little miss eyeball

Last night I was given a new nickname. Delphine, the Marine Mammal Center's chic french veterinary intern, dubbed me "Miss Eyeball", capturing my enthusiasm for collecting aqueous humor samples from the eyes of deceased pinnipeds.

I must admit, my front row seat to the necropsy of Ashbaby (a two year old California Sea Lion who died, we learned, from cancer) was at times nauseating - but I blame this on the forementioned breakfast of frozen pizza and rolos. Normally I have a strong stomach for the blood, guts, and feces that accompany a career in wildlife rescue. Still, I was more than a little disappointed in myself. To be fair, Ashbaby's condition generated a strange goopy mass of tissue where her pancreas once existed (this surprised even Delphine). And I was definitely in the splash zone of the procedure (and absolutely everyone took a step backwards when the bone saw was brought out). Even so, I expected more from myself - though I think I hid my discomfort well.

And in my official first act as the reigning Little Miss Eyeball, I offer an interesting tidbit of evolutionary history. I learned last night that the adaptation that allows pinnipeds and cetaceans to see so well underwater is a round lens (hard like a marble). The real mystery is how they can see so well on land (it is presumed that their eye muscles are strong enough to flatten their lens).

Speaking of evolution, if you haven't seen this week's South Park ("Go, God. Go! Part II"), you should. I'm sure I'm not the first to have noticed that South Park's shock value has sometimes flagged (and after 10 years, who can blame them? I'm three days into blogging and already worried I've run out of things to say...), but this season has reaffirmed my faith in humanity (especially since "The Return of Chef!").

Anyway, I found this week's episode particularly satsfying for so many reasons. First, there's the obvious appeal of the use of sex and feces (all great South Park storylines involve one or the other, this week has both). Then there's the surprising presence of marine mammals (with anatomically correct representation, no less; nothing bugs me more than an otariid without ear flaps). Finally, there's the controversy. I've been feeling disappointed, confused, and frightened for the future ever since my husband (who is taking an on-line Anthropology course which, of course, is based on the theory of evolution) recently shared with me the discussion board entries of far too many of his classmates who are not convinced "evolution" is real.

I long ago resigned myself to the fact that America is full of religious zealots. After all, we are a nation founded by religious nuts. But I always thought California was a safe haven. Now if these folks lived inland, that might be another story. Ever since I accidentally moved to Ukiah, I have recognized that the state of California as I know it exists only on the coast. Now I'm forced to wonder if my California exists at all.

I think Oregon is the new California. I definitely plan on moving there when I am older (before the Alzheimer's completely consumes me) to take advantage of their insightful legislation on assisted suicide. But for now, it's still too chilly. Too wet. Give global warming just a little more time...