dunch (we, too, are animals)

it's the meal between lunch and dinner, moron.

i'm in atlanta for the weekend, and it's literally hot as hell. my sister is in the AKA debutante ball. and although that may not be how it's spelled, it's as close as i care to get right now. i walked outside just now and literally had to cringe for a moment. living through a NY winter, i haven't felt heat from the sun of this magnitude in months, and humidity of this magnitude in about a year. i guess since the last time i lived in atlanta huh?

nevertheless, right now i want to address a subject that has been evident in my life as of lately. that subject is the notion of "mechanisms".

as a science teacher that doesn't like science, i often have to read from various sources in order to teach an unfamiliar topic to my 6th graders. and as a first year science teacher that doesn't like science, i find myself doing that alot. and recently, we've been covering the subject of evolution and natural selection. we've been going in depth with the process of species changing over time in order to survive. these changes can take place on the offensive, changing so that they may be able to eat certain foods, or live in a certain enviornment, or have an advantage over certain prey. and then there's the defensive, changing so that they can defend themselves from certain conditions, conceal themselves from certain predators, and even escape the reaches of mankind. adaptation. my class, over the last month or so, has been enthralled with the notion of gradual change of generations of time for the purposes of the existence of their species. self-preservation. survival of the fittest.

in my research, i thought about this topic on two levels as it peratins to our species.

on a global level, i ponder a vocabulary term we're learning called "carrying capacity". carrying capacity is the cap in which a population can grow in a given environment. it's the reason why the world isn't overrun with elephants. it's the reason why spiders that lay hundreds of eggs only really produce dozens of successful offspring. it's the notion that nature itself comes into play when a population of species reaches a point where the environment in which lives can no longer support it. and so i think about this element when we address issues of world hunger or starvation in thrid world countries. i think about this element when we talk about HIV and Aids as an epidemtic for humanity. i think aobut this vocabulary term when we speculate that the Bird Flu can be in the US in a mtter of months, if it's not here already. i think about the population of China, and how so many people talk about the diseases that are easily spread there. and with this in mind, they may have reached "carrying capacity". it could be that these diseases, though much fault lies on ourselves for their creation, may be thriving due to the over abundance of the human race.

on an individual level, i think about how we have adapted based on certain situations in our life. how we evolve to handle new situations that arise as a result of that which we have been through. i think about the mechanisms we develop in order to preserve ourselves, in order to psycologically survive. these actions are not only present in our day to day lives, but especially evident in the way we interact with people. based on previous experiences we are shy, or outgoing, or flirtatious, or sensitive. we are passive or agressive. we blend in or stand out. we talk or we listen. we use hand gestures to speak or use fluxation of voice to be heard. we use handshakes, or we hug. we call, or we don't call. we get involved, or we don't get involved. we dress up, or we dress down. we use sex to keep another person close, or use sex to keep them further away. we don't get too close with others, or get close with everyone. as individuals, we adapt. and it is evident in our interactions with ourselves. for protection. for survival.

our next lesson in science is the water cycle. i don't know if i'll see much of an light bulb there, but who knows. enjoy your weekend. i think i'm about to go for a swim in this 80 degree atlanta weather.

have a nice day.