The Myth & The Majesty

Biochemistry brings strange revelations. All right, so I'm not one for smooth transitions. It's been another week for reflection and whatnot, and that includes while I'm in class. Have you ever taken a look back at yourself and realized how completely and totally different you are now than you were X number of years ago? I guess I'm thinking specifically of my college-aged readers ... Take, for instance, you in high school versus you now. I know I've changed; I look roughly the same, but just about everything else is different, especially my thought processes. I am a Christian scientist. Well, Christian engineer (this semester, more scientist some days). Those two sides don't always get along very well. But today, in biochemistry, the intricacy of the glycolysis pathway hit me and my "inner response" was something like, "Holy cow." Okay, so maybe that last sentence didn't make much sense to anyone but me. Let me rephrase. We were ...

I disappeared again yesterday for Storm ... A little work, a lot of fresh air, and some good sleep later, I feel amazing. It never ceases to amaze me how much more relaxed I feel after just a day there. Wow. Anyway, it's another unseasonably gorgeous day (or maybe this is the new February weather and no one's told me), and I think I need to gather some people up and go find a trail. This is assuming, of course, that everybody survived last night. Which might be a big assumption, given the occasion. I don't know. I've been here for half an hour and have yet to see or hear another living soul. Ah, well, in any case, there's work to be done, and as long as I'm still conscious (note the time, then realize I've been up for seven and a half hours already) I should get something done. Have an awesome week, everybody! Monday is a horrible way to spend one-seventh of your life.

First -- very much recommended that you read this . I laughed. I'm pausing my studies for a few minutes (okay, okay, I'm stalling) and watching "The Emperor's New Groove." Nothing like a little Disney to ease the biochem-crazed mind. More crazed than biochem, I think. It's been a long week. My microbiology test didn't go as well as it should have, and now I'm in prep for tomorrow and fending off panic. It's going to be a very, very long Friday. It's a good thing spring break's in a week, since I'm not even giving myself the weekend off. Add to the school insanity my impatience with other things and you've got one screwy-feeling chick. Yup, long week. Anyway, I need to get back to work, so ... have a good Friday, everybody. The problem with getting a life is making the payments.

Well, all things considered, this has been one of the most uneventful Tuesdays I've had. Meetings were minimal, likely because it was after a long weekend. The two I did have were, coincidentally, at the same time. Leave it to me to double-book with only two meetings that day in the first place. The IV gathering was pretty cool: a small group conglomeration to discuss free will and predestination. I had to leave before the Q&A was over, but it still got me thinking ... Never mind. I think that's a topic for a different day, when my brain isn't high on microbiology. By the way, thanks for the wake-up call, Darren. It's too bad I was cursing the ringing phone instead of getting out of bed to answer it ... I'll catch you one of these times, dude. That's all I've got for now. Talk to y'all later. My software never has bugs. It just develops random features.

Wow. I stand by my title. This was the best weekend I've had in months. A lot of work, but very relaxing, too. A little time at Storm goes a long way. Well, among other things. Those who were there know. A great weekend. I've only been back for a few hours, but already I've had one meeting and I'm studying until my next one at four. Microbiology, biochemistry, and mass transfer tests this week. Somewhere in there I hope to find time to go hiking; I'm working again next weekend, so I don't know when I'll have time. In my stalling, I've revamped again ... What do you think of the blog now? I think that's all I've got. Have a good week! Forget the Joneses -- I keep up with the Simpsons.

Weekend! Weekend weekend weekend! And a LONG one, at that! I'm headed out to Storm sometime tonight ... Lotsa work (165 people? out there for skiing and such), but it'll be fun. And it's not like I hate the work, either. Apparently I missed a phone call tonight -- !! Argh. Well dude, next time you get the chance, maybe the line won't be busy. (How depressing.) Um ... yeah. I think that's all I've got right now. Need to find something exciting to do. Have a good weekend, people, and I'll talk to y'all later. Chicken Little only has to be right once.

Ah, yes. Back to the introspection. A little less in-depth this time, though (calm that sigh of relief, would you?). In my blog-hopping, I've found a few that have me more than just a little intrigued. One might even call it fascinated; they have some really cool lives. They might not think so all the time, and may even find my blog fascinating themselves (doubtful, but you never know). But I can't help the envy when I hear about people traveling ... Maybe it's the fact that it's February in South Dakota, and I'm feeling restless. Maybe it's the fact that I've been in South Dakota for almost 21 years. Maybe I'm just jealous of Darren (who's in Australia right now). Maybe I'm just avoiding studying. Okay, so right now odds are with the last one. Anyway, hello to my readers (especially Michael, who's on the road and still manages to comment! Thanks dude!) and anyone who's just wandered in. I hope you've enjoyed your stay. I re...

How is it that tonight, the one time I have both the time and exhaustion level to drop like a rock, I can't seem to catch any sleep? Argh. Your drugs aren't working, dude (you know who you are). I am still both conscious AND congested. Grrrrr. (Okay, so it's not your fault, but I'm still frustrated.) So instead, here I am, watching "Aladdin" alone in my room, talking to all you semi-anonymous people again. Finding out (again) that there are actually people out there that read this thing. Could be frightening. Take, for example, this guy from just an hour away, or this other guy from Tennessee. Random people who stumbled in (not sure they'll ever do that again, but hey, if it happened once ...), likely by pushing that little "Next Blog" button in the upper right corner of your screen. I recommend it -- brings some fun little blogs to light. Then, of course, there's the phone call I got about 25 minutes ago, asking for the address, and ...

Wow. Gotta love that. A million topics floating around in my head, and the second I have the time to write about any of them, they float right out. In any case, I think I can remember a couple. Spending these last couple of days sick has given me the "opportunity" to catch up on some TV watching. And, in this time, I've discovered a new love for stand-up comedy. There's one guy in particular whose name, unfortunately, escapes me. He stood out for the simple phenomenon that he was ... not offensive? He got to the end of his bit and said, in some paraphrase, that most comics end with their best joke. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that life isn't really all that funny. And sometimes, sometimes you just have to think -- And that's where he stopped and walked offstage. It was actually very cool. It reminded me of an episode of "CSI" that guest starred Bobcat Goldthwait ... But you probably don't want to hear about that right now, so back to t...

Ah, yes. Interesting day. Fortunately, I'm willing and able to get up and move around. Fever's gone, general happiness ensues. Unfortunately, Lester (my betta) died this morning sometime. Not shocking, mind you -- he's been swimming kind of crooked for a couple of days, and on Thursday he had a minor run-in with the carpet. Bit surprised he lasted till today. Still, that's the longest I've had a betta last. (And before someone goes weird on me, that IS how betta -- in terms of the fish -- is spelled.) Worst part of my day: losing my cell phone while hiking in the woods. Best part of my day: finding my cell phone while hiking in the woods. I know, I know, I shouldn't have even had it with me in the first place. Honestly, I had intended to leave it in the car, but didn't remember until about halfway down the canyon we were hiking. Somewhere after that, it jumped out of my pocket. Anyway, hiking was good, not being sick was good, Lester dying was bad .....

Ugh. I hate being sick. Sure, I know -- nobody enjoys it. (Well, I'm sure there's someone out there that does, but most normal people don't enjoy it.) The thing is, it just doesn't happen to me very often. Heck, I got my first cold in three years over Christmas break. And today I'm running a fever (and I'm all achy). Of all days. It hit sixty degrees, the sun was shining, and it's a Friday on top of all that. Grr. Thanks, Ashli, by the way. :) All for now. Think I'm going back to sleep. I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.

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A couple of good days in biochemistry, an up-and-down weekend, a near death experience with a betta (poor Lester was floating sideways and spasming, but he's better now), and the impending doom of the Worst Holiday Ever, and this evening you find me ... conflicted. Leadership nominatinos (or nominations, for those keeping track) are up in InterVarsity, and I have no idea where I'm going to fit in next year, or entirely sure I want to. The irony here is that I wasn't originally going to do much this year, but when last spring's nominations came around ... Eesh. I guess we'll see where things go this year. Before I rant about Valentine's Day, a quick round of self-defense: I'm not a total Scrooge. I actually enjoy holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Easter, and the Fourth of July especially), despite my rants on this thing to the contrary. I am, however annoyed by the over-corporation of some genuinely meaningful days, and rants aren't...

I distinctly remember there being times last year when we just about went crazy with boredom over the weekends. I don't know what was wrong with us. Friday started off with some quality time with Colt, Josh, Bridget, and Evan. Then, yesterday I went hiking, made some notecards for biochem, took a nap, then joined some people to watch movies till about 1AM. And now, I'm ... Well, it's 8:30 and I'm up, which is a good thing, because I need to accomplish more than just those notecards this weekend. I think it's back to Borders for me. Yay! I've got a mind like a steel trap -- rusty and illegal in 37 states.

One of those days. No, not those days. Nope, not one of those either. This "those" I'm referring to is the one where time just seems to crawl, where you feel like all you're doing is waiting for something to happen. In the first hour and a half I was up this morning, I got more done than I usually do in a standard weekend. However, that means my break between morning and afternoon classes is, well, hard to fill. Don't worry; I'm not complaining. I am, however, having a hard time filling the time (when you've only got fifteen minutes to kill, there's not much you can do). Hence the reason I'm here. High of 64 today, with snow on Sunday. I love this state sometimes, but right now I'm just confused. With any luck, it'll still be nice enough tomorrow to go hiking, if that's what I choose to do. This whole open weekend thing has me baffled, but I think I can handle it. Probably be spending more quality time at Borders, but I ...

Traffic in good ol' RC cracks me up. Hold on, let me set this one up. I was on my way back from the Evil Empire and I had to laugh, because sometimes that's the only reaction for something like this. Okay, okay, so that wasn't much of a set-up, but it'll do. There's this one prevailing occurance with traffic around here; yellow lights are little more than pretty road decorations. They don't mean, "Hey, that light's about to turn red -- maybe I should stop." They mean, "That poor sucker three cars behind me isn't going to make it." Doesn't matter just how yellow it is (that is, if it's still slightly greenish yellow, or more orange, or just hitting its stride); experienced drivers won't hit their brakes. Why? Because the guys behind them won't hit their brakes, either. The ones who do slow down seem to mysteriously have out-of-state plates, especially in the May to September time frame. I ended up ...

What would you recommend to someone who's thinking about taking up yoga? Normally I don't go in search of distractions, but I'm in desperate need of a good way to relax, and my murder mysteries ... Well, I'd like a half-hour distraction, not a six-hour nail-biter, you know? Being that I have nothing else to say about yoga, I think I'll change the subject. I've been stepping back and observing this campus (and other mysteries in life) again, and there continue to be certain astonishments. For instance, how is it that some people can drink nightly and still get an "A" in the hardest courses on campus? Heaven knows they're not studying as much as the rest of us. The truth is, I just need to accept that there are geniuses (genii?) in my presence, but it irritates me that a bona fide genius might be wasting his potential. Holy hell, I sound like an elementary school teacher. Mild bafflement befell me yesterday while I was walking to ...

Hey, look at that! It's an eventful day! Great news this morning: I had a pretty easy microbiology test AND I'm all set to do research this summer! Double woot, if only because it means I have a job for at least a couple months in addition to going to Russia ... Whew. Relief at not having to hit the parental units up for money every other week. (I hope.) By some miracle (or accident, however that works) I'm managing to pass biochemistry, too. Exciting stuff, I tell you. Anyway, on to the topic at hand. I realized yesterday (and by "yesterday" I mean Sunday, since I'm a little late on this post) that I have confused taste in music. Take the current playlist: Metallica, Pink Floyd, Nellie McKay (if you've never heard of her, you should try -- she's fun), followed by Garth Brooks and then a bit from the "Phantom of the Opera" soundtrack. What struck me, however, is that when I get songs stuck in my head, they're not rock, ...