Robots

I'm starting a robotics team at my school this year.
We had our first meeting today - worked out the budget and mentor/coach/sponsor situation.
I'm not going to lie, I AM SUPER EXCITED.
I don't have a comp sci or engineering background but both fascinate me and I've always wanted to learn - this is going to be not just a great learning experience for me but also for all the other science club members!

SUPER PUMPED!

NOTE: It was my last day at my internship. I nearly cried when my mentor hugged me and told me she'd miss me :( Spending 10-12 weeks with someone gets you attached.

Here's an update on interesting situations/people from my everyday life:

Gay Animal Facility Man

Walking up and down the vivarium, cleaning rooms stock full of rat cages, and muttering about Tim (aka Tooshay, an animal facility manager, who apparently doesn't do his job). These are the daily activities of this particular animal facility employee (I forgot his name so let's call him Bob).

I see Bob every weekday at least 37 times (but who's counting). With his Einstein hair and bushy white beard any child could mistake him for a skinny santa. Despite our frequent rendevous, we rarely conversed - that is until TODAY.

As I pushed past the clean stack of rat cages (Bob was cleaning rat cages) placed inconveniently in front of the door, I muttered a quick "sorry" and began my quest to find rats XX5149 - XX5153 - 5 rats among the 60+ others, a daunting feat, I know. Suddenly, Bob pounces on me with a surpise question, "Are you British?" I tell him, like I tell many others on a daily basis, that I am Australian. He then starts jabbering on about guy he knows who can tell the difference between various accents etc etc...As I start zoning out and my eyes get back to the task of scanning for XX5151 (I'd found the first 2 rats by that time) I hear the words "...my husband has an amazing ability to hear..." WAIT UP! HUSBAND? I'd seen his ear piercing but that is rarely considered a sign by today's standards.

After this sudden enlightenment we began a long conversation about all-things-gay! (I'm not homosexual personally; however, I have a few gay friends and I love them to death) It was refreshing talking to Bob about the whole Prop 8 controversy in CA and all the misconceptions most Americans have about the gay community - all this talk while being surrounded by rat bedding and the retched stench of rat poo and urine...PERFECT lol.

If I had only spoken to Bob sooner, if only I had used those 37 x 5 x 12 times we had crossed paths to spark up a conversation, if only...

I should stop dwelling on the ifs and realize that I have been fortunate enough to have at least spoken to him on my last day at my internship. It was a conversation that bloomed into a friendship within the first few minutes. It was a shortlived frienship/bond that will be sorely missed. At least I know, IF I ever go back to the Zorrilla lab and walk into the vivarium I'll have a friend there waiting (unless of course he decides cleaning rat cages is boring and stinky as hell and quits).