insect lore

Ming-baby

I'm majorly distracted right now. This usually happens before a big exam, like this coming Friday in biochemistry. Well, in the tradition of procrastination, I figured I'd post some pictures of my summertime pets. I purchased two praying mantis egg sacs at the beginning of summer from English Gardens and the results were these amazing creatures. One-hundred to 200 translucent mini-mantises (I'm talking a centimeter big) hatched from one sac. This is Ming, she lived in my front bush for two months and I peeped on her daily chillin'.

guess who (hint: I chose a TV character)

Wow! Another eventful evening spent at the Cheesecake Factory serving some pleasant but mostly ungrateful patrons. My feet are KILLING me. I would love nothing more than to strip down, take a bath and enjoy a nice glass of wine or two while I’m at it! Oh shoot I almost forgot…the guys are expecting me across the hall.

I wonder what crude remarks Howard will make tonight, and in what language. Ya know, scratch that. Ever since I hooked him up with Bernadette he’s been much less, umm, disturbing. I really should watch what I write on this thing cause I don't know if who and his big brain are cyber stalking me! I wonder if he’ll ever find a girlfriend. It looks pretty grim but I guess if Amy is taking up his time all the better, lol. I wonder what’s on the menu for tonight, Thai, Chinese, or pizza. Mmm, I hope Thai but I think I’ll have to take a rain check on that bath and do some therapeutic shoe shopping tomorrow. G’night all! 

from the lab bench

Chemistry, 2006 by Thomas Allen 

Yesterday (Tuesday, January 25, 2011) I spent a cool three hours getting acclimated to the lab I will be working in, hopefully, until I graduate. I observed and at one point assisted in performing a lactate assay with another student lab assistant. To phrase this as clearly as possible, a lactate assay is a test demonstrating one kind of biochemical pathway.  It involves the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) which catalyzes lactate, the chemical compound in question, into pyruvate, another biologically important molecule. All of this stuff matters in processes like lactic acid fermentation, which occur when we metabolize or pump some iron. Whenever you 'feel the burn' you're actually feeling the build up of lactic acid in your muscles.

Spectrometer 20

Brown and clear bottles, some big and others small, were pulled from a fridge you neglect to store your lunch in because it's stocked with chemicals. I watched my new colleague pipette test tubes with the necessary requirements (water, buffer, LDH, etc) that allow the chemical reaction to take place. Twelve test tubes were set up with five different concentrations of lactate as well as one control. For accuracy, each concentration was allocated to two test tubes.The tubes were placed in a room temperature bath for thirty minutes and an ice bath immediately after the 30 was up. Putting the tubes into an ice bath halts the reaction. Afterward all samples were read using a Spec 20. A Spec or Spectrometer 20 is a piece of equipment that measures the amount of light absorbed by a solution (our dial was set to absorption not transmission which is the amount of light that passes through). Lastly, we attempted to construct a standard curve plotting our data, which is still in progress. Is it just me or is Excel 2010 newly confusing?

One of the better parts of this experience, thanks to funding, is not having to use wholly inaccurate rubber-bulb-big-glass-stick pipettes. Yay!! I know I will be running more assays because the whole point is to refine my laboratory techniques. 

who says scientists have no personality?

I have to leave for class in a few but my once-professor-now-boss showed me this gem yesterday:

 

the hunt

Science + art: felt and embroidery petri dishes.

Hot damn, I feel so limited. I'm on the hunt for a well-written, science related blog authored by a female. I found this chick's blog http://blog.sciencegeekgirl.com/ but I'm on the fence. Stephanie Chasteen is the self proclaimed "sciencegeekgirl" and she has the chops, and by chops I mean a PhD in physics, to hold that title. She posts some relatively interesting content but I feel a slight disconnection to her writing. Her posts are informative but lengthy. Lengthy because I scoured my biochemistry book all afternoon and I'm beat. I would rather find a blog more similar to mine -- student work, a little less polished and wholesome, more raw writing. I could be asking for the impossible but I might as well stick her in my RSS feed for the time being.

Photo courtesy of freshphotons

abundance

The Jeep is officially mine! My car died at the end of December (the power steering pump went causing a detrimental chain reaction) and my parents gave me their old Jeep while they went car shopping for a new one. I'm extremely lucky and incredibly fortunate.

My kindle also came in and I have something to say on the matter. First, amazon shipping never fails to impress me with their promptness. I don't mind waiting an extra few days for free shipping because I'm saving some change I can spend on Pita Pit. So, kindle came, along with a copy of my favorite Sandra Bullock movie Practical Magic and my material possessions are just making me happy as a clam for the time being. I can't get any good use out of them though because I have a biochemistry test next Friday and some mad catching up to do. 

The authentic book v. digital book debate makes my head spin. I'm a bibliophile through and through but my shelves are stocked. Moving out is going to be one giant hassle because of my ever-increasing book collection. Here is my pros and cons lists for the paperback and the pixelated.

Real books - pros

• Nothing beats the feel of a $5.99 Meijer special, it's like a textual adventure. 
• New book smell
• Sharable
• If it only cost $5.99 who cares if you spill something on it or drop it in the pool after lounging. This really depends on the book though. If Janet Evanovich's Three to Get Deadly turns into a crinkle fan I could care less but my pristine and overpriced biology reference books, it's safe to say I covet.
• Libraries and might I suggest checking out the site http://bookshelfporn.com/ if you are so willing, all you English majors creeping on my lameass blog.

Real books - cons

• Old book smell, unless you're into that sort of thing
• Books are awesome. My only real issues with them are superficial (like yellowing and mustiness) and that they take up space if you have too many.

Digital books - pros

• Storing up to 3,500 books is impressive. Even more impressive if you can read them all. This reminds me of a quote by Sylvia Plath, though a little depressing

"I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited."

The first line rings true and the second half of the quote kills me. The great thing about books and reading is it allows you to peek inside the lives of others, feel happiness, anguish, pain, etc., fantasize and escape from the mundanities of your own existence. Yes, time is limited but I seize the opportunity to learn as much as possible while on this unbelievable floating rock. 

•  Amazon (I use amazon because I'm not familiar with other e-reader territory) offers free books 
• Ease of selection. I can start a book, realize it's stupid, and move onto something else. This might interplay with the increasing trend of generation instant gratification. 
• In tune with the last bullet, flights and layovers will be much more pleasant thanks to portability. 

Digital books - cons

• I have mentioned this in previous blog posts but story time! Story time would feel sterile on a kindle. Children's book illustrations are gorgeous which leads me to my next point...
• My future kids will be exposed to the beauty of coffee table photo memoirs like Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust. I can't see photo books translating well on a digital reader.
• Spillage. My e-reader is the gulf and my 7-11 Big Gulp is the Deepwater Horizon. Let's get real. My hugely oversimplified analogy to an Earthly offense like the complete annihilation of the gulf ecosystem and economy is not comparable.
• I'm not sure if this is a con or not but here it goes. I have no problem reading the sports section of the New York Times while on the porcelain throne. If you're an environmentally conscious citizen newspaper will be recycled anyway. While on the toilet, the proximity of e-reader/laptop/iPoo to hygienically questionable areas bothers me. 

With that, I think I'll end this ramble. If you have anything else to add or disagree with feel free to leave it here. I'll give a more proper review on functionality once I put the thing to good use! 

/rant

Do you know what sucks? Making mindless mistakes on quizzes because you second guess yourself. I need to stop obsessing about things I cannot change. Christians say that one prayer (aptly named the serenity prayer):


God grant me the serenity 
to accept the things I cannot change; 
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Yeah, so basically I'm 6/7th atheist BUT my brain needs to gain some wisdom and tell itself to shut the fuck up sometimes. There's an easy solution, try harder (and ignore the students in class who ask questions the book can clarify). Writing this has made me feel better. 

thank you for being a friend

My chemistry professor suggested we 'space train' study. My space training consists of studying for one to three ~40 minute periods almost every day. In between periods I'll eat, have another class, watch HIMYM or Arrested Development, etc.

Lab safety training was this afternoon and I learned all about chemical spills, hazardous waste and corrosive materials. I found out I need to be trained in blood borne pathogens too. Afterward, I went to the mall to window shop because I'm taking a trip to California in February to see my boyfriend (he's in the military). I ended up spending six bucks on a pair of sunglasses but I'm torn. I think they might look like a mix between Sophia's specs from the Golden Girls crossed with 70's porn star chic.

I don't have anything else on the agenda tonight. I know I should look over a few more practice problems before tomorrow's quiz but I don't want to over-rationalize and confuse things. I have an early wake-up call tomorrow which gives me around 40 minutes to study. Goodnight!

angel dance

Good morning! I'm going to immerse myself in my studies come 3 pm -- quiz tomorrow. What's cool is my biochemistry and organic chemistry classes have some overlap in material, so I can breathe a little easier and study less. Nothing else is going on besides the usual morning coffee.

I'm digging the song Angel Dance by Robert Plant. 

michigan looks like a giant slurpee

Does anyone else have the inability to save money? I struck up a conversation with one of the barista ladies working at Peet's this morning and she told me her 21 year old daughter managed to save ~ $20,000 already. Like, holy shit. She must have a pretty legit job to sock away that much money and an elephant's weight in discipline. As well as acquiring 20 G's worth of currency, her mom told me she has a good credit score too.

I'll admit I like stuff. Currently, I'm extra-super-thrilled because I just ordered a Kindle off amazon. I have Kindle compatibility on my phone, PC and Mac -- which is to say I've already stocked a mini digital library. Don't get me wrong, my love of actual books runs deep and I plan on having a massive library in my future home. In retrospect, I don't think kindergarten story time would be the same if operated on a digital medium. Concluding snack time, which consisted of PB&J's and apple juice, hoards of five year-olds gather 'round an almost powerpoint-like reading of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Different, yes. Cool? We'll see.

I found a personal blog I really like it's called sweet dreams, sweet cheeks. I think I have a lot in common with the author and she does include some journal-type content along with tons of pictures.

Enough distractions, time to work on naming organic compounds. Lucky me!

shake it!

I just found out I'm pretty terrible at Just Dance for the Wii console. No skin off my back. Even so, I still like shakin my groove thang!

Ok, time for bed.

weekend update

This past Friday afternoon was excellent! I met with one of my professors from last semester and he gave me awesome news! I will now work as a student researcher in his lab, most likely doing tissue culture. So in other words, I'll grow some -- err, tons of cells. I'm excited for so many reasons, I'll name a few.

• Many biology majors graduate with no "outside the classroom" lab experience. I'm one of the lucky few.
• The skills I will accumulate while working in the lab are extremely beneficial to my future. If things pan out, I'll be able to embellish my grad school and job applications apropos.
• I'm looking forward to doing some hands on work. I enjoy making jewelry, crocheting, doing crafts, cooking, etc. I see petri dishes and pipettes in my near future!

I'm going to be extremely busy in the coming weeks! Organic and biochemistry tests are coming up near the end of the month and I have to go through training and certification to work in the lab. My set up on the fourth floor of the library will be as follows:

My netbook doesn't hold all my music, hence the iPod.

I think I'm going to dedicate a section of this blog to writing about this new experience and call it 'from the lab bench' or something of that sort. Another section I plan on creating is called 'quarks'. Quarks are subatomic particles, meaning they are the stuffs of atoms constituting atomic anatomy -- protons, neutrons and electrons. Contrary to Baskin Robbins 32 flavors, quarks only come in 6: up, down, top, bottom, charm and strange. A single quark is deemed a fundamental or elementary particle because it's thought to have no internal structure. Different flavors of quarks join forces and create composite particles, some of which are called hadrons like protons, neutrons and if you're hip to particle physics, mesons. So, why does this matter?

Particle tracks after colliding. 

Well, in regards to this blog, my 'quarks' would be a collection of different things I find elementary to making life and the world wonderful. The focus would draw away from science and onto culture -- art, music, film, YouTube, anything!

Moving on, today was ho-hum. I woke up and went to Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods) to look for jasmine tea. The only one I found was way out of my price range so I opted for a bottle of kombucha instead. If you don't know, kombucha is a type of fermented tea chock full of bacteria/yeast beneficial to one's gut flora. Doesn't that sound appetizing! It has a bubbly, acetic taste and provides antimicrobial and antioxidative support.

I did boring chores afterward like dust and pick up the presents my dogs left outside. Nothing much has gone on and I'm keeping it pretty chill before studying!

tea time

Green, black, white -- I love tea. I ritualistically prepare a cup of tea before I crack open my textbooks and sip a convivial cup on cold January days like today. I need to yelp a little more because I'm on the hunt for a good tearoom or tea shop in the Detroit area. Eventually, I'd love to concoct my own tea creations with leaves and herbs and what-have-you. I usually drink mine plain but my favorite during the Christmas season was mint with a dash of milk and sugar, it definitely felt more festive!

day #1, re-do

So yesterday got a little hectic and I wasn't able to keep on my five-day post assignment. I'm headed off to my aunt's house right now (she lives down the street) to watch some movies with my cousin Sidney. I want to write a lengthy, proper update on everything that has gone down in the past 48 hours but that will have to wait until morning. Quick updates for today: I took advantage of the semi-annual sale at Victoria's Secret, skyped with my best friend who lives in Tennessee, and grooved to Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds while driving to pick up my pizza. Today has been satisfactory and I'm looking forward to accomplishing a lot tomorrow.

day #2

This will be short, sweet and to the point! Today has been busy! I woke up at 5:40 am, made a cup of Kenyan on the Keurig and headed off to school at 7 am. I attended chemistry because I'm determined to master as much of the subject per this semester (I just made a really vague science pun). I had to leave school early because my cousin needed help. I finally returned home 30 minutes ago and did not accomplish a stitch of studying today. I have a lot to do this weekend with an impending quiz on Monday night (thanks moodle)/Tuesday morning. I must say, I deleted my Facebook some time ago and my productivity has shot up, I love it! I bet you're deadpanning "good for you" right about now.

Why does the iTunes store make it so easy to purchase apps? I bought 10 or so new games for my phone because I like to study for ~40 minutes and take a game/puzzle break. I need to invest in a Nintendo DS, maybe when I get a big girl job. I really have a thing for puzzles and trivia. It's getting late, time to retire with a glass of wine and my stack of publications on eye research, hello Friday!

day #1

Alabama, the light of my life!

Snow makes me want to take giant day-long naps with my dog. My brain was foggy this morning and I felt like I was in the midsts of a Say Yes to the Dress marathon, white everywhere. Nothing out of the ordinary happened today. I practiced some Lewis structure problems for chemistry. I'm growing fond of these tiny (for now) chemical puzzles. Commonly met with sighs of disgust I think some people have the wrong idea about organic. I understand science isn't everyone's thing but I think it's worth noting how amazing it is that our bodies and visible matter are held together by the interactions of minuscule electrical bits (electrons). Well, there's a little more to it but that's a discussion for another day.

by the looks of it

Tavi Gevinson

I've retained some callow* characteristics: I have an enormous sticker collection, I thought Ponyo was fantastic and I still read Teen Vogue, to name a few. I stumbled across Tavi Gevinson's blog The Style Rookie in 2008 and I must say, girl's got chutzpa. She's a teenage fashion blogger from suburban Chicago and has gained notoriety in some circles during recent times. This blog is my guilty pleasure because I was a giant turd when I was 14. My own cringe-worthy fashion moment occurred sometime during the fall of 2003. I went to art school for a hot second in ninth grade and rocked a jean vest/plaid mini-skirt combo with pair of boots the members of Judas Priest would envy.

Rob Halford was my personal style icon, scary or awesome?

The Style Rookie has interesting content because, let's be f'real, the author harbors some well received eccentricities. Its simple layout allows the creative cargo to jump off the page as you scroll downward. At times, I don't think adults give teenagers enough credit. Growing up is weird and challenging and if you were like me, teendom was a study in what not to wear. The Style Rookie is my digital conduit; I'm vicariously re-living age 14 through a more stylish medium. Well written text melds with imagery (self portraits, inspirational YouTube clips of 70's songstresses and runway photos, season after season) quite nicely. Ahh, to be young.

*My $0.50 GRE word of the day

anatomically correct

Street Anatomy is one of my favorite websites celebrating the beauty of the human form through art and other media. 

down to the elements...

A pile of tinker toys is sits haphazardly on my floor next to the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly and my pair of Vans that are living on borrowed time. Ok, ok. I'm 21 years old and have celebrated most of my birthdays emblazoned with a rite of passage. Thirteen, my first teen year: braces and awkwardness. Sixteen, the year I was too chicken shit to get my license. Eighteen, lottery tickets, cigarettes and pizza -- party stores only roll one way. The Michigan 21 at 19 years of age (hello Canada!) and finally, the legal pinnacle. The next big thing will be AARP in the mail at 50 and qualifying for social security at 65, if it's still around. So why exactly are tinker toys in my possession?

Organic chemistry is her name and ruining GPAs is her game. (Was using she in good taste? The mother that sometimes comes before earth makes me think so.) It's a course requirement to purchase a green tackle box full of component parts called Molecular Visions and as my professor quipped last class, it's to my benefit I try constructing some ball & stick molecules. Red, pink and blue sticks attach to black and white orbs while gunmetal grey double bond doozies link two plastic oxygen atoms. Thanks to pdf files and the Internet to clarify instructions, I know how I'll be spending my Monday evening...

P.S. it's a pity the fundamental element organic chemistry is based on, carbon, is not included in the picture...c'est la vie.

Photo courtesy of freshphotons

testing...

testing...testing...

Ok -- I think all systems are a-go!

Commence cute cat pictures!