23 October, 2007

Living in the Dark

In a the most recent issue of Smithsonian, there is an article entitled "Creatures of the Deep!" The article shows pictures from a new book called The Deep by Claire Nouvian, which details life in ocean depths of 650 feet and beyond. The pictures are of newer-ish-ly discovered microorganisms that live in the deepest waters of the sea. This article is funny because it profiles such fantastically named creatures as the Gulper Eel, droopy sea pen, ping-pong tree sponge, the Yeti crab (which looks like a tiny crab with these silly long front claws that appear to be covered in white Christmas tinsel); as well as my personal favourites, the Googly-Eyed Glass Squid and the Pigbutt Worm. You may think I'm making these all up, but I am not. Which leads me to the following conclusion: Either these scientists are bullied high school nerds all grown-up and exacting their vengeance on the world by naming newly discovered creatures the mostly ridiculous names they can come up with OR they are bullied high school nerds all grown-up studying ridiculously-named sea creatures because since they're already nerdy, it can't get any worse.

Hello, I'm Dr. Dorky McFly and I'm a marine biologist. I make the big bucks studying Googly-Eyed Glass Squid and Pigbutt Worms. No it's true! Please stop laughing!

Seriously. Pigbutt worms??

**********************
On Sunday morning, the Little Goat and I were sitting in church on the pew in front of a collection of Little Old Church Ladies. At some point while we were sitting there, the LG received the strangest compliment she may ever hear: "Oh, my! Just look at those STRAIGHT eyes!"

7 comments:

Unknown said...

well, if your little old church lady had just finished the same article in the Smithsonian, it sounds like straight eyes might be something to remark on!

Brenda said...

a lady in dillards one day told me maggie had asian eyes. she wasn't even asian, she was black. and maggie's parents are as white as they come! people are weird.

Beth said...

Ha Ha! They must have had a bunch of cross eyed kids :)

erin k said...

At least she didn't say, "Now THAT's a baby!" (which is what my MIL says you have to say when you can't think of something else nice...)

I think I would like a job naming deep sea animals.

Brenda said...

that's funny, erin. in the south we say, "bless her/his heart" when the baby is a little...iffy.

Kellan said...

That is so cute - the sea creatures and the "straight eye" comment - Ha! See ya.

bren j. said...

Beth - I don't know about cross-eyed kids....but she does where glasses.

Brenda - "when the baby is a little....iffy"
Hah! I almost snorted!

Erin - "Now THAT's a baby!" What in the world does that MEAN!?!?

Kellan - Hey, thanks for stopping by!