Mamma Hen

I actually entered university as a Biology major, though it wasn't long till I jumped ship to Chemistry. Still, my first full course at university was General Biology. In lecture, I sat with 60 (80?) or so other freshman, ready to take notes. For us, it was a huge course and a huge undertaking as well.

In the front of the lecture hall was a petite woman, wearing an over-sized cardigan-like sweater with large pockets, a long black skirt, and black ballet flats. She was very excited and highly excitable. Wearing what only years later I discovered was her "lecture outfit", complete with overhead pens in the pockets and a microphone on the lapel, she would get so worked up about the beauty of this-or-that (usually some system or pathway) that her shoes would click-click-click on the hardwood floor, her hair would flop about, and her arms would flail - so much so that you could envision her as a bat who was about to take flight. (Never mind that she actually studied bat behaviour; the similarities were truly striking.) We loved her, instantly. And we hung on her every word.

We learned many things in that lecture course, much of which I still use to this day: molecular pathways, cell cycle regulation, DNA replication, random mnemonic devices, and so much more. We also learned about avian imprinting. Chicks, as I remember it, hatch with no innate knowledge of who the Mamma Hen is. Rather, they "imprint" on whatever face they see first. And so it was with our oddly-dressed General Bio prof, Dr. Houck (who, by the way, dressed normally on non-lecture days); our freshman class imprinted upon her. She became our Mamma Hen. Over the years, she has also become Embryology prof (for me anyway), adviser, mentor, and eventually friend.

Going for familiarity, but also unwavering respect, I now call her "Auntie Becky".

Here's a photo of Auntie Becky and me from my university days - proof that she dressed normally on non-lecture days. I'm not sure what I was thinking, though. Notice the black dress, and large, cardigan-like sweater? Perhaps I was trying to emulate the "lecture outfit"? No pockets and no lapel, though; it looks like I have no excuse!


This weekend, I got to visit with Auntie. It was fabulous, as always, because she is still my Mamma Hen, and well, chicks always love their Mammas. We had a nice chat, about serious stuff (yay! for the transition from infusion to oral chemo!) and silly stuff (ugly bridesmaid dresses). And we just hung out. I feel like my life is so hectic these days, that it's nice to just sit and be with a friend. Here's a photo of Auntie Becky chillin' with her fat-cat, Abi.


Yes, more proof that Auntie dresses normally when not lecturing. In fact, she's wearing a super-stylish Octapeds t-shirt, which is hidden by fat-cat, Abi. More on the Octapeds later, but as a preview, here's that super-stylish shirt:

(Isn't this the greatest shirt ever?! You know you want one!)

For now, though, I leave you with one more photo of fat-cat, Abi. Because, quite frankly, he's adorable, super-cuddly, and so stinkin' cute that he just needs another picture on here!