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	Welcome to Annette Golonka's Personal Page

Well, hello there, my professional name is Annette Golonka (married name Golonka Praay).  My pic is up above.  This webpage is always under construction, so check back in a few weeks or months to see the updated page.

A Few Professional Things About Me

I was a graduate student at Duke University, originally in the Botany Dept, which merged with the Zoology Dept to make the Biology Dept.  My main thesis advisor was Janis Antonovics who moved to the University of Virginia.  Most of his graduate students remained at Duke to complete their PhDs.

My thesis co-advisor at Duke is a mycologist, Rytas Vilgalys.  He has a great mycology website as well as a Mycology Lab website.  You should check the page out for some great links to mycology sites as well as great links to molecular systematic sites.

My research focuses on Nectar-Inhabiting Microorganisms (fondly called NIMs).  I have a professional website, which you can check out for more information on my research interests.   I also have a detailed description of my research on my C. V.

Some Personal Information About Me

I am a native southern Californian.   I attended the University of California, Irvine and have a Bachelors of Science in Biology, with a specialization in Ecology.

I married a wonderful man named Dan in 2000.  You can check out a few pictures of our wedding on my wedding site, or visit my husband's website where there are some nice pictures of both of us on it as well as links to pages with scenes from our wedding as well as our trips together.   Even though Dan is a dog person, he has adopted two black kitties, so we now have three cats.   He has some great cat pages.   The oldest cat is Tiger (my first kitty over here in NC), the smallest and most impish is Snowball (who is pure black), and the youngest is Blacky, a stray off the street.  Blacky actually has some white on him in tuxedo markings (chest, feet, and belly), and we have yet to scan pictures of him in yet.  He seems to be afraid of everyone except Dan, even after 4 years in our household.

My cat, Tiger, was a traveling cat.  I used to take her everywhere with me when I flew or drove.  By the time she was a year and a half old, she had been to California three times and to Florida once.  You can see her picture here.  She was born in 1996, so she is getting up in age.   Snowball is the imp of the group.  She can be a sweetheart one minute and a brat the next.  She likes to pounce on the other cats while they are sleeping, hence the other two are a bit wary of Snowball when she comes over to share a sleeping space.

Check out some of my "pets" on my picture page: Dan, Tiger, and Snowball.  There is also a picture of my parents -- Pat and Walt, Sr.

What I Do When I Am Not Researching

I am a handicrafts person.  I knit, crochet, spin, draw, paint, toll paint, quilt, do bead work, and basically any craft I can do with my hands I try at least once (including wood burning).  I am especially interested in spinning yarn and knitting with my handspun yarn.  I maintain a weblog, Clicking Needles, with a fiber friend of mine, Robin.  The blog is primarily about knitting and spinning, but contains weaving (Robin only), felting, quilting, and some how to knowledge as well, such as "How to Make a Drop Spindle".  We belong to a local guild, Twisted Threads Fiber Arts Guild, even though Robin is no longer local.  The guild has been a really great way to meet local aritsans who share my interest.

I also read a lot of fantasy/science fiction novels.  One of my favorite authors is Anne McCaffrey.  I also enjoy reading S. L. Viehl (aka. Lynn Viehl).  She is author of the "Stardoc" series.  If you like good science fiction, you may like her novels.

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