Cagney the rubber rat, our departmental mascot and icon of sustainability, has become a true geographer. We suspected his latent (and latex) tendencies when he migrated from the third floor staff office of Connie Padilla and Nancy Ponce to the old staff kitchen and ended up becoming the poster boy for the Sustainability Program’s vermicomposting project. Unlike many in the Department of Geography, Cagney had no problem about finding the new staff kitchen on the first floor of Ellison. Indeed, his skill at wayfinding and his prowess at navigation were worrisome, insofar as he often went missing – only to be found later in strange places like the coffee machine filter, the bulletin board, and on top of the (hickory dickory dock) clock.

But how ya gonna keep ‘em down on the farm? Cagney has “taken wing” and is off on a “walkabout” (pardon the mixed metaphors) with Laura Harrison, our ex-undergraduate advisor and recent addition to our graduate program. Cagney is searching for his roots, Laura is searching for adventure, and the two intrepid adventurers just set out together for Fiji and New Zealand. Hopefully, both will return from the Cannibal Islands and the land of the Kiwis in September – and we look forward to at least one “letter from Cagney” in the near future. Stay tuned!

Editor’s notes:

For more about rat migration and exploration, see http://www.ratbehavior.org/history.htm; for more about the vermicomposting project, see http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/events/news/2006.php and http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/events/news/#a157; for the reference to hickory dickory dock, see http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/hickory/words.htm; and for more about Laura’s “walkabout,” see http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/events/news/#a186. The drawing of "Cagney Flying" is by Natalie Wong; article by Bill Norrington.