Hallucigenia

I have started a new list of subjects to research and possibly write a blog about. I get these ideas from on-line and magazine articles that I read; sometimes I jot down the article subject, or a phrase, or just a word I’m not familiar with.

Hallucigenia is one of those last ones. If I had realized how many MORE words I would have to look up just to make sense of the wikipedia article on this extinct animal...

However, I’m trying to expand my science knowledge, so let’s get on with this.

Hallucigenia is a genus of lobopodian worms from the Cambrian period, which lasted from about 541 million years ago to 485 million years ago. The Cambrian period is known for its explosion of new creatures, as nature explored all the different variations it could think of.

Hallucigenia was discovered as articulated fossils in shale-type deposits in Canada and China, and isolated spines have been found around the world. Even so, trying to reconstruct what they looked like was difficult. In fact, the first attempt showed the creature upside down and said the front was the back.

I probably would have made the same mistakes. First of all, these creatures were only 3/16 to 1-3/8 inch long. It kind of amazes me that anybody even noticed them. To try and imagine what they looked like, start with a worm about that long. Put 7 or 8 pairs of short, flexible appendages down the length of it. Now, flip it over, and put pairs of longer, stiff appendages down the other side of it. The ‘head’ and ‘tail’ are pretty much identical. Which appendages are the legs?

The first reconstruction attempt placed the pairs of stiff appendages as the feet because half the flexible appendages were still hidden in dirt. But once the other flexible appendages were discovered, it made sense to put them on the bottom. Flexible legs are easier to use, and stiff ‘spines’ offer some protection.

And, by the way, each foot ends with a claw.

I found no information on whether these were marine or land creatures, what they ate, what might have eaten them...

Now that I’ve researched these creatures, how could I possibly use this information? I suppose I could have a bare-footed colonist step on one, and strange chemicals from the creature are introduced through the spines now buried deep in the colonist’s foot? Or maybe on another planet, these creatures got larger and became the dominant, intelligent species? That might be interesting. How would you incorporate them?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucigenia

Never Enough Time

I’ve retired from my day job. I should have plenty of time to do whatever I want, right?

So, how come I don’t?

I think back to when I was working, feeding the family and trying to hold the house together. I managed it. My house didn’t look like any you see in a magazine, because there were always things that hadn’t been put away, and dust accumulated far faster than I could wipe it away. But there was food, usually hot for supper, and I tried to keep the dirty dishes from piling up too deep in the kitchen sink.

In the evenings, I almost always multi-tasked by writing while watching tv. Which is not easy to do; you either miss what’s going on in the tv show because you’re concentrating on the story you’re writing, or you stop writing to follow the tv show. Knitting while watching tv is much easier, as long as the pattern isn’t too difficult. Sometimes, I did that.

On weekends, I ran errands and cleaned house. Seemed like I never had enough time to get everything done.

I don’t work 40 hours a week at a job anymore. I don’t have to spend 45 minutes driving to work every morning and 30 minutes driving home (don’t ask me, it must have been the traffic flow), or ride a bus for an hour each way every day. I should have plenty of time!

Hmm. Yeah. Guess what. I don’t.

The thing is, I dusted off a few hobbies I used to do long ago, added a couple hobbies I never had done before, and... the days are not long enough!

It doesn’t help that the errands have multiplied as well. Because I have diabetes, the doctor wants to see me every 6 months to see how I’m doing. To see how I’m doing, he has to have some lab work done. In Omaha, the lab was in the doctor’s office, so both could be done at the same time. Here in Florida, the medical labs are separate from the doctor’s office, so that’s 2 trips every half year. I have to see a cardiologist, who is not in the same building. I have to see an eye doctor twice a year. And because I’ve had kidney stones (thanks to the mineral-laden water one drinks in Florida), I’ve been seeing a urologist every 3-4 months.

Because I suffer from depression, I visit with a counselor once a week, and see a medications monitor once a month.

Not enough errands for you yet? I go to pick up prescriptions 3-4 times a month. Yeah, I’d get them all ‘synchronized’, except it seems like every couple of months, one of them gets changed. My husband has his prescriptions ‘synchronized’, but every single month, at least one of his ‘hasn’t come in yet.’ Why don’t they know they need to order it a day or 2 earlier so he doesn’t have to make a 2nd (or 3rd) trip?

And because I have diabetes, I’m supposed to exercise 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week.

My tiny business needs tending.

The bills need to be paid, which requires moving money around between credit unions.

The HOA insists we keep the lawn and landscaping in good shape.

The dog wants some attention.

The house still needs to be picked up and chores done from time to time. Thankfully, my husband does quite a bit of this.

I have one day a week assigned for each of my ‘major’ hobbies. (Sunday is my ‘clean office’ day, which is a never-ending battle in and of itself.) Most weeks, I find very little time to devote to hobbies. I try not to beat myself up over that, but... it does get to me.

Of course, it might help if I could get my body straightened out enough that I don’t sleep 12 hours a day. Or take 2-3 hours to ‘wake up’ after I do get up.

Well, now I’m just dreaming!