Honesty

Several occurrences as of late have prompted me to write this post. Honesty means the world to me. No matter how much something hurts or how you think I will react, I really value honesty above any virtue. Anything that is built on lies or has a lie involved is doomed to fail. I feel that no matter what the situation is you need to have the courage to be honest. I also value courage. It takes a lot to stand up to people, especially the ones you love. I try to encourage and foster the growth of courage in my friends and family. It is an essential virtue that is needed in order to be successful in life. I truly hate the fact that in order to get honesty or courage from people that I love that I need to provoke them. I hate the fact that I need to be angry and fight with people in order to hear the truth or get people to stand up for themselves. I think I should just host a seminar on courage and honesty and invite everyone to come. I can't wait to hear all the excuses (lies) why people can't come. I'm sure that they wouldn't have the courage to face their weaknesses and improve themselves.

Surgery

I am involved in research here at USP. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving break I walked from my apartment on 46th and Linmore over to 38th and Spruce. I was going to be assisting on the surgery of rats at 7 am. The animal research and surgery center on University of Pennsylvania's campus was located behind a heavy metal gate. I stood for a moment trying to figure out how to get through the gate. I decided on try to open the gate using psychokinesis. While deeply engaged in trying to move the gate with my mind, a Penn vet student swiped her card to open the gate. I scurried right behind her and made it through with perhaps milliseconds to spare as the metal clanged back into a locked position. I wandered up to the building and opened the glass door. What happened next can be best described as a "labyrinth" as seen in David Bowie's Labyrinth. Somehow, after climbing countless stairs and crossing over countless door frames, I ended up in front of the double-doored surgery suite. Jamie was standing there waiting for me and invited me to gown up and then join her in our surgery room. After I scrubbed up, I pulled on a hair cover, shoe cover, gown, gloves and mask. I felt like a blue smurf. I opened the doors with my butt so I didn't contaminate my gloves and waddled over to the room. Jamie was shaving the 2 rats that we were going to be operating on. After shaving, we placed one rat back into the cage and one rat into a glass box. The glass box was then filled with anesthetic gas pumping from a tube. The rat soon looked like a drunk pirate sloshing about on a ship. Jamie injected the rat with more anesthetic and we positioned the rat on the table. After about 2 hours of surgery, the rat was now the proud owner of 6 electrodes and a head cap. With a quick swipe of my sweaty brow, I made my way through the labyrinth and back out towards that metal door. I pushed the red exit button and breathed in a gulp of fresh air. I tiredly made my way back from 38th street back to my apartment on 46th street. As I collapsed on my bed for a nap before classes, a satisfied smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

Clothes!

I ordered some shirts from a website about 2 months ago. I got them today! I was so excited when I got home. Ripping open the package was harder then I thought it would be so I used scissors. I got 2 Boondock Saints t-shirts and an Omega Chi Psi t-shirt (my fraternity). I also got a Boondock Saints shirt for my 5 year old soon to be nephew. I wish I had more time today. I have to go to work in about a half and hour. However, I have off this weekend and I am hopefully going to get a tremendous amount of work done. I feel motivated, and I am hoping that that feeling lingers so I can be successful this weekend. I wish there was like a freezer full of motivation and I could just reach in, grab a portion, nuke it on high for 30 seconds. I would then eat it and feel extremely motivated. It would be made of chocolate and in the shape of an elephant. Delicious!

Live Free and Prosper

I am so excited that Star Trek 2009 is now out on DVD! Earlier this year, my boyfriend and I took my brother and his girlfriend to go see a movie. I glanced through the movies and just picked one based on the length. I had heard of Star Trek but I did not know any of the background. I was completely entranced by this amazing world. I became obsessed. I started watching The Original Series of Star Trek with William Shatner/Leonard Nimoy on the CBS website. I continued to become even more obsessed and in love. I now own all 3 seasons of the TOS. My boyfriend and I ordered T-shirts from Kellogg's. I got a blue science t-shirt and he got a gold captain t-shirt. We plan on wearing the shirts as well as the pins that come with the movie this Saturday when we watch it!

My outerworldly 21st birthday experience

Sunday was my 21st birthday. My car insurance went down. More importantly, I celebrated this wondrous occasion on Saturday with my family...in a graveyard. How did this joyous affair end up in a dark gloomy cemetery? Well, my cousins Diana and Jen as well as my mom and I were all sitting around my Grandmom's dining room table munching on birthday cake. Diana mentioned that she wanted to visit my Aunt Emily's grave the next day; this sparked my desire to go have a birthday drink with my Grandpa. My Grandpa died 10 years ago and I miss him dearly. I always wonder if he is proud of the woman I have become. So I presented my idea to the table and was surprised when I heard the unanimous chorus of "YES". Piling in my mom's car, we put the environmentally friendly grocery bag in the trunk filled with wine coolers. We reached the graveyard and pulled in; the gates were open despite the fact that it was 11pm and it closes at dusk. I popped the cap off of my Bahama Momma and took a pull. I also removed the cap to my Grandpop's drink, a fuzzy navel. I place drink beside his grave and though there was no wind, it tipped over. In the pictures there was a substantial sized orb between Jen and I. I think Grandpa really was there, drinking it up for my birthday.

The semi-annual stress of registration

Leaning at the edge of my seat, my heart slamming in my chest, my contacts swirling in my eyes....yes, its time for registration. I dread this time every semester. I get so stressed out and worried that I will not be able to get the classes that I would like. I constantly push refresh to see how many seats are left in the classes and silently curse everyone who gets to register before me. Days before registration, I send out emails to the professors that have classes I want to take. They do not understand my paranoia. "Don't worry about it, there are still 10 seats left. Come see me if they run out." Why do they choose to feed my paranoia monster by not humoring me and just sign me into the classes? After the 5k marathon of registering, I feel exhausted but oddly hyperactive. I want nothing more then to just lie down in my bed and dream. Oh no. Sleep is a distant possibility on a registration night, so I must be content with hooking myself up to an IV of coffee the next morning. I guess its good that I'm an IV technician. Can someone pass me an 18G needle?

Profile Piece

The first thing you want to do when you write a profile piece is to find someone you would like to interview. You want to find someone who is "newsworthy", or worth reading about. Next, do some background research on the individual. Do google searches or talk to people who might now them. Then send out an email/telephone call to that individual. State that you would like to interview them. Cross your fingers and hope they accept! When they do, because everyone likes to talk about themselves, start brainstorming interview questions. Come up with an angle for your story and base the questions off of that. Talk to other people and see if they can think up any questions. Finally, have an interview. Enjoy getting to know the individual and look for details that will describe the individual's personality. Compile all of your information and begin to write a draft of your article. If you have further questions as you write, call/email that individual and ask for a follow-up interview. Good Luck!