Sunday, April 27, 2008

Re-Evaluating

Lately I've fallen behind on school (senior-itis?) ugh. Lost my jumpdrive again after I found it. So for the next 4 days its 6-12 days at school redoing all of my experiments! Yay for me and then cramming for my finals! Oh my I need this two weeks to go quick and need summer!

I today am officially a NAUI Scuba diver, I made my final dives today. In a few weeks I begin my Advanced course in diving :) Night dives, wreck dives.

Why is a struggle so difficult, when others do it so effortlessly and with little ease. I feel that I've fought very hard and I am tired. Oh So tired, I can sleep all day. The end of one struggle is so close.


Friday, April 25, 2008

Its Final Spring!!

Well here in our lovely city it is finally warming up. And as I was studying for my organic chemistry exam I came across one of my favorite scents: It is Jasmine :) or Benzyl Acetate

So when you smell sweet jasmine remember this lovely structure :)


Have good days!!!!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Survival of Undergraduate and Lessons in Snow Scuba Diving!

It has been awhile there are a few updates I needed to add and things I have been meaning to place in here. But life hit hard, kinda like I fell face first on cement.

Two weeks left....

project due, presentation, presentation, presentation, meeting, teaching assistant, meeting, meeting, exam....losing my second jump drive filled with all my experimental data I've been collecting for a month!!!!!

I hope someone is nice and saved it for me and I'm not going to fail out my 3rd year.

I've been taking my data on my dragonfly larvae for about a month and got amazing results. Here is my nerd moment. I can see through the data points, cyclic respiration (they open "pores" and fill with oxygen then kinda like hold their breathe) looks like a flat line.



These are my tanks for my little guys!!! This is on of my several dragonfly larvae

They were ugly at first but I like them when they stay alive and don't mature into real dragonfly's. I feel bad because I always find them when they have drown :(

*thinking in my head i really need my jump drive to work on this data!!!!!!!*

I haven't been too stressed lately but um well right now its crunch time and i lost my life line (again) ha-ha.


This one is my pride and joy, so far 2 1/2 - 3 years of work into this and I hope we can get it published soon. Me presenting my work at a conference, from this past weekend. Its cellular biology, not my major, nor my favorite thing. It was my first stepping stone in to research and I love having my diverse background. With cell culture to digging in a pond for dragonfly larvae.

One note on this research project that I get funding for every year, I have yet to take a cellular/molecular class. Everything I've learned was in my lab from my amazing PI.

This is my life, which is why I need my jump drive. I really hope I can get it back tomorrow when I head back in.

Next TOPIC:
I am voting in my first primaries tomorrow, excited. To finally be "American," and have my "say" in our leader. Though if you look any intro level political science course you would know we as citizens really don't play a big part in the Presidential election, just to let you know.

Does not matter, I am still excited to participate in History.

Scuba:

Two Sundays ago I went for my 2nd scuba dive in our lovely Great Lake. It may say it is spring but... it still snows here until May-ish.... The recorded air temperature in my log book was 3.3 degrees Celsius and water temperature was 8.3 degrees Celsius. It was nice

Picture this*~*~*~*~*~*~
  • walking down the wooding dock, shifting side to side. Weight on your back enough to pull you into the Earth's core...walking down, turn, looking down....down....down...down...The water is dark. Looking up, the sun is out and it is snowing, gently down on your mask. Hold your thoughts, one step out and all of the world we know is gone....Falling and falling, will it stop? looking up, shimmering light.... Rising up as the suit fills with water, a warm feeling coming across your entire body... SURFACE. Its snowing... Though under water it is a different world, one that we know not much of. How much this amazes me to know nothing! To be in another world that does not know deadlines, requirements, JUMPDRIVES (lil' aggression), hate, discouragement,injustices. It was a warm feelings...Then walking out of the water the cold hard reality set back in with the freezing wind on my face and the weight on my back.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Late Night Reading

Psalm 5:
Give ear to my words, O LORD,

consider my sighing.

2 Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.

3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.

5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.

6 You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors.

7 But I, by your great mercy,
will come into your house;
in reverence will I bow down
toward your holy temple.

8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make straight your way before me.

9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.

10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Lately I have been reading and have come across a view passages that have hit me hard. Such as this one. Last night I read it a few times over very slowly (had to really take it in). Parts 9 and 10 really, right now hit hard and direct to my life. It expresses exactly how I feel about some people and finding this I do not wish bad things for these people but....sins are sins. With this and my believe in Karma, one day I hope they will get theirs back. I know I can only do what is right and follow a life filled with love and not fill my mouth with deciet.

Stay true, pray(what ever your practice is), do what you feel is the right thing and I believe from this passage that the good will over come the enemy/evil in time.

Read this a few times over and ask your self. Has this hit you yet? Have you felt this way before?

Monday, April 7, 2008

42 Degrees And Customer Service

Yesterday I took my first Dive into the GREAT LAKE. Suicide jump off of the local dock, with tourists watching/ video taping. The first dive is surreal, looking up under the water seeing white but not yet above the water. Once the water fills up making you feel like you are about to go in to hypothermia you go down. Down, down, down. Some where there is a bottom. Finally reach it, and see the world that you never knew about.





There were fish everywhere and mussels, along with old glass bottles. Surprisingly the Lake was fairly clear (10-15ft). Though like being in a new world, got disoriented and didn't realize that I had made a circle (good so that I did not drift into the current) and ending up back to where I began.





Getting out I could not stop shaking for an hour, I guess that happens when your 110lbs and the water is 42 degrees.





For some reason I had one of the largest leg knives (in case some great shark came by or underwater battle?)


It may be hard to see but it goes up to my knee (stay away from me if you see me under you) :)

Hoping the water warms up before my next one (next Sunday), although I already can't wait.


Another Comment On Being A Customer:

  • Do not complain if some small quantity of vegetable is removed from your sandwich because it was not the correct amount
  • Do not yell at the employee for doing their job

How can you yell at someone for not overloading your sandwich with a topping when there are so many countries and millions of people who do not get to eat what you do. And to be so greedy and pissy over food because you live in America where you have the "right" to be fat.

Think about the people who don't get to eat what you are about to put into your mouth, don't complain if you didn't get the large quantity because you can. Be happy being able to eat clean healthy food, but do not be over indulgent.