I won't be sleeping much tonight... or this week.

My lit and stats presentations for tomorrow are now (mostly) made, now I just have to finish my TWO chem reports that are due at 8am.

When those are done, I will sleep for a few hours, get up and go to chem, come home and take a shower, then go to the computer lab to edit/practice my presentations (especially for stats).

Then I have present or listen to presentations from 2:45pm - 7:30pm (with a break for dinner).

After that I can sleep! For a little bit...

But ALL day Thursday I have to finish writing the two papers that are due on Friday.

After I turn in the papers on Friday I have to do my LAST (overdue) stats homework assignment. THEN I can sleep!

But then all day Saturday and Sunday I have to STUDY for my organic chemistry final.

Oh and probably on Saturday I'm going to finish the freaking writeups for the talks I had to attend for thesis. I wanted to do it earlier, but now that I think about it I will probably have to wait until Saturday to do it...

But when those are done ALL I am doing is studying for OCHEM.

Monday morning I take my chem final, and then I am DONE with ochem (for this semester).

Then I will sleep some more.

But ALL day Tuesday I will be doing my take-home biostats final. Then I will turn it in when I'm done (probably on Tuesday, but maybe on Wednesday).

And THEN I will be FINALLY done with this FREAKING semester that has been STRESSING me out so much!!


Okay, I needed that. To vent.

I am seriously so stressed out right now that my hair is falling out and my stomach is having all sorts of weird problems and my shoulders feel like bricks. But I just have to do this week and then I'm really really done. And I'm going to relax A LOT over break, and then take it easy(-er) next semester.

So its really just this one really hellish week...

Just one week...

Why I haven't been posting...

I) I finished applying to graduate school!
II) School, work, neuroscience club, mentoring...

But I'm almost done with this (hellish) semester. Here is all I have left:
1. Overdue stats HW #1 - Today
2. Overdue stats HW #2 - Today
3. Thesis talk writeups (6) - Today
4. Stats presentation - Wednesday
5. Lit presentation - Wednesday
6. Chem formal report rewrite - Wednesday
7. Chem normal report - Wednesday
8. Stats paper - Friday
9. Lit paper - Friday
10. Chem final - Monday
11. Stats final - Next Wednesday
Then DONE!

I have several posts brewing that I just haven't gotten around to. One is about why I should have made this an anonymous blog, another is about why I'm against male circumcision (well any circumcision really). But first I have to finish school... now back to it!

Recipes

I haven't posted in a while, and I have food on the brain, so I thought I would post a few of my favorite recipes that I make at home.

1. Vegetarian Fajitas!

Ingredients:
1-2 Green bell peppers
1 White or yellow onion
1-2 Serrano chilis (to taste)
1 Red bell pepper (optional)
1 Clove of garlic
2 Tbsp of olive oil
Lemon pepper to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour tortillas
Dress with shredded chedder, sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole

Directions:
Chop onions and peppers into strips, chop serrano into thin slices, mince the garlic
Combine veggies in large skillet with garlic, olive oil and seasonings
Cook on med-high, stirring frequently, heat for 10-15 minutes until veggies are sizzling hot
For "charred" flavor leave unstirred on high heat for a few minutes before serving
Put veggies on tortillas with cheese, sour cream, salsa or whatever else you like!
Serve with black beans and mexican rice or chips and salsa. Mmmm.

2. Better than Veggie Lasagna
This is not your standard lasagna recipe, its better!

Ingredients:
1 Red bell pepper
1 Zuchinni
1 Broccoli floret
1/2 Red onion
1 Cup mushrooms
2-3 Cloves garlic
Italian seasoning blend to taste
Crushed red pepper to taste
2 Tbps olive oil
1 Jar prego (unless you want to make your own sauce)
Lasagna noodles
Shredded mozzerella cheese
Fresh (not powdered) parmesan cheese

Directions:
Chop all veggies into very small chunks, mince the garlic
Combine veggies and garlic in large skillet with olive oil, italian seasoning and crushed red pepper
Cook veggies on low-medium heat until onions are translucent
Boil lasagna noodles
Layer lasagna in caserole as follows:
1) Noodles
2) Veggies and a little sauce
3) Noodles
4) Sauce and mozerella cheese
5) Noodles
6) Veggies and a little sauce
7) Noodles
8) Sauce and both cheeses, with some italian seasoning sprinkled on top
Bake lasagna at 350 until it is heated through and cheese is melty. Usually 30-45 minutes, but allow up to an hour.

Great served with garlic bread and a salad!

3. Veggie Side Dish #1

Ingredients:
1/2 Broccoli floret
1/2 Zuchini
1/4 Red onion
1 Clove garlic
Italian seasoning blend to taste
Black pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Sometimes I add a little lemon juice or crushed red pepper

Directions:
Chop the veggies, mince the garlic, combine all ingredients in small skillet and heat
This is great as a side dish when you are lacking green foods in your meal.

4. Veggie Side Dish #2

Ingredients:
4-5 Cherry tomatos
1/2 Broccoli floret
1/4 Red onion
1 Cup baby spinach leaves
2 Cloves garlic (beware of breath after you eat, but it tastes so good)
Italian seasoning to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
About 1/4 cup red wine (merlot works)

Directions:
Cut the broccoli and tomatos into small pieces, cut the tomatos in half, mince the garlic
Combine all ingredients but the wine in a pan and heat until spinach wilts
Add wine then cook for about 1-2 more minutes

5. Whole Wheat Macaroni and Tomato Sauce
This is an old recipe of my Mom's. Some people don't like it much, but for me its a great easy comfort food.

Ingredients:
1 Cup whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 Cup plain tomato sauce (thats right, tomato sauce, not marinara sauce)
2 Tbsp butter
Lots of black pepper

Directions:
Boil pasta and drain, then add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.

Most of my other recipes are kind of standard, like garlic red mashed potatos, so I won't post them. And of course sometimes I just eat pizza bagels or a lean cuisine, or order a thin crust vegetarian pizza like tonight.

Update: August/September 2008

I know it has been a while since I have posted, things just got really busy in the past month.

In the beginning of August visited Oklahoma and then came back to California. It was nice to see the family but overall I did not enjoy my trip home. I was going to write a post about the trip, but I decided not to as what I have to say could be considered 1) whining and/or 2) offensive to people I know back home. Lets just suffice it to say that I love my life in California.

Once I got back to California, though, I had jury duty - and I was actually put on a jury! The trial lasted about 2 weeks and it was at the same time very interesting and incredibly boring. It was a medical negligence case involving the death of a diabetic 25 year old who was survived by her three young children. There were a lot of factors in the case, but we ruled that the doctors were not at fault for her death. Now I'm off the hook for duty for 1 year, and if I am never on a case again that would be fine with me.

As soon as jury duty was over I had training for my IT jobs, then freshmen orientation happened, and ever since my life hasn't slowed down for a second. My classes are going to be challenging this semester, if not only because each class is going to take many hours a week.

I am taking:
1. Applied Biostatistics - I don't expect the course to be overly challenging for me as I have a respectable background in stats, but I do expect to spend at least 5 hours a week (maybe more) doing problem sets.
2. Organic Chemistry - This class is going to be a challenge, I know. Not only because o-chem is hard for everyone, but because I find chemistry exceptionally challenging (even though I adore science). It is also going to take A LOT of time per week to do problem sets and study. Luckily I have already made plans to spend a lot of time with my friend Tori, the only other senior I know who is taking o-chem. I may or may not also live in my professor's office. Wish me luck!
3. Senior thesis - Surprisingly, I am not at all concerned about thesis at the moment. Most of the other members of my class are in a frenzy about it, but I have already done the brunt of my research and I have 2 semesters to write about it. Plus science theses are not overly long.
4. Jane Austen (Literature) - I am at once very excited about and nervous about my literature class. I am taking it not only because have put off my humanities general education requirement until my second-to-last semester of college, but because I have loved what I have read of Jane Austen and because I love the professor who is teaching the class. The reason I am nervous, though, is that even though I used to love literature and do very well in the subject in high school, majoring in a hard science has not helped me in my literature reading abilities. I do not feel confident anymore that I can read a novel and analyze it critically and intelligently. Even the research assignments for the class have me nervous. Writing a 20 page science research paper, even if it is not primary research, is cake compared to writing a 5 page literature paper. The standards are different. Besides, papers for science classes have a very rigid format, tone, and organization whereas I think of literature research papers as more organic. Plus I am always intimidated by knowing that a literature professor will be reading my grammar. I can just picture her cringing at every comma splice.

Hopefully, though, I will make it through and be better for it. If I can just maintain all A's and B's this semester that will really help me in my graduate school applications (that reminds me, I also need to get the GRE over with...). Wish me luck, and good luck to all my friends with your semesters!

More Evidence for Evolution

Okay, well "evidence" may be a stretch, but seriously, if Springfield won't allow teaching of creationism (aka "intelligent design") in schools, then surely no school district should.

Enjoy:

On a side note, this is my new desktop image:
http://www.pixelgirlpresents.com/images/desktops/Siebe_Warmoeskerken/Retro_Love_by_swiebel.jpg

I like it. It makes me feel simultaneously uncluttered, creative, and relaxed. Don't you want to go curl up in that chair?

Update: July 2008

I wasn't planning on having another update post this month, but alas I slacking on my blogging again. It is easier for me to write a post about me and what is going on in my life than it is for me to compose something more thought out. I still have a few posts brewing, but every time I sit down to write them I get frustrated with the incoherency of my thoughts. I think what I really need are a few old-fashioned high school brain storming sessions. Majoring in a science has not helped with my creative writing ability...

In any case, for me this month (and next month?) is about meeting a few athletic goals:

1. I want to run 3 miles at a 9:30 minute/mile pace. I know that's pretty slow for some of my friends, but since I haven't run competitively since high school its a good goal for me. As soon as I get to that goal I am going to start running with a local running club called the Daybreakers. They meet at 5:00am... but I know if I start running with them I will be motivated to boost my pace and my mileage. I am logging my runs here (click "View my training log" at the top).



2. I want to be able to do 100 push ups. This is to help me build upper body strength... since I really don't have any. The four athletic activities I do most often are running, hiking, biking, and yoga - none of which help my arms out at all (well yoga may help a little). I used to swim a lot, but lately I have been more into my land-based workouts, so to balance it out I am going to do pushups! I was inspired by a user group forum at runningahead.com. My workout program can be found here if you want to join me.

Besides working out this month I have been working in the lab, a lot. Research is still going well, though, and I am excited to be starting a new project where I will be using a virus to trace axons within the brain. Its great because I get to integrate my passion for molecular biology and my love for neuroscience into one awesome experimental set up.

Somehow this month I have also found time for fun! You can ask any of the people I spent the 4th with about that. Maybe I had a little too much fun... but hey, we all need a little break sometimes, right?

Update: June 2008

Well it is June 14^th and I haven’t posted since May, so I feel obliged to post a little update about my life and things coming soon (read: eventually) on this blog.

As far as the blog goes, I am working on a post about “intelligent design” in which I argue that it is bullshit and definitely not a scientific theory of any kind. Instead it is propaganda and an insult to intelligent people and to science. I am also going to post a few other things about my atheism and atheism in general. There will also be a revamped list of grad schools soon, I may post a draft of my personal statement, and maybe even a resume so I can get some feedback from you all if possible. Plus, you know, anything I think of randomly or find interesting online. If I manage to remember to post, that is.

And as far as my life in the last month? I worked as an intern for CMC alumni relations from the time school got out until June 1^st when alumni weekend was over. It was a great time. I met a man named Dan Vadala who graduated in 1948 (CMC was founded in 1946!!) as a ‘pacesetter.’ Pacesetters were CMC’s first students who came back from the war and went back to school. They only took 2-3 years to graduate because they had already taken some classes before fighting in WWII, and their education was paid for by the GI bill. Vadala stayed in the dorms during the weekend and enjoyed the parties.

Which reminds me, CMC alums are boozers. I swear the alums are bigger alkies (alcoholics) than the current students. They were cracking me up with stories of the old days when they would play large-scale pranks almost every day. Plus, it was founded as a men’s school (it was originally called Claremont Men’s College and there were no women until 1976) so it was basically one big frat for the first 30 years. Luckily for them there was a women’s school (Scripps) right across the street and it was cute to learn that many of the alums were still married to Scripps alums. Overall it was a good time. I was totally busy all weekend from 9am to LATE at night, but they paid me well and the alums were great so it was worth it.

For the remainder of June I have been working at the Claremont-Scripps-Pitzer Joint Science Department. I’m in the same lab that I worked in during the school year doing research on vocal learning. Things have been going well. The goal has been to do two experiments a week as well as doing two lesions a week, and some histology. Of course we have been having some trouble maintaining that pace… but if we keep the goals high then even if we fail we still did plenty. I love it. I love science, I love doing science, I love talking about science, I love reading about science. It’s pretty much awesome.

What else? Hmm, pretty much nothing. I live in the lab (some days I work from 8am to 11pm). And if I’m not in the lab I’m hanging out with people from the lab. For example, Thursday night the lab went over to Prof. Coleman’s house (my mentor) and I have never laughed so hard. It was a great time.

Okay, more to come soon I swear, but that’s all for now.

My Favorite Song at the Moment

Kimya Dawson - Tree Hugger

The flower said, "I wish I was a tree,"
The tree said, "I wish I could be
A different kind of tree,
The cat wished that it was a bee,
The turtle wished that it could fly
Really high into the sky,
Over rooftops and then dive
Deep into the sea.

And in the sea there is a fish,
A fish that has a secret wish,
A wish to be a big cactus
With a pink flower on it.
And in the sea there is a fish,
A fish that has a secret wish,
A wish to be a big cactus
With a pink flower on it.

And the flower
Would be its offering
Of love to the desert.
And the desert,
So dry and lonely,
That the critters all
Appreciate the effort.

Et le jackalope a dit
Je voudrais être un yeti
Pour voler dans la nuit
Et m'en aller loin d'ici
Mais le yeti a dit
Je voudrais être un monstre marin
Pour pouvoir rentrer dans la mer
De tous les requins.

And the rattlesnake said,
"I wish I had hands so
I could hug you like a man."
And then the cactus said,
"But don't you understand,
My skin is covered with sharp spikes
That'll stab you like a thousand knives.
A hug would be nice,
But hug my flower with your eyes."

The flower said, "I wish I was a tree,"
The tree said, "I wish I could be
A different kind of tree,
The cat wished that it was a bee,
The turtle wished that it could fly
Really high into the sky,
Over rooftops and then dive
Deep into the sea.

And in the sea there is a fish,
A fish that has a secret wish,
A wish to be a big cactus
With a pink flower on it.
And in the sea there is a fish,
A fish that has a secret wish,
A wish to be a big cactus
With a pink flower on it.

And the flower
Would be its offering
Of love to the desert.
And the desert,
So dry and lonely,
That the critters all
Appreciate the effort.

Plans

I know, I know: I have been delinquent in posting. As anyone in school knows, its a crazy time of the semester. But its almost over!

This week I need to take a cell bio final, a neuropsych final, write a 15 pg lab report, analyze some data for an abstract for a conference, and turn in the abstract.

The 2 weeks after that I work as the personal assistant for a woman in the CMC development office. We are finishing the preparations for the CMC alumni weekend, then executing the weekend.

After that I spend the rest of my summer doing research. I am working in the lab that I have been in all year and continuing two separate experiments. Its going to be great because I will be running both experiments and have one helper (or minion) on each. Nicole will help me with the experiments involving a zebra finch brain region called CM while Alexis will help me with those involving mMAN. If all goes well we will be doing 4 experiments a week (two of each type) and by the end of the summer we will have enough data for two posters at the Society for Neuroscience conference and possibly enough data for two papers.

Oh, and my third summer job is caring for all of the animals in joint science. Plus I have to do jury duty sometime (ick).

In any case, my hope is that I will somehow have more time to write on this blog. Any topics you would like to see? I often sit down to write, can't think of anything to say, then get distracted and start stumbling. Not so productive... but oh so fun.

Missing in Action

Sorry I have been M.I.A. for the last few weeks. I don't have an excuse, really. It's just that every time I sat down to this blog to write I couldn't think of what to say. My life seemed to explode a few weeks ago and I am just now putting the pieces back together.

The summary is:

• My boyfriend and I broke up... then got back together 2 days later. It was a really emotional time... I'm glad its over. I don't particularly want to talk about it, but I thought I should mention it here.
• I got certified to be an OTL leader. OTL is the outdoor club at my school. It's awesome because the club has an $18,000 budget for outdoor trips and gear, and as an OTL leader I can plan trips wherever I want and get the club's help in paying for it. I still haven't decided where I want to go first... any ideas? Particularly in the Southern California area?
• My research is going really well this semester. I have had 4 experiments, each of which lasted over 12 hours including prep, and I have been able to get data from each of them. The experiments are technically difficult, but each one is getting easier as I'm learning the necessary skills. Hopefully if everything continues to go well this semester, this summer, and next school year my professor and I will be able to publish a paper before I graduate.
• Classes are pretty interesting this semester. I love molecular biology seminar, cell bio is only okay, and so far neurobio is easy because it is mostly review. Neuropsych has yet to interest me, but I think that is because I am biased towards the biology side of neuroscience rather than the psychology side. My last class is Gandhi's India. It's really interesting, but I have decided that I don't particularly like Gandhi. I can respect some of his ideas/methods but generally he was just kind of a weirdo, and not a very likable one. Maybe my next post will be about my thoughts on him.
• Oh! And I got my hair cut today. Unfortunately it isn't a particularly good haircut... the girl didn't listen to what I wanted and just kind of did her own thing. Fortunately I think I can get it fixed fairly easily; I might even be able to get it cut for free by a friend.
  

In the meantime life has settled down. I spent this weekend sleeping, watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on DVD, cooking/baking, cleaning, reading and generally regrouping. It was a much needed rest, especially because I have several midterms over the next two weeks.

And I can't make any promises, but my plan is to post here more often.