and immediately recognize the nucleosomes.
*Sigh*
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
You know you're a Molecular Bio grad student when...
You know you're a Molecular Biology grad student (and that you've taken Gene Transcription) when you see this ad on Facebook:
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
TMI through walls
Have I ever mentioned how I can hear my back neighbors in their bathroom? I can hear them talking, blowing their noses, washing their hands, flushing the toilet, and yes, I can even hear them when they pee (it's a guy, so it's loud). At first it was sort of funny. Then I realized they could probably hear me too and it got annoying. Now, I simply don't care.
Except for today when I heard the following sounds, in this order:
1. Male peeing.
2. Blowing nose.
3. Flushing toilet.
4. Steps going up the stairs (oh yeah, I can hear that, too).
Anyone notice what's wrong with that picture?!?!?! Not only did he NOT wash his hands, he had to touch his face to blow his nose after using the same hands to take care of business. GROSS!!!
Seriously people, be considerate of others--Wash your hands!
Except for today when I heard the following sounds, in this order:
1. Male peeing.
2. Blowing nose.
3. Flushing toilet.
4. Steps going up the stairs (oh yeah, I can hear that, too).
Anyone notice what's wrong with that picture?!?!?! Not only did he NOT wash his hands, he had to touch his face to blow his nose after using the same hands to take care of business. GROSS!!!
Seriously people, be considerate of others--Wash your hands!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
01001001 00100111 01101101 00100000 01101111 01101011 00101110 00101110 00101110 00100000 01100010 01110101 01110100 00101110 00101110 00101110
01001001 00100111 01101101 00100000 01100010 01100101 01100111 01101001 01101110 01101110 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01101100 01101100 01111001 00100000 01101101 01101001 01110011 01110011 00100000 01101010 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110110 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110011 01101111 01101101 01100101 01101111 01101110 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110100 01100001 01101100 01101011 00100000 01110100 01101111 00101110 00100000 01010011 01101111 01101111 01101110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101111 01110010 00100000 01101100 01100001 01110100 01100101 01110010 00101100 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110011 00100000 01100010 01101111 01110101 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110000 01110000 01100101 01101110 00101110 00100000
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Science & Religion?
"Is there any conflict between science and religion? There is no conflict in the mind of God, but often there is conflict in the minds of men." - Henry Eyring
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Musings of a [Mormon] Grad Student
I spent my Wednesday afternoon screwing up every single experiment I had to run (seriously, how stupid is it to put all of your PCR primers into ONE reaction?!) plus I began to get sick with a cold. I was supposed to study for my genetics test, but instead fell asleep at 9:30pm thanks to the cold virus that was now invading my entire body.
This morning, feeling pretty crappy, I had to go to the lab to try and recover from my mistakes the day before. I then had to attend lab meeting, which only lasts about 2 hours. Two hours gone and I had yet to really study for my test...
I sat in the health sciences library the entire afternoon, sneezing and sniffling, popping Zicam every three hours, trying to absorb everything I had learned about fruit fly genetics. After talking with some classmates I began to feel a bit more comfortable about the test, even though my study time had been anything but ideal.
Finally, the time to take the test came. I popped another disgusting Zicam tablet in my mouth and went in.
It. Was. The. Worst. Test. EVER.
Did I fail it? Most likely.
I could've gone home but decided instead to catch the last half of my Institute class. I'm not so sure what the lesson was about today, but I did catch the part about the Plan of Salvation, or rather, the Plan of Happiness.
Grad school is HARD... and it can really suck. I think everyone was feeling discouraged when they walked out of that room tonight... But at least I know that there's more to my existence than surviving grad school. There's more to my being and my intelligence than being a good scientist. Science is certainly part of my plan, and Heavenly Father will make it work out... but it's only a small part of the plan! And isn't it great to know that there's an individualized plan according to our abilities for each of us???!!! Because unlike professors, Heavenly Father doesn't use grades--He judges us by our efforts. It doesn't get any fairer than that.
This morning, feeling pretty crappy, I had to go to the lab to try and recover from my mistakes the day before. I then had to attend lab meeting, which only lasts about 2 hours. Two hours gone and I had yet to really study for my test...
I sat in the health sciences library the entire afternoon, sneezing and sniffling, popping Zicam every three hours, trying to absorb everything I had learned about fruit fly genetics. After talking with some classmates I began to feel a bit more comfortable about the test, even though my study time had been anything but ideal.
Finally, the time to take the test came. I popped another disgusting Zicam tablet in my mouth and went in.
It. Was. The. Worst. Test. EVER.
Did I fail it? Most likely.
I could've gone home but decided instead to catch the last half of my Institute class. I'm not so sure what the lesson was about today, but I did catch the part about the Plan of Salvation, or rather, the Plan of Happiness.
Grad school is HARD... and it can really suck. I think everyone was feeling discouraged when they walked out of that room tonight... But at least I know that there's more to my existence than surviving grad school. There's more to my being and my intelligence than being a good scientist. Science is certainly part of my plan, and Heavenly Father will make it work out... but it's only a small part of the plan! And isn't it great to know that there's an individualized plan according to our abilities for each of us???!!! Because unlike professors, Heavenly Father doesn't use grades--He judges us by our efforts. It doesn't get any fairer than that.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Welcome to the Mr. & Mrs. Only-Moderately-Rich Restroom
I didn't have very much to do in my lab today, so after getting a healthy dose of articles on Cre and LoxP (don't ask), I decided to wander around the HCI (Huntsman Cancer Institute). My aimless walking lead me from the rather boring halls of labs into the actual--and much prettier--hospital. I started noticing how almost every space in the Hospital was named after some couple--wealthy benefactors, I suppose.
Then I stumbled upon the Mr. & Mrs. [BLANK] Waiting Area. (I don't remember the actual last name, and even if I did I wouldn't post it...)
They seriously named a HOSPITAL WAITING AREA after somebody? A CANCER hospital waiting area? I mean, is there anything good associated with waiting areas, let alone a cancer hospital?! I wonder if maybe this couple made a last minute donation that didn't exactly warrant their name on a lecture hall or even hallway... So they got stuck with the waiting area. And, who honestly is going to remember the waiting area's name? "Hey, yeah just come meet me in the So-and-So Waiting Area. No, not that one... No... It's the one right by the huge staircase... Yeah, the one where we saw that whole family crying that one time. 'Kay. See you in a bit." REALLY?!
I wonder if they'll start giving the restrooms names as well...
Then I stumbled upon the Mr. & Mrs. [BLANK] Waiting Area. (I don't remember the actual last name, and even if I did I wouldn't post it...)
They seriously named a HOSPITAL WAITING AREA after somebody? A CANCER hospital waiting area? I mean, is there anything good associated with waiting areas, let alone a cancer hospital?! I wonder if maybe this couple made a last minute donation that didn't exactly warrant their name on a lecture hall or even hallway... So they got stuck with the waiting area. And, who honestly is going to remember the waiting area's name? "Hey, yeah just come meet me in the So-and-So Waiting Area. No, not that one... No... It's the one right by the huge staircase... Yeah, the one where we saw that whole family crying that one time. 'Kay. See you in a bit." REALLY?!
I wonder if they'll start giving the restrooms names as well...
B-Y-U Spelled with DNA
Being the geek I am, how could I not post this:
Yup, that's BYU spelled using DNA fragments. Neat, huh? Check out the full article here.
Oh yeah... GO COUGS! (Seriously guys... Can we work ourselves back up in those rankings? We were doing so well!)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
What people REALLY Google...
...and why I'm so easily distracted when I study.
Isn't this feature supposed to work according to what people enter into the search box the most? If so, it is even further proof that we're surrounded by idiots.
Yesterday, while working on my biochemistry homework, I decided--as I often do--that I needed Google's help.
I began typing "how to mutate amino acids" into the search box, when Google's new "Let me guess what you're searching" feature began to fill in the blanks. Look closely at the top search beginning with "how to mutate a":
Isn't this feature supposed to work according to what people enter into the search box the most? If so, it is even further proof that we're surrounded by idiots. I am grateful for these idiots--they provide the best comical relief while I work on stupid biochemistry assignments.
Monday, September 7, 2009
First Impressions of the New Girl
Yesterday was my first Sunday in my new church ward. A nice girl sat by me during sacrament meeting and then offered to introduce me to people. At some point she introduced me to some dude who instead of offering the uninformed but cordial "Oh, cool!" in response to me saying I was from Colombia, he said, "Oh that's where you have all those problems with cocaine, huh?"
Now, I'm pretty sure that one of the basic things I learned in my childhood is that if you can't say something nice, you shouldn't say anything at all. I believe the same principle applies to a person's nationality; if you can't say anything nice about it you should keep your mouth shut, or simply acknowledge that the fact that they're foreign is "cool."
So with a bright smile I responded, "Why, yes! It [cocaine] is produced there and then transported here to be consumed."
The nice girl then walked me to the room where they were having the "New Members Meeting." The room was full of people who had to introduce themselves by saying their name, where they were from, and what was their favorite animal and why. Two consecutive guys responded to the animal question by saying which animals they liked to hunt and eat. The second one even proceeded to say, "I like to kill things." (Honestly, who says that kind of thing!) So when my turn came, after I said how much I loved animals--especially bunnies--I didn't hesitate to turn and look at them and say, making sure to enunciate each word, "...and I don't like hunters." Then I smiled.
Later I realized that an outspoken and fiery little girl was the first impression I was giving these strangers... Perhaps not the most approachable of impressions to leave with them...?
Nah... I'm proud of it.
Now, I'm pretty sure that one of the basic things I learned in my childhood is that if you can't say something nice, you shouldn't say anything at all. I believe the same principle applies to a person's nationality; if you can't say anything nice about it you should keep your mouth shut, or simply acknowledge that the fact that they're foreign is "cool."
So with a bright smile I responded, "Why, yes! It [cocaine] is produced there and then transported here to be consumed."
The nice girl then walked me to the room where they were having the "New Members Meeting." The room was full of people who had to introduce themselves by saying their name, where they were from, and what was their favorite animal and why. Two consecutive guys responded to the animal question by saying which animals they liked to hunt and eat. The second one even proceeded to say, "I like to kill things." (Honestly, who says that kind of thing!) So when my turn came, after I said how much I loved animals--especially bunnies--I didn't hesitate to turn and look at them and say, making sure to enunciate each word, "...and I don't like hunters." Then I smiled.
Later I realized that an outspoken and fiery little girl was the first impression I was giving these strangers... Perhaps not the most approachable of impressions to leave with them...?
Nah... I'm proud of it.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Why I'll always bleed blue!
This post is dedicated to Liz Lloyd, the Utest Ute I'll ever meet. Reasons why I'll always bleed blue:
- While attending BYU I never had to ride a shuttle from one end of campus to the other... A shuttle that still takes about 15 to 20 minutes to take me to my destination and has never been on time.
- I never walked in fear of getting run over by a kid on a skateboard at the Y.
- I could walk through the BYU bookstore without having to leave my backpack behind in a locker or something. Ridiculous!
- The BYU bookstore is much nicer and better organized.
- No smoking allowed. 'Nough said.
- Guys actually held the door for me when walking in and out of buildings! Not always... but far more frequently than the ZERO times it has happened at the U.
- No pictures of half naked wives on professors desks (funny story, do ask).
- On to more significant matters... Last week I was assigned my first biochemistry homework. Though my friend Kelli (a fellow cougar that I met at Sorenson) and I did struggle with it somewhat, it didn't even compare to the stuff we used to be assigned at BYU. We procrastinated and still managed to finish it within 6 hours. Earlier this week while talking to some of our classmates, a few expressed how they had never had assignments where they really had to think, only memorize and regurgitate. Really? 'Cause Kelli and I had classes where memorization didn't matter half as much as being able to put concepts together and formulate questions and conclusions. So thank you, BYU for providing me with professors like Dr. Bradshaw, Dr. O'Neill, Dr. Wood, etc... who forced my brain to think!
- This is a working document... I'm sure I'll find more reasons! Tee hee...
Anyway... don't take this the wrong way. I'm still slightly fond of the U. After all I am having a good time there, but I'm just saying, I'll never be a Ute. Always a cougar!
Monday, August 31, 2009
I protest stupid & sad endings!
**WARNING** Even more girly content. And proof that I'm clearly obsessed over trivial things.
Key word in the title: Stupid.
I don't usually mind sad endings because, one way or the other, the plot shows you why that's what had to happen. Without that sad ending the story wouldn't have the same powerful effect that makes it good (i.e. Romeo & Juliet). In other words, the unhappy ending makes sense... And sometimes, it isn't actually unhappy if you really think about it.
But the story that currently has my attention not only has a sad ending, but a stupid ending. The girl loses the boy to another girl who saves his life and forces him to marry her because she is severely injured. It is total blackmail, especially because the injured girl knows exactly how he feels about the other girl. That's not all. There's a mystery character that she meets once as a kid and is left fascinated by him. There's also another mystery dude that pops up whenever she's in trouble. After she is heartbroken, she finds out these two are the same person and you think, "Oh, well I guess she'll end up with him," but no. Then she has a party with all of her friends--except for two of the main characters that die tragically, one right after she's dumped--and the show ends. You're left with that feeling of, "Wait... what?"
Completely open-ended, sad finale with no closure. (Hmmm... I guess 'open-ended' and 'no closure' are redundant... but whatever). It is honestly so bad that in Italy they changed the ending and a sequel was almost written, but due to copyright issues it never happened.
Simply stupid.
I apologize for this silly rant. I think I'm done... I am now going to watch A Midsummer's Night Dream. Now that's a story that makes toooooooooootal sense. ^_^!
Key word in the title: Stupid.
I don't usually mind sad endings because, one way or the other, the plot shows you why that's what had to happen. Without that sad ending the story wouldn't have the same powerful effect that makes it good (i.e. Romeo & Juliet). In other words, the unhappy ending makes sense... And sometimes, it isn't actually unhappy if you really think about it.
But the story that currently has my attention not only has a sad ending, but a stupid ending. The girl loses the boy to another girl who saves his life and forces him to marry her because she is severely injured. It is total blackmail, especially because the injured girl knows exactly how he feels about the other girl. That's not all. There's a mystery character that she meets once as a kid and is left fascinated by him. There's also another mystery dude that pops up whenever she's in trouble. After she is heartbroken, she finds out these two are the same person and you think, "Oh, well I guess she'll end up with him," but no. Then she has a party with all of her friends--except for two of the main characters that die tragically, one right after she's dumped--and the show ends. You're left with that feeling of, "Wait... what?"
Completely open-ended, sad finale with no closure. (Hmmm... I guess 'open-ended' and 'no closure' are redundant... but whatever). It is honestly so bad that in Italy they changed the ending and a sequel was almost written, but due to copyright issues it never happened.
Simply stupid.
I apologize for this silly rant. I think I'm done... I am now going to watch A Midsummer's Night Dream. Now that's a story that makes toooooooooootal sense. ^_^!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Stupid Love Stories...
**WARNING** Extreme girly and geeky content.
I loathe romance... but only because it is so damn distracting!!! hehe!
College kept me so busy that for the longest time I didn't indulge in books or anime with fantasy and/or romance in them, my favorite sources of entertainment. Then I just forgot how much I enjoyed them. One day came Twilight (stupid 1900's vampire!) and it was downhill from there...
While I was in Georgia, my sister mentioned some tv show we used to watch as kids. I couldn't really remember it, but decided to see if I could find something on YouTube. I did and in the process found some other 1970's and 1980's anime that Diana and I grew up watching. Among those, I found the entire Candy Candy series, the same one I mentioned in my previous post. I started to watch one episode, just for the heck of bringing back childhood memories, and immediately got sucked back into it!
The last time I watched this show I was 11 or so, so I had honestly forgotten most of the details. Now I have found myself watching 2 or 3 episodes a day making sure I have a Kleenex box by my side. The worst part is that I know how it ends... and I hate the ending! I can sometimes tolerate sad endings, but this story has a sad ending and no closure! (I honestly have started wondering how the publishers and producers allowed the author to leave it at that...)
I'm sure that once I'm done with watching Candy Candy (and when I finish the Harry Potter series) I'll move onto either Pride and Prejudice or Wuthering Heights. I also want to finish reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera--I started reading it at Diana's house and it also appears to be another love story of sorts, albeit far more philosophical and dry than the ones I previously mentioned.
The point is... I'm not so sure I'm happy about giving into love stories once again! They honestly absorb you, and I'm really good at obsessing over them! Next thing I know... I'll be hoping some turn of the century dude with long hair and riding a horse will show up at my door!
Well, the truth is I'm laughing at myself as I'm writing this... Stupid love stories... Why the H are they so enthralling?
I loathe romance... but only because it is so damn distracting!!! hehe!
College kept me so busy that for the longest time I didn't indulge in books or anime with fantasy and/or romance in them, my favorite sources of entertainment. Then I just forgot how much I enjoyed them. One day came Twilight (stupid 1900's vampire!) and it was downhill from there...
While I was in Georgia, my sister mentioned some tv show we used to watch as kids. I couldn't really remember it, but decided to see if I could find something on YouTube. I did and in the process found some other 1970's and 1980's anime that Diana and I grew up watching. Among those, I found the entire Candy Candy series, the same one I mentioned in my previous post. I started to watch one episode, just for the heck of bringing back childhood memories, and immediately got sucked back into it!
The last time I watched this show I was 11 or so, so I had honestly forgotten most of the details. Now I have found myself watching 2 or 3 episodes a day making sure I have a Kleenex box by my side. The worst part is that I know how it ends... and I hate the ending! I can sometimes tolerate sad endings, but this story has a sad ending and no closure! (I honestly have started wondering how the publishers and producers allowed the author to leave it at that...)
I'm sure that once I'm done with watching Candy Candy (and when I finish the Harry Potter series) I'll move onto either Pride and Prejudice or Wuthering Heights. I also want to finish reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera--I started reading it at Diana's house and it also appears to be another love story of sorts, albeit far more philosophical and dry than the ones I previously mentioned.
The point is... I'm not so sure I'm happy about giving into love stories once again! They honestly absorb you, and I'm really good at obsessing over them! Next thing I know... I'll be hoping some turn of the century dude with long hair and riding a horse will show up at my door!
Well, the truth is I'm laughing at myself as I'm writing this... Stupid love stories... Why the H are they so enthralling?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
[My] Crappy FanArt Still In Existence!
Remember when I posted this and gave you people a link to my crappy Candy Candy fan fiction?
Well, turns out there's more. The same website, Candy and Terry's Paradise, also has two crap-tastic drawings I made of Candy Candy! You can see them here. Again, be nice... I was 14 at the time and not an artist! The best part is the fact that these were done on notebook paper. (So that's what I did during my high school classes...) This honestly cracks me up, and it brings back good memories.
Oh yeah, I was supposed to be doing homework, so I'll head back to that... tee hee! (PS - So far school is going great! For specific grad school updates, stories, and frustrations, check out my other blog, Crumbled & Crunched).
Well, turns out there's more. The same website, Candy and Terry's Paradise, also has two crap-tastic drawings I made of Candy Candy! You can see them here. Again, be nice... I was 14 at the time and not an artist! The best part is the fact that these were done on notebook paper. (So that's what I did during my high school classes...) This honestly cracks me up, and it brings back good memories.
Oh yeah, I was supposed to be doing homework, so I'll head back to that... tee hee! (PS - So far school is going great! For specific grad school updates, stories, and frustrations, check out my other blog, Crumbled & Crunched).
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Results
To: Me
From: Program Office
Date: August 20, 2009
Subject: Genetics Pre-Test
Congratulations, I’ve been informed you have passed the pre-test for MBIOL 6420, Genetics & Genomes. If you checked out a booklet from the Program office please return it as soon as possible. Thank you.
WOO HOO!!!! **Phew...**
From: Program Office
Date: August 20, 2009
Subject: Genetics Pre-Test
Congratulations, I’ve been informed you have passed the pre-test for MBIOL 6420, Genetics & Genomes. If you checked out a booklet from the Program office please return it as soon as possible. Thank you.
WOO HOO!!!! **Phew...**
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