Welcome

I suppose the first thing that's needed for a new blog to get off the ground is a first official post. Therefore, let this be the first official post of my new blog, Metamorphosis.

It's already been observed (see comments on the previous post) that the theme "Metamorphosis" suggests a lot with just a simple word. This is, of course, the intent, and I'm not going to spoil how much the theme holds by explaining what would inevitably be only a small fraction. Use your imagination to understand it - it's the only limiting factor here.

One thing I will explain though is "all the pretty butterflies". Yes indeed, they are more than simply "pretty butterflies". They are monarch butterflies; Danaus plexippus to use bionomial nomenclature. And yes that is, not coincidentally, the main part of the address here! I had a monarch butterfly Halloween costume when I was little and I think it may have made a small part of me believe that I'm actually part monarch. I'm not, as far as I know, but I still have warm fuzzy feelings towards monarchs and they happen to be one of the prettier, showier native species so I thought they'd be appropriate decoration for "Metamorphosis".

I'm writing this entry at the beginning of my lunch break and before heading out to help with the CBS Luncheon. It's the middle of Orientation Week and I'm an OV (Oriention Volunteer) with OCUS (Off Campus University Students) and the College of Biological Sciences (CBS). There are a lot of acronyms at Guelph. OV Training was last Friday and Saturday. Sunday was move-in day. OCUS obviously doesn't have anyone to move into residence but we did help with the backlog at the South residences for a while. Then there was the Pep Rally, with the infamous OV Boogie. Basically, about 600 volunteers in matching shirts spelling and making patterns on the football field while doing choreographed moves to about 15 mins of song clips. It's WAY more impressive when you're actually watching it from the stands. I managed not to lose my voice cheering. Since the Pep Rally, I've also served breakfast to first year off-campus students, been part of attempts to break the world records for the largest Locomotion dance and the most simultaneous high fives, passed out on the couch in the Ontarion office for 3 hours, served Chinese food to hungry first years, attended the President's Welcome to New Students & Luncheon (free food - it's what O-Week is all about), and been one of two Wildlife Club representatives on a tour of the research area of the Arboretum. That's actually not a whole lot compared to my previous experiences as an OV. I decided to be more low key this year, and I'm also working part time. Today, as I mentioned, is the CBS luncheon. That will the end of my official involvement with O-Week, although I'll still wear my shirt around campus so people know they can ask me stuff and so I can get the OV discount at the Bookstore.

This afternoon I will have to get back to work. I'm doing DNA barcoding with a professor here on campus. My funding for the next eight months is coming from the Smithsonian Institute. There will inevitably be posts with further details in the future, but that's the Cliff Notes version. Check out the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) link on the right for more info.