Yet another long update

Ok, so I'm doing better about updating, but still not great. What can I say, I'm full of good intentions.

I stopped in the forest on the way back from the field today to just take a moment and enjoy the forest. I know, it sounds weird, I spend 12 hours a day in the forest, but its different when I'm not with the monkeys. Even if I can't really collect data, there is always part of my brain that is focused on the monkeys and I don't completely relax. So, nice to just sit and soak up the beautiful forest.

Oh my gosh, the sunset was amazing yesterday. Even though it happened right after I lost the monkeys (but I found them first thing the next morning). It had rained in the afternoon, but then the sky mostly cleared up, and the light was this amazing yellow orange-ish pinkish color; my skin looked like it was glowing yellow in the light. So amazing, but it only lasted a few minutes. Sometimes its frustrating, because you can only see so much in the forest, because of all the trees (obviously) but I think the light filtering through the leaves or bouncing off of them, or something, makes the light quite different then it would look anywhere else.

There's been quite the turnover in 'personnel' here at the alberque. Adrienne has left, as have Nigel and Kris. So, everyone that was here when I got here is now gone. Reid and Kate are on our team, and Mackenzie and her two assistants, Barb and Chelsea are here now. Its good and bad. Must put forth effort to get to know new people, of which at this point, honestly, I don't have an overabundance. And I miss the people that have left. But good to have new personalities and view points, and different research going on.

Reid moved into Kate's room, so now I have my own room, which, I must admit, is really nice. Oh, my own little space. Only my things. Yoga in the middle of the (very small) floor whenever I want. Niiiice.

Baby news: First, and most importantly, Hufflepuff is still alive, kicking, and walking on his own for short bursts! Oh, they grow up so fast... He is in what Nigel calls the 'marshmallow head phase'. He has a perfectly round little head, that is mostly white and is like 10 times bigger than would be proportional for his body. Why is that so freakin' cute? His mohawk is gone, he's grown out of his punk phase and is ready to get serious about living. Lavendar (his mom) has been passing him off onto a couple of the males (Marmite in particular, which makes me wonder if he's the dad...), which I love. You go girl! Make those males work for having their genes passed on. And we've had a few new additions. Minerva and Maxine had their babies pretty close to each other. And Padma had her baby the day before yesterday. I was really surprised, nobody thought that she would give birth for another month or so. But, I think since she's so young and small (this is her first baby (!) she just didn't get that 'big'. The way her face is, she kind of always looks a little surprised, but she seems to look a little more freaked out then usual. Who can blame her? One day you're running around the forest with a huge belly, the next day you have a little baby monkey necklace hanging around your neck. That must be quite the shock. But, I am really excited for Padma. She's has a very unique face, and everybody seems to either hate her and think she's quite ugly, or love her and think she's beautiful. I think she's... exotic looking. But she has the sweetest personality, she's always around the dorsal infants, and is so gentle and loving with them. I think she'll be a really good mom. If she can keep her baby. From what I hear, females don't have much luck keeping their very first born....

Valerie actually found Minverva's and Maxine's babies, but she decided that since the last three babies she named have died, that she shouldn't name babies in my group anymore. So, I named Minverva's baby Norbert, which actually turned out to be a family name, I have a great-uncle named Norbert. Perfect! I like Kreacher for Maxine's baby. Maxine got into some kind of accident, or something, and her face is a little deformed. Unlike Padma, she really is undeniably ugly. (I feel bad saying that, but its kind of true). A couple of Valerie's formal research assistants nicknamed her Halloween Maxine. So, I think Kreacher is the perfect name for her baby. It got okayed by the powers that be, but only if the baby is male. We think its female, so I'll probably have to come up another name. I like Appoline, Elladora, and Griselda (probably Griselda or Appoline the best), but it seems that these names are little long, and I was encouraged to find shorter names. But, really, read a Harry Potter book, its full of long-ass names. I can't do anything about that!

So I just spent like 15 minutes typing about baby names for monkeys. This is my life. I'm sorry, whoever's reading this. But, these may be the only babies I'll ever name, so its a big deal for me!