Monday, January 29, 2007

My Kind of Weather

Ok so since I just talked about snow in my earlier post I had to post this. I saw this little test on a friends my space and had to try it out. The results just made me sit at my computer and laugh though no one was around! Humm...I never thought about being magical but potentially dangerous and certainly appologize if my arrive as been aticipated and then my presense tiring at events! Please share with me ways that I might be less sickening if any come to mind! Seriously now!

You Are Snow

Magical yet potentially destructive
You are well known as fun to play with
People anticipate your arrival but then are quickly sick of you

You are best known for: your serenity

Your dominant state: reflecting

Life

Ok so just in case you were wondering I havent' decided to quite blogging nor have I died. Life has just swallowed me up for the last few weeks. At work things have been VERY busy with increased work load and decreased workers so I have been working a lot in the last week or so. Today is the first day in over a week that I haven't been at work for anywhere from 4-14 hrs. in a day. I sometimes wonder if we are ever going to get caught up but I know it will happen and I am happy to say that we are making progress.

I also have my chemistry class and I had a test last week, studing for which took up all my time when I wasn't at work. Chemistry is going well and I really enjoying it. I have an AWESOME teacher and she is allowing me to succeed where other teachers might not. Through my own dilligent effort and the grace of the Lord I am so far doing much better this quarter than I did last quarter which is rather exciting because all of the math in chem is a real challenge for me. I was going to be content with a high C low B on the last test but instead I ended up with just squweaking out an A- much to my complete shock. If the teacher hadn't let me have extra time I would have gotten the B or C but with the time to work all the problems I did much better than I ever imagained that I would. Am am very slow on working the formulas but this proved to me that I can get it if I spend enough time practicing as long as I am not rushed. Studying is the key and I finally figured out how to use the text book and study for this class so I am hopeful that the rest of the quarter will go just as well.

Of course the Choral Society is getting ready to start practicing for the Spring concert as well and I am slowly figuring out all the parts of the job as President that I didn't really know about before! Thankully my fellow officers on the board are wonderful and I am trusting that we won't miss anything to important as we try and keep all the details in check! Any of you want to come and sing with us? It's going to be a great season I can assure you! Gerald as picked some fun music and it will a fantastic opportunity to raise our voices in praise to our Lord.

Oh and can I just say, I loved the snow and hope we get more of it this year! I want the snow and the cold weather not the snow and the warmish wet weather. Then it's slippery and ichy but the snow and cold is wonderful. The roads are pretty good and the beauty is breathtaking!

Well enough rambling...must make good use of my day at home and homework calls so it's off to learn about Phase Transition and Intermolecular Forces in the States of Matter! Trust me it is fun in a strange sort of way...Hugs to all.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Body Worlds 3

A couple of Sunday nights ago a group of us went to see the Body Worlds exhibit at the Vancouver Science Center. Oh my what a fantastic exhibit. I was totally enthalled by the whole thing. I could have spent more time there but after a few hours you kind of get on overload and you can't absorb anymore so the 2.5 hrs. that we had was pretty good length of time. So what is Body Worlds you might be asking? Well it is an exhibit of cadavours that have preserved by a method of plastinization so that they cellular structure is preseved but the liquid is replaced with a special kind of plastic. All of the bodies are devoid of shin and prepared in such a way to show different organ systems or the specific muscle groups that are used during different activities, etc. There were also lots of cases of seperate parts so you could see the healthy organs next to ones that had various disease, like black lung, liver diseae, alzheimers, etc. And we got to hold a kidney, a liver and a cross section of an arm that showed all the fat cells of an over weight person and how it compressed the rest of the internal structure of the arm. It was so awesome. I know it sounds like it would be gross but the reality was that they looked like plastic models in a way so it wasn't ichy like some people feared it would be. If you are curious to know more about the process check out the web site here. We bought the DVD of how they actually do the preservation but I hadn't had time to watch it yet. The whole thing was fascinating but I think personally I was struck by a few things: How they put in different artifical joints (they had a body that showed all the artificial joints), how much the centeral nervous system really did look like a bundle of wires/small cables all bundled together, the size of the uterus, the size of the ureters from the kidneys to the bladder, and the effect that disease have on organs. To see someones lungs with huge holes in them, a brain that has alzheimers that is really actually shrunken and and to see a kidney that had kidney disease that is probably 10x the normal size is really quite eye opening. Also the babies were interesting. To see an eight week old fetus that already has tiny, tiny fingers, toes and eyes just reminds me once again that each one of us truely is a miracle.

Was an experience like nothing else I have ever seen for sure.

before and after

Before


After!


I haven't ever taken self portraits before and they didn't turn out very well but I just thought I would post these anyway. I had been growing it out to donate again but I realize this will be a shock to some!

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Movie Reflections

So I finally watched "The Prince and I" last night after having wanted to see it for a long time Basically for those of you who haven't seen it it is about a prince from Denmark who is tired of being a prince and convinces his parents to let him come to school in the American Midwest incognieto. So he comes, falls in love with a very focused, outspoken med-school bound girl, she goes to Denmark after him after he has to suddenly return and take the throne because his father is ill and...well I can't tell you the end.
So anyway I am sure you can already tell why I wanted to see it but after it was over I had to laugh because there were some great similarities between Paige and I. For example she was med school bound, afraid of "falling in love" and loosing her dream, but even when she did fall in love she never lost it. She was very outspoken, stubborn and stood her ground but she had a big heart and you got to see glimpes of it from time to time. On the other hand she worked on the campus pub which isn't my employment of choice and she was content to let her brothers do the racing in the lawnmower derby but I am afraid that I would not be nearly as content as she was to sit in the stands and cheer! Oh and you wouldn't find me making out in the "Stacks" (the top floor of the library) but thank goodness the reporters show up at that moment and everyone stays dressed!
So aside from the pub and making out scenes I just had to laugh at how much this movie described me at the moment. I just hope I have the same detication to me dream that she did and that one day I will be able to see it through to completion.

It is a total chick flick but I enjoyed it!

Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year!

After serious & cautious consideration.....your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2007! Well ok it wasn't that hard of a decision to make!

My Wish for You in 2007

May peace break into your house and thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills. May love stick to your face like vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like fine perfume; may happiness slap you across the face and your tears be that of joy. May you have good health and be an inspiration to others. May the problems you had forget where you live! In simple words ............

May 2007 be the best year of your life!!!