I could see the silhouette of a lizard on my window screen. Thinking I’d take a picture, I got close enough to see the lizard was inside the kitchen, not on the outside like I assumed. With a quick leap, he flew eight inches to the wall, stuck fast and then… Read full post »

In three weeks, I'm heading out with a one way ticket to the Virgin Islands. My new job awaits me and I have yet to figure out transportation or housing. I have a hotel and a rent-a-car for the first few days. After that, I'm on my own. 

 … Read full post »

This dinghy about summed up my job training in St. Croix. Sit down, shut up and enjoy the ride. In order to assimilate to island life, concessions have to be made. This isn't the states. In preparation to move my family to St. Thomas, I spent three weeks training/… Read full post »

Christiansted Harbor as Tropical Depression Erika approaches 

Pink and purple colors lit up the eastern sky for an instant this evening as the sun set on Christiansted, St. Croix. The last couple of days, the bars have had a constant stream of The Weather Channel instead of n… Read full post »

So you ended up with a surprise litter of kittens and you didn't know what to do. You didn't expect your cat to get pregnant but it all happened so fast and placing the kittens in good homes wasn't as easy as you thought. You didn't like the idea of taking… Read full post »

The other month, I attended a meeting for USEPA Region 2, which includes New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Driving up the Turnpike, I wasn't expecting much excitement. Generally these meetings cover federal drinking water policy and it can be a struggle to pay attention,… Read full post »

Routines are curious things. Every weekday, I get up and perform the same rituals before heading off to work. I stumble to the bathroom, shower, get dressed, get my son his breakfast, pack his lunch, feed the fish, feed the birds, gather my things and leave. Every day is seems to… Read full post »

Trenton, NJ

 Tea Party. April 15, 2009.

The Battle of Gettysburg lasted three days, from July 1-3, 1863. Unintentional and unplanned, it cost Confederate troops their momentum and afforded the Union a decisive victory. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, with the caravan of Confederate wounded stretching on for 17 miles.

Meditating figure facing East. 

 I woke in the morning to find sunlight streaming through the window into an avocado green room with exposed beams. We had driven all night to find these people, living off of a dirt road in a town not far from the New York… Read full post »

With the economy in a slump and news outlets serving up stories of former six-figure executives now delivering pizzas for $7.15 an hour, workers facing lay-offs or furloughs, and bleak prospects for those clinging to their jobs. For those lucky enough to retain their jobs, wage freezes, reductions in… Read full post »

"What is your name and what career do you represent?"

"My name is Scruffus and I'm a chemist."

 "List three duties of your job."

"I analyze samples, make reagents, and keep records." 

"What is the level of education needed for this job?"

"Bachelor's degree."

"What class in high school helpe… Read full post »

The ferris wheel stands still and the only sounds are those of wind and waves on most February mornings at the boardwalks of New Jersey. The sky is an icy grey and the smell of coconut tanning lotion cannot be had. 

But the bars are open and the… Read full post »

Part of the job of the chemist is figuring out how to do things quicker and cheaper. Saving money is a big part of chemistry. Today, I was working on a research project that would save time on an approved method for water analysis. 

The approved method involves two precipitates… Read full post »

 Happy Birthday Karen! Hope your day is as bright and special as you are!

  Read full post »

"Mom, what's a pagan?", my son asked when I walked in the door from work yesterday. I thought he was studying something in history. Trying to give my best off-the-cuff definition of a pagan, I explained that it was a broad term used to describe people who were non-Christians. 

When… Read full post »

My Camaro was a divine thing to drive. It gave me the feeling of getting away with something, a euphoric mix of naughtiness and irreverence. 

 The first day I saw it, I knew it would be mine. The radio was already tuned to a rock station when I first turned the… Read full post »

Spanning the Delaware River, the Trenton Makes Bridge in giant neon red letters proclaims to all, "Trenton Makes, The World Takes.". Hearkening back to the time when Trenton was a center of manufacture, these days the sign seems a bit of an anachronism. Trenton and many other American cities have dec… Read full post »

The more unpleasant side of dog ownership is cleaning up after the dog. In an increasingly eco-conscious society, how does one deal with the day to day waste generated by the family dog? Scooping the poo into plastic bags and disposing in the regular trash seems like such a yesterday solution.… Read full post »

At work in the lab, there are times when I have to babysit a reaction or procedure in case something goes wrong, but usually, nothing exciting happens and there's plenty of time to think and write silly poems on the hood sash.   

Safety officer

inspected the lab poorly

Did… Read full post »

Cresting the hill on a dark stretch of two-lane highway, there lay a massive shape in the immediate road ahead. Oncoming traffic prevented me from going around it on the left and the lack of a shoulder blocked escape to the right. Too late to slam on the brakes, I braced… Read full post »

Have you been marooned by your current job? Is your job secure, but you seek a little more action in the day? 

 Do you find yourself locked in constant power struggles with your boss or coworkers? Do you relish an opportunity to assert yourself and claim what's r… Read full post »

Tonight's Snow Report calls for several inches of snow surrounding a frozen lake. There's anticipated good times with your friends and a good chance of walking on water now that the ice is three feet thick. You may be hoping for a day off from school on Monday, but the… Read full post »