like whales beneath me diving down

i'm in monterey once again! it is amazing here. tuesday we had orientation at hopkins from breakfast on the point to a seafood (minestrone for me) soup dinner. and they had brie cheese, which just makes me happy. as we were eating breakfast, a couple of dolphins swam by. then during bio i was trying so hard to focus, but the seals playing on the rocks out my window were quite distracting.

i live in the beautiful blue victorian on belden, in the exact same apartment i was in for soco! i haven't gotten to spend much time there yet because we've been so busy, but it's still really nice. a little cramped - my room has bunk beds and only one desk - but i suppose i am spoiled from my room in castano. alex is living there by herself, hopefully enjoying the single. she may get a new roommate, but if not i'll have a bed to stay in when i come to visit!

tuesday we had fun meeting all of the professors and getting acquainted with the station. everyone is very friendly. they're all on a first name basis, and they really just want us to have a good time here. i was going to take like 13 units this quarter and enjoy my vacation-esque lifestyle, but i am currently signed up for 19 plus an extra class i plan to audit. i was talking to stuart about my classes yesterday and he asked what i was doing for fun, then suggested i come work in his lab just so i can have a hands on project. i'll be working with chris (one of my roommates) on monitoring the calcium influx of contraction on tuna heart muscles. it's really interesting because they are the gray area between hot and cold fish, so monitoring their circulation patterns may yield insights into how endotherms evolved. good thing i paid attention in bio 42...

wednesday was ridiculous. we had a few hours of lecture, then our bio lab went out during low tide to explore the intertidal zone. we saw so many creatures! see photo album (on the left)

i know it's kinda dorky to put my research photos on facebook, but it's the quickest way of documenting them for now, plus you all get to see them if you wish. it was a little cold and rainy, but the wind and waves were very calm so we could really get close to all of the animals. if anyone feels like a visit i can totally take you out during low tide.

today after class i went to the aquarium with dani, another of my roommates. it was amazing, as usual. i especially enjoyed the jellies. i'm hoping to get to visit them at least once a week. while i'm here i might as well! so much has happened and we've only been here a few days. it's nice to have the weekend finally here. tonight there is the weekly tg on the beach - short for tgif - it's a barbecue and social hour to celebrate the weekend. tomorrow chris and i are going down to the wharf to do some touring and go whale watching!

my life here is ridiculously amazing! the classes are fascinating, and the rest of the time i feel like i'm on vacation. my roommates are awesome. we hang out, we study, and we go to sleep fairly early - which is good because classes start really early here. we are also good cooks :)

so now that i have convinced you how amazing Monterey is, please come visit! i'll keep posting, but i would love to see you all in person!

p.s. brownie points if you can name the tune in the title!