quickiesquall

Home Again!

2008-05-13T15:31:40Z

It's kind of surreal to be here again. Everything is pretty much the same, my cats are fatter, my parents fed me well and the city is the same. It feels strange, though, since I haven't been here for so long. I can guarantee that I will almost get hit by a car, stand in awe in a grocery store, drink water out of the tap just because I can, flop around the beach at the lake making lobo noises missing my Fatty McPhaterson, not be able to play the violin and wear lots of fancy clothes just because I can. I will also speak in Spanish without thinking about it. And I will savor being 21. ^^

I already miss Ecuador. I miss the mountains and the beaches. I guess I'll have to go back. ^o^ I miss my amigos terribly and wish we were lying on the beach together right now, but I'm happy to be home, too.

Cinco de Mayo!

2008-05-05T15:36:05Z

Whoo, I'm 21! I totally feel divisible by a prime number!!! Today also marks 1 week until I'm home! I'm sooo excited! I have a list that is pages and pages long to do when I get home. This summer should be pretty busy... I'm working for BioQUEST while I'm at home (yay, bioinformatics!) and also doing quite a bit of traveling... I'm definitely excited to go to LA to visit Julia and see her GRADUATE with FUCKING AMAZING HONORS! And to hang out with her amigos! Then, I head to Boston for 6 weeks to do biostatistics (hooray!) and then back to Minnesota for more work and hopefully a trip to Arizona to see the familia and perhaps get in a violent argument about evolucion! Then, it's back to Beloit for ONE MORE YEAR! ^o^ So busy! I'm really excited to make a scrapbook of this semester-- I ordered 330 prints, about 10% of my total photos to scrapbook with. I can't wait for good food and amazing bubble tea and ridiculous consumerism. Should be fun. ^^

Class schedule for next semester:

Cell Biology
Math Stats I (I never thought I'd take a math class beyond Calc II!)
AI on Fact and Fiction (Science fiction ooo rah!)
Operas and Musicals (just for fun!)
Orchestra (I can totally handle Oleg... he's teaching an FYI this fall-- I hope all the first years survive!)

TA for Biometrics
TA for Genetics (I never thought it would come to this!)
Maaaybe TAing for Paul's FYI... we'll see how insane I go. ^^
Work for BioQUEST
Work at the library fixing computers

Waaah! This semester totally flew by! I cannot wait to be home, but I'm going to be sad to leave here. It has been fun... amazing, actually. Indescribable. Many many photos have been taken. Thousands of photos.

I can't wait to go biking this summer with padre on his fancy new bike! ^o^

18 Days!

2008-04-22T16:36:34Z

It's weird to think that there are only 18 days left before this semester is over. It's certainly been the most interesting semester of college I've ever had. It will be weird to go home. But nice.

I finally saw the boobies dance! They did it on the island of North Seymour, which we visited during our boat tour. We also saw frigatebirds doing their mating display and adorable land iguanas. If I was going to be anything, though, I would be a Galapagos fur seal because they're freakin' cute. Short little snouts and tons of fat and fur. Huge eyes, because they hunt at night. Soooo cute.

Another thing that's weird to imagine is that I'm getting closer and closer to being 21, an age I SWEAR I never thought I'd reach! How strange to be almost an adult. ^^ I definitely thought that at this age I would be mature and grown up. But no. Same as always. Slightly immature. Short. No dramatic change. :) But that's cool.

Last class starts today!! ^^

Money money money!

2008-04-10T15:58:01Z

I got money!!!! I got a fellowship from Beloit to help me go to Boston this summer! Whoo! Not a ton of dinero, but it's still money!! I like free okane.

Presentations today, test tomorrow, then it's the weekend and the boat tour! I'm so excited!

I want ramen noodles.

It's Hot As Balls Here

2008-04-07T20:23:32Z

I fully understand why so many authors refer to these islands as both heaven and hell. They're absolutely beautiful, but every day is literally as hot as hell. It's hot like Arizona in the summer with a good dose of humidity thrown in for good measure. No air conditioning, no reprieve from the heat, even at night. But it's worth it. I don't comprehend sometimes why people would want to live here. Only one island has fresh water. All the others have to use brackish water or filter sea water or save rain. It's incredibly inhospitable. Even the plants realize how desert-like this place is. But it's still beautiful.

We saw red-footed boobies yesterday. They nest up on shrubs and bushes in an area called Punta Pitt about 2 hours by boat from San Cristobal. They're very cute. There were fledgies!!!!! I'm so glad for my camera with its ridiculous zoom. ^^ We did a lot of snorkeling and a lot of swimming against the current so I definitely felt like I'd had a workout. >.<

Only 5 more weeks including this one until the semester is over! I can't believe it. Some days have crept by, but overall, I felt like we just arrived here. I am definitely looking forward to going home, but will miss it here terribly and will probably come back. This summer will be fun, though. When I get home, I'm going to spend the first 48 hours eating. I have a list of things to eat. It is long. Then, I will participate in consumerism in order to replace the clothes I have so thoroughly ruined on this trip. Then, I will go to LA to see my hermana graduate. After that, I have a little bit of time at home before setting off for Boston, where I will spend most of the summer doing biostatistics! Hooray! If I have time when I come home, I'm hoping to visit Arizona, too. We'll see. ^^

Saw a starving baby lobo yesterday. :( It happens all the time, but it sure is sad to see a skinny, barely breathing baby who should be fat and adorable and playing in the surf. I'm going to miss seeing lobos... and the ocean, incidentally. We have our boat tour next week, which should be awesome as long as I don't spend the whole thing throwing up. I'm stocking up on seasickness pills and have looked into mixing a couple of types so that I'll just pass out during the worst parts. Hopefully, it will be okay. And I won't die. ^^

There's so much to say about this amazing place, but so much effort required to say it. I've taken almost 4000 photos trying to capture everything but that's not enough. I want to smuggle a blue-footed boobie home with me!!!!!

Snorkeling with Sharks

2008-03-09T16:45:33Z

So for our Evolutionary Biology class on Friday, we took a boat around to various places for swimming and snorkeling, the coolest of which was probably Kicker Rock. It's this huge random rock in the middle of the ocean that's just sheer rock walls going straight up and there's a trench running down the middle of it that's about 20 meters (60 feet) down. Me, Meghan and Katie had thankfully brought wet suits because there were jellis EVERYWHERE and they were stinging. We also had fins for more efficient swimming so we went into the trench and saw a ton of fish, huge schools of them just everywhere. I can't even name all the ones there were. There were sea lions, too. They're so beautiful underwater and one of them chased this school of probably a thousand (seriously) fish down the side of the cliff underwater and they just scattered. So cool. But the coolest thing was... sharks! Yes! They were closer to the bottom so they looked a lot smaller than they actually are. We saw Galapagos sharks, White Tipped sharks and... hammerheads!!!! It was really cool and slightly scary. Meghan and I kept grabbing each other and pointing and making incoherent noises through our snorkels. It was so cool. We swam all the way around the big rock and it was just ridiculous because the bottom just disappeared. The water was absolutely crystal clear but it just went on forever. I kept thinking I was seeing rocks or something but it was just... blue. We were swimming over all these huge fish and there were little neon fish on the surface. And then we saw a sea turtle! They're so incredible to watch underwater. They look like they're flying. It wasn't that big, just a bebeh! There was this huge fatty sea lion swimming with us, too. Ridiculous. I can't wait to go back.

We also went snorkeling at Isla de los Lobos, which is a favorite haunt for the sea lions. There was this really cool trigger fish that we followed for awhile, a feeding sting ray-- that was really awesome. It fluttered along the bottom and would stop and make these huge clouds of sand and when it moved away, there was a big hole in the bottom of the sand and all these other fish were following it eating the leftovers. The sea lions were really playful. They kept swimming around us and watching us, probably finding us just as interesting as we find them. I have no qualms about swimming with them anymore because as long as they're not pissed off, they're adorable and very playful. There was a little sausage fighting over a stick with its parent and they were jumping like dolphins and flipping around us like little aquatic acrobats. So cute.

We were supposed to do a night dive that night but the visibility was crap so we are going this evening instead. I can't wait! The lobsters, rays and light-up plankton come out at night! This is my last scheduled dive for awhile, so I'm a little sad, but it has been absolutely amazing. I might just go for my advanced certification, too. :)

The family is coming to the islands on Tuesday!!!!!! I can't wait to see them. My sister is on spring break and my dad has only ever wanted to come to the Galapagos and my mother loves traveling so they are on the mainland right now and they'll be here soon! It will be epic. Hopefully, I'll be able to take them to Kicker Rock, that would be fantastic. ^o^

Well, I should study for my exam, which is tomorrow morning, but it's really really hot today, so I might just jump in the ocean first.

You know you've been in the Galapagos too long when...

2008-03-06T03:36:30Z

You see lobos (sea lions) every day on your way to school.

Said lobos often charge you while you walk on the beach.

You are a little tired of going to the beach.

You haven't seen a news broadcast or newspaper in months.

You walk around and name endemic, native and introduced plants.

You don't know what to do with yourself after class.

You can almost always be found with an empanda in hand watching lobos.

Your snorkel is your best friend and goes everywhere with you.

You are sick of people... because it's an island!

You fully appreciate running water, a soft bed, a regular source of food and lights.

You pay between $2 and $4 for meals.

You miss the snow and ice of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

You miss ramen noodles terribly.

But strangely... you don't want to go home just yet because it's still paradise and Darwin's finches are still hopping around your feet wherever you walk. And you want to continue scuba diving and getting attacked by rays.

I can already feel that I'm going to miss it here. I have learned a lot, not only in the classroom, but living with the host family and dealing with my peers as well. I will probably come back. ^^ It's beautiful. I keep trying to capture it in a photo but after almost 3000 photos, I still haven't. O.o I love this place. It's so relaxed and life proceeds so much slower. Also, in the event of nuclear war or a weird fatal disease, the islands are so isolated that they'd probably be safe! Just... no food. >.< The things I don't really enjoy are actually the same things that bother me back home, and they are quite nullified in the presence of a beach. ^o^

Two and half more months! And then I'll be 21 and it's off to Boston for the summer!!

I miss all my amigos and am looking forward to seeing you all again soon!

Snorkeling

2008-02-08T02:16:38Z

Okay, snorkeling here is officially RIDICULOUS! We go every day after (and sometimes during) class! You can see all these fish and sea urichins and whatnot among the rocks and some really amazing stuff, too. Yesterday, we saw a huge school of these little silver fish and a SEA TURTLE!!! It was so cute. Yet slightly scary. It was really choppy out and I was worried about biting sea lions. >.< Today, we saw a school of HUGE blue and yellow fish that were flat like pancakes and a sting ray! Every day, we see something cooler, and often, the sea lions are out, too. Ever since they bit me, I'm a little scared of them. >.< I am getting scuba certified while I'm here and we get to do a night dive! I'm so excited! It's even the season for whale sharks, which is ridiculous in and of itself, but to actually SEE one and SWIM with one? Maaaah!

I am writing this entry on the balcony of my school trying to Skype my parents without success. However, the sound of the tide coming in is pretty relaxing and it's a beautiful night. The ocean is so close! It's very clear and very blue.

Tomorrow, we are going on a hike to see native, endemic and introduced plants, which should be fun. Tuesday next week in the Galapagos Festival and we are going to pick up all the rubbish littering the island. Apparently this festival is a pretty big deal. People are pretty excited about it.

One thing, it' s ridiculously hot here. Way hot! It's not too bad right now since the sun has gone down, but at noon, it's just horrid. So we jump in the ocean. Natural AC!

Yes, it is amazing. More than I'd dreamed of. It's very small, but absolutely wonderful! I have this strange feeling I won't want to go home. :)

Hello from the Galapagos Islands!

2008-02-06T14:50:13Z

I'm finally here! And it's paradise!!! No really. After class, we go swimming and snorkeling with sea lions (who bit me yesterday!) and wander around town. Island life is soooo different from city life. Everyone is much more relaxed and not worried. It was Carnaval last week (just like the Simpsons, except in Ecuador!) but it's definitely different here. It is a small town but absolutely beautiful. Sea lions EVERYWHERE! And yesterday we saw sea turtles and a marine iguana swimming in the water! So cute. And the baby sea lions look like sausages. Little fat sausages. Adorable. But untouchable since we're in a national park. 97% of the islands is a national park while the remaining 3% people can live on.

I am sick, so today is not so cool because it's ridiculously hot, but there's always the ocean. Snorkeling is awesome because you can see so much! I just don't want to get eaten by a shark. Today, we are going to a new beach to try more snorkeling. In the other direction is a reef, which will also be awesome!

Seriously, I have never been in such a beautiful place. Not just the scenery, but the people and the town. I have a very nice host family who gave me a beauiful room with a bay window overlooking the town. I'm so lucky. ^^ And mi familia va a visitar!!!!!! En el marzo! so excited! ^o^

Time to go to learn about botanics. And then it's snorkeling time!

Alive and Back from the Amazon!

2008-01-29T17:53:20Z

Okie, so I just spent 4 days in the Amazon jungle. No, really, it was absolutely amazing. We swam in the river with the piranhas and caimans after our multiple 4-hour long hikes through the jungle. I can´t remember being so hot (and I mean temperature-wise) I woke up hot and we were all sweaty and disgusting after falling down muddy hills in the canopy-covered jungle. We saw red howler monkeys (a whole family!), a bunch of tamarins, wolly monkeys, and a hybrid between the capucchino and squirrel monkeys. A family of squirrel monkeys also sat on my head in Coca, where we spent a long time waiting for our plane. They´re so cute!!

We were incredibly isolated. Absolutely no civilization anywhere close to us. To get to Tiputini (the biodiversity station where we were), we had to take a plane over the Andes (25 minute ride in which they managed to hand out papers, food, and drinks), then we took a two hour boat ride from there down the amazon to an oil company entrance where we took a 2.5 hour bus ride to another boat, which we rode for two hours to Tiputini. If anyone had gotten sick, I´m not sure what would have happened. We took a night boat ride out on the river to see caimans, agoutis and other nocturnal animals. It was incredible. When you look up at the sky out there, there are so many more stars in the sky because there´s absolutely no light pollution. However, staying out at night is definitely not good for your health since there are ocelots, leopards and jaguars just waiting for dinner. It was weird waking up to the sounds of monkeys calling and birds chirping. I actually think there were more sounds at night, when all the tapirs and other mammals came out.

There are 473 species of tree per square kilometer in the Amazon, so instead of the forests we have up north, every tree is different. We saw matapalos, which are indicator species of anthropogenic disturbance and rubber trees, balsa trees and trees whose names I can´t remember. I tripped over SO MANY roots and very nearly face-planted in the mud every time. It was weird waking up and going to bed with the sun. There was electricity at Tiputini but only for certain hours of the day, so once it was dark, we were pretty much done. But we weren´t in the mood to stay up late, anyways, since we were hiking all day. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and I would really enjoy doing research there, I think, if I could handle the heat. :) We did so much and saw so much I can´t even begin to explain. I did take a TON of pictures, though!

Miss you all! You people in France had better let me know how you are!!

Update!

2008-01-22T15:44:03Z

All right, so I thought you should know that I cut my hair really short and got an industrial piercing through my left ear. Yes, it hurt like a mother. It still hurts and this is the 3rd day after! She took this huge needle and stuck it through the cartilage in two places and I now have a blue titanium bar through my ear. :) It's cool looking, but sore. Hopefully, I will be able to sleep on my left side soon.

Went to Otavalo on Saturday and got a TON of stuff! Lots of beautiful, very inexpensive things. It was really fun and I didn't get sunburned!

And all you people studying abroad had better keep me updated and take lots of pictures!

What's it like here?

2008-01-16T00:28:32Z

Okay, so I keep thinking of ways to describe this place and I came up with another analogy today. The school here is a lot like Rivendell from LOTR because it's very much open to nature. Today, it rained during class and now it's so foggy you can't see the building across the street. I am savoring being cold right now because in a few weeks, I'll be really warm.

Presentation tomorrow and then a midterm on Friday! Wow, things are going really quickly!

A Fruit Rant

2008-01-13T02:48:24Z

The fruit that we eat EVERY DAY here is ridiculously delicious. We drive by a pick-up truck full of strawberries that are 2 pounds for $1. With every single meal, we have fresh fruit juices from fruits I can't name. When we go to the supermarket, there are fruits I've never heard of or seen. Those flavors at the tea garden, oh yeah, they exist in real life and they are SO MUCH better fresh!!!! Passionfruit is incredibly tart without added sugar and looks like fish eggs. I can't even name all the fruits we've tried. Today, we had a fruit called taxo in shake form which was amazing. I feel like I'm going to be such a snob about fruit and juice when I get home! Oh, and the prices... they're fantastic. Today, my lunch was $2.50. Highly delicious.

Oh, and San Pedro cactus grows wild here. Back in the day, they used to give it to the wife of the village chief before burying her alive with him after he died since he couldn't go onto the afterlife alone.

Lime trees, too, grow by the pond where we sit (and sometimes have class) on the university campus next to the pagoda. We got some seriously fresh limes for drink garnishes.

Went to the most enormous park I've ever seen today. There was a carnival, horse riding, shaved ice, ice cream, whipped cream and fruits (all 25-50 cents!) and paddelboats. Oh, and like... 50 guys doing capoeira on the lawn by the lake. So we tried to paddle-boat around them to watch, but we had steering issues >.< Like... not being able to go straight. Dude, it's January and I'm sunburned. And you know that episode of the Simpsons where they go to Brazil and Homer asks for a drink with all the sweetest Brazilian fruits in it? Well, they're that sweet in Ecuador, too.

And the clubs here? Top notch. No cover the girls, cheap and highly delicious drinks. Excellent mix of music (lots of Latin, lots of dance). But definitely different from home.

No hot water in the shower. Coooold! :( I'll be totally ready for the Amazon where there will only be cold water!!! Oh, and my professor for population ecology... he knows a prof at Johns Hopkins who does biostats in the amazon!!!!

I am definitely being stretched culturally and whatnot. I hope I am becoming less snobby and expectant of everything to be perfect and comfortable all the time. It is incredibly different here. We go to a rich university and with rich students and in a beautiful location and within this beautiful country, people are living in such incredibly poverty it breaks my heart. I hope to be more immersed in culture and more understanding once I start living with a host family.

I miss home. It's warm here and it's JANUARY!!! wrong wrong wrong!!! And there's always 12 hours of day and night. It's the end of the first week and there's so much to explore here!!

quickiesquall @ 2008-01-09T13:26:00

2008-01-09T18:26:51Z

Going to school in the Andes. My heart is racing from walking up and down stairs due to the altitude (9000 feet) and there are mountains all around the school. There is a lot more daylight (12 hours!) and despite there being no hot water in the hotel, it´s wonderful. The weather here is beautiful. And apparently, you weigh less here since
we´re farther away from the center of the earth! Also, since our hotel is a little north of the equator, the water swirls anti clockwise, however, at the equator (measured with GPS), the water just falls straight down. I would also not survive in the jungle since I can´t use a blow gun even with the help of the gods. We´re going to the Amazon in a few weeks (right now, we´re starting classes) and to get there, we have to fly over the mountains and then take an 8 hour boat ride. Lovely. But we´ll see the most species diverse place in the world. They also have canopy walks (waaaay up in the trees), which should be fun.

As for the food, it has been amazing. We haven´t had the same fruit juice twice but it´s always fresh and often unnamable. The university where we have lunch (the most important meal of the day) has a culinary school so the food is absolutely delicious. There is always soup, bread, salad, rice and some kind of meat as well as dessert. Fruit is sweeter here, too, probably because its always fresh.

Have met many new people, who are fun. Two are from Norway, which is awesome. We are taking a Population Ecology class for the next few weeks (whooo more biostatistics!) and then we go to the islands where, after class in the morning, we will go snorkeling with the sharks.

Ecuador has lots of volcanoes so we´ve visited a few. We went up so high that the clouds were moving around us and you couldn´t see anything. When I look out of my window, I can see smoke rising from a few of the active volcanoes.

I wish I could explain how beautiful it is here. On a clear day, you can see for miles and Quito never seems to end. Our ride to school is up a mountain so every morning, we see the city and the mountains in the background. The people here are wonderful. Very kind and generally helpful. No host family yet. We will be staying in a hotel until we go to the islands.

I have taken a ton of pictures already but have not been able to upload them yet. Just wait until the islands... And the island-hopping... and the penguins!

I miss the snow and ice, as strange as that may sound. But it´s home! However, this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

Alive and in Quito

2008-01-06T22:44:24Z

Exhausted. No hot water in the hotel. Wireless though. Big city tour today. Water on the equator doesn't swirl at all ( I tested on the south, the north and on the equator itself).

Alive and on the equator... despite the high altitude that makes me get winded walking up steps.

Sorry this is so short. Anna tired.

Home!

2007-05-16T19:07:09Z

Yes, yes, I am home at last. I got back on the 6th of May (the day after I turned 20!), which was a lovely birthday present. My parental units also got me a Swatch watch with chameleons on it in honor of my going to the Galapagos Islands next year in the spring to study abroad. My sister got me a shirt that says "I wish I were your derivative so I could lie tangent to your curves" from the Facebook group. It rocks my socks!

On Monday, we went to Gustavus to see the corpse flower, which wasn't as stinky as I'd anticipated. Unfortunately, we did not see Scott and Donovan because of class. (-_-)

Am taking Linear Algebra and Differential Equations this summer at the U of M and working to make biology curriculum with a woman at Beloit here in the Twin Cities. Should be fun. I get to mess around with computers!

Anyhoo, thank god this year is over. Sophomore year was officially not good. There were good moments, but overall, I'm just glad to be done. (>.<)

I want some tea garden! My friends should come back soon so we can have delicious tea!

Went to Chicago for ACen last weekend. Definitely weird. Saw this guy dressed up as Dante from Devil May Cry and almost jumped him (he was with his girlfriend though). Two Japanese DJ's played at Soap Bubble but the dance itself was just eh. Lots of things to buy which I did not partake of despite my desire to get a Kyo plushie to snorg late into the night. (^.^)

Look, look! I updated! \(^o^)/ (banzai!)

Here's Why Today Rocks

2007-03-30T03:40:30Z

1.) Had a master class with the violist of the St. Petersburg String Quartet (if you don't know who they are, they're one of the premier string quartets in the world) and it went WELL! He was nice and we were productive and it was all just warm and fuzzy and I was soooo relieved when it was over and non-disastrous.
2.) My dress came in the mail. And it's freakin' pretty.
3.) I finished my homework.
4.) The St. Petersburg String Quartet played a concert for us. It was one of the best performances I've been to. I've never seen anything like it. No wonder they're so famous. It's like they read the music with their entire body. I can't explain it, it was just perfect.
5.) My calc teacher was at the concert and came up to me to congratulate me on a "spectacular" Calculus test. This is a big deal. ^o^
6.) My friend Lia asked Oleg about getting autographs from the quartet members.
7.) When we went back to get said autographs, Boris (see above) remembered me and my name.
8.) The signatures of all four members of the quartet are up on the wall of my room.
9.) Today, the cover of the new Harry Potter book came out. I am going to DIE!

It's amazing what a difference one day can make. All it took was a little music by some world-class musicians and a little Calculus love. ^^ Man, I credit Lia totally for forcing us to go get autographs, thank whatever higher power exists for that.

So all the days before and a good portion of the days following may be horrible, but I will always remember this day; store it away with all the other days that I feel this way, and remember them when times are hard, just to try and feel this way again. But I must admit, it's been a really long time since I've felt this way, and it feels a little different from all the other times that I've been this euphoric. So this will have its own special little place in my memory. I won't forget it.

Drag Show 2007!!!!

2007-03-25T19:07:23Z

Okay, so last night was our annual drag show here in scenic Beloit and holy crap.... O.o It was sooooo freakin' good!!! I knew for sure that one of them would dance to "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls and sure enough... Man, I'm still in shock how good it was!! And for the finale, they did the "Cell Block Tango" from Chicago with all these guys from our school, which was awesome. And sooo many lap dances O.o It was interesting how much more risque it got as time went on, and man it was freakin' PACKED! It was the best attended event I've been to this semester. It was soooo hot in that room because it was all humid and warm outside and there were like... 200 of us stuffed in that room. I'm going to be sooo sad when I have to miss it next year!! I wasn't able to take pictures, but perhaps my friends who did remember to bring their cameras will put the picturas up on facebook.

Oh, I also became addicted to a Korean drama this weekend. It's a speculation on what Korea would be like if it was still a monarchy today and the crown prince goes to this girl's high school to find a wife. Must... finish... drama.... *gack*

Oh, and I have also decided to change majors, and while it is a change within the field of biology, I will be taking significantly different classes. For one, I will not be taking Physics. :( Makes me sad. Maybe if I can fit it in, I'll take it. Instead, I will be taking Linear Algebra and two math stats classes. Joy!! Yes, it is a switch to Mathematical Biology. I can't believe I'm doing it. I always though I'd finish off Calc II and be done, but here I am, coming back for more. I wonder if I'm just getting in touch with my masochistic side. >.< Anyhoo, there is a reasoning behind the madness. I will be going to grad school in biostatistics now, and they say that I will NEVER have to look for a job because mathematically skilled biologists are in high demand. Yay!! I wonder if I will be a boring person. O.o ... Naaaaah! I'll be exciting!!! And social! And hot. Yes, buff and hot.

Another thing... Fuzzy and I are officially going to the concert by Infected Mushroom on 17 May. Hey, Fuzzy, if you read this, will you remind me of where exactly we're going downtown so I can figure out how to get there without killing us. Also, I will not difibrulate you unless you dance with me. I don't even have a difibrulator. Hmm... anyhoo, that should be fun. I can wear sexy shoes!!!

I think that's all for now. I should get back to my bio article. Nyah.

A Long Overdue Update

2007-03-19T01:55:06Z

Well, Donovan reminded me that it has been a very long time since I updated this thing. This is my first week back after spring break. Over the vacation, I went to the Wisconsin Dells with some friends for the first night, then went home for a few days, then went to LA to see Julia. It was a really neat trip, I got a Superman shirt!!! The vacation was somewhat overshadowed by this crazy book report I had to do for my biology class, so I was constantly thinking about homework, but in the end, things worked out okay.

I'm glad spring is coming. It has been a short but bitter winter. >.< I'm also extremely ready for this semester to be over. This summer, if I don't end up going to Korea, I'm going to volunteer a lot and be happy instead of working a bunch and only ending up with money. I might work a little tho. ^^

I know this is a short entry and that it doesn't represent everything I have been doing lately, but it's Sunday night and I spent all of St. Patty's day in Chicago so I haven't been productive this weekend, hence, I shall return to my calculus proofs. And by the way, it looks like I'll have to take linear algebra in order to continue with biostatistics in graduate school. *cringe* Fuzzy, I will need your help. >.<

Okay, time to do some shukudai!

DONE!!!!

2006-12-20T00:49:05Z

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, fuzzies and furries, I am DONE! DONEDONEDONE with classes/finals EVERYTHING! At least for this semester. I pretty much rocked today's Biometrics final and was asked to come back and TA next semester (woot!). They alos want me to TA chem. >.< Hopefully the grades will be good for these classes. My Japanese final was not so hot but the class itself was fine.

Julia is home!!! I am looking forward to seeing her very much. Additionally, the kitties, the parents and the friends will be nice to see. Unfortunately, there is a 7am morning at work the MORNING AFTER I GET HOME!!! Grrr... I wanted to tell my work "Look, you realize that I am a college student coming off finals, right? I mean, do you want me to verbally abuse a customer and go crazy in the store?" However, I refrained, and will depend on coffee to get me through. Delicious.

So this will likely be my last update for awhile since I am going home, where there is only dial-up. Unless we spend an afternoon at Panera or the Tea Garden. Hmmm...

Okay, well, that's all for now.

DONE!

Monday!!

2006-12-05T01:57:12Z

So as a general, Mondays tend to be pretty bad, not just because of the weekend being over :( but also due to the craziness of the day, which includes an 8 am class. >.< But today was cool because I got my best grade EVER in biometrics and a better grade on a test in Organic so things were pretty damn sweet. I didn't have Japanese class so I had a delicious, non-intense lunch and then went to measure fast plants. Upon finishing those, I hurried off to English. Upon finishing class, I talked to my parental units for awhile and then went to orchestra where we were typically berated by our conductor and I was almost late to work as usual, since he keeps us so late. Our concert is on Thursday and I'm soooo excited! We are playing Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Sibelius, Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky. It should be most excellent. :)

Ooh, and this weekend was cool because on Friday I went to play with a quartet at the Beloit Country Club and we got $75 for playing for 90 minutes and the kept giving us kitty cocktails (I was on such a sugar high!) and then they fed us dinner and it was SO yummy. I would definitely do that again and there's a good chance we'll get to since they seemed to really enjoy the music. On Saturday, I went to December Workshops, which was highly enjoyable. Someday, someday, I will try out for Chelonia. :)

Only a few more days left. Then it's home to working and making money and seeing the furries!! Oh, and Christmas. Hah.

Ack! Men!

2006-11-28T02:25:56Z

So frustrating. That is all.

In other news, Thanksgiving was most excellent though I did not get enough studying done and quite possibly bombed my Organic Chem test. Erk. Additionally, the Biometrics presentation was mediocre and must be reformed by Wednesday. Oleg also makes me hate music sometimes. O.o But whatever. I digress. Thanksgiving... Alex and I hung out in my abode and watched Kung Fu Hustle and The Bourne Supremacy whilst awaiting getting to the bus stop to get to Chicago to get home. And I am officially starved for masculinity. No, really. I hung out with a group of guys for the first time the other day and it was ridiculous how much I miss groups of boys. Anyhoo, Alex and I headed home and went practically immediately to Thanksgiving dinner, which was fabulous. So much fooooood! But of course, having stayed up all night made me just fall asleep in my pumpkin parfait, especially when wine, champagne and Bailey's-laced decaf coffee were consumed. So we left later that evening and I struggled to stay awake until approximately 7:00, when, after The Simpsons finished, I passed out in bed and woke up 14 hours later in my own bed. It was lovely. We then made our way to the Mall of America where we shopped and I saw the most beautiful pair of shoes EVER but didn't get them because they were turquoise and would necessiate another outfit to be built around them and when would I wear a silver dress?? So then we went to the Midtown Market, which was AMAZING and reminded me so much of Brazil and had the BEST Middle Eastern food I have ever had and the leftovers lasted me two meals, which was excellent and delicious. Then we came back and my furries came over and it was really good to see all of you (them!) and we watched An Inconvenient Truth, which was good, but I fell asleep near the end. :) I did want to see The Prestige this vacation but no one was showing it except Southdale (takkai desu ne!!) and downtown so the next day, having woken up around 10, Alex and I attempted to do homework until approximately 4, when we went to see the newest Bond. And despite critiques by people at school, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And then there was more studying attempted and a delicious dinner had and the next morning, bright and early, we left to come back home. Whew.

And today... pretty much sucked on the academic end but in general, it could have been much worse. Three weeks. Three weeks. It's not so bad. :) Vivaldi performance on Wednesday!! I'm nervous!! Maybe I will go to sectionals tomorrow just to practice that piece. O.o

Okay, that's all for now. Biometrics studyage time! For real!

Yet another obligatory update!

2006-11-10T02:31:24Z

I talked to Julia online the other night!! It was rather exciting since she's in CHINA!!!!!!!!! Of course, that made me miss her terribly and start looking forward to winter break even more because that's when she'll be coming home! Man, now I'm all worked up. As you might notice, I am doing everything in my power to NOT study for my biometrics test tomorrow, hence this update as I sit in the library. It has been a pretty decent week. Wednesday was Internatonal Symposium Day, which was pretty damn good AND we didn't have classes, which rocked, so no 8am biometrics, no organic chemistry, no Japanese and no English. I have officially changed my mind about the English major, but am thinking of changing/adding a major if I can... I'm seriously considering a math minor since it just looks damn cool, also a music minor and an East Asian Languages major. This mathematical biology looks interesting too, for a major, though I doubt I'll deviate from the cellular and molecular. :) There's also an internship at the Mayo clinic this summer that I'm hopefully going to apply for. ^^ That'd be cool!

Our new orchestra conductor is so... intense. Man, we sound so good but he can be so mean and demanding!! He has interesting ways of motivating us, too. Anything from "First violins, you late!" to "The democrats won, be happy and play happy!" (I didn't hear that one but Lia did, and told me.) True enough, they did win in general and I'm pretty happy about the outcome. However, the gay marriage/civil union in WI frickin' PASSED so now I can't marry a woman here and men can't marry men and WHERE IS THE LOVE?!!!! That bums me out. Also, we still have a horrid governer. Glad Rumsfeld resigned. Good riddance. Hopefully this new guy with his "we need a change in Iraq" business will make it a GOOD change and not a "Let's kill more civilians! That'll show those terrorists!" change. Whew. But we're moving forward. We've got the house, now we just need a decent president and maybe things will start looking up. I'm not going to move to Canada just yet.

This weekend should be fun, though. I don't forsee any crazy tests to study for and I'm going to see the musical, which will be fun!! I still need to see "The Prestige", too since Hugh Jackman is in it. ^^ Also, it's been awhile since I've seen a movie. Yeha.

Excited for Thanksgiving! I'm bringing home a friend! We are staying up until 3am and then flying home on Thanksgiving and eating TONS of food, then falling into a food stupor and dragging ourselves to the Mall of America for shopping/gurilla warfare on the day after Thanksgiving. Man, noooo sleep. There's a chem test the day after Thanksgiving break!!! Has she no respect for holidays and NOT STUDYING WHILE EATING TURKEY?!!!! *mutter mutter* Oh well, nothing too bad until then. ^^ I'm really looking forward to seeing my furry friends! It has been too long, my friends, too long.

Okay, now I will study biometrics. Damn ANCOVA, why can't you be significant?!!!

I forgot how good spearmint is...

2006-11-02T04:34:38Z

So I am sitting here in the library with a spearmint in my mouth and I totally forgot how good spearmint is...

Things are going fine, for those who are keeping track. :) I had a fabulous day today even though I was slightly sleep deprived due to a project for Biometrics today (a poster session) but it was totally worth it because when Ken asked the class which poster stood out to them, they said ours! It was probably due mostly to Trevor's fantastic photography. ^^ But anyways, it was good. And despite apparentely not knowing Organic Chemistry (or so I believe), I understood everything today!!! I also figured out my schedule for next semester!!! Here's the rundown:

Nihongo (still keeping at it!)
Calc II (yay!)
Cell and Developmental Biology (I hear tell that that class require 17 hours outside of class time a week... uh-huh-huh)
The Human Animal (Anthropology!)

I might also add this Hungarian class (yes, the language-- how many people can say they took Hungarian in college??), which would be soooo cool but since my advisor half-boxed my ears for taking the classes I am, maybe I'll stick to four classes. There's also a Celtic fiddling class!!!! Woot! It should be fun. Also, private lessons, orchestra and quartet. Maybe I'll try out for the play, too... :)

It is cold, ladies and gentlemen, and I have a new pea coat. It is black and pretty with fuzzy pockets. Very warm!! I also fixed another Apple laptop the other day and it made me really happy. Tomorrow we get to go to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's dress rehersal and they're doing the Overture to the Magic Flute, too, so we get to hear how it sounds played right!! I likey the music lately, it's so relaxing!!

I should get back to studying for this nihongo test tomorrow, but I just thought I'd update this thing. ^^ Ta!

Yet another update

2006-10-02T23:23:20Z

Hey kids! Things are going pretty well. Got an A on my Japanese test! *dances* There is a Biometrics test on Friday *ominous music* but it should be okay, since I've already started studying. I think my amazing roommates have been too distracting lately. (I adore them but we talk too much! And eat too much chocolate...) First-years also make me laugh. First-years... we don't call them freshman here at Beloit, oh no, they are first-years. Doesn't that make you think of Harry Potter? It definitely makes me think of Harry Potter. Sigh. Man, I can't wait for the next book. ^^

My parents came this weekend!!! We had yummy Mexican food and the Multicultural fair. Drumming was most excellent. Watched the mandala get made and then destroyed... I actually didn't go out in the evenings at all. We stayed in and slept! It was amazing. Had a dance party last night. Rachel turns 20 in two days. Two weeks til midterm break... man, I can make it!!!!

Time to go though... shukudai ga arimasu!!!!