Book #3, swimming

I finally found my flippers! Or sea-feet! Or whatever they're called!!

See, I've never been much of a swimmer. I took classes intermittently from the ages of somewhere around 3 years of age to 9 or 10. I was a terrible swimmer.

Upp until last week, my aquatic talents were composed of dog paddling, floating on my back, and floating on my back and kicking my legs. The one I employed most often was the last one, because it's easiest. Unfortunately, since all I could see while I "swam" along was the sky –or the roof over the pool– and I'm not good at reading clouds, I'd often veer off course. Way off course.

One of the last years I was at summer camp, I took the swimming test at the beginning of the week. It consisted of covering the distance between to stakes driven into the camp's pond, three times. If you passed, the counselors gave you a plastic bracelet to be worn all week, and which granted you access (with a buddy) to the deeper part ofthe pond. Non-bracelet holding losers were relegated to the shallow bit near the shore, which wasn't so bad if you didn't have much will to live anyway.**

So anyway, I took the test (after having verified that you could swim with any stoke you liked) doing a backstroke. Remember how I sid it's really hard to tell where you're going? After my third half-lap, the counsellor whose job it was to hand out bracelets gave me a funny look and said, "Uh, how about you do another lap?". I wasn't sure why he wanted me to swim some more –I'd already done enough, hadn't I?– but I wanted the bracelet, so I did as he asked.

Once I straightened up and looked around, I saw why he wasn't sure about me. I'll illustrate the situation, as seen from above:

Really, the guy shouldn't have given me the bracelet at all. Luckily I've always been a wimp and I barely even entered the deep part that week, except to go canoeing (I love canoeing).

Despite my Mom's insistence, learning to swim properly was never a priority for me until about two weeks ago, when my first field work trip-thing was announced. It's for Algae class, so naturally we're going to a place with water. Lots of water.

Let me tell you, when I started to care about it, DAMN DID I LEARN FAST!

I mean, at first there was much dramatic gasping and spluttering (which I'm sure grossed out the other people in the pool). But now I can swim along just fine. Now I'm all ready to go collect little algae beasties near the sea.

- - - - -

On other news, I finally finished my third book of the year. I'm going really slow. Agh.

I needed something super, super light, a book that would practically read itself. So naturally I turned to Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella. I love that book. It was a re-read –I'm actually not sure how many times I've read it and the sequels– but it's always fun.

Also, oddly, all 3 book I've read so far have been set in England. Heh.

** I jest. Mostly. The shallow part did have the advantage of being inhabited by little fishies in one part, and if you stood still they'd gather round your legs and TRY TO EAT YOU!! ...well, part of that sentence is true, anyway.

I suck at Chemistry

Seriously. In Biochemistry I have a hard time keeping up, but now and again I'll know something that nobody else does.

Ah, you say, if I know stuff it must mean I'm doing okay, right?

Well, not really. The things I know are very rarely useful, and are usually just little random info tidbits. Today:

Incident A:

"Living forms use L amino acids only, except for a few very rare exceptions."

OOOH, I KNOW THE EXCEPTIONS!! I HEARD ABOUT THAT ON A PODCAST!! SOME BACTERIA USE A COATING OF--

"But we won't get into that now, because that's part of the presentation that Team #1 will do later on."

Boo. That could have actually been a

valid contribution.

Incident B:

"So amino acids are chiral. Mirror images of each other. That reminds me of a Star Trek episode, which none of you have watched, where Captain Kirk's mirror image takes command of the Enterprise, and wreaks havoc because he's evil..."

OOOH, I SAW THAT EPISODE!! IT'S CALLED "MIRROR, MIRROR"! THE REFLECTION-PEOPLE ARE EVIL, BUT MR. SPOCK STAYS THE SAME BECAUSE HE'S HALF-VULCAN AND– and... and... ... ...maybe I should spend more time studying.

Sigh.

But I'm wearing my Spock T-shirt next time I have Biochemistry class. I need to suck up, as I'm not quite so talented... ;)

This is actually a man-shirt. It was on discount, YAY! I normally use it as a pajama thing.

Creepy

I'm researching the chemicals we're going to use in the Chem lab tomorrow, and couldn't find much toxicity info at first for one of them. But its ICSC said foreboding things– like "harmful to aquatic organisms", "Do NOT let this chemical enter the environment," and "Insufficient data are available on the effect of this substance on human health, therefore utmost care must be taken". I mean, that sounds scary, right? What if someone sneezes on it and a crystal gets in my hair, and later I scratch my head and RUB IT INTO MY SCALP?? And the I DIE!?

So anyway, I Googled it and it turns out that the substance in question is currently smeared on my face, as it's a common ingredient in sunblock.

Gaah! You just can't win. Am I to walk around with a parasol all day, or what?

Silicon-based life

For my Organic Chemistry class I have to find an article dealing with the possibility of silicon-based life and comment on it. I'm considering sending my teacher an e-mail with this video embedded...

I'm going to try and watch that episode today (the Star Trek one, not Baywatch). Hee hee.

Tragedy strikes! & book 2

Remember how I was happy because my Organic Chem teacher was a total babe? Yes, well, yesterday he stepped into the classroom as we were sitting around waiting for him and went,

"Hey guys, I have some problems with my schedule, so I won't be able to teach this class. Albert here will do it instead. Bye!"

And left. Trodding on the shards of my broken, useless heart as he went :'(

Albert (I think that's his name) is a gangly guy who looks about 19 years old, and was through no fault of his own destined to be the object of my hatred for six months. He snatched away my hottie teacher! But he redeemed himself within the hour because it turns out he's a really good teacher. Really good.

Such is life. At least I'll be able to pay attention in class instead of drooling like a dope.

On other news, I finished my second book of the year, Meg Rosoff's Just In Case. It was good, but I didn't find it spectacular or anything. It felt a bit off, but I guess that was the point since the main character appears to be insane. I suppose it was just that I couldn't quite identify with him, never having had the experience of going to the butcher's and witnessing the skinned rabbits singing at me.

Although yesterday on my way to school I passed the butchery just as they carried in some pig heads. Those things are HUGE.

Book 1, late arrival

Ah! Just this minute, I finished reading Connie Willis' Doomsday Book, which is my first official book of the year. Shameful, really, because it's February already. I think I'll have to stuff in a few shorter books to reach the 100 book goal this year, but that's okay– I can re-read our Edward Eager collection. They're all, like, 150 pages or so.

Doomsday Book was awesome, even though my Mom accidentally spoiled an important plot development ("...and they all get sick and die..." "WHAT?!?!"). It's the third Connie Willis book I've read, and even though it was truly, truly good, I think I still like Bellwether and To Say Nothing of the Dog more. Actually, I think Bellwether may be my absolute favorite book of all time.

Today I only had one class, from 8:00 to 9:30 pm. The bus that goes straight to the University apparently stops operating sometime before 6:30, so I took three buses total to get to school. I took 2 buses home, since I got a partial ride home with a friend (and her grandmother, a sprightly young thing who was there to supervise her driving. It reminded me of when my sister was just starting to drive, only my friend and her grandma were civil to each other the entire time, and, dare I say it, nice). I got home some time around 11:30. Sigh.

I wish I could teleport. Or had a jetpack. Ooooh, a jetpack...

Anyway, I'm picking a light book for my next read. Not because what I just finished was heavy, but because it's almost 600 pages long and there were a few little transportation issues. i.e., it was fat and took up a lot of space in my backpack.

Second semester

Last Monday I started my second semester at school. I only have four subjects (I meant to take five, but couldn't fit the last one in) and I'm in afternoon classes, so it's easier and harder at the same time. Easier, because, HELLO, four classes, eaaaasy! But harder, too, because I'm totally not used to taking afternoon classes. I end at 9:30pm most days, so I'm arriving home quite late.

And once I'm home, what? Do I study, unwind, or go to bed? My strategy this week has been to get home and then eat while watching late-night TV, but that's probably a crappy idea.

As for my teachers, I chose them carefully and they all seem to be good. You know how much I enjoy lists, so!

a) My Protists & Algae teachers are a young dude with a bit of a beer belly (specializes in protists) and a lady (specializes in algae). They're nice, seem smart.

b) Systematics... an older guy who I don't like that much so far (but he's apparently a good teacher, I'll have to wait and see) and another young dude who makes TERRIBLE jokes (we chortle anyway).

c) Molecular Biology of the Cell I (Biochemistry with a fancy name) I like so far. He's quite cynical, and if he ever gives me a reason to dislike him, it'll be really easy to do so; but so far, he's good (and looks a bit like Ryan from Whose Line is it Anyway). The lab teacher is just some random girl. Okay.

d) Organic Chemistry. Ooooooh my god. I thought it would be another old man, but he's a really cute dude with a lovely smile who looks no older than 25 (and has a doctorate!). Totally caught me off guard. Oh, and the lab teacher is a young girl, seems pretty sensible. I like her so far.