Crazy Bus

(This picture from this week doesn't really have anything to do with this post; I just thought it would be a better preview image than the Nut Roll below.)

I worked really hard this week to finish a presentation for my history of science and technology class. Each of us grad students is required to give a presentation one class period, and Thursday was my turn. I presented on the history of paleontology, and much of my information was gleaned from my old college textbooks (I'm glad I kept them!). I talked about changes in the science of technology, and I talked about how Native Americans viewed fossils before "science" took over. We were encouraged to use primary sources, so I used a ten-minute clip of Ray Harryhausen stop-motion dinosaurs from a 1956 documentary called The Animal World. 

(If you are reading this in the future, I am sure that this video will be blank. I used a DVD so I could show the whole thing seamlessly, instead of these shorter clips.)

The class really seemed interested and had some good questions at the end, so I was pleased with the outcome. (There are several retired men in the class, and one of them asked an oddball question about what if we find dinosaur DNA from Jupiter?) Then after class, I had to meet with the professor to talk about it, and I think I was more nervous about that than I was about presenting. But that went well; he complimented my work and gave me some suggestions. I was very pleased with the outcome.

But my ride home was...interesting. 

I was sitting on the bus reading, and as we were stopped at a light, suddenly I heard some banging. I looked up, and there was a crazy man trying to break into the bus! He was alternately pounding on the front and back doors, hitting the windows, throwing things, swinging his backpack at the bus, and climbing on the bike rack. He was also sometimes stopping in front of other cars. At one point, a university shuttle was in the lane next to us, and he went in front of it and tried to break off its windshield wipers. He was yelling the entire time, though I didn't understand what he was saying. 

The bus driver made a call, and there was also a man outside in scrubs who was on the phone, trying to direct traffic around the incident. This went on for literally ten minutes before the campus police arrived and subdued him. They got him on the ground, though I didn't see much of that because a police car was in the way. It caused quite a traffic jam, not only because the crazy man was blocking traffic, but also because multiple police cars responded. 

But once the police subdued him, we still couldn't go right away. The police came on and had us fill out witness statements, and I uploaded the twenty-minute video I took to the police evidence site. The driver thought the man had damaged the bus, so he had to stick around. Another bus on the same route came by and picked us up. Definitely an unusual experience!

I didn't really feel unsafe, because it was clear that the crazy guy couldn't open the doors. But I was glad that the driver had the wits not to let him get the doors open!

Lately, I've also been doing some freelance editing work for a professor. His coauthor didn't feel a need to cite his sources correctly, so I had to clean them up. It was really challenging! I'm not entirely satisfied with the result, but I did what I could given the time I had. I'm glad to have that done as well.

And Saturday I got my COVID-19 booster shot. My arm is sore, but other than that I'm fine so far.

Except that I slept horribly last night. Ever since the time change, I haven't been sleeping well, and last night was worse than usual. I used to go to bed at 11:00, but on the new time, I'm not falling asleep until 12:00, which is two hours later than it should be! I'm so confused; I don't know what changed.

***

Here we are, the second-to-last installment of pumkinundation roundup for 2021.

Sometimes I find a product that is so unusual that I have to try it, such as this Pearson's Apple Pie Salted Nut Roll. The peanuts are coated in cinnamon, and supposedly there's some apple flavoring. But the cinnamon is the biggest element. It's fine. I love that it exists, but the taste isn't really like apple pie. 6/10.

I had this Birch Benders Pumpkin Spice Paleo Pancakes in my cupboard since last year, because it's not that good. It's mostly made of fruit and vegetable starches. When you follow the instructions, there isn't nearly enough water. Like, I don't know how they made such a glaring mistake. So I added more water this year, and they were better. You can taste the pumpkin and spices, but they're mostly weird. 5/10.

I liked this Crumbl Apple Pie Cookie better than some of the other pie cookies they've had. The "crust" tastes like oats and brown sugar. The apples were a little chewy, but not badly so. 9/10.

I really enjoy Cutler's Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry Sandwiches. They just taste so festive. 8/10.

I have long considered cranberry orange a Christmas flavor, and of course cranberries feature prominently at Thanksgiving, so is cranberry orange a Thanksgiving flavor as well? I decided it was for this Goodly Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cookie, which had white chocolate chips and cranberries. It was a great cookie, but it mostly tasted like white chocolate; the cranberry and orange weren't as prominent as I would have liked. But Goodly is still my favorite cookie place. 8/10.

Trader Joe's Thanksgiving Stuffing Seasoned Kettle Chips are always a welcome respite from all the sugary stuff. Sometimes you just want something salty, ya know? 7/10.

When I come home from my Monday evening class, I have to catch two buses. This week, I barely missed the second bus, so I had to hang around the downtown Maverik, where I got this Maverik Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa. It has a subtle pumpkin spice flavor. 7/10.

Recently my mom made mincemeat with our own apples and our own green tomatoes (no meat in this recipe). There was a little bit leftover that couldn't be canned, so I made it into mincemeat cookies. They had some of that distinctive mincemeat flavor without being overwhelming. I wouldn't say they're my favorite cookies ever, but I did enjoy them. 7/10.

It's been a few years since I've had Trader Joe's Fall Zucchette Pasta, which is made with butternut squash and is shaped like pumpkins. It has a definite squash flavor that is not overwhelming. 7/10.

I was eager to try the 7-Eleven Thanksgiving Turkey Sub. The bread is flavored like stuffing, and they really nailed the flavor! It has turkey, cheese, and cranberry mayo. I like everything but the mayo, which just made me feel gross (and added lots of calories). I would have preferred plain cranberry sauce. But I'm guessing that would make the sandwich soggy, hence they did mayo instead. 7/10.