Week 1: How do you solve your crabs problem?

So, Jen and I have found ourselves at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) in Charleston, Oregon, for the summer.  Making it out to the west coast was an achievement in and of itself (O’Hare can suck it), but the summer looks to provide some interesting challenges including but of course not limited to shoddy streaming of the World Cup, intellectual altercations with Greg (the grad student), and crabs.

But as luck should have it, we landed ourselves right next to Davey Jones’ Locker, the self-proclaimed cultural Mecca of Charleston that doubles as the local booze and deli depot—a definite must-see for both the adamant fans of canned provisions long past their expiration dates and those looking for an unparalleled and authentic Charleston, Oregon, experience, which you can appropriately commemorate with a t-shirt. The sizes of which range from ‘XL’ to ‘Governator.’  (Note to Jen: We can’t leave here without those shirts.)

Our faculty advisor, Professor Amy Johnson, her husband, Olaf, and their kids have provided some idiosyncratic spice to our adventures out west—their perfectly coordinated Birkenstocks, penchant for handstand pushups, and a GPS that speaks militantly in Japanese.  So, arigatou gozaimasu Amy and co. for providing some much appreciated laughs and some Japanese immersion/cultural awareness.

Let 6:34AM on June 25, 2010, go down in the textbooks as our first encounter with crabs.  Getting the chance to trek out to Middle Cove with Amy et al. was memorable to say the least.  And, you know it’s a successful venture when you leave with more than you bargained for…crabs.  (So, I guess I’m hoping they make a shampoo for this.)

And, the question became: “How do you stop your crabs from spreading?”  Thinking that a shallow seawater table would be sufficient for detaining our little crustacean friends only served to evince our naiveté because before long, the little guys were peppering adjacent seawater tables, scampering across the floor, and eating everything in sight.  Despite the fact that crab nabbing was at first an enjoyable diversion from serious academic pursuits, it quickly became an unwelcome nuisance.  It’s become somewhat of an arms race—Jeff and Jen versus the crabs.  Every proverbial wrench we’ve thrown into their system to deter their escape has only been met with terrifyingly effective counter-maneuvers.  (I don’t think any shampoo is going to be enough.)

Despite our Bowdoin-bred brains, Jen and I have failed to draft any effective means to keep the crabs contained.  Let’s hope that this week brings a little more promise because we're still not sure how to solve our crabs problem.

Above provides the week in review: (left) a Red Urchin, (center) home sweet home, and (right) some east coast flavor brought out west by yours truly (I've got to try my hardest to reinforce all those New England stereotypes--pastels, Red Sox, Cape Cod, etc.).