be.

FBI: Biologist (Forensic Examiner)DNA I -(located in Quantico, VA)Serves as a forensic examiner responsible for planning, coordinating and directing forensic science activities. Inventories, examines, and performs comprehensive technical analysis of evidence such as DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) in body fluid stains and body tissues; forensic serology of blood and other body fluids. Prepares and furnishes oral and written reports. Presents necessary testimony in court. Locates, identifies, reconstructs and preserves pertinent items of evidence for examinations from crime scenes.

Department of Agriculture: Wildlife Biologist Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - The position is located in Sandusky, Ohio, at a field station of the National Wildlife Research Center, the main organizational unit of APHIS charged with research on understanding and resolving conflict situations between wildlife and people. The incumbent functions as a Wildlife Biologist under the supervision of the Project Leader of the Ohio Field Station.

US Fish and Wildlife Service: Fish and Wildlife Biologist - This position is located in the Georgia Ecological Services Field Office, Townsend, GA. Incumbent serves as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist conducting onsite ecological surveys and investigations on the most complex, diverse, land and water development proposals to determine their effects on fish and wildlife resources, including threatened and endangered species.

US Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service: Research Biologist/Ecologist/Forester - This position is part of Research Work Unit SRS-4353, Center for Forested Watershed Research, Otto, NC, with the duty station located at Savannah River, New Ellenton, SC. The mission of the Center is to conduct basic and applied research on the ecological functions and management of forested watershed. The mission of the Forest Service, Savannah River is to support the management and policy objectives for the Department for Energy's Savannah River Site and to facilitate the National Environmental Research park functions.

School this Week

Today I thought it might be fun to share a little bit of my academia life! The class I am in now is called Experimental Biology and Physiology. Here is a picture of my lab bench and a few photos of some of the experiments we did this week. I just wish I had a better camera. These were taken with my cell phone through the microscope lens. Next week we get to work with cilia so I hope I get the chance to take pictures again.

Lab has been fun though I have to say I can't see myself doing this stuff for the rest of my life. But that is a post for a different day.....

30 and a Bike!

Last Tuesday my hunny finally turned the big 3-0. I have heard many times over the past few years about how he is still in his 20's and I am knocking on 40 or some such crap as that. But he survived and we had a little fiesta this past Friday at our house with his family. Sadly we both forgot to get the pictures from his mom's camera since we barely can be bothered with ours when we have her's around to steal. We had a great burrito bar and I made him a kagemand (cake made of bread or in our case cinammon rolls in the shape of a man and decorated with candy) so I will get some pics up to share eventually.

But the big news is what he came home with today......


All Mark has thought about for the past couple of months is buying a racing bike. He started riding his old bike after he developed some knee problems and realized she was on her last leg. He has looked and researched and studied anything and everything he can find. And today ended up the day he finally bought one. So now he is one step closer to training for a triathlon. Let's not even discuss the price of one of these. At least I can say he got a good deal by buying last year's model. Have fun sweetie..better you than me!

Liz

Thank you for coming to visit us! I had such a good time and life is way too quiet without you here. Twig has not done his eye rolly thing since you left. I think it was his secret sign of love for you <3

I don't even know where to begin about Liz's visit last week. Twig was sick almost the whole time she was here but we found plenty of time to goof around and play tourist. We went to Røsnæs and tried to have a picnic with some stinky seaweed, played viking games at Trelleborg, ate smørbrød in Copenhagen, and looked at Sweden through the windows of Kronborg. Liz also got to experience a Danish Dåb (baptism) and a big Hjarding family party to celebrate little Anna Carolina Hjarding (Mark's cousin Gunilla's daughter).

Liz really is such a fabulous woman and I am so happy to have her in my life. I can't wait for her to come back for our next adventure!