Chianti anybody?

Y'know what are beautiful and get smushed into powder far too often? Moths. Sweltering summer nights are ahead and my mother, the saint that she is, will lock me out of the house with the porch light on. I can see it now -- after imbibing one too many vodka + fill the the blank here a battle of epic proportions goes down: me vs. my house key vs. the moths. Ahh...summer.

160,000 species of moth exist on our fair planet! The Smithsonian offers a brief overview of moths on their Bug Info page (check it out here).

fava beans!

Now, a reference to The Silence of the Lambs is in order because I dig macabre stuff. The Death's Head Hawkmoth (genus Acherontia) are charming creatures and thanks to evolution's sense of irony, a tiny human skull pattern is found on the thorax (see right). Our favorite villain Buffalo Bill raised these kinds of moths in the film. In actuality, the cocoons were made from tootsie rolls and gummy bears (thanks imdb). A new morbid treat in the works? I think so.


It's also quite ironic I stumbled upon these moths during my plight to save the bees. These moths are known to attack beehives!

However, slight variations exist between this moth and the one famously featured on the poster. Salvador Dali's In Voluptas Mors was substituted for the organic skull found in nature (see left).

Three species of DHH moth are found in Europe and Asia including the Acherontia Styx Styx picture below.

Photo Credits:

Silence of the Lambs movie poster found here 

Death's head hawkmoth thanks to wiki

Dali image

Amazing natural artwork courtesy of this exceptionally cool moth enthusiast website

I'm not sure how many practice problems I completed today but it has to be near 9,000. It's to the point where I don't care because my brain cannot possibly comprehend any more information tonight. With that, I keep singing  my own version of the Black Eyed Peas hit I just can't get enough but y'know with the words "I just don't give a fuck." There is so much to know! Blehhhhhh, another potential retake in my future.

Photo credit

Happy Earth Day!

Who's gonna go see Disney's African Cats? Ironic -- Michelle Obama cancelled her Earth Day event due to the weather.

Photo credit

pen to paper

Yikes, so I was looking at the past winning entries for the essay contest I entered a few weeks ago. I have a new appreciation for four sentence paragraphs but I don't know if my work is exactly what the judges are looking for. I guess I'm different. I neglected to start any of my sentences with "co-op this, co-op that" and I have the farthest thing from a corporate style internship. Even though I'm not busting balls bringing my boss hot coffee and nervously sweating the presentation of my first 'real' project, I learn valuable things. I certainly work in a more relaxed environment where I'm only mildly chastised for rolling out a bed à la The Dude (after an exam of course) and putting together a reaction.

Hey, did you hear? I suck at studying!

Organic Chemistry by Brian Dettmer

This isn't news or anything. Whenever there is work to be done I'd rather waste time reading Harry Potter or marvel at my sticker collection. Seriously?! How do super brains do it? I'm studying glycolysis right now and I swear I yield a single molecule of ATP instead of two -- I have zero energy! In the same way the body stores glycogen to use later, my brain stores minuscule nuggets of information I pick up while working in a lab studying none other than cellular metabolism. Go figure.

I was reamed a few weeks ago because I forgot that one molecule of glucose yields two molecules of pyruvate which in turn is converted into two molecules of lactate. If you don't give a single fuck about this last sentence, do not go into biology!

I mean, biochemistry is fascinating (really, aspects of it are). The catabolic break down of sugar molecules like glycolysis are universal and our cells are badass little pieces of machinery cranking out energy allowing us to do work son!

Now for some inspired music to motivate!

This gave me a giggle

Thanks quickmeme!

from the lab bench

Surprise! I haven't been into the lab in over a week. Why? My boss said to focus on finals which is exactly what I'm doing. I must admit, I miss it. Slowly but surely I'm turning into the lactate assay master. Hmm, that sounded almost dirty. My boss mentioned I could take the summer off but I don't want to. I'm just starting to find my comfort zone and use my nimble fingers to properly pipette solution into test tubes. Plus I desperately need to earn some cash for any extra expenses.

Speaking of cash, I think I need to saturate this blog with a little angsty rant. Out of the countless times I've spent on hold with financial aid only once have I been met with a friendly voice on the other line. Yes, today wasn't one of those days. As usual, the helper lady took a typical, condescending tone treating me like I'm incompetent. I'd just like to say THANKS. It seems like somebody needs more baby animals in her life...

...you're welcome.

Photo credit

noteworthy

I always feel a high of accomplishment after finishing a paper. On the flipside, if the paper is a crap shoot I usually feel an overwhelming sense of dread. No worries, I tried hard on our final paper!

I dunno what it is about the preview for Water for Elephants but the Florence + the Machine song "Cosmic Love" that plays in it always gets me. I love it.

That's all.

lazy Sunday

This song makes me long for summer. Green leaves! Ahh what a concept, trees with leaves and air warm enough to expose bare skin. 

Last October, I tuned into Coast to Coast AM's Halloween broadcast aptly named Ghost to Ghost. The whole show is focused on listener ghost stories. I know science relies heavily on evidence and paranormal investigations are often thought of as a form of pseudoscience. Trust me, I swear this story has a scientific hook! 

One listener called in and told a tale so chilling it freaked me the hell out. This is my paraphrase (I'm going off memory here) and time most likely distorted some stuff.

So listener calls (I'll call him Joe for the story's sake) in and begins by stating he attended his father's funeral a few years ago. The funeral went as funerals go and afterward Joe returned home. Joe's dad loved Latin and spent time studying at a monastery. 

That night, an uneasiness swept over Joe as he peered outside his kitchen window as saw what looked like a lemur. "A lemur?" he thought, it can't be. Lemurs are only found on Madagascar and at your local zoo. With no zoo for miles, Joe did what any sensible American with internet access would do -- google 'lemur'. Joe uncovered that lemur is derived from the Latin word lemures, a culturally derived term used to describe the walking dead or restless spirit.

Hallucination or not, while perusing the BBC, Sir Richard Branson, the filthy rich founder of Virgin Mobile, reminded me of this story. Since Branson is dripping with diamonds he plans to import lemurs on his Caribbean island. The goal is to let the lemurs roam free on his BVI isle Miskito. Problem? This idea is a double edged sword. Yes, Branson can pat himself on the back for attempts at lemur conservation, providing the troubled species with a new place to thrive, but how will other flora fare from the introduction of  a potentially invasive species? Time will only tell. Read it here.

Whenever I read "Branson" I think of Tom Haverford from Parks and Recreaction saying "Braaaaandanowitz". Is this just me?

In stitches

I plumb forgot to write my group blog critique! It happens...

Sorry for the 10,324 url change but I think this one is for good! Even though I want a majority of the posts on this blog to reflect some scientific content the name "fromthelabbench" is too dry. I'm one of the few opting out of killing their blog.

Artist Aubrey Longley-Cook does massively cool stuff with thread over at spoolspectrum.blogspot.com. I cannot wrap my head around some of his pieces.

I'm a pretty big sucker for anatomically themed anything and with that, this bat would be up on my bedroom wall in 2.5 seconds flat.

Bat country!

I'm into crafty things (my blogroll of craft-minded people is growing) especially embroidery. My problem is looking at way too many amazing embroidered pieces online instead of creating my own. The internet is making me restless. I can only scroll through so many pages on tumblr before my brain feels like it's rotting. My desk is overflowing with sharpies, stickers and other oddities. Poor Rosa's terrarium is lost in the clutter.

Finals are coming up and I need to set my priorities straight. Organic Chemistry as a Second Language will be read, internalized and understood by the 26th. I have yet to start my final reflection paper on blogging and my biochemistry exam falls on the 20th. Stepping away from the computer is a mandatory step I have to take (nearly impossible -- like trying to keep an electron away from an atom's nucleus).

A final thought, cupcakes sound pretty delectable right now.

happy coffee day!

Caffeine molecule

Finished my paper! Woo-woo! I really put that one off, eh? Time for a Twin Peaks marathon (the series was recently added to Netflix instant view, I'm so lucky). Technically I should study some for organic chemistry but I have all tomorrow to do so...

Caffeine is a funny drug. I usually drink two cups of coffee mid-morning because if I have more than two I'm wired and if I have less I'm about as useful as when I succumb to the bottle (super sleepy)! I stay far, far away from energy drinks.

WebMD just published an article detailing that a genetic predisposition may contribute to caffeine cravings. Two genes influencing caffeine metabolism were identified by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

It's possible I'm one of those folks unable to metabolize large quantities of caffeine, thanks mom and dad!

do not want!

When your mom busts out the Neil Diamond on the iPod -- it's not conducive for essay writing. I'm 1200 mediocre words in and there's no turning back. I want at least 1500+ excellent words (I'm cut off at 2500). The deadline strikes closer and I have to throw some kind of resume schtick together to submit. They'll review it and realize my little to no experience in the real world. C'est la vie, all I want to do is write a bitchin' paper.

Relax and allow your mind to be blown!

what the buzz!

I have a lot of writing to do today! My entry for the co-op essay contest is pittering along to say the least. My boss wants to read it too -- motivation right? Um, it's due tomorrow, also. I have an advising appointment at 3 (my first!) and the dude is gonna be like "why has it taken you four years to come around??"

A friend enlightened me to this video and you need to check it out! Save the bees--it's pure craziness the chemical agents we plunder our plants with is destroying them. Unfortunately there isn't a screening of the documentary in the mitten but the least you can do is plant some wildflowers.

If you care, Oakland is offering a class in permaculture this summer. I'm down to take it but I'd also like to graduate before 2020. Contributing to a sustainable way of life in sync with nature is boss! But I digress -- I'm too poor to spend a grand+ learning about this fascinating science. I can garden for next to nothing in my backyard and Google offers oodles of information on permaculture.