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My Life is Crap

More Than Just a Rebrand

3/3/2021

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To bring all the efforts the San Diego Zoo does together as one cohesive team that strives to make the world better, the Zoological Society of San Diego turned San Diego Zoo Global is now the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance!
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This is more than just a sleek new logo and some new fonts. This change includes a restructuring of how we present ourselves and our work to the outside world. We want to make everything we do from animal care to research inside and outside of our facilities and across the world visible so you can share in the amazing stories that we live through every day. 
We are so much more than just a Zoo and Safari Park. Sure, we have some remarkable places you can spend the day seeing some amazing animals, but we also have research and outreach happening across the globe aimed at improving the quality of life for all living things! 
The biggest change for us researchers from the rebrand is the Institute for Conservation Research is no more. Though it was never the intension, having a separate entity within the organization for research made the science seem less accessible and inclusive. To more effectively bring the science to you, it is now just part of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance because the science isn't separate. We are one organization with a unified goal.
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Halloween Blue Moon

10/31/2020

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A Blue Moon is not just a beer. It's the second full moon in a month.
It's relatively rare, happening only about every two and a half years.
There is a full moon on Halloween every 19 years or so BUT not all time zones.
​A full moon on Halloween for everyone? That hasn't happened since 1944*!
​I hope you all had a chance to go outside to marvel in it's glory.
​If not, here are some photos I took this evening.
*Disappointingly, this little bit of trivia makes Hocus Pocus inaccurate because there wasn't a full moon on Halloween in 1993, which was needed to bring the Sanderson Sisters back to life. 
One All Hallows' Eve, when the moon is around
A virgin will summon thee from under the ground.
So, for the love of 2020, if you're a virgin, DO NOT LIGHT A BLACK CANDLE TONIGHT! Thank you.
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But is it really a problem?

10/5/2020

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Aside from driving halfway across the country to move back to California, I've walked as much as I've driven!
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Has this been true for everyone else?

Not having to go anywhere is great, however, not driving means my truck has had enough downtime for a rodent to take up residence in it. No damage was found and the tenant has been evicted with preventative measures in place in case our new friend decides to return. But, so far, that's really been the only downside to this whole new walking/driving equilibrium situation.
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2020 isn't SO bad...

7/6/2020

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Awesome things that have happened to me during 2020:
  • Unemployment + stimulus > My actual salary ​
  • I got to see what it was like to be a stay at home dog mom and it was AWESOME!​
  • I started a year long wellness program and 10 weeks in I have lost 14 lbs, I'm down 3 inches in my waist, and I already have less pain.​
  • The manuscript that is the culmination of my PhD was accepted in a high impact journal! (coming soon...)​
  • Got my DREAM JOB: Research Coordinator in Conservation Genetics at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research​
  • I'm moving back to San Diego!
While plenty of not so great things have happened (i.e. being furloughed, riots outside my door, A PANDEMIC), I am choosing to focus on these AMAZING accomplishments and be thankful I have some pretty great things to look forward to.
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And the Results are In

4/11/2020

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On Monday I was tested for COVID-19.

​I had a physical so while I was there I asked about the antibody test. I was told the antibody test wasn’t available but I could get tested for the virus as it may be detectable by swab test for a time after symptoms have stopped (due to something called viral shedding).
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​The swab was used for:
  • a full respiratory viral panel by PCR (testing for 17 different infections)
  • SARS-CoV-2RNA qualitative real-time RT-PCR (testing for COVID-19)
The results were negative. But, the news was bittersweet because, to be honest, I would have rather had the immunity. 
​I got really sick and got better. It would have been nice if that was it!
But here’s the kicker, the comment says “Negative results do not preclude respiratory virus infection.” Meaning, just because this test was negative, doesn’t mean I didn’t have an infection, just that the sample they took didn’t. And, the coronavirus test has been reported to have a false-negative rate as high as 30 percent!
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​Coronavirus lives in the nasopharynx, where the nose meets the top of the throat, WAY in the back, and is difficult to sample (right). So, if the concentration of the virus is low (mild or post-infection) and/or the swab doesn’t get all the way into the nasopharynx, the cells with the viral genetic material could be missed and the test comes back negative.
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So, since I had all the right symptoms but it had been well over a week since I’d had a fever, and false-negative results are possible with these tests, I still plan on getting the antibody test when it becomes more readily available in Nebraska.

​But until then, I plan to...
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© Caitlin Curry All Rights Reserved
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