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June 28, 2005
.....
So....plants are boring, as I have just found out.
I've been staring at the same page for 2 hours now, and have absorbed nothing. Instead I've been doing IQ tests, go me^^ I have an IQ of 135, and am a linguist. I think they have gotten that horribly wrong because most days I can hardly string a sentence together. They also likened me to Hellen Keller...yip the deaf, blind, mute woman. Ok, let me get this straight, I'm a linguist that is mute, blind and deaf...great. Please do not try this site , it's crap. Anyway, after my fantastically pants news, I spent about half an hour trying to see if an IQ of 135 was decent. They say it's above average, but I don't trust that site, I've probably got the IQ of a drooling idiot, and I was like the 10th customer to the site and so got an above average IQ. Then I've tried to verify whether I am the prodigy they said I was on other sites, but they wanted me to cough up hard earned cash, sod that. Maybe I'll get my brother to hack into my school records or something and see how brilliant my brain really is!!! Mind you, at the moment it's a pile of mushy pink and grey stuff just sitting in my head occasionally flopping around acting busy.
I hate plants
Posted by kat at 9:26 PM | Comments (0)
June 26, 2005
Hippo Birdies
To my favourite happy camper
Hope you have a fantazmical birthday filled with spinnekop-boom surprises and Balderdash silliness. I'm sorry I can't be there to give you the big hug you deserve, but you will be in my thoughts, and I'm sure in everyone elses. Next year you'll be here, with me, sipping champagne and eating strawberries shouting "Come on Tim" with the Wombles.
May you have many more wonderfully blessed years, and hurry up studying and come join me in this miserable country, I need a drinking buddy!
All my love
The Holy Beskonke
Posted by kat at 8:51 PM | Comments (0)
Peace and quiet
So it's been a while since I voiced my thoughts. Things have been a bit on the krazy side < see I spelt crazy like all the cool kids do. Mother abandoned us for 10 days, which meant cooking, cleaning, work and study, not to mention trying to keep track of what was happening on celebrity love island . I only watched it to see what psycho Paul Danan was going to do next, honest! Anyway, our quest to survive was a bumpy one, but we got there. I would like to send specials thanks to Mr Marks and Mr Spencer for their fantastic ready-meals.
Anyways, on top of general trying to look after oneself, I had assignments to finish. I finally finished my report on halophiles and their buddies, and that went off on Thursday....then my brother had to move out to our new place we have just pur-chased. Just finished moving him to the other side of the island and the fridge is stocked with essentials (beer and pizza). The upside of my brother moving out, and me staying with mother, is that now, not to her knowledge, I have my own shoe room *sniggers to herself*. Cupboards are just too small these days.
I do worry about in what way he is going to manage to devalue the house,
Enough rambling, my thoughts aren't clear enough right now, so all this probably may not make much sense. A clearer update of the goings on of my life will follow shortly.
End of broadcast. Over and out.
Posted by kat at 5:48 PM | Comments (0)
June 17, 2005
For all your cadaver needs
So I'm working through my textbooks on genetic engineering and I come across a word I don't recognise, namely cadaver. So off I go to my friendly free dictionary , and there's a link. So I click on the link, and I get this . So...... cadaver means dead body, like corpse, and you can get air-freshners especially for them. Great fun!
With that in mind, have a good weekend!
Posted by kat at 4:10 PM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2005
My cat the anti-christ
Well...not quite, but she does try. Everytime I settle down to study, her little scrawny body puffs up into the persian she knows she is, and she sprawls across my textbooks, and looks oh so cute. Then she starts to roll around and look so incredibly fluffy, that you just want to bury your face in all her fur. For all those who know my Smudgie, they will agree. The best damned good-looking cat around, with a sixth-sense for when you want to do work.
Now I must go because I have a cramp in my right shoulder from typing in an odd position, as she is lying half on the keyboard as well.
Posted by kat at 7:16 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2005
Distraction
I have had such a bad week. I just typed a wonderful piece and clicked on the little red x in the corner of my sceen.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I don't have energy to retype it. I have to go do the God damn dishes because my brother is too lazy, which we have just had an argument about and he really annoys me when he argues because he doesn't have a plausible argument and has no examples and doesn't prove anything, but still wins beacuse he is so annoying and doesn't listen to what I say so I give up.
Very much not happy at this moment in time. I have so much work to do and have really slacked off these past couple of days, and am now feeling guilty, and panicky all in one. I have to write a report titled "Halophiles are the most diverse of all extremophiles". Bacteria are boring at the best of times, but today it just seems even worse. I need to be warped somewhere for a few days, then I'll be ready to face reality again.
I need something new to do, I'm very bored with life at the moment. I get bored too easily. In a month's time I'll be going off to some proper labs, so maybe I'll look forward to that and take things off my mind.
Posted by kat at 9:11 PM | Comments (0)
June 9, 2005
A new meaning to Biological Offspring
How's this for an interesting snippet. Whilst perusing through my weekly edition of New Scientist , I came across this: Dexter Holland, of The Offspring fame, started a PhD in biology. Alas, he never finished it. Looks like there's a scientist in all of us!
Posted by kat at 1:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 8, 2005
Killer mushrooms
Just when you thought it was safe....more interesting science facts.
There's this fungi Monacrosporium doedycoides which preys on poor innocent little worms (Nemotodes). It's found in soils full of these worms and looks like a monocle on a stick. It has 3 touch-sensitive cells that, when in contact with a worm, constrict like a noose. If that's not bad enough, it immediately penetrates them with it hyphae (stalk-like things) and spills the worms contents everywhere, then sucks it all up.
I plead with all of you...when you next eat a mushroom, show no mercy. Just remember what it did to our friend the worm.
Posted by kat at 5:32 PM | Comments (0)
How to make your own lucifer
Busy reading up on mutualism between microbes and animals. So there's this squid Euprymna scolopes who lives symbiotically with some bacteria Vibrio fischeri. In layman's terms squid helps bacteria out with nutrients, bacteria make squid glow, so when he's foraging at night, the predators below don't notice him because they think he's the moon and he doesn't cast a shadow, so he surely can't be anything tasty.
Anyway, these bacteria glow due to a reaction:
A reduced flavin mononucleotide FMN.2H reacts with oxygen and long-chain aldehydes RCHO and this is all catalysed by the enzyme LUCIFERASE to result in FMN + RCOOH + water + light.
The funny thing is the nomenclature for enzymes generally goes as follows:
1.Take the product or substrate of the reaction eg. lipid's (fats to you and me)to be broken down.
2.Add an -ase.
So lipase breaks down lipids.
This can work backwards as well(just like those KISS records!), so you can work out what an enzyme does by looking at the name. Now if I'm not mistaken LUCIFERase must have something to do with lucifer aka the devil himself, but we could synthesize a devil, can we? Of course I could just be over-reacting as Lucifer is derived from the Latin words lux = light and ferous = bringer or carrier, hence light-bringer, which is a bit of an odd name for the devil, but rather appropriate for our little light reaction of the friendly bacteria.
And now you know.
Posted by kat at 4:09 PM | Comments (0)
Flaky, breaky heart...nose..ears and everything else
I thought I would draw inspriation from my childhood hero Billy Ray Cyrus . Well not really, I just found this cheesy site and thought it would be nice to share it with my nearest and dearest. I really wasn't a fan of his work...in fact, at one stage, I thought he was the anti-christ.
Specially for those who are following the saga of my little accident with the sun...I've started to flake. Yes, I found flaky skin in my tea this morning. Very appetising. And for those with inquisitive minds, no I did not drink it!
I've been trying to study, but the temptation to peel off the dry skin from my ears is just too tempting, so I thought I would distract myself by writing this masterpiece (of rubbish).
I'm now going to poke the cat, beacuse she's looking so sweet curled up on my bed. Then maybe I'll knuckle down to how a cow digests the insoluble polysaccharides it ingests. I'll give you a clue.....friendly bacteria-hours of fun
Posted by kat at 2:29 PM | Comments (0)
June 7, 2005
Lola
Just come back from the Ray Davies concert. For those of you who don't know-he was the lead singer of the Kinks...oh yes! I haven't heard such good music in a long time. Those people that call themselves musicians these days, psssht. Read this lyrical genius:
I met her in a club down in old soho
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry-cola
C-o-l-a cola
She walked up to me and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said lola
L-o-l-a lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well I’m not the world’s most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well I’m not dumb but I can’t understand
Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well we drank champagne and danced all night
Under electric candlelight
She picked me up and sat me on her knee
And said dear boy won’t you come home with me
Well I’m not the world’s most passionate guy
But when I looked in her eyes well I almost fell for my lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
I pushed her away
I walked to the door
I fell to the floor
I got down on my knees
Then I looked at her and she at me
Well that’s the way that I want it to stay
And I always want it to be that way for my lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Girls will be boys and boys will be girls
It’s a mixed up muddled up shook up world except for lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well I left home just a week before
And I’d never ever kissed a woman before
But lola smiled and took me by the hand
And said dear boy I’m gonna make you a man
Well I’m not the world’s most masculine man
But I know what I am and I’m glad I’m a man
And so is lola (my favourite line!)
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Brilliant. Other great tunes included "All day and all night" and "You really got me" both of which gave me goosebumps, and the guitars were incredible. Off to bed now, much work to do tomorrow. Hope I don't dream of transvestites....
Posted by kat at 11:08 PM | Comments (1)
June 5, 2005
Englishness
I'm reading a book at the moment by Kate Fox titled "Watching the English". It's about the Englishness of Britons and their strange rules and the way they act. One rule Kate has seemed to have ommited (so far) is the Englishness of tanning.
I proved my Englishness today. I'm sitting here with about an inch thick of moisturizer on my face, neck and shoulders. We went out on a speedboat today, which was an amazing experience. I chucked in the studies and hopped on a brand new luxary speedboat and sailed into the sunset. As romantic as this sounds, there's one detail I forgot to mention. SUNTAN LOTION.
Yes, I now have delicate skin like the English rose's petals. RED and SOFT. What you forget when travelling at high speeds on water is that the wind cools your skin, therefore you don't feel the roasting sun. When I got into the bath this evening, I glanced in the mirror, only to do a double take as I thought I had left my vest on. No no my friends, this vest that was staring back at me was my white body, with glowing red neck and arms sticking out....I have a farmers tan. I use the word tan losely in this context. Tan means more "lobster" in this context.
Apart from my hideous appearance, the rest of the day was fantastic. We saw seals and jellyfish and puffins, and when we docked at the Calf I saw so many bunnies. Like not one or two, but hundreds. And I saw a black one as well (and a few dead ones), and that was the highlight of my day.
On the way back home from the Calf we docked at another port and had Manx ice-cream. I felt like smearing it all over my face just to cool it down.
Anyways, all the moisturizer has soaked in, I need to go apply another layer.
Posted by kat at 9:46 PM | Comments (1)
June 4, 2005
Sunday 8pm
Lisening to faithless at the moment, and am kicking myself that I didn't visit their site last month. They celebrated 10 years and held a secret party for those who were intelligent enough to actually go on to their site and find out.
Wouldn't have been able to get off the island anyway, so not beating myself up too much. Let's just hope they keep going for another 10.
Posted by kat at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)
June 2, 2005
;)
As the big dark cloud from my birthday is lifting (I hate birthdays) I decided to write my first proper post. Like the way I have been feeling the past couple of days, the weather here is miserable. Not much of a good start to this....I'm already on about the weather.
Maybe I'll talk about the sheep, or roosters that wake me up in the morning, but that would be too mundane as well. So, what exactly have I got planned for this magnificent blog...not much.
Not much has happened in the past couple of years. I've grown up alot, and learnt alot about myself (that happens when you are a solitary being like myself). But, i have decided that my hermit-dom shall come to an end. I've sorted out my issues with life and its general crappy attitude towards me, and am now going to start living my life. I am a very content person at the moment. Its nice to finally be there, happy with the world. I can now move on.
To do what?, I hear you ask...well more studying of course. Just for shits and giggles I have enrolled in two more courses to bide my time. As many of you may know, I was accepted to my dream University to do my dream couse, but unfortunately I have not been residing on my little island long enough, and the government have refused my grant. But, never-the-less, I'm not going to let that get me down, there are far to many things I want to still do before I commit myself to the moneyless, drunken, studious life.
Like travel, and hopefully some of my friends would like to join me *wink, wink, nudge nudge* I'm going to make the most of my income whilst I have it. Also, personal projects whilst I have the time. Like the 2 courses I shall be doing later this year. And this year, I vow to make the most of the TT's, and enjoy Bushy's Beer tent and drink stale beer that resembles squirrel urine out of a plastic cup.
Saying all that, I should get back to my studies...the wonderful world of microbes, which as boring as that may sound, is actually facinating-just like that good bacteria in your yoghurt-hours of fun.
Kat
Posted by kat at 1:39 PM | Comments (1)
June 1, 2005
My first entry
Especially for you Drew
Here is my first entry
Nothing significant
It won't go down in history as the best first entry
But it fills the void on my page
Posted by kat at 2:28 PM | Comments (0)