Late adventures of the writer…
Dearest readers,
I realize that I have been quite absent over the past couple months. Things have been hectic but I assure you that I am making every attempt to get back in to the swing of writing again on a regular basis…and something BESIDES personal statements for graduate school applications. Sometimes I wish I could just type in the link to my blog. “Here you go, ____________ University! That’s a personal as it gets! Enjoy.” Nevermind that. Much has happened since I have last written.
I would normally invite my readers in on the gossip concerning my dating life but with all the work on my plate (and my increasing waistline), dating has taken a serious back-seat in the life of the writer. In fact, I’d say it’s in the trunk as of late. While I have gone on a few interesting dates, nothing has moved further than that first awkward dinner. Perhaps in the near future I will address the situation of singlehood and bad luck in the relationship department. My “love” posts are always some of my most popular posts…
^^^ “Look, Billy! I am putting my love-life in the trunk!”
As for college, things are rolling right along! I just finished my LAST fall semester! It hasn’t hit me that I will be graduating in a few short months. A few dear friends of mine finished school this semester and will not be returning in the Spring. I fear that the first couple weeks back will be quite tough but I just haven’t grasped the weight of their absence yet. Everything is happening so fast. My roommates and I shared our last Christmas the other night before our last exam day. One day, I am going to wake up and realize that they aren’t in the next room. BUT! On the brighter side of things, we have made a very serious pact to 1) have a really awesome holiday party each year where we reunite, and 2) go on an annual roommate weekend extravaganza each year; just us, no others. I look forward to these little celebrations with great anticipation! Cher and Lafonda are my family; losing contact is NOT an option.
^^^ I googled “3 old women” and this was the first image that came up. It’s perfect. 
So, the plant collection is over along with the insect collection. I successfully completed 14 credits of upper-level biology in one semester (four classes with four labs…Whew!)…and the research…and GREs…the Women’s Leadership Program…AND I have submitted a few applications already! That leaves me with my heralding tale of my FIRST annual meeting for the Entomological Society of America followed by a treacherous journey home this past Friday. I shall begin…
As many of you may know, it is my ultimate goal to enroll in a graduate program for Entomology (insect biology), specializing in plant-insect interactions and community ecology. Well, a few weeks ago, I was informed by one of my graduate school contacts that I should attend the annual ESA meeting. “It will be a great place to make contacts and meet graduate professors!” So I’m thinking, “Great! Cool! Sign me up! When is it?” It was to be held for four days: December 13th to the 16th. “Ok…cool…,” I’m thinking. “Where is it, again?” Oh yeah, it’s in Indianapolis, Indiana. “WHAT?!”
^^^ “I have to be alone for HOW long? But Meyers-Briggs says I’m an extrovert!!!!”
I stewed and stewed over this. I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. So I did it. I booked my flights out of Hampton-Roads, Virginia, and reserved a hotel room for three nights, finished final exams, and flew there two days later….to be alone…in a strange city I’ve never been in…at a conference where I am a total novice….did I mention alone? Usually I am pretty ballsy about these things. “Let’s go! Let’s do it!” But suddenly, the wind was knocked out of my sails. I was scared. Out of my wits. But gosh-darnit, I did it anyway, and ended up having the time of my life.
The event was huge. It took place for four days straight, starting at about 6 a.m. each morning and ending anywhere around 11p.m. each night. Talks, poster sessions, symposia, plenary sessions, and mixers took place in the Indianapolis Convention Center and some events were carried out in the surrounding hotels. I met tons of professors, many of which I had been e-mailing for quite some time. I was able to go to some of their talks and hear what kinds of research they were performing in their labs. Most importantly, however, I was able to see how they interacted with me. This was the most valuable thing I got out of my time in Indianapolis. That, I had the chance to tour Center Circle and the gorgeous Capitol Building in my “spare time”.
^^^ Center Circle!
^^^ The Capitol Building had gorgeous stained glass and sculpture!
A professor that I met over the summer from the University of Georgia served as my stand-in adviser while I was there. He introduced me to as many professors as possible and took me out to lunch three days in a row. This man showed me such generosity that I daresay I would ever forget his kindness and guidance. Without him, my time at the ESA convention would not have been so productive. I am forever grateful to him.
By the end of the convention, I was very ready to go home. I missed my family. Over the past few months, I have begun to realize that my time living with them is growing short. Perhaps that is why I have been distracted from the whole graduating thing; all I can think about is my parents and my big brother.
I eagerly boarded my flight and got back to Hampton-Roads, Virginia around midnight. The whole next day, I was absorbed with extra applications and getting my apartment ready for me to be gone for three weeks. My plan was to finalize things in the registrar’s office and my applications all day on the 17th, then leave for home on the 18th. Only one complication- BLIZZARD!
^^^ “Travel conditions: Suck.”
Now, meteorologists were calling for winter weather, but I had NO idea it was going to be as bad as it was. I stopped for lunch on my way out of town on Friday to visit the Cuz and managed to get back on the road by 1:30p.m. From there, I should have arrived home no later than 5:30p.m. As the snowflakes started coming down around 3p.m., I smiled gleefully, thinking, “What a perfect way to drive back home to the mountains for Christmas!” I blasted Christmas music, sang loudly, and felt the spirit of Christmas whirling about my little car.
^^^ I just imagined myself driving back to a magical little Who-ville Christmas Town with carolers in the streets and fountains of hot coco…
Well, you can see where this is going. It wasn’t long before I noticed the snow on the roads getting terribly thick…and traffic was slowed down to about 20 mph. Cars were in ditches EVERYWHERE. Traffic was still moving, however, and this gave me faith that I would eventually get home at some point. As it grew darker though, I began to lose this hopeful feeling. 6p.m. neared and I was still an hour out of my hometown (an hour with optimal weather conditions). Then finally, the inevitable happened: traffic stopped.
^^^ Close enough…
It didn’t slow. It didn’t creep. It STOPPED. Completely. As in, people were eventually getting out of their cars in the snow trying to figure out what was going to happen to us. The snow had not stopped. Both the flakes falling and the layer on the road were getting thicker. Ice accumulated on my wind-shield wipers and my car struggled to continuously defog. My parents were frantic on the phone when I called at 6:45p.m., telling them I was still 66 miles away from home and still stuck. Dad was a heartbeat away from driving out to retrieve me (which would have accomplished nothing…because I was stuck in a traffic jam and there was no way to get to me…but he’s my Dad; it’s to be expected). BUT! I got very mischievous and very lucky…
^^^ “Hey ‘Merica…I have an idear.”
My impatience served me well this time! I found a break in the line of traffic to my right and resolved to at least change my scenery by merging right. Once in that position, I could see an exit ramp up ahead. There was an Exon station at that exit and I really needed to pee at this point; I had been in the car all afternoon! So I approached the exit and before I could turn back, I was in really deep snow in my tiny little car. I ALMOST got completely stuck. However, my car is awesome. She rescued me (my car’s name is Betsy, by the way). Anyway, getting to the top of the ramp, I could have taken a left, going over a bridge to the Exon, or I could have gone straight which would lead me back onto the highway. Something was weird though…the highway past this exit was COMPLETELY CLEAR. I could see down onto the highway as I crossed the bridge, and an 18-wheeler had slid into a ditch and was blocking traffic!
^^^ Trucking and Snowing: Two verbs that don’t go together.
But he wasn’t blocking the exit ramp from the Exon station!!!!!!!!!! So I had a potty-break, got back in my car, took a left onto the down-ramp, and bypassed the road-block! The entire interstate was MINE! I finally arrived home around 9p.m., as I had to continue driving at about 25mph. I was never so happy to pull into my driveway. There was seriously a moment when I said to myself, “Self, you might be sleeping in your car tonight.” And apparently, that’s what some people did!
^^^ If only we were all so resourceful…
The next morning, THAT EXACT BACKUP was on the news. They were interviewing people who had abandoned their cars to find lodging at the local fire station! Whew! That could’ve been me! So now I’ve been living the good life, leisurely working on applications, cooking, sleeping in, watching Christmas movies, sledding…And yesterday, my brother and I walked two miles to the grocery store to pick up some much-needed food stuffs. Ahh, therapy.
^^^ Forget Grad School! I am reconnecting with my inner-child!
With that, I am tired and ready to re-read “Lord of the Rings”. I must retire this post, readers. Stay tuned! Next time, I will write about something with a little less autobiographical content. Something juicy, perhaps? Until then, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!
My GRE- The Grusome Ridiculous Exam.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that I am finished with the GRE, once and for all. I took it for the first time back in August a couple weeks ago and although my score was not atrocious, it was not up to par for me to be truly competitive for some of the more prestigious schools I hope to apply to this fall. Most of the schools I am talking to said that retaking the GRE was mostly up to me, but again, there were a couple that suggested I retake it. Well. I did. And I now have a score worth sharing!
This post, like some of my most recent, will be short. My brain is shot and I want to relax but I felt that I should update everyone since it has been exatly a MONTH since I have written! Classes are in full swing and although I am incredibly busy, I am finding the academic atmosphere most refreshing, especially now that I am finished with the GRE! I am taking 14 hours of upperlevel biology: Microbiology with the lab, Entomology with the Lab, Ecology with the Lab, and Plant Taxonomy II. It’s going to be a semester full of fun science!!!!!! For now, however, I am signing out. Until next time!
I’m MIA, FYI.
My brother, Jake (the Marine) has recently been stationed in a bordering state so he has had a few opportunities to visit home. Upon his most recent visit, he was complaining about the usage of these web acronyms. Apparently he can’t stand it when people actually say, “OMG! FYI, I’ll BRB.” Which, I kinda agree…but I say “FYI” sometimes…so maybe I should just keep my mouth shut around him. Either that or I could say, “Hey Jake! For your information, I accidentally shrunk your cothes in the wash!” I will finish this statement with a big smile. Anyway! That’s the reason behind the title. That silly brother of mine…Love him!
^^^ HAHA!
I know it’s been a while since I have written. As I mentioned before, things are about to get very crazy in my life and I am not quite sure how well this blog is going to hold up. I actually pushed back my GRE test date by two days so I could have a little extra time for preparation. After taking a practice test, I saw how miserably I did on the math section and freaked. Within five minutes, I was on the phone with ETS (Educational Testing Service) begging for more time and actually agreeing to pay an extra $50 to change the date…by two days! Actually, it’s quite easy to change your test date/location as long as you fork over money. Oh well. It was worth every penny. So the plan is for me to move back to my college town about a week before I had originally planned and spend that week alone with no cable, family, or roommates (kinda sad) and sell my soul to the GRE devil.
^^^ But what if I’m not prepared? 
After all that is over, I get to actually start APPLYING to these schools. I have a list of about ten…at least. All the while, I will be starting my final year of classes as an undergraduate. Woo-hoo! It’s funny because I was completely aware that this would be my final year but I was so wrapped up in my internship, GREs, and grad schools that I completely forgot about that “graduation” I will attend. My mom reminded me, “Can you BELIEVE you’ll be graduating this coming spring?!” It hit me all at once, “Oh yeah…I actually have to go find a cap and gown at some point. I wonder if they sell kids sizes? Hmm.” I’m 5 feet tall (or short, rather.)
^^^ Can I get that in HER size?
Brief update on the medical front: I am pretty sure I know what caused my hives. Yes, it is an allergy. And guess what I’m allergic to? Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunscreen!!!!!!!!!! You know, that really expensive stuff that you can only find at drugstores and Ukrops? So upon my next trip out in the field (that required sunscreen) I wore long sleeves (in case it was the sun that was killing me) and applied this top-shelf sunscreen to the tops of my hands and my ears. I had on a baseball cap which usually does a fabulous job of shielding my face from harmful rays. Nothing happened until later that night. I was sitting in my room, reviewing GRE vocabulary (“Perspecacious….What?!”) when I noticed that my ears were awfully hot. Then they were itchy. And when i finally got off my dairy-air to look in the mirror, they were swollen and bright red. When I woke up the next morning, small hives had begun to develop on the tops of my hands.
^^^ YOU did this to me!!!
Problem solved. I am allergic to that sunscreen…or something in it. The active ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. I’m still too scared to try any new sunscreens though. Maybe I could honor the death of Michael Jackson by wearing gloves everwhere I go.
^^^ A classic Michael photo.
With that being said, I am really looking forward to going back to school. I miss my professors, friends, and yes, the overall atmosphere of academia. Of course I will be begging for mercy within the first couple weeks. I am taking four upper-level biology courses, all with labs. I also got accepted into my university’s semester-long Leadership Program for Women. That involves one long class per week as well as outside reading and a retreat (YAY! I lvoe retreats!). Each member of the class is assigned to a mentor (a successful woman in her field, I assume). Dr. Crick (a fellow student) took it last year and put my name into the pot for this years application process so I am very excited fort his opportunity to follow in her footsteps.
^^^ Ehhh…I sure hope I can do it… :/
Until next time readers! You probably won’t hear from me again until AFTER my GRE which is on the 20th. Start saying prayers! I’m gonna need all the help I can get!
The Disaster Fairy strikes again! My medical adventures ensue…
Ok…so maybe my current predicament hasn’t quite achieved disaster status…yet. But I keep getting pretty darn close! As many of you regular readers may know, I have quite a history of really random health issues. It’s never anything serious, but I’m that kid on the playground who has a new, unexplained rash every week. That’s right; I’m going to talk about my rashes again. Only this time, I might actually have a convoluted explanation!
^^^ Believe it or not, I got teased A LOT in grade school…
Again, let’s turn the clock back to the summer of 2005 (quite a few years back). I was 17 working as a nursery-keeper in my church every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. I was always sick with some kind of cold or sinus infection. Because of this, I now have quite the immune system! But at the time, I was feeling really sick…again. So I went to see my ear, nose, and throat specialist, Dr. ENT, I will call him. He’s a little Vietnamese man, about my size, who speaks with an extremely thick accent. Upon my examination, a large lump was found in my neck. Yay. The cyst on my thyroid had been discovered. We don’t really know how long it had been there (we assumed a couple months…cause it was pretty big). So the big question here was: Is it cancer?
^^^ Dr. ENT always wore that giant circular thing on his head. It amused me when I was a little girl.
For the next year or so, they ran all kinds of tests on me, took biopsies, and basically “kept and eye” on the cyst, hoping it would eventually go away, proving that it was benign. Well, it never went away. Over winter break of my freshman year in college (December 2006), I had surgery to remove the right half of my thyroid; there was no need to take out the whole thing. It’s always a good plan to leave as much of your organs intact as possible, right?
So they extracted half of my thyroid and I got to spend a whole night at UVA medical center (totally underrated). I ate chocolate ice cream, saw the first ten minutes of the TNT world premier of “Return of the King” before I passed out. Yes, I was a little peeved when they fed me pain meds RIGHT before the movie came on. My mom stayed with me ALL NIGHT LONG and woke up with me every single time the nurses came in to check my vitals. How awesome is that? And then when I couldn’t go back to sleep, we stayed up and talked for hours. ::sigh:: Pretty much the coolest lady in the world.
^^^ A fun place to be!
But back on track! They found that the cyst was benign! YAY! Nothing to worry about anymore, right? I started taking synthetic thyroid hormones so the other half of my thyroid would “go to sleep.” Theoretically, one half of a thyroid will produce enough hormones for your whole body, should the other half be compromised. However, the doctors were unsure of what caused the random cyst on the right side so putting the other half to sleep as a precaution was the best idea. No more mystery cysts!
Well, the saga continues. Exactly six months after my surgery, as soon as the weather turned warm, a huge, puffy, itchy rash formed over and around my surgical scar all over my neck. This rash thing came and went all summer, finally disappearing into the night at the start of my sophomore year. I saw several doctors about this issue, mostly physicians and one dermatologist. No one could explain it except to say, “It looks like an allergic reaction to something.” Gee wiz. That helps.
^^^ Not even Wikipedia could tell me the answer!
Another year or so goes by. No rash. It’s forgotten, right? If some of you recall, I had ANOTHER unexplained rash all over my right thigh at the beginning of my junior year (this past fall semester, 2008). Again, went to a doctor, “Ah! You’re allergic to something. Here’s a steroid cream.” Of course under the influence of steroids, almost anything can be cleared up. So that one went away.
^^^ Haha! I couldn’t help it.
That’s the history. Let’s put the clock back to present day. It is now the summer of 2009, months after my leg rash and a couple years after my last neck rash. I went to the Outer Banks last weekend with my cousin who is one of my nearest and dearest friends. I will call her “The Cuz.” There was absolutely no shade to be had on the Oregon Inlet campground. I got a nice sunburn in a few places but other than that, the weekend was quite enjoyable. Upon my return on Sunday evening, I couldn’t help but notice that my arms were itching terribly around my elbow joints. I wasn’t burned there, but I had gotten a lot of sun there. Was this sun poisoning? Hm.
^^^ I finally got my beach fix!
Long story short, this began happening to my neck. By Tuesday, both of my arms and chest area were covered in tiny little red dots. And I was itching like I had never itched before. I threw my hands up, “Ok. Time to call an allergist.” Within one doctors visit, I received an explanation for ALL of these medical issues I have just listed. Here it is:
MY IMMUNE SYSTEM HAS BEEN ATTACKING MY THYROID FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS! I HAVE THYROID DISEASE!
Now, if you know your doctors well enough, you would know that most allergists are also immunologists (hallelujah!). So Dr. Godfather (I’m going to call him that because he spoke with a New Yorker’s accent, saying things like, “No big deal,” with an emphasis on the ‘d’) just about leapt out of his little wheely chair when I mentioned I had a history of thyroid issues. “I am almost certain this is related to your thyroid,” he said.
^^^ “I’m going to fix you!!!!!!!!!”
Here is what’s happening inside the writer’s body: One day, for some reason unknown, my overactive immune system said, “Hey! I don’t like that thyroid thing!” So it built up all these specialized antibodies specifically to kill my thyroid. There are many things that can happen as a result of this. One result is a growth forming on the thyroid. That was my thyroid’s first response. Bada-bing, bada-boom, we have a cyst! Doctors say, “Wow…your hormone levels are completely normal! No disease! You just grew a cyst randomly (which does happen) so let’s take it out!” Cyst is gone…but half of my thyroid remains. So the antibodies keep rolling in, shooting at my injured thyroid. (I imagine this to look something like a battle scene in the new Star Trek movie). Instead of growing another cyst, this time, my thyroid produced histamines and HIVES! In my case, heat is the main trigger for this event, hence, the reason it has only popped up during hotter conditions.
^^^ I now have a running joke with my close friends and family that my skin is that of a vampire’s and will start to sizzle if I step into the sun.
So to date, my arms, neck, cheeks, and ears are covered in hives. I am taking a series of antihistamines including Claratin, Zyrtec, and Zantac 150. Apparently, Zantac, which is used to inhibit stomach acid production, also inhibits the production of histamines. This morning I woke up looking like a pug dog with really swollen, pouty lips and beet-red cheeks. I am really banking on this stuff kicking in SOON! Although the doctor was very confident in his hypothesis, he sent me to the lab for some blood work as a precautionary measure. They will test my blood for the antibodies that work to kill my thyroid. There is no cure for my condition (except another surgery to remove the remaining half of my thyroid), so the idea is to wait it out. If my thyroid isn’t already mostly dead, it will be soon.
The most amusing thing about this whole scenario is that I actually have a disease. I think it’s great! It’s a minor disease so it’s not going to kill me or anything. The technical term is Hashimoto’s disease. Here’s a little blurb I found online at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hashimotos-disease/DS00567 –>
“Hashimoto’s disease is a disorder that affects your thyroid, a small gland located at the base of your neck, below your Adam’s apple. The thyroid gland is part of your endocrine system, which produces hormones that coordinate many of your body’s activities.
In Hashimoto’s disease, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, your immune system attacks your thyroid gland. The resulting inflammation often leads to an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). Hashimoto’s disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States.
Doctors test your thyroid function to help detect Hashimoto’s disease. Treatment of Hashimoto’s disease with thyroid hormone replacement usually is simple and effective.”
^^^ Here’s a little animated mechanism of what happens with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis…for all you visual learners out there.
It’s simple and effective…as long as you don’t produce hives : ). The only disconcerting thing about this whole disease is that “infertility” and “birth defects” were listed as possible complications. I think as long as my hormone levels are stable (which is achieved with a nice little synthetic thyroid hormone pill taken daily), I should have no problem. I love kids!
^^^ I typed “lots of babies” into Google Image and found this. And then I laughed out loud…alone on the couch.
As an aside, I was tested for many common allergies and I am allergic to NOTHING. Yay! I can still eat peanuts! But for now, I am incapacitated and itchy. I haven’s showered recently (I wouldn’t dare admit how long) because it makes me itch. And taking a cold bath would be miserable. The doctor said I should apply Vicks Vaporub to my hives to relieve the itching. He’s right! It really works! But I am incredibly greasy and have to cover the couch with a sheet just so I can sit on it. So for now it’s just me, GRE workbooks, pajamas, and facebook. I should add chocolate milk to that list… Until next time!
^^^ “Ohhh yeeaahh…”
A triple wammie.
Well friends, I must use this post to whine just a little bit. Once again, it appears that not-so-fun things happen to me in sets of three. So here goes nothing– yet another triple wammie for the writer!
^^^ I am exasperated!
Let’s set the clock back to the weekend of June the 5th, shall we? It’s a Friday and I will be traveling BACK out to my college town (for the second weekend in a row) to visit people and attend the wedding of a good college friend. That afternoon, I was to meet one of my favorite professors to discuss my progress on the graduate school front. I was very excited to see him and was planning a relaxing afternoon in his office, chatting up a storm. So of course, I left with plenty of time to get there! For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with the weather on the East coast for the past couple of weeks, it’s been raining pretty much non-stop. And that’s what I got caught. What should have been a four hour drive suddenly turned into a six hour crawl. I got stopped by traffic somewhere outside Williamsburg and after sitting for almost an hour, I decided I had had enough and that I was going to use my handy-dandy Gazetteer to navigate my way to the University via back roads. I was quite successful at this…except for one small interruption. I had a fender-bender. : (
^^^ My car looks almost identical to the green car. Oh snap, son.
Luckily no one was hurt! And it was a very minor collision. I was driving along, probably looking at my map too much (in the pouring rain on a road I had never seen before in my life with too many stoplights…) when the cars in front of me began to slow to a halt. Suddenly, the lady at the front of the line slammed her brakes, causing the guy in front of me to slam on HIS brakes. So of course, I slammed on MY brakes too, and it seemed like I would actually stop in time…except for the fact that my antilock braking system has been down for severl months now. Technically, you aren’t required to have antilock brakes, but it sure would have helped in this situation. My brakes locked and I slid/hydroplaned/screeched for what seemed like an eternity finally to hit the rear bumper of the guy in front of me. Of course, he drove away with three scratches and my hood was…well…compromised. But the situation was extremely lucky! A police officer randomly came out of the woodwork! Apparently he had watched the whole thing and agreed that it wasn’t anybody’s fault, so I didn’t get a ticket. The guy I hit was really nice about it and concurred with the officer that it was a simple accident. “I heard you screeching for the longest time!” Yep. So in that respect, I was very lucky!
^^^ I’m glad I got the good cop this time!
The only problem now is that I have a more than compromised car. To make a long story short, my car is leaking in several places, no antilock brakes, and a hugely messed up hood and front bumper…not to mention the chipping paint, squeaking doors and windows…she’s past her prime. So to myself and my mother, the answer was simple: time for a different vehicle. But with the state of the economy, that’s not gonna happen for us. So the battle this past week was for us to try to convince my father that patching up this car was less than a wise decision when I could get a better car for about the same price (perhaps a bit more). He made a really good case for my present tin-can car- it has a REALLY good engine that will run until the world ends. My car’s engine is like a cocroach in Hiroshima, basically. I also get incredible gas mileage. So we’re doing the repairs on it…and I am hoping that it will last me through graduate school. : /
^^^ Look! It’s me on my way to Graduate School! I’m going to be Flinstoning myself there.
And that’s the end of the first trial! The second trial is more trivial. Long story short, I am allergic to bees…and last Monday, I got stung in my neck. Nice work, Bee! I swear, they keep human anatomy charts in their hives like, “Sting HERE!” It was actually a sweat bee and my allergy is minor so I didn’t die or suffocate. I just have this huge, incredibly itchy rash covering my neck. And now I am on steroids…So my emotions are playing with my mind and I feel like I want to Hulk out about three times a day. Yay.
^^^ Jerk.
As for the last trial, it is probably the saddest of all. This past Friday, my mom and I were across town for an appointment and were miraculously running ahead of schedule (really, this is incredible for my mother; go mom!) so I suggested that we stop by the SPCA just for fun to look at the dogs. Now I know what you’re all thinking! You’re thinking that this is an unwise decision because I will inevitably fall in love with one of the dogs and not be able to leave it. But I must say that I’m not THAT bad. Yes, I did fall in love with one of the dogs. However, I had no intention of taking it home until my mother piped in, “Well maybe we could take it home for the weeked to see if Dad likes her.” So I didn’t refuse for a minute!
^^^ Oh, cute.
This is an incredible dog. She’s a ten month old border collie mix (with some hound in there somewhere) and we bonded immediatly. Mona pressed her body sideways up against the fence so I could reach through with my fingers to pet her as best as I could. We touched faces through the fence and she licked my nose gently. I was in love. And to this day, I have not heard her bark once (though, she does bark- my mom heard her one night while I was out of the house). She knows the rules- no jumping, no peeing in the house (she has yet to make a mess ANYWHERE, including her crate). Mona ended up at the SPCA when her former owner, a single woman, had a landlord who did not approve of the dog being in the apartment. So obviously she’s a great girl who ended up in a not-so-great situation.
^^^ I typed in “Border collie – hound” into google image. Mona looks a lot like this. Be still my beating heart!
The sad part is that my dad is NOT buying it. Again…bad economy. “We can’t afford a dog,” he says. I pleaded, “Let me take her back to school with me! I promise I’ll make it work! She’s the perfect size! I’ll pay for everything!” Then of course he reminds me that I have no money. So that’s the situation. I have to take her back to the SPCA by Friday. Until then, I am madly searching for a home that will take her. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. And she’s great with other dogs and kids! And those eyes… : ( On a lighter note, I am sure that someone great will take her. I’m just afraid that I will never see her again.
^^^ That’s about her size…But she’s more black than white.
And that pretty much wraps up this session. I must return to my GRE preparation and DEQ fun! Until next time, friends!
Swing me way down South…
Readers, I have returned from the mother-land! Literally, it is the land of my mother- Georgia. My mother and I had the opportunity to road-trip down South this past weekend. We left at 5:30 a.m. on Friday morning to set out for Tifton, Georgia, which is basically at the Georgia-Florida border.
^^^ Tifton is in the Valdosta region. Whew! What a drive.
Now I’ve always known that I was a Southerner but on this trip, I really tried to allow myself to become enveloped in the whole philosophy of the South. My accent always comes back when I leave my college town but down in Georgia, it came WAY back! Like I said, we drove for about 10 hours straight, stopping only for Bojangles and later for Chick-fil-a, two staple fast food establishments orginating in the South. And I have to say, we were so hungry when we finally stopped for breakfast (after driving for four hours), that Bojangles cajun chicken biscuit was quite possibly the most delectable morsel of food I have ever consumed in my lifetime of twenty-one years.
^^^ Just looking at this image makes my mouth water. You MUST try a Bojangles cajun chicken biscuit at some point in your life.
Between our food stops, we needed to gas up the car so we pulled over at this run-down gas station just below Atlanta. The store clerk was a elderly gentleman with a long white beard wearing an old truckers hat, standing behind the counter wistling loudly and proficiently. As we approached the counter to check out, my mom says to the old man, “I bet nobody else in this store knows what your wistlin’.” The man smiled, “Do you know the song?” Of course she did…she’s from Georgia. “Ramblin’ Rose,” my mother replied.
^^^ Ahhh…I love oldies…
This prompted the old man to break into song. Right there, as other customers proceeded to shop, the man serenaded us to the tune of “Ramblin’ Rose” by Nat King Cole. Then mom joined in and the two of them sang the whole song, right there at the counter of the gas station. At that moment, the only thing I could think in my mind was, “Yep. M’home.” Ahh, I love the South.
^^^ Haha!
From there, we arrived at the University of Georgia, Tifton campus where I met with three professors who had a chance to look at my curriculum vitae and offer some helpful advice on how to get into graduate school. I’m glad my first campus visit was at the Tifton campus- everyone was so Southern and friendly, making it a good warm-up round for “How to talk to graduate professors, 101.”
^^^ When we called one of my mom’s old friends to plan a rendez-vous, his first question was, “You got one fixin’ to be a bulldog?” Hahaha! Fixin’.
Once we were done in Tifton, we made our way back to Atlanta after stopping in Macon for dinner with an old friend (we have lots of old friends in the land of peaches). Finding our hotel in Atlanta was a TRIP! It was in the most impossible location EVER and despite the fact that I was on the phone with the hotel clerk, we were having no luck in communicating. She kept giving me stoplights as landmarks: “You should see a stoplight. Turn left there.” I replied several times, “There are lots of stoplights,” which there were. After driving in circles for about forty minutes, we finally found our hotel in the most secluded location possible, parked behind ANOTHER hotel. There were no signs, either. Let this be a lesson to all: I hereby declare that I will book hotel reservations for me and my mother’s outings from now on.
^^^ You’re telling me!
The next day, we visited Athens, home of the University of Georgia (main campus), and Gainesville, mom’s hometown. Athens was absolutely beautiful and the UGA campus was ENORMOUS. It reminded me a lot of the University of Virginia…only older, I think. UGA was the first established public university in the United States and is ranked as an “Unofficial Ivy-league” university. The campus itself is a testament to architecture throughout the last couple centuries; from the back to the front, the buildings grow younger and younger. Because it was a Saturday, no professors were around, so we only had a chance to look around campus ourselves.
^^^ Um. The campus was huge. And gorgeous.
Once we got to Gainesville, we wasted no time in meeting up with some old friends of my mom’s. And when I say old, they really are old. Which was great! I really enjoy spending time with individuals from older generations which might explain why I hang with my mom on the weekends. I had the treat of spending a whole evening (until about midnight) with three different individuals: one was the mother of my mom’s childhood best friend- we took her out to dinner where we learned quickly that she didn’t like shrimp and that there was no way we were paying for our own food. The next was a friend of my grandmother’s who writes inspirational Christian stories for “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” and whose husband was once the mayor of Gainesville. Our last visit was with the town Pharmacist whose wife was my grandmother’s best friend. We called to see if he was available that evening after the dinner hours, “How late do you stay up, Charlie?” He replied very frankly, “Twelve thirty.” I chuckled. And we stayed until twelve thirty, talking the night away in Charlie’s den.
^^^ His den was really old world Georgia– Cozy, slightly over packed with piles of books everywhere, paintings covering every inch of the walls. I loved it.
Then Sunday came. The BIG day. It was time to prepare for the Coldplay concert. Mom and I went into Atlanta to visit one last person then spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering around the city. After visiting our hotel one last time to freshen up, we were off to the concert at Lakewood Ampitheatre. Did I mention that this was an outdoor venue and that it had been raining ALL DAY LONG? Our original plan was to buy tickets for the lawn that encircled the outer edge of the ampitheatre but luckily, we decided to upgrade and go for the tickets that were smack dab in the center of the audience…and under the overhang. The crowd was great. To our left were two gay guys, to our right, several graduates from Georgia Tech University, and behind us were students from University of Georgia. So you can imagine, the crowd was very young and FUN! We all had some drinks, took pictures, danced, sang… It just proves that a show is only as good as its crowd. And the lights were AMAZING! These globes descended from the ceiling of the stage and projected images or colors. During the song “Yellow”, a ton of giant yellow balloons were released from the ceiling of the ampitheatre. The balloons bounced off the crowd as they worked their way towards the stage. It was a surreal image!
^^^ Everything was lit up yellow!
^^^ This is how it opened.
^^^ I loved the confetti!
Before we even left for Georgia, my mother did her fair share of Coldplay concert research and found that we would be getting a free CD at the end of the show. She also discovered that the band actually travels to the back of the auditorium at each show! The first part I believed, but I had trouble imagining Coldplay out in the rain on the lawn–so mom and I made a bet. And I lost. She was right! They played out in the rain, on the LAWN! The whole show was really amazing. Chris Martin could be likened to Mick Jagger in his performance style; it amazed me at how much he could run and dance around the stage while singing at the same time! The next morning was our scheduled departure and pit-stop in Clemson, South Carolina where I would have several meetings with MORE professors.
^^^ Alright. Alright. She was right, I was wrong. They came into the crowd.
My time at Clemson University was well spent. I had the privilege of meeting with four different professors and a graduate student. The first professor I spoke with was a little Polish woman who is the graduate coordinator for the program I was interested in. When I first arrived, her prominent concern was that I had not decided whether or not I wanted to persue a master’s degree or go directly into a PhD program. After trying to convince me nicely to go straight into a PhD program, she made a startling analogy to get my attention. In her Polish accent, she asked, “Do you want to be like the house wife who sits at home and does everything the man tells her to do? Or do you want to make your own decisions and stand on your own two feet? That is the difference between a master’s degree and a PhD.”
^^^ A view of Clemson’s oldest building, I believe…or one of them.
“Whoa,” I thought. So as of now, I am leaning towards a PhD. But it’s still up in the air. After spending four straight hours meeting with Clemson faculty, I was exhausted and starving. Mom and I took off to Cracker Barrel and feasted on cornbread, chicken, cooked carrots, potatoes, and corn on the cob. It was our last high calorie, Southern food “hoo-rah.” Delicious.
^^^ Mmmm, heart attack on a plate.
The next day, I started my internship with the Department of Environmental Quality which, so far, has proven to be the most incedible opportunity I’ve ever had. I go conoeing and boating on lakes daily. We spend our time in some of the most beautiful regions of Virginia. Today, we saw two bald eagles in the wild on a lake run. Again, incredible. I am learning how to use a “Sonde” which is a tool used to measure pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, and conductivity in water. How cool is that?
^^^ And THIS is a sonde.
In short, I am having the time of my life. I’m learning a lot. I’m playing a lot. And I have more to look forward to. I will keep you all updated as much as possible! Until next time!
Let the good times roll…
I was on the phone with my mom the other night. We were talking casually about something or other (this usually consists of me talking about school and then her quickly switching the subject back to her housework and what she fixed my Dad for dinner last night). There was a little pause in the conversation when she decided to speak up again, saying, “Wellll…I wasn’t going to say anything…But your father and I are coming to see you at school next weekend! Surprise!”
^^^ “You’re WHAT?!”
I’m not going to lie to you readers; at first, I was like, “Oh no.” This is going to sound horrible, but understand that to a college junior in the throws of Biochemistry, Physics, Invertebrate Zoology, and Plant Taxonomy, every minute not spent doing homework or reading is a minute wasted…and that includes peeing! I don’t have much time to go shopping with Mom and Dad on their weekend getaway, as much as I love them.
But then I decided I should “carpe diem” and enjoy their two-day visit. We’ll eat out, see each other’s faces (I haven’t seen them since the middle of January), and I will let THEM go shopping while I hang back to get some work done.
^^^ Let the happy couple shop-shop-shop away.
And about classes, things are going very well! I am not making straight A’s, though I hope to get there (I think I have all A’s and one B right now…darned spineless creatures!). But the gauntlet has just begun and there is much to be seen and learned before the semester is over.
The most important matter of it all is that I am REALLY enjoying my classes and professors this semester! I feel like every class I am taking has a purpose and each little bit of info that I soak up is going to help me in my career as a scientist. I know this is like, “Duh,” but really, I go into class with true purpose. It’s nice having that feeling.
^^^ Haha!
On a side note, Lafonda made dinner tonight. We have roommate dinner nights every Thursday night and the three of us rotate who selects the main course and prepares all the food! Occasionally we will ditch the aprons and go out to dinner but tonight was “Hungry Man’s Dinner,” and it was SOOO good. Baked beans with ground beef baked in a casserole dish with homemade biscuits on top! YUMMY! We had some fruit and a side salad with it as well and as always, shared a bottle of wine.
^^^ It looked like that! She had the biscuits on top of the bean and beef casserole and then baked it all together! Delicious!
This whole “Roommate Dinner Night” has really taken hold in our apartment and I encourage any other roommates who read these to try it out. Or even in your families! Just pick a night that is reserved for you and your family…and you guys ONLY! None of us miss this night for anything- it’s a rule. We take our time, play some jazzy music, and toast before we dig in. I love my girls. : )
^^^ Ok…we don’t wear high-heels all that much BUT when I typed “Girlfriends” into Google and saw this image, my jaw dropped. Cher has very short brown hair, Lafonda has vibrant red hair to her shoulders, and I have kinda choppy, straight dirty-blond hair. Ha!
Finally, one last tid-bit. Relay for Life fundraising in going incredibly well! The Chemistry Club is the #2 contributor on the entire CAMPUS right now and we’re holding strong! We have a huge fund raising event coming up at a local sushi place– the restaurant agreed to give us 10% of one evening’s profit to us for the American Cancer Society! Heck yeah! Fight cancer!
^^^ Fight cancer with Sushi!!!
So right now, the good times are rolling and I felt like talking about it. Have a nice weekend everyone!
^^^ YAY!
Top 5 apartment essentials.
Readers! I have not forsaken you! This past week has just been really busy. It seems like I have an exam in EVERY class all of a sudden. Yesterday (Thursday), I had a quiz, a lab practical, a presentation, and a lecture exam ALL IN ONE DAY. And the latter three were all in Invertebrate Zoology. If I see another Paramecium, I’ll need Valium. Then I had a Physics exam this morening that I only had one night to prepare for since I was too busy worrying about all that other stuff earlier in the week. But all in all, it hasn’t been so bad. : ) I am still enjoying this semester much more than the last.
In light of this, you all can imagine that my roommates and I are quite settled into our apartment. And I am beginning to realize that there are certain things I am used to having at home that I would never have thought about needing at school that I now need…if that makes sense. In other words, little non-descrpt items that we keep in our homes that a college student doesn’t ever think about purchasing. Of course, I created a list.
1. Goo-Gone (Do you know how much sticker residue has accumulated in all our lives? From recently purchased binders/notebooks to picture frames and reusable water bottles, you need this stuff to get off all that GOO that remains on your stuff! Not to mention if you have a gooey spill.)
^^^ Amazing stuff! Use it on anything gooey!
2. WD-40 (When we first moved into our aparement, we noticed quickly that the door to my and Cher’s room squeaked very loudly. So loud it squeaked that even Lafonda could hear it in her own separate room!)
^^^ No sqeak, no more!
3. Resolve or another carpet cleaner. (For all the spills that occur in your dining room…which happens to be over a carpeted area next to our “living room”/ “study room”)
^^^ Resolve to get your carpet stains up!
4. Vaccuum cleaner bags! (You may remember to bring a vaccuum cleaner, but do you have the bags to go with it?)
^^^ VROOOOOOM!
5. And finally, a plunger! (Need I say more? Haha!)
^^^ Hilarious!
So if you are moving into a new apartment or home, remember these things! Have a GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!
Just need to write…
I don’t know exactly why, but I feel the need to write tonight. I don’t have a topic picked out; I figured I would just ramble.
My experiment on the possibility of my being sensitive to gluten is going quite well and I think I might be on to something! It would be a little far-fetched to say that I have a huge case of Celiac’s disease. But it would be realistic to hypothesize that I have a sensitivity to whole grains. For the past few days, I have been limiting myself to only one small serving of refined flour per day (ex: my favorite peanut butter Kashi bars have oats in them; once I eat one, my gluten quota has been exceeded for one day).
^^^ It’s my little sin.
I am presently trying to collect money for Relay For Life (official fundraiser for the American Cancer Society). This is my second year as the team captain for the Chemistry Club, and as the secretary of the club, I feel that I must jump on this money usurpation as soon as possible. So for any friends or family who might be reading this, if you have any spare change or you want to donate, let me know! : )
^^^ I don’t go to this college but I thought this was a pretty picture of the luminarias. : )
My back kinda hurts…I think I have been slouching at my desk(s).
I put brackets around the “s” because I have many work spaces during the day. I work at several desks in several different classrooms located in several different buildings. Then I work in the library, at Mogli’s apartment, or in MY apartment (at my real desk).
My classes are scaring me. Last semester was busy. This semester is learning on steroids.
But I’m OK with that! And I remain excited about all the knowledge I will gain! Seriously.
Chemistry Club formed an intramural dodgeball team. I have never been very team-sports oriented and typically enjoy the one-man activities like kayaking or hiking. But I signed up anyway because I think it will be a lot of fun! And it gives me an excuse to closely study the film “Dodgeball.”
^^^ If you can dodge a rench, you can doge a ball.
I wish life were a little more like a Marc Chagall painting. My 2009 calendar is all paintings by Chagall. I look to my left and there is this beautiful rooster, looking at me with his left eye, feathers fluffed up, and rising above a small town shaded in hues of violet. A bride dressed in red stands before him with her eyes diverted in the same direction. I wander what it is that they see? Is it something mysterious? Or is it simply the viewer? That’s what I will believe.
^^^ I couldn’t find the exact painting but this is “typical” Chagall. Just beautiful.
Ugh…c’mon spring. Get here already.
Mogli is taking me out to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate our half-year anniversary! I love eating alone with him.
And now abruptly, I say goodnight. I have more studying to do.
The low-down on Celiac disease and Gluten sensitivity.
Here we go again readers! We’re getting personal. Over the past couple years, I have been questioning whether or not I have a sensitivity to gluten. If I do, I am assuming that it’s not that serious because I have been eating wheat and flour products up until this past Wednesday. Mogli and I are running a little experiment: I am laying off gluten-containing products for a week to see if my “symptoms” change. Let’s review, shall we?
www.celiaccentral.org says:
“Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. It is triggered by consumption of the protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. Roughly one out of every 133 Americans has celiac disease, but 97% remain undiagnosed. This means that almost three million Americans have celiac disease and only about 100,000 know they have it. Researchers have determined that celiac disease is a genetic condition, meaning that it is inherited. In some cases, celiac becomes active or is triggered by events such as surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.”
Very interesting! Some symptoms listed on the site were irritability, poor weight gain (weight loss), bloating or gas, depression, diarrhea, fatigue, itchy skin rash, headaches, and constipation.
Again, let us be personal. I have been experiencing a few of these symptoms over the past couple years or so. Here is an analogy: Imagine one of those pumps that puts air in your bike tires and basketballs. I feel like someone stuck one of those things in my belly-button and pumped air into my abdominal region. In normal situations, a person could simply pass gas but it’s like the air is trapped in my body and it remains that way for up to 48 hours. Eventually it just goes away. But it always comes back! I have also recently lost about 10 pounds which I would like to credit to my smarter diet and exercise (still a large possibility) but who knows! I actually did not know that a sympton of Celiac was weight loss.
^^^ My tummy feels like a balloon.
What’s more, I have a strange history of rashes. I am still open to the possibility that all these symptoms could be completely random but maybe they aren’t. During my freshman year of college, I had surgery to remove half of my thyroid (there was a cyst on the right side…and I got to experience a lot of cool tests! Fun for a science kid). About 6 months after surgey when I was totally healed, I developed this enormous, random rash on my neck that itched like poison ivy (but it wasn’t poison ivy). I saw more than one dermatologist and none of them could explain the rash. It went away then came back, several times over the summer. One day it stopped and was forgotten. Then, as you may recall from recent posts, this past fall (about a year and a half later), I developed another random rash on my right thigh. Again, it itched like holy hellfire. But it wasn’t poison ivy…again. The doctor couldn’t explain it except to say, “It’s an allergy to…something. Here’s some cream.” Yay.
^^^ Sad face.
So now that you know my entire medical history, I am helping myself and anyone else out there who may have a sensitivity to gluten by posting some gluten-free food options. More often than not, the doctor will simply say, “Go off gluten for a week. If you feel better, keep at it.” Doctors will most likely suppliment your little in-home experiment by running blood tests or taking a culture of the inner lining of your small intestine. Blood tests include:
So for now, I am going to finish my experiment. No matter how it turns out, I am going to consult my doctor as soon as possible and talk to him about what else could be wrong with me besides celiac disease or maybe all these symptoms are just a fluke. But for those of you who have been asking this question yourself, here are some foods that are gluten-free!
^^^ YAY! Gluten-free cereal exists! I think Corn Chex will also work.
^^^ I love cereal bars.
^^^ Mogli and I had this “potato pasta” with marinara sauce the other night for dinner; it was delicious!
^^^ I got this stuff as well; it’s very dense…like your own personal brick of bread.
So in closing, I am NOT SURE I am gluten sensitive. I could just be an air-filled person with a skin condition; for now, I’m signing out…back to corn, rice, and potatoes! P.S.- All this info was gathered from www.celiaccentral.org but the best thing you can do is talk to your doctor.
