« July 2005 | Main | September 2005 »
August 31, 2005
Is it so wrong?
I'm in my last week of learning new things, i.e. I'm finished with going through reems of text stuffed full of exciting information. This means that for the next 6 weeks I will be revising for The Exam (October 17th for those who want to cross their fingers, toes, and depending on how supple you are, anything else). Well, the nerves are beginning to kick in. I'm supposed to be knowledgable enough to write executive summaries about processes, evolution of genes, relationships between organisms, proper grown up topics....all with examples and Latin names!
Anyway, I've downloaded a few past exam papers, well.....infact, all the exam papers I could download, and to be honest, I'm actually excited about the exam. I can't wait for next week when I start revising. It feels like the end of the journey, and the best bit is yet to come. I used to like exams at school. 3 hours to put as much info down on paper. It was like taking a weight off my shoulder (and head), and I would feel relieved after the exam, and kind of proud I made it out alive, with the slightest bit of confidence that I did ok. I know when I've done well, and I know when the paper is going to come back with a pants mark, so I suppose that sort of makes it easier. I've never really been wrong, I just hope in this case my prediction will be right. Nothing worse than thinking you've aced an exam, and it comes back with lots of red all over it. Wanting a B in it, that'll do me fine. They say you have to aim higher, so I suppose I'll be trying to get an A then. What a daunting thought. An A in a second year exam, one of the hardest exams the OU has to offer.
I better get back to work!
P.S. 27 more pages and I'm done!
Posted by kat at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2005
Fish are friends
I've got those Thursday Concentration Gremlins. Just as the end of my 2 day study-fest draws near, and I start panicking that I haven't done all I would have liked to have done, and these little gremlins in my head start playing around with the concentration strings. Anyways, when theses little gremlins start tugging at the the strings, I find the strangest of facts extremely interesting an dwell on them for like half an hour. Todays fact is "Fish do not have eardrums (tympanic memebranes)". So I spend 25 minutes googling everything about fish and eardrums and anything else I can think of, and then end up buying something online, like this really cute suede aeroplane shaped name tag for my new lovely pink leather holdall I bought because I jet-set quite often.
Need to get back my concentration. I think some cherry cola may do it. I have a hypothesis that the bubbles wash away the gremlins, and the sugary goodness just make me feel warm and fuzzy and ready to knuckle down with some good ol' studying.
Posted by kat at 1:52 PM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2005
Health, Shmealth
So, in my efforts to get fit for summer, or well autumn in my case, because I always tend to do things in my time, I thought I'd go for a run. The body wanted to, the muscles were raring to go, but the lungs were having none of it. So I lasted 10 minutes running, if that, and part of that was because people were staring at my red face and I reckoned I better give them a reason as to why it I was red and flustered. Anyways, I realised running isn't my thing at the moment, and maybe I'll try some other activity.
Yoga, what could be wrong with that? I'll tell you what can be freakin' wrong with that. The upward dog pose. I'm a beginner, I'll try beginner's poses. Mother jokes that if anything happens, she'll give me no sympathy. I laughed back and jested that's it's only yoga. The yoga gods were not pleased, and have doomed me with pinching nerves in my back from upward dog pose.
I'm giving up exercise forever. It's overrated. I walk most places, I'm sure that'll be enough, and I have stairs at home, climb up those a few times a day. Probably better than a stairmaster I reckon. Off to find an ice pack for my back. Any tips on some exercises that a) don't have any exercise gods who can damn you to a life of eternal pain, or b) don't involve standing on your head (almost broke my bed side lamp) will be most welcome.
Posted by kat at 7:47 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2005
Creepy Crawlies
Another fanastic bite-size morsel of knowledge. There are MORE PARASITES ON EARTH THAN FREE-LIVING ORGANISMS. Doesn't really bother me, but I'm loving freaking strangers on the street out with this fact. Literally, freaking strangers out. Try it. Go outside, and the first person you see, tell them that interesting fact. The look of fear on there face is not because they have some freak randomly spewing info at them. Oh no, it's the sudden realisation that they must have at least a handful of little bugs and worms living inside their bodies at that precise moment. Mmm, mites, lice, fleas, ticks, microscopic worms.
Great fun for that mid-week slump.
Posted by kat at 2:40 PM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2005
My island....revisited
Yet another beautiful evening outside my bedroom. Oh, and also pic of my dorky fringe as promised. 'Scuse the lack of make-up and spider bite on my chest. Note to self:get someone else to take the photo next time.
Posted by kat at 8:55 PM | Comments (0)
Sunday Chilling
It's a gorgeous day out. Sun's shining, slight breeze and I've finished my really difficult assignemt, bar printing it off and drawing some graphs and diagrams. Tempted to go outside, but fear the plumes of smoke that will bellow off my skin ("it burns....its burns..."), so instead I'm reading the free dictionary (Today's word of the day is: termagant:(noun) A quarrelsome, scolding woman.) and listening to Morcheeba. Must build up the courage to print off the assingment, even though it is only due in 2 weeks time.
Posted by kat at 3:27 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2005
Flying Spaghetti Monsters
I feel compelled to share this with everyone. As an (almost) scientist, I believe looking at things from every angle.
Posted by kat at 1:57 PM | Comments (0)
August 7, 2005
You thought you were safe
Just when you thought it was safe to go back outside...Kat hits you with another astounding fact you can impress your friends with:
"About 25% of all described species of animals are beetles" (Pond, C. et al.(2001))
I wonder if that includes John, Paul, George and Ringo?
Posted by kat at 8:34 PM | Comments (1)
Back to reality
So I'm back from my adventures as a real student. Much drinking was done, and lots of good Science was practised. My tutor even let me smuggle a slide I had prepared, which when viewed, showed plant cells undergoing mitosis....such an amazing experience seeing that. The fact that I had prepared it from start to finish, and had got such an amazing result was brilliant.
I was even complemented by some old tutor. He was either a perv, or genuinely impressed with my passion for genetics, and all things geneticky
But...back to reality. Work tomorrow, big old stinky pants to that, and assigments due, one which I have been putting off for ages, and also the small issue of my end of course assigment for my week away. I'm scared of waking up tomorrow and realising that I have wished yet another day away procrastinating. My write-up is soon due and compulsory to pass the course....blah. I have an uneasy feeling about life at the moment. I suppose it is that crash back down to reality.
Tomorrow is another day, and I vow to make a start on my assigment. I also vow to try get out of as much work as possible, for obvoius reasons of course.....we wouldn't want me tiring out my brain, I have write-ups to do in the evening!
Have a happy week.
Posted by kat at 7:32 PM | Comments (0)