Campus Codger

The Buddha and Colission Theory - How to Solve the Equation

2010-10-05T15:34:00.001-06:00

In the past three years I've gotten a lot of traffic to my “Move Over Buddha” post. Some of the traffic, undoubtedly, trying to figure out the answer to the very question I was faced with:

Calculate the fraction of atoms in a sample of argon gas at 400 K that have an energy of 10.0 kJ or greater.

I know this only because I discovered that someone had left me a comment, asking for clarification.

It may help you if I explain a bit about where this comes from, and then rewrite the equation for you. Keep in mind that I haven't dealt with this kind of thing for about three years so, I'm a bit rusty. If you notice anything seriously wrong, leave a comment and let me know.

Collision Theory

With few exceptions, reaction rates increase with increasing temperature. A rule of thumb in chemistry is that an increase in temperature by 10 degrees C doubles the reaction rate. The rate constant's dependence on temperature is explained by collision theory. Collision theory assumes that, for a reaction to occur, reactant molecules must collide with an energy greater than some minimum value and with the proper orientation. This minimum energy of collision required for two reactant molecules to react is called the activation energy, or Ea.

Raising the temperature increases the fraction of molecules having high kinetic energies. These are the ones most likely to react when they collide. The higher the temperature, the larger the fraction of molecules that can provide the activation energy needed for reaction.

The fraction of reactant collisions having energy greater than the activation energy can change rapidly with even small temperature changes. It can be shown that f is related to the activation energy, Ea, by the equation

Let's define the parts of the equation:

f = frequency of molecules having a high enough kinetic energy to react (i.e. greater than the activation energy)

Ea = the energy of activation for the kind of molecule in question (i.e. argon molecules)

R = the universal gas constant (8.31 J/mol.K )

T = the absolute temperature (Kelvin)

e = the inverse natural logarithm (inverse ln).

Now, let's rewrite the equation slightly, just to help me clarify the math.

Let's add the values and units from the original problem.

The top uses kilojoules, while the bottom uses joules. Let's the top part by 1000/ k in order to bring the units on the top and bottom of the equation into agreement. We'll also rewrite the temperature (400K) to make the math more clear.

Multiplying the top part of the equation, and the bottom part of the equation, the temperature unit (K) cancels, and the equation is somewhat simplified.

We can now invert the denominator to simplify the equation further, and make sure we deal with the units properly.

Multiplying across, the energy units (J - Joules) cancel and the equation if further simplified.

Dividing we end up with this:

Now, we take the inverse natural log of 3.0 mol and find the solution: 20.1 mol of argon.

I hope that explanation helped. If you see anything wrong with my math, or anything else. Let me know.

Please Help my Friend

2008-08-12T11:27:00.001-06:00

I know I've not posted for a long time, but I thought it would be worth coming out of accidental hiatus to post this.

It turns out that Dan Smith, a long time friend of mine, is fighting cancer for the second time. He went in a year ago with thyroid cancer, which they thought they had treated successfully, but it's come back in a form no one expected.

You can find Dan's story here:

http://cad-comic.com/news.php?i=1668#1670
http://cad-comic.com/news.php?i=1673#1673
http://cad-comic.com/news.php?i=1673#1674
http://cad-comic.com/news.php?i=1684#1684

and here:

http://yw7.brushthralls.com/

This has hit me harder than I would have thought it might. It may be because I'm just coming out of losing my father to an aggressive brain cancer. I don't know.

Dan and I lost track of each other some years ago. There was a sort of unspoken falling out, as it were. (The details aren't important.) I've tried to make contact with him on a few occasions through email, but he's never returned them. In spite of that, I want to encourage everyone to go read Dan's story and, if you can, donate through PayPal at the http://yw7.brushthralls.com/ page, to help his family offset the medical costs.

Thank you.

Aikido is Cool

2008-03-27T20:45:00.002-06:00

First off, let me apologize for not posting in a very long time. Life has been busy and I've had other projects that needed my attention.

One thing that has been happening, though, is I'm trying to get back into shape. I've managed to do a light workout every morning for a month, and I think I've lost four pounds.

Part of what's driven this is that I miss doing martial arts. Years ago I studied Seidokan Aikido. I loved it! I never got my black belt or anything, but I did study very seriously for a couple of years, and even did some student teaching.

Anyway, I've been missing it and I've been trying to get myself back into shape so I can start doing it again.

On a whim, I hit YouTube and did a search for "aikido." I found some pretty cool stuff. I just did the search again today and . . . oh . . . my . . . word. This guy, Anthony Yates, 6th Dan in Yoshinkan Aikido, is amazing.

Root Canals and VH1

2008-01-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

The morning of the first dental treatment went well. I woke up early, nervous as a fly at a frog convention. I took a shower, got dressed, found my wallet and keys, and headed out the door.

Arriving at the dentist's office I was greeted with a smile by the receptionist, a nice brunette in her late 40's. “Hello, Mr. Newman! How are you this morning?”

“I'm okay,” I lied.

“Good!,” the receptionist beamed. “Just take a seat and they'll be ready for you in a minute.”

“Don't you want me to pay you, first?” I questioned.

“No, usually we do that after. Sometimes more things get done, and sometimes less, depending on what happens.” she replied, confidently.

“Are you sure you don't want me to pay you now? I might not be in the mood to pay you after.” I asked, only half joking.

She paused and turned her chair towards me, looking off into space, her smile full of chagrin. “You may have a point.” She said, her eyebrows raised. “I've never thought about it that way.”

Seeing I'd turned her brain upside down, I felt my work was done and sat down to wait. There was a young mother and her 3 year old son waiting ahead of me but, much to their consternation, they called me in first.

“John?,” the blond, twenty-something dental assistant called. “Do you want to come back now?”

I got up from my chair and started going back to the treatment chairs. “Is that a trick question?”

Seated in the off-white chair, I was offered a remote control for the small, LCD television strategically mounted to the ceiling above. “Would you like to watch a little TV? Take you mind off being here a little bit?”

“Sure.” I said. “Thanks.”

It was about 8:10 in the morning and the only thing on most of the broadcast channels was news. I didn't need more stress, so I avoided all that. There was a golf game going on on ESPN. That was at least relaxing but, I don't like watching golf on TV. At least, not for very long.

After surfing through the channels a few times, I found three possible programs I could handle: an old episode of Pokemon on cartoon network, Xena – Warrior Princess, and VH1. I flipped between Pokemon and Xena a few times, getting quickly bored with each (was Xena this cheesy when I was younger?), and settled on a Lenny Kravitz video on VH1. Not bad. I sat in the chair, closed my eyes and listened to the music for a while.

Then a Britanny Spears Video came on an I went back to Pokemon until it was over.

The dentist, Dr. HS, came over, along with a cute assistant, a brunette, this time. I turned off the TV so I could give him my full attention. That, and I don't want to associate music with pain.

We exchanged pleasantries, I assured him it wasn't the work I was worried about so much as the needles, and so he got started strait away torturing me with the needles.

I've really got to be careful about what I say, in the future.

“Just little pinch,” he said, as he poked me on the outside part of my gums. It was just a pinch, too. Good for you, Doc.

“Just one more pinch,” he said, and then he poked me on the inside of my toothline. Dentists have a strange notion of what 'pinches' are like. Sure. Maybe a pinch from Godzilla's claws. I have to give it to Dr. HS, though. It didn't hurt for as long as I was used to for such things.

The dentist went away for awhile, to give the anesthetic time to kick in, so I turn the TV back on. After a couple of music videos, and some more channel surfing, he came back and got started on the root canal. To be honest, it went pretty fast. I was nervous watching all the weird tools he was using and listening to the drill, but it was over quicker than any I've had before.

After giving me false hope for less painful procedures to come, he brought back the needles to numb me for the rest of the work, a couple of extractions. As I sat there in the chair, smashing the ends of the arm rests under my grip and involuntarily groaning because of the continued torture, it occurred to me that I was actually going to pay this guy to hurt me. How sick is that?

The extractions went well, except for the last one. I could feel every poke, prod, pull, and twist with terrible exactness. Dr. HS got his needles out to “numb me up more” he said. I think it was just to get me to stop complaining about the other pain.

“Here! I'll give you something really painful to complain about!” I imagined him saying.

He didn't say anything of the sort, of course. But he still poked me with nasty sharp needles.

The anesthetic wouldn't take though. He'd try and get it out, I'd cringe and shout, and he'd give me more shots. It took six shots of, two or three absolutely excruciating ones directly into the nerves of the tooth (which about took me out of the chair and onto the ceiling), to get me numb enough to do the work. Dr HS estimated it was about three gallons worth.

When he came back once more to pull the last one I was seriously thinking of telling him just to yank the darn thing, regardless of how I was feeling, just to avoid the needles. Thankfully, three gallons had been enough.

It occurred to me that it was a good thing I never served in an actual war when I was in the USMC. If the torturers there had been trained as well as my dentist, I'd have rolled over like a bag of wet fish.

After it was done he took a couple more x-rays, just to make sure he'd gotten everything. I was fortunate in that he'd done his job right the first time and didn't have to get back into the chair. (No more torture, please! I'll talk, really I will!)

I headed back to the reception desk to pay my bill and pick up the prescriptions. “Great interrogation session Doc!” I said to myself. “Lot's of pain. I don't think I'll give you a tip, though.”

After paying the receptionist I realized how they got people to pay them for all the torture. The receptionist was the keeper of the prescription slips. Thank goodness my prayers have been answered. Dr HS gave me a prescription for Percocet, my old pain killing friend, and an antibiotic.

The dental assistant gave me directions on how and when to replace the gauze in my mouth. “You can remove it when you eat and drink of course,” she said.

I shook my head, wondering what gave her the idea I'd want to eat anything for the rest of the week, let alone that day.

After it was over, and my credit card balance was a little higher, I drove directly to the pharmacy to fill the prescriptions. The pharmacist asked, “Are you going to the dentist, or are you coming back?”

“Just got done,” I mumbled through the bloody gauze in my mouth.

“Oh, okay. I won't make you talk to me anymore, then.” he said, smiling sheepishly. I was grateful.

The rest of the day was a blur of pain, Percocet, and pirates. The dentist had told me to sit up to help keep the swelling down so I sat in my wife's blue recliner and watched the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. All three of them. Back to back. Mostly I just swallowed the pills, felt sleepy and drugged, and wondered how I could have a headache even while on Percocet.

Oh yeah. The girls kept fighting after they got home from school. That's when I got the headache. It's hard to tell what mood I'm in when I'm drugged out of my mind, I guess.

Several hours later, I finally removed the last of gauze. Most of the bleeding had stopped, and I just couldn't take it filling my mouth, anymore. After a few more hours of TV, water, and an upset stomach from the pills, I went to bed.

Thankfully, I felt a lot better in the morning. Not so much pain. I just felt like I'd been put through a clothes wringer and come out the other end.

Oh, yeah. I kind of did.

Open Wide and say "Ouch"

2008-01-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my first day in the dentist’s chair to get my teeth fixed and I’m getting nervous. Among other things scheduled for that extended visit is a root canal.

Ick.

I’ve had root canals before, but they’re never fun. Mostly, though, I just hate pain.

It’s not the work, or the recovery pain, that’s the worst, though. It’s those darn Novocain needles. Getting shots in your mouth is bad. Even worse is when they have to stick you in the roof of your mouth.

Guess where most of my work is being done?

I’m shuddering just thinking about it.

My brother likes the nitrous oxide, and he claims it really helps him deal with the pain of the shots. In the past I’ve not done very well with the “happy gas,” though. Instead of being “happy gas” for me, it’s more like “paranoid gas.” Lord knows I don’t need to get paranoid while I’ve got someone coming at me with tiny needles, drills and other sharp, pointy implements of torture.

It’s been several years since I last had nitrous oxide, though. I may give it another try.

Pray for me. Pray for Percocet.

Remember, if you want to help me out, and ease my stress levels, you can donate money to help me get my teeth fixed by clicking on the “donate” button on the left.

Thanks!

Announcing the Fix John’s Teeth Fund and Contest

2008-01-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

I've got crappy teeth.

I know. That was an insanely personal and embarrassing reveal but, I don't care. It's just the way it is. I've always had soft teeth. It doesn't look like it going to change much.

Unless I give up soda.

Which, believe it or not, I'm seriously entertaining. It turns out that stuff will kill you and I've been hooked on it for years.

Several years ago my dentist and I had created a plan to fix most of my teeth. Within a month I lost my job, my insurance, and my income.

So much for getting my teeth fixed.

Several years later (including a few years of putting it off so my wife and children could get their own dental work done) I've gotten my income level back to a point where I feel like I can get back to the dentist and get me teeth fixed.

Hooray for me.

The trouble is that, because it's been so many years, my teeth are that much worse. So I need more work. A lot more. Not quite half the price of a new car kinda work. It’s going to cost enough that I was actually teasing my dentist with the idea that I would get new teeth, and he would get a vacation to Disneyland.

Even though it's going to be expensive, I'm feeling okay about it. It’s a much more permanent solution than anything I’ve had done to my mouth before. I've wanted to get this done for quite some time, and I'm not going to let anything put me off of it this year.

It's kind of funny. My wife has been talking about a buying a few things like a new cell phone, or faster internet access, or cable TV ... you name it. See, we can probably afford it but, I don't want to do it. All it means is less money for me to spend on getting my teeth fixed.

Part of the problem, though, is that the dentist wants the money in advance. His office won't carry the bill, and I can't really blame them. The lab-work alone will cost a bunch.

So, I'm scrambling to get money to pay him. I've got enough to get started in savings, but not all of it.

To help offset the cost I’ve decided to do a bit of shameless begging. Yes, I’m that pathetic. I’ve set up a fund that I’m asking you to donate to. Please. Any amount you want. All of it will go to pay my dental bill and get me new teeth. You’ll see a donation button (courtesy of PayPal) over on the right of the page. Be sure to leave me a note with the donation so I know who to thank for my new biting ability. (See? I knew you guys were nice! Maybe there is hope in the world.)

Maybe I can hold a contest, or something. The person who donates the most will get ... oh, I don’t know. Something personal, like a signed original of some of my music, or some other such thing.

The nightmare ... erm ... adventure ... begins next week. Wish me luck.

Better yet, send me money.

(I feel so pathetic.)

Surviving Christmas

2008-01-08T16:27:00.001-07:00

I hate the holidays. I thought I was going to enjoy them this year for a change but, that was just wishful thinking. Maybe I was hallucinating from all the excitement of not having to go to work for two whole weeks. I don't know.

In any case my Christmas and New Years were just as crappy as they usually are. Hours of feeling uncomfortable at my in-laws, more "Honey-Do" projects than you can shake a stick at - you name it, I had to endure it.

To top if off I ended up getting strep throat two days after Christmas, and spent most of my "holiday vacation" laid-up in bed. Thank goodness for Star Trek videos.

Between the DVD player and forced sleep I didn't really get to do much. Not doing much would normally be wonderful for a holiday, but when you're sick it's not so much a choice as a forced way of life.

What a jip. I started feeling better just in time to go back to work.

Now that I'm back to work I think my boss has given me a cold. He's had something going around his family and I guess he wanted to share with his friends, too. Misery loves company.

The trouble is that I can't take off work and rest like he did, today. I've got too many new clients to deal with. That creates an immediate conflict with my belief that you should stay home if you have a cold. You know? So you don’t spread the germs like my boss did? I’ve met way too many people that just don’t grasp simple germ theory.

I hate being sick.

Is Death Coded In Our DNA?

2007-12-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered if death might be a beneficial thing, in terms of human evolution? I’m not talking about destroying the species, I’m talking about the idea that there is a beneficial side to members of the species dying at prescribed times. If that’s true, is death encoded in our genes?

This sounds really morbid, I know. Maybe it is.

Let me tell you what got me thinking about it, though.

Lately I’ve been seeing different reports about how the human lifespan is increasing. You’d think that this would be the goal with evolution. Long life = healthy species. But, we’ve also been seeing more degenerative diseases cropping up in our society than we ever had before. Some are speculating it’s because we’re living longer than we used to. People of earlier generations just didn’t live long enough to develop them.

I’ve also been thinking about the problems with cloning. The cells used to clone animals seem to know how old they are. The clones develop diseases comparable to the older animals and die earlier than they should.

It makes sense. Some have speculated that aging is simply the result of mistakes cropping in from time to time within our DNA when cells replicate, especially in the mitochondria. Cells are pretty good at catching those mistakes, but it’s not a perfect system.

Now let’s look at forest fires. It turns out that forest fires may not be all that bad for the plants in the forests. Destroying old growth makes room for the new growth that lives below the vertical fire line. They’d be choked out by the older growth, otherwise.

This isn’t a great example, because it’s environmental, but stay with me.

The same hold true with animals. When older animals die, or herds are thinned by predators, there’s less competition for resources. The younger ones have a better chance for survival.

Anything that codes for a mutation in a species’ genome, that allows it to adapt to changing conditions and survive while others die, allows that mutation to be passed on to it’s children. It creates a stronger creature that is better “fit” for survival. If death allows for the younger, stronger creatures to more easily survive, could death be an adaptation that is actually coded in our genome as a tool for survival?

It seems contradictory, I know. But, what if it’s not? Does that mean that our efforts to prolong the lifespan of those who are genetically damaged, or otherwise have been “selected for death,” run counter to evolutionary progress as a species?

The social ramifications of this, if it’s right, are frightening. I can easily imagine the potential horror of governmental policies that could be developed around this idea. Children that are “imperfect” would be left to die. Adults that are “imperfect” could be left to die. Their contributions to our society would be lost. If you really wanted to “go down the rabbit hole” with this, it could lead to a “Logan’s Run” or “Brave New Word” scenario, where "undesirables" aren’t just allowed to die, they are actively killed.

And all by government mandate.

Sometimes I scare myself.

My First Week with Vista

2007-12-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

I've had my new Vista (Home Basic) computer running for about a week now. I gotta tell ya', it's not that bad. I was expecting a lot of problems, but to be honest, I only ran into a couple of hiccups, and they were solved pretty simply.

The first is backward compatibility. There were several older programs I've got that I couldn't get to run properly, or even install - like my old copy of Myst and a few of my kid's programs. I was pleasantly surprised with others. Links (1999) and Tomb Raider III have never run better.

The next was my ISP. The software they used simply wasn't compatible with Vista. Not a big deal. They had been bought out by Netscape about a year or so ago and so all I had to do was cancel my regular account and open a Netscape account. Same price, same servers. It took about and hour, and some frustration with the one of the outsourced tech support people (Only one. The others were very good.), but in the end it got cleared up.

The last was my scanner/printer. Again, the drivers just weren't compatible. No big deal, though. With my ISP problems worked out I just hit the manufacturer's website and downloaded new drivers. Now it works like a charm.

If only the ink cartridges weren't so expensive.

But I digress.

There's one thing about it I really like about Vista - the Parental Controls. It was incredibly easy for me to set up my kids with their own accounts and limits as to what kinds of games, software, and even the times of day they can access the computer. It was ten times easier than setting up user access controls under XP.

I got to see it work, first hand, too. I was showing my middle daughter how to get into her account. It was later in the evening, and nearing the time I'd set up as a limit for when she could get on the computer. I clicked on something and BOOM, it came back to her log-in screen and told her she wasn't authorized to use the computer at this time. It turns out the clock had struck 8:00 PM and her account had turned into a pumpkin.

What's even better is that the games and programs I don't want her using don't even show up as options. She can't get tempted by them in the first place.

As a parent of young children, that's pretty cool.

Does Buying Vista Mean I’m Insane?

2007-11-27T20:42:00.001-07:00

I don’t know what it was, but I went crazy after Thanksgiving this year. The whole Black Friday bug bit me, and I spent a lot of money on new furniture and toys.

Okay, one new toy. A new computer.

It’s running Windows Vista.

What in the world was I thinking!?

Everything I’ve been reading about Vista tells me that it’s buggy and no where near backwards compatible. I just didn’t think I’d buy anything dealing with Vista until next year, at the earliest. “Let ‘em sort out more o’ them ish-ooos!” was my motto. The Black Friday bug got me instead. That’s my trouble. (My apologies to Jim Hensen.)

Why do they call it Black Friday anyway? The store’s finances certainly operate “in the black” on that day. It makes mine “go into the red.”

Here’s my excuse.

We have a family computer in our house. It’s in the living room so that we can easily monitor what my children are doing on the web. There are two other computers set up in the house (and about three more that aren’t). The computer in my music studio, and my daughter’s computer that we got her to encourage her story writing.

The family computer was getting old and out of shape (much like I am). It just wasn’t doing what we needed it to do anymore, and it was getting harder and harder to deal with its aging idiosyncrasies. Older hardware and newer programs will do that to you.

So we got a new one. I got a pretty good deal, too.

Now, because of backward compatibility issues, I’ve had to change my ISP (I’m not kidding), and less than half of the kid’s programs I’ve tried to install will run on it.

And I’ve only tried installing a few of them.

Oh, well. There is one upside. Vista has some killer parental controls. Now my kids will have a lot harder time sneaking time on the computer if we don’t want them to.

Now if I can just figure out how to get Writer Girl to turn off her computer and go to bed.

I feel stuck

2007-11-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

I miss school. I really do. Because of family and financial issues I didn't go back this semester. I also missed the financial aide deadline for this year so, I'm feeling stuck.

In the meantime, I picked up an older edition of Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, and an older text book on the pathology of disease, at a library book sale. They've been fun to browse through and read (the pathology book is fascinating), but they're not really getting me closer to my goal.

It's not good to be stuck.

Claudia (Fran) Davila's Post-Oil Survival Guide

2007-11-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

I know I've mentioned fellow blogger, Fran Davila, before. She's outdone herself this time.

I'm blown away.

Fran has started a new blog to post her research and efforts in creating sustainable metropolitan living spaces. It's called the Post-Oil Survival Guide for City Living.

The guide isn't complete, yet, and I've not read through everything she's posted so far, either. What I'm seeing is amazing, though. It's well worth the read.

No, it's even better. It's worth starting to implement, now.

I am the Candy Slave

2007-10-30T15:13:00.000-06:00

Halloween is upon us. Soon, many a youngster will come knocking on my door and shout 'trick or treat' at the top of their lungs. I, being the dutiful candy slave, will open my door and fill their bags with sticky confections designed to make them hyper and send their dentists to Disneyland.

In Scotland and parts of Northern England, the tradition is called 'guising.' The principle is the same. Kids go from door to door dressed up as who-knows-what and beg for the candy. The difference is they're expected to do something for it. Normally the kids will recite a short poem or a funny joke. More talented kids might play the harmonica or sing a song, or do a card trick or something. Most kids get a treat no matter what or how well they do. They certainly would if they came to my house.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It's a great excuse to just step out of our everyday lives and have some fun. I love reading and telling scary stories, watching the old black and white monster movies with my kids, and just generally having fun. My kids get into it, too, and not just for the candy. They like dressing up as their favorite heroes and heroines and parading around to our neighbor's houses. This year I think I'll don a gray hooded cloak, attach some reference to spider webs, and go as the "Web Master."

Trust me. It was funny a few minutes ago.

Outside of all the sugar, I actually think it's healthy. Creating costumes is a wonderful problem solving exercise. The kids get a little exercise wandering the neighborhood. And let's face it, we all need a little more fun in our lives.

How We Digitized My Daughter

2007-10-11T17:40:00.000-06:00

It's Violin Girl's 13th birthday. I'm thinking I need to change her pseudonym, though. She's all but given up on the violin, these days. What she's really been getting into is writing fantasy stories.

She's really good. Yeah, she's still a kid and her writing shows that but, some of her stories have got me and her mom saying, "When are you going to write the next chapter?" Her ideas and characters have really grabbed our attention.

In order to encourage her writing, My Lovely Wife (MLW) and I decided to get Writer Girl (see? I told you I was thinking of changing it) a computer. Actually, we're going to clean up an older one that we're not using for much any more and let her have it.

We're cheap. What can I say?

All last week I've been clearing off old files and making sure she has the software she'll need installed. I've stayed up way too late at night doing this too, I might add.

We've been planning this for some time, now. We got her a roll-top computer hutch for her room a few months ago. She'd wanted a desk to do homework on, so we had a great excuse to get the master computer plan underway without her suspecting a thing.

There was one problem, though. We needed to replace the broken shelf the monitor would sit on. No problem. MLW would measure the desk and get a new one.

Initially, we wanted to set it up and let her discover it when she got home from school, yesterday. MLW cleaned off Writer Girl's desk earlier that day, and was going to move the computer, but ran into a snag. Two snags, actually. The monitor we had for her was too big for the desk, and MLW had measured the shelf size badly. The one she bought was too small.

MLW hurried and put the computer back and called me at work. We'd have to try another plan but, neither of us could deal with it until later in the day because of work responsibilities. Unfortunately, that would be after Writer Girl got home from school.

Rats.

When Writer Girl got home, she noticed that all of the things she had on the desk were now on her bed. Like all hormone laden teenage girls faced with such situations would do, she confronted her mother.

"Mom! Why is all of my stuff off the desk, and on my bed?"

"Ummm ...." MLW isn't good at coming up with believable lies at short notice. "I wanted to help you clean your room for your party, but I had to quit in the middle and go to work."

"MAW-awm!" Writer girl whined in the way that only young teenage girls can, "That's just rude!" and she stomped down the stairs to her room, promptly putting everything back on her desk.

Fortunately for us, this was the same day as "Young Women's," a weekly group meeting for all the teen and pre-teen girls in our local church. Writer Girl would be out of the house. We had our chance, and we struck.

When I got home from work, later than I'd planned I might add, Writer Girl was already gone to "Young Women's." MLW and I created a new battle plan, which amounted to me running around the city to get a new shelf and monitor, and hightail it back home to complete the "secret op."

It was 8:00 PM. The stores I needed to hit closed at 9:00 PM. Writer Girl would be home any minute. The odds were against us, but you only turn 13 once, and we wouldn't have another chance to try and pull this off.

I didn't make it back in time.

As fast as I was, it still took 50 minutes to get the two different stores I needed to go, secure the goods, and get back to base. I came home to find Writer Girl sitting with MLW in my bedroom, smiling sheepishly.

"I told her she had to stay in here for a while, because you'd gone out to get her a surprise." MLW said.

Okay. Maybe we can do this, after all. Most of it, anyway.

MLW and sprang into action. I went back out to the car and brought in the monitor and shelf, and took them downstairs. The shelf needed to be cut to size, but I could do that.

Yeah, right.

After fiddling with two different saws and spreading sawdust all over the floor, I discovered that my carpenter father was right - measure twice, cut once. Apparently carpentry skills are not genetic because I'd cut the shelf way too short for her desk.

I'm just glad my daughter wasn't downstairs with us. I let loose with a string of vocabulary words that stretched well beyond the limits of what's proper around young women.

It was beyond the limits for most adults, too. And I had served in the Marine Corps, so that's saying something.

MLW remembered that we still had another shelf we'd used in another area of the house, but weren't using anymore. She found it (I have no idea how) and we got the shelf cut to the proper size this time.

Things got a bit simpler from here on out. Moving the computer over and installing it on her desk wasn't too difficult. A power cable had become lost in the process but it didn't much time, and more stretched verbiage, to find it.

The whole thing was so nerve wracking for me I swear I'm going to need therapy.

We fired up the computer, and made sure everything was still working right. I'd searched the 'net and found some pictures of horses to use for wallpaper (Writer Girl loves horses), and left it turned on so she could see it when she came down.

MLW went upstairs to get a camera and Writer Girl while I mopped the sweat off of my forehead, and tried to keep a straight face.

Writer Girl came downstairs, turned the corner and peered into her room. She stood there for several minutes, speechless and smiling.

New shelf and used monitor? - $20.00

One session of stress therapy? - $200.00

Look on your 13 year old daughter's face when she realizes how much you believe in her, and want to support her in developing her talents? - Priceless.

What Do You Get a Pregnant Gamer?

2007-10-03T17:11:00.000-06:00

A good friend of mine just popped his head into my office to tell me he's expecting a baby. Well, his wife's expecting, anyway. Early spring of next year.

This is exciting news! He's excited to become a father, she's excited to become a mother, and I'm excited for them both. Lots of 'excited' goin' on here.

After congratulating them, my first thought was some of us in the office should pitch in and get them some kind of congratulatory gift. That's what you're supposed to do in this sort of situation, isn't it? I'm just not sure what to get them.

Both of these folks are rabid adventure gamer geeks. They love Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: the Gathering, Munchkin, and all sorts of weird and fun games like that. His newly pregnant wife loves Manga on top of it.

I like all those things, too, so you'd figure I could come up with an idea for a good gift.

The trouble is I can't. What do you get a pregnant Manga loving gamer chick to celebrate her ... um ... pregnantness?

I don't recall seeing any fantasy titles like "Conan the Babysitter," or "Lord of the Diapers." I’ve certainly not seen any Manga titles like "Ghost in the Womb," "Cowboy Babybop," or "Goo Goo Hakusho,” either.

Hmmm. I wonder if “Kiki’s Delivery Service” counts?

Nah.

If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Rice that Survives Floods

2007-09-19T15:01:00.000-06:00

My friend Mark sent me to a news article about a new strain of rice that can survive flood waters. It was developed in the Philippines, but it was a group of scientists in Bangladesh that were singing its praises.

According to the article, about a fifth of Bangladesh disappears under flood waters every year, causing all kinds of havoc with their crops. This new strain of rice could be a god-send for them.

As Mark and I were talking, though, neither of us could help wondering why they would keep planting in fields that are destroyed by water every year.

An Apology to Anyone Who Cares

2007-08-22T15:46:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've not updated the blog for a while. I've been incredibly busy at work, and I've just not had time to write much beyond what I do for my day job.

It doesn't look like it's going to end in the near future, either. I've got at least a couple more weeks of darkness and insanity to wade through before I'll actually get to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

So, it looks like I'm going on temporary hiatus for a while. If anyone wants to 'guest blog' I'd be happy to entertain them.

See you on the other side.

How I Fell in Love with Danica McKellar

2007-07-30T17:40:00.000-06:00

I came across this by way of WWdN: In Exile, Will Wheaton's wonderful blog. Danica McKellar, who starred in "The Wonder Years" as 'Winnie,' has just written a book called 'Math Doesn't Suck.' (I've used Will's link here, so if you buy it from this link, he'll thank you.)

Danica wants to encourage girls to do math. She wants to show them that being smart is infinitely better than being stupid. What a wonderful break from the images and ideals mass media is throwing at us!

I may have to pick this up for my daughters. They already know that 'Dad' thinks math is cool, but is someone as smart and beautiful as Danica says it too, it may give them extra incentive.

Then again, maybe I'm not doing that bad. My oldest daughter brought her near failing grade in math up to an "A" by the end the last school year. Kudos to her!

Who's Got Your Back?

2007-07-25T17:58:00.000-06:00

I found a really cool chiropractic blog the other day, Dr. Shiraki's Blog. He's a chiropractor out in Hawaii, and he's got a great site. It really got me excited about working to become a chiropractor again.

He seems like a really nice guy, too. He even emailed me over a couple of comments I left. I think I was a little too forthcoming with him in my replies, though. In retrospect, my responses to him probably sounded a little creepy.

Sorry.

In any case, one of his policies is absolutely inspired. He calls it the Honor Box. You really do need to check it out. He's even got his own theme song.

"Who's got your back ..."

Decisions - No Decisions

2007-07-16T15:37:00.000-06:00

I feel like I've been in a blogging funk, lately. I'm not in school right now so, what's to blog about on a student blog? My whole life feels like that, actually.

Thinking about all this, I've discovered that what I'm really be doing is avoiding making decisions, and/or acting on them. So I offer you, gentle readers, the following:

Nine things that stop me from making decisions and acting:

1. I'm interested in way too many things to pick just one.
2. I've sacrificed enough to get started on many things, only to have my life get in the way and shut me down.
3. Fear of failure.
4. Fear of success.
5. Lack of money/resources.
6. Lack of motivation.
7. Being overwhelmed by everything else in my life.
8. Laziness.
9. I don't really want what I think I want, but I keep lying to myself that I do.

Take your pick.

Not Worth Reading

2007-07-03T18:16:00.001-06:00

This post is not worth reading, so I won't bother writing it.

Feel free to comment.

Sweat and Roses

2007-06-25T17:10:00.000-06:00

It's amazing to me just how powerful smell is as a memory trigger. The smell of fresh bread takes me back to my mother's kitchen, and the memories associated with it. On a more grisly note, the smell of concentrated Lysol reminds me of my nights studying the cadaver in anatomy lab. Blood has a remarkably metallic smell. That smell reminds me of my days training as an EMT, when our teacher alternately poured old blood from the blood bank on the floor of the classroom to simulate venous bleeding, and pumping it across the room to simulate arterial bleeding.

As grisly as that sounds, it was amazing training. We learned very quickly what blood smelled like, and how to estimate blood loss simply by looking at the amount around the patient.

Today I'm having weird smell triggered memories as well. I lit a rose scented candle in my office. It's pretty strong, and now my whole office, and the space just outside, smells like waxy roses. It's a hot day, and the air conditioner is set badly, so the roses are mingling with the smell of B.O.

I'm not sure the rose candle was a great choice, because now my mind has turned to memories of being a kid and visiting my grandmother (my father's mother) in a nursing home. She smelled just like that after her stroke. Sweat and roses.

It was more than thirty years ago, I was probably about eight or nine at the time, but this candle has taken me right back to her side. I'm holding her hand, and hoping she'll get better soon.

It took her a while, but she did recover enough to start walking, and talking, again. Unfortunately, it wasn't too long afterwards that she died.

I never did get to know her very well, being so young and living in a different city. Even so, smells are a powerful thing. I wonder what she'd think of the person I've become.

I miss you grandma.

Heat to Sound to Electricity

2007-06-11T20:15:00.000-06:00

I found this nifty bit of technology via Boing Boing. What's even cooler, for me, anyway, is that it was developed by a guy at my first Alma Mater, the University of Utah. Check this out from Science Daily:

University of Utah physicists developed small devices that turn heat into sound and then into electricity. The technology holds promise for changing waste heat into electricity, harnessing solar energy and cooling computers and radars.

"We are converting waste heat to electricity in an efficient, simple way by using sound," says Orest Symko, a University of Utah physics professor who leads the effort. "It is a new source of renewable energy from waste heat."

How cool is that? Probably not cool at all. It's hot. At least it has to be hot to work.

It's got me wondering, though. How hot does it have to be? If we can turn heat into sound, and sound into energy, couldn't we use this to capture ambient heat in hotter climates, like the one I live in? I'd love to be able to help power my AC with the very heat I'm trying to fend off.

What about using sound waves directly? If we could create a way to capture ambient sound waves in the middle of a noisy city street or construction zone, to create a static standing wave, couldn't we take advantage of the very noise we create to help power the technologies we create it with?

I'm sure there are all kinds of "it won't work yet because . . ." excuses, and I'm certainly not proposing it will be some kind of perpetual motion device. I feel the same way about home based solar panels and windmills. They aren't (currently) complete energy replacement solutions. Let's think about this, though. With enough small "streams" of electricity in place, even if they aren't continuous, won't they still contribute, reducing our overall reliance on fossil fuels, and other climate damaging power production methods?

Now that's hot.

Summertime

2007-05-30T11:47:00.000-06:00

My kids get out of school for the summer at the end of this week. With my own school activities on temporary hiatus, we should be able to spend a lot more time together this summer.

At least that's the plan. Plans never seem to work out the way you intend them to, though.

I can remember when I was a kid I would come up with some amazing plans for what I wanted to do during summer vacation. Ride my bike, see movies, and play games with friends, to name a few. Mostly what I ended up doing, however, was watch TV and complain about having to work in the yard.

Not that I actually got much work done in the yard, I just complained a lot about it. Ask my parents. They'll tell you all about it.

Interestingly enough, as an adult I don't find that I'm much different. I've got all kinds of things I want to do: write stories, compose music, expand my online businesses, play games with my friends (some things never change), and goof off with my wife and kids, to name a few.

Then I look out my window and reality kicks in. My yard looks like a weed farm, I've got moss killing my grass, my car needs some work done on it, and my house needs some basic maintenance.

Not that I'll actually get much of that done. Mostly, I'll just post here and complain about it.

Wherever You Go

2007-05-24T16:05:00.000-06:00

My friend Mark Hanen, at Mo' Boy blog, mentioned a tool he'd come across (from yet another blogger) that could create a map of all the states that you've visited in the U.S. I had traveled a bit while I was in the military, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Here’s mine.

Wow. I didn't expect to see that much of the country covered. Several of them, admittedly, I didn't spend much time in. I was really just traveling through them by train. Still, I got to see a lot of the country as I rode by.

One thing I learned from my travels is that every place is different. I know that sounds really lame but, they all have their own forms of beauty, and ugliness, in landscape, buildings, people, and culture.

Many times I’ve heard people tell me, "Oh, I hate this place because . . ." and then they list something that annoys them, "Living in [some other place] is so much better than living here."

I usually keep quiet (I’ve quit asking why they don’t move), but I can't help thinking, "Every place has good things and bad things about it. I think the secret is to find the good things, and make sure you take time to enjoy them."

Boron No More

2007-05-21T20:07:00.000-06:00

I just looked up my grades from last semester. I am Boron no more.

Woo Hoo! I got an A in Chem 1220!

Well, it's really an A-, but hey, I'm very pleased with myself.

The only downside is that I forgot to fill out the financial aide papers on time, so unless I can figure out another way to pay my tuition, I'm going to have to wait to start organic chem (and physics, and psych and . . .)

But for now, I got an A!

End of Gen Chem

2007-05-08T17:00:00.000-06:00

My Chemistry test went pretty well, I think. Sort of. Mostly. Kinda, in a good sort of perhaps way.

I was having trouble with my calculator and Dr. OH was kind enough to give me some extra time. He also helped me see that multiple choice questions are as much about eliminating the wrong answers as it is finding the right one.

In any case my General Chemistry career is more or less over. I certainly think I did well enough throughout the class that I'll be able to go on to organic chemistry next year (assuming my life doesn't take another turn) and do just fine.

Mmmmm....Brains

2007-05-01T16:27:00.001-06:00

I have my Chem 1220 final tonight. It was supposed to be in two more days, but the school, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to change the date.

I should be studying (cramming) for my final. Guess what I'm doing, instead? Blogging, of course!

I am soooooooo pathetic.

To my credit, I studied my brains out over the weekend. For all of my readers who are zombies, sorry. I left my brains somewhere between the chapter on thermodynamics and the chapter on electrochemistry. If you find them, please do not eat them. I need them back for my test.

What I really need is a nap.

Just Call Me Boron

2007-04-17T17:17:00.000-06:00

My test went better than it should have. Once again, I got a B+. That seems to be my "modus operandi" for this class. I have to admit though, the only reason I got a B+ was because Dr. OH grades on a curve. I was ill prepared. I was just less ill prepared than the majority of the class.

If I get a B+, does it mean I’m a boron anion? Of course, that would mean I would have gotten a B+++, but whose counting?

If you were to put me in close proximity with 3 clones of my chemistry professor, would we create boric acid [B(OH)3]?

Never mind. (Apparently I’m not paying any attention to my mind, why should you?)

By the way, if you can’t tell I’ve got chemistry on the brain, you just missed something. Here’s why I’m feeling obsessed. Counting today, we've got four more class sessions to cover three chapters and review for a comprehensive final on May 3.

Can you say, "feelin' the pressure?"

Knew ya' could.

Oh well. At least it will (should) be my last semester of General Chemistry. Then I'll get to enjoy a year of organic chem.

Insanely, I'm looking forward to that.

Random Chemistry Thoughts

2007-04-05T16:13:00.000-06:00

I'm getting ready for a chemistry test coming up next week. Right now, I'm reviewing the chapter on Acid-Base equilibrium. Suddenly it occurred to me that, in chem lab, the term "dropping acid" takes on a whole new meaning.

Probably not something you want to do, either way.

Hmmm...

Why Global Warming Doesn't Matter

2007-03-21T19:26:00.000-06:00

One of the huge talking points these days is the existence, or lack thereof, of global warming, and whether or not humans contribute to it. Al Gore has his movie, and movement, and others are fighting against his data and saying that it's still up in the air.

What all these eco-kibitzers don't understand is that it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter whether or not global warming is real, natural, or man made. The bottom line is we're polluting the air. It makes it harder to breathe and creates all kinds of long term health issues, not to mention the rising cost of these older energy models.

Quit arguing about global warming! Let's just clean up the air, and regardless of where we stand on global warming, we'll all be able to breathe a little easier.

Move Over ,Buddha

2007-03-07T12:52:00.001-07:00

One thing I've absolutely been struggling with in chemistry is the study of kinetics. Part of the problem is that it's riddled with higher mathematics. I'm no slouch when it comes to algebra but, much to my disgrace, I've never taken calculus. I want to, mind you. I've just not had to do it, yet.

Now, according to the class syllabus, and the text book, I can use algebra to figure this stuff out. It's harder and weirder and they're not going to explain where it all comes from (they all derive from calculus), but I should be "just fine."

Yeah. Right.

Because I was sick all last week (and still have a cough), I missed the classes where we covered all of this, so I've been playing catch-up with the text book to figure it all out. One of the equations that's just been giving me fits is this:

f=e^Ea/RT

f is the frequency of molecules in a sample at temperature T, having the species required energy of activation (Ea) to start a reaction. R is the gas constant (8.314 J/mol-K).

So far so good, right? So just what the heck is this lower case "e" all about?

Racking my brains, and the text, for far too long, I skipped that bit and went on to study the rest of the chapter.

When I went back to class last night, I was met with quiz on, you guessed it, the kinetics chapter! I actually did very well (I only got one wrong - stupid trick equation), in spite of my misgivings. When I was looking at the assigned homework questions, though, I was stuck with something that completely threw me:

Calculate the fraction of atoms in a sample of argon gas at 400 K that have an energy of 10.0 kJ or greater.

Say what, now? How the heck am I supposed to figure this out? I'm guessing it has something to do with the equation above, but how? I asked one of my classmates, a bright young kid destined for medical school.

"Oh! Yeah, that one threw me for a minute, too. It's really simple, though. You just plug the numbers into this equation." he said.

"What? But how do you know what the energy of activation is?" I asked.

"It's given right here, in the problem." he replied.

"How do you know that's the energy of activation?" I persisted.

"Well, I guess you don't. It's just the number given." he said, sheepishly.

Finally Dr. OH stepped in. "It may not be the energy of activation, but you can still use the equation. You're just finding a percentage of molecules with a certain level of energy, it doesn't have to be the energy of activation."

"Okay. I get that, now. But what the heck is this 'e' in the equation?" I asked.

"That's the energy of activation." Dr. OH tried to explain.

"No, that's 'Ea.' What's this 'e' thing?"

"That?" he asked, giving me a quizzical look. "That's just the inverse log function."

I sat down. Fast.

I couldn't believe it. I knew what an inverse log was, but I had been looking at the bloody equation and thinking it was a variable all this time.

My built up world crumbled around me and I saw the face of God.

Okay, not really, but the light did go on for me. Finally, I got it.

"I can't believe I'm that stupid." I told Dr. OH.

He smiled and said, "Don't worry. Bring it up in class next time. I can't believe you're the only one that was confused."

And now I am enlightened.

You can find the solution to this problem, here.

Unwanted Houseguests

2007-03-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've not updated for awhile, folks. I've been sick. My oldest daughter, Violin Girl, brought some very impolite viruses home from school and they've overstayed their welcome. My whole family is infected. None of us have been able to fully shake these nasty bugs.

It just goes to show you the havoc that unwanted houseguests can inflict, doesn't it?

Doctor Hydroxide, Away!

2007-02-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

I did pretty well on my first chemistry test this semester. B+. Not an "A," (as in anal retentive) but that's okay. Not the top score in the class, but well above the class average.

Anyway, Miss AR isn't in my class anymore so I don't have to deal with her.

We went over the test in class (why do I forget the stupid little things when I take tests, but remember the big weird things?), and had about 30 minutes left over. Nobody wanted to start the next section - kinetics. Cool and important subject, but in an icky sort of "holy crap I've got to do what?" kind of way.

I think we all must have had a long week. Even the prof (Dr. H) looked hammered, so we broke early. Frankly I was glad to get home a bit early. I needed the sleep. Still do.

It just occurred to me that my professor's initials are OH. Maybe I'll have to start calling him Doctor Hydroxide.

That's kind of cool. It sounds like he's a superhero or something. Doctor Hydroxide! Defender of Science!

Either it's really cool or I'm more tired than I think.

I'd bet on the "tired."

Test Anxiety, or Cabin Fever?

2007-02-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

I've got my first chemistry test this semester coming up tonight. I feel mostly prepared. I've been trying to study but I just can't seem to stay focused. Maybe it's test anxiety. Nah. More likely it's cabin fever. I soooo want to get outside in the sunshine today!

Intermolecular forces . . . materials classification . . . solubility factors . . .zzzzz

Mommy? Can I go out an play, now?

Wish me luck.

Goofing Off

2007-02-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

I took a day off from work and school the other day. Well, a half day off work. My day job involves calling people up and helping them understand what to do when they build websites, and market them. I had enough cancellations that my late afternoon unexpectedly opened up. Rather than sit around work (although there were things I could have done, I have to admit), I took the rest of the day off. The plan was to go home for a while, enjoy my family, and then go back to my chemistry class that evening.

That was the plan. Really.

As with all "best laid plans of mice and men" it didn't work out that way. Instead of going to class, I ended up goofing off with my wife and kids until well past the time for me to leave for class. Now I've got a bunch of reading to catch up on before my next class.

So much for "the plan."

You know what? I don't feel guilty at all. In fact, I'm looking forward to the next time. I think I need to find more days to goof off. Goodness knows I don't have enough days that are earmarked for working, the paid kind and the home kind.

Still, it's an interesting idea for me to gauge my quality of life on the number of days I can afford to goof off.

Surreal Life

2007-01-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Part of my day job is acting as a copy-editor for our company's online magazine, e-Shop Talk. It makes me sound like I'm one of several editors, but the reality is I'm it. I'm not only a copy-editor, I'm the chief editor and one of the contributing writers. Wednesday mornings I've set aside time in my schedule to deal with these duties. Today was particularly grueling. Lots of articles to edit, coupled with a few writers who forgot what punctuation and grammar were, made my morning busy, and miserable.

The reason I'm miserable is that I'm a coward, and a hack. Compared to real professional writers and editors, I'm just not up to par. I'm a wannabe when it comes to writing, and I know it, so I hate editing others. The trouble is that some of them are worse than me. How do you tell your fellow hacks that they suck more that you do? It's not pretty. In any case, after a near non-stop four hour "sit and edit" fest in front of my computer, I finally got a reprieve. I could stand up and take a break.

Let me tell you something about my desk. For better or worse, when our department moved I volunteered to be in the crappy spot. It guaranteed (at the time) that I'd pretty much be left alone. I like that sort of thing when I'm working so it seemed like it would be a good thing. Now I share the space with two other people. So much for a good thing.

My workspace doesn't have much light. The only window is on the other side of the room, blocked by a cubicle divider. The overhead lamps need to be replaced so the only real light I get is from the CRT screen and the small fluorescent light attached to my desk.

After four hours I needed to see some sunshine. I needed to see the outside. I needed variety. There's a door right behind my desk that leads to one of the entranceways for my building. It's a small 4'x6' vestibule with a glass door on one side, leading out, two doors on either side (one leads to my department, the other to a stairway). There's another door, opposite the outside door, but it doesn't count. It's closet.

Anyway, I got up from my desk and went into the entranceway. The air outside was cold, and made the glass feel cold as well. The sky was clear and blue. Everything looked crisp and bright. The shock between sitting in the dark, enclosed space of my desk, and the glass door leading to the bright outdoors left me feeling like I was in an airlock. I consciously knew there was air on the other side of the door, but I couldn't help but wonder if I should find a space suit to put on. It was an amazing, and surreal experience.

So what did I do? I turned right around, returned to my desk, and started blogging about it.

I'm pathetic.

I'm Robert Heinlein

2007-01-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Funny, I always thought I was John Newman. According to Paul Kienits, though, if I were a sci-fi writer, I'd be Robert Heinlien.

That's so sad to me. I've never been a fan of Heinlein.

I am:

Robert A. Heinlein

Beginning with technological action stories and progressing to epics with religious overtones, this take-no-prisoners writer racked up some huge sales numbers.

Which science fiction writer are you?

I, Smarty Pants

2007-01-29T19:43:00.001-07:00

I got to be the cool know-it-all student in my chemistry class the other day. We're talking about the different kinds of materials, conductors, semi-conductors, polymers, nanomers, and the like.

Anway, the question came up, "What chemical process in the body that has to do with polymers?"

"They're all over the place," I answered.

"True, but what's the most important?" he continued.

"Probably protein synthesis," I replied.

"That's right! Amino acid production."

So, I got to be the smarty pants, even up against some students prepping for pharmacy and med school.

How fun is that?

In which all is made right.

2007-01-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

I've got a chemistry teacher! What a concept. Pay tuition for a class and actually get a teacher to . . . well . . . teach you stuff!

Here's what happened. There were two Chem 1220 classes being taught at roughly the same time. Right after the semester started, there were so many people dropping from each class that the powers that be decided to combine the classes. They just didn't bother telling any of the students.

My original professor got dropped in favor of my new one. He was supposed to come down to our classroom (which was just down the hall, it turns out) and let us know what had happened. When he got there, he looked at us and thought, "This looks like a class that has a teacher. I'll have to check on this." Later, when some of us complained, they finally put a notice on the door that our classroom had changed.

None of us knew until a week after the fact.

The difficult part is the new professor had already prepped his class for a quiz covering two different chapters they had reviewed from the previous semester. We were just so elated that we actually had a teacher you could have stuck dynamite in our shorts and we wouldn't have minded. The teacher decided to postpone the quiz until the following week (tomorrow) so we could review. All was right with the world.

Until reality sunk in.

I've been pouring over two chapters of material this last weekend. It's not been fun. While most of it I had already gone over a year earlier, there are some things here that I don't remember covering (like exceptions to the electron "octet rule" when it comes to predicting molecular structures). Without a teacher in front of me to ask about it, it's been kind of confusing. I don't like confusing. Confusing makes me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

In any case, there is some light in all this. While we're going to be having 15 different quizzes, five of them get dropped. Guess which quiz will be my first one. Oh, and that "high school" issue? Gone. No graded homework.

Now I feel like I'm actually back in college.

Not Good.

2007-01-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

School's been interesting so far. We've had three classes so far, and the professor has only showed up to one of them. The first one. The class I blogged about earlier, where we discussed the coming semester for twenty minutes and then went home.

If I were in still back in high school, this might have been a good thing. I was so bored in high school that any excuse to not see the teacher would have been a good one. Trouble is I'm not in high school anymore. (Some of my younger classmates act like they still are, but that's the subject for the future.) I actually care if I learn something and get a good grade. Amazing what growing up and having to pay your own tuition does for you, doesn't it?

I'd like to transfer to a different section, but I'm facing a few problems. The last day to add classes was five days ago. There's not another class I can transfer to that fits my schedule, anyway. That's why I chose this section in the first place; it fit my schedule. I'm thinking about signing up for the online course, but I've heard that web classes are really hard and, again, the last day to add was five days ago.

In all my time at various colleges and universities, I've never run into this situation before. I'm not even sure who to contact about it. The head of the Chemistry department, I suppose. I don't like complaining, but then again I spent a lot of money on tuition and books. I should get something out of that, don't you think?

I'm not the only one that's upset about it, though. I've got the rest of the class, as well. I'm a little concerned, though. Only about half of us showed up last night. I'm wondering if the other half knew something we didn't. The only good excuse we could come up with for the teacher was that he was either injured, or dead. If that's the case, and we were complaining about him, it would make me feel like a dirt-bag. Then again, I'm getting old enough to have made peace with my inner dirt-bag, so I don't feel so bad about complaining.

This is not good. Not good at all.

Back to School

2007-01-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I started back to school. I'm retaking that Chemistry course I've talked with you about, before. It's a night course, two nights a week. I can't say that our first class was much of a class. It was basically twenty minutes talking about what we would be doing, and then breaking. I expect it to be that way with day courses, but when you're supposed to be meeting for two hours, twenty minutes is a pretty early time to let out. Oh, well. I wasn't feeling too good so I'm alright with it.

I did run into one thing I'm not happy about, though. I have to buy a new text book. Normally a text book change in a subject like chemistry isn't such a big deal. Just use the last edition and you'll be fine. The trouble is the professor is giving us specific graded assignments out of it. I feel like I'm back in high school. Now I get to dump another $150.00 on a second general chemistry book.

So much for saving money.

Bad Dog

2007-01-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

All the talk and hope about our new beagle took a terrible turn this weekend. When we first met him he was friendly enough, but after we picked him up and brought him home, things started getting ugly.

His first night was ruff (sic), but we expected that. He had just gotten "fixed" that morning and he couldn't have felt very good. He absolutely hated the dog crate we have, though. He wouldn’t go in at first, and then he just whined and howled most of the night. He settled down after awhile, but I woke up with a splitting headache later on, and he started whining again when he saw me come out. I gave up and let him out, petting him and sitting with him in the living room for a while before going back to bed. When My Lovely Wife (MLW) got up later on, he had claimed one of the plush chairs in the living room. Neither of us were thrilled, but we knew this was going to be an adjustment period for everyone, including the dog. MLW and I don't like the idea of sharing our furniture with animals. Well, not the cushy recliners anyway. The sofa’s okay. We prefer to get pet’s their own furniture.

As the days went on, things just kept getting more and more weird. He'd be resting happily or playing fetch with us and then suddenly he'd get jump around crazily, like a junkie on speed, bark a bit, and then go do something else. It was as if a switch turned on in his brain, and then turned back off moments later.

He also started getting aggressive with our kids. We had been told he wasn't food aggressive, but our experiences made us think otherwise. He started getting more and more aggressive in trying to steal food from our littlest ones, and even nipped at my middle daughter when she wouldn't let him have an apple she was eating. Who knew dogs liked apples?

MLW gave him some food and then started pulling on his ears a bit, and he seemed fine, although he has his nose buried in the food dish. When she put her hand in front of his eyes though, he growled and lashed out at her. Sure signs of food aggression if you ask me.

What sadder is that my eldest daughter, Violin Girl, had initially created the best relationship with him. She trained him and treated him and he started following her around for the rest of the day. The next day, though, he started getting aggressive with her. She saw that he'd gone downstairs. From the top of the stairs she called to him, trying to get him to come back up. He started growling and barking at her, really raising a fuss. After she left his field of view, though, we got him to come back upstairs and he seemed perfectly happy, wagging his tail the whole way.

My youngest daughter, the Munchkin, had the worst time. She used to run and play with our previous dog for as long as we'd let them. They were the best of friends. When she tried to pet the beagle, though, while he was eating, this dog growled at nipped at her. From that time on it was all she could do to avoid contact with him, she was so scared. I just hope this hasn't put her off all dogs.

That was, of course, the last straw. As much as I wanted to be patient, and believe most dogs can be trained if handled well, I wasn't going to take a risk with my children's well-being. The dog had to go.

We called the rescue service and told them we had to return him. To their credit they took the dog back and completely refunded our adoption fees. They apologized profusely, although I don't really hold them at fault. The dog didn't act like this at all when he was at the kennel. Even when we first met him there was no clue that this kind of behavior would manifest itself.

If that wasn't enough, though, there was another incident on the way back to the kennel. Violin Girl called me on my cell phone and told me the story.

My wife and the other girls were taking the dog back in our van. Violin Girl sat nearest the dog, for obvious reasons. When she noticed that the plastic cone he was wearing (remember the surgery?) was coming off, and he was chewing on it, she reached down to fix it. As soon as she got a hold of the collar he reached up and bit her, hard. He didn't break the skin, so I don’t know how much he intended to hurt her, but he wouldn't let go either. Violin girl immediately grabbed the scruff of his neck and pushed him down to the floor of the car (a maneuver we learned from Barbara Woodhouse, the famous dog trainer), trying to get him to let go. He wouldn't. Violin girl shook his neck as best she could without hurting her captured hand (a submission move that adult dogs use on puppies), and he finally let go, but when she removed her hand he turned and bit her arm, as well. Then he went back to being happy and wagging as if nothing had happened at all.

Violin girl is okay. She got shaken up a bit, but her coat absorbed most of the second bite and so she's physically unharmed. I'm not sure this dog wasn't mentally deranged. I've done some reading on dogs of late and this kind of behavior is one of the signs of schizophrenia in dogs. I don't suppose I'll ever find out exactly why the dog behaved so badly, though.

All I know for sure is that the dog is no longer in my house and my wife and daughters are safe. In fact, I'm really proud of Violin Girl. She handled herself well in a ruff (sic) situation. She didn't panic; she just did what needed to be done. I sent her a "pic" message after hearing about all of this showing a picture of a "thumbs up" and told her she did a good job. I told her she was my hero.

Why? Because she is.

New Dog

2007-01-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

In spite of our recent pet trials, it looks like it's time for the Newman's to get a new dog. Over the holidays we visited several shelters, and even put our name on some lists to adopt some of the dogs we met, but no dice. Everything we had looked at, in terms of animal adoption, fell through.

I'm a big believer in animal adoption. There are so many good animals out there, and already-trained adult animals, that would be so good in a home, and just can't be with their former owners for some reason.

The puppy mills don't do us any favors either. They keep breeding, and in-breeding, dogs to make various pure-bred strains available. In many cases the buyers abandon them for one reason or another, and so there are still way too many dogs out there. Many pure-bred dog owners fail to get their dogs "fixed" in the hopes of breeding them later, only to have them get out and create a litter of mixed breed dogs with some neighbor's dog, exacerbating the problem. Most of these would-be breeders really don't have the ability, or mindset, to pull of a good breeding program, but that doesn't stop them from dreaming about it.

Don't get me wrong. I've personally always wanted a beagle. I like their temperament. They're a great balance between "independent curious confidence" and social adeptness. They're normally great with kids, too. As a father of four that's a big deal for me. I'm not willing to go to a dog breeder and pay hundreds of dollars just to get a pure-bred beagle, though. I'd just as soon hit the shelters and adopt a dog from there.

Many people look down on mixed breeds, for some reason. They don't think they're as "good" or something. They think they might have some indefinable problem because they're a mix. Interestingly enough, the opposite is true. Pure-bred dogs can be in-bred a lot, and can suffer from all kinds of well documented medical issues, including heart problems, digestive disorders, and retardation. Mixed breeds are more genetically sound, and tend to be healthier and live longer because of it.

Even the beagle isn't free of these problems. One of the big problems beagles face is a form dwarfism that results in bowed legs, and heart problems. I'm willing to deal with that, but the chances of me getting a pure-bred beagle through a shelter are pretty slim, anyway.

Or so I thought.

I was checking the web, on a whim, and found a beagle rescue site. There was an adult beagle up for adoption through a pet rescue service about 70 miles from my house. I called them. I sent them emails. Yes, the dog was good with kids. Yes, he was still up for adoption. Wanting to verify the "good with kids" thing, we set up an appointment and my family and I went out to meet the dog.

The kennel they rented space from was a bit hard to find but, eventually we made it and made it on time. We got to meet and play with "Bugsy" in a small fenced in area. Being a beagle, and finding all kinds of new smells in this yard, he flittered between us and following his nose. He didn't respond to his name, but the woman at the kennel told me they weren't sure that was his name. The rescues probably gave it to him when he came in. He would respond to "dog" and "boy," though. Even though his nose took him all over, he'd come running back as soon as we yelled "Come here, boy!"

He passed all the "kid safe" tests, as well. He didn't protest when we pulled on his ears or tail, manhandling him a bit.

He did protest a bit when we tried to leave, though. He's definitely a beagle. Their distinctive baying howl can't be mistaken for anything else. On a whim, I decided to try an experiment. I turned around and used my command voice. "Quiet," I said, and he shut up. I reward him with a, "What a good dog!" and turned around. After taking a few steps he called after us again. "Quiet," I turned and repeated. Again he followed my command, sitting down and closing his mouth. "What a good dog!"

I think he will be a good dog for us. He needed to be "fixed" before we could take him home, but I got the call this morning. He's ready. We can pick him up today. I really think this will be a good fit for my family.

Now he just needs a new name.

Celebrating Carl Sagan

2006-12-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today is the tenth anniversary of the death of astronomer and educator, Carl Sagan. All across the globe people, and bloggers, are celebrating his memory. With the impact that this great man had on my life, I would ungrateful if I didn't contribute.

Years ago, when I was just a kid, Dr. Sagan's ground breaking PBS TV series "Cosmos" aired. It was a revelation to me. I had always thought scientists were cool, and I loved looking at the stars and pretending to be an astronaut, but Dr. Sagan brought the wonder of it all home to me in ways I simply can't describe. Science spoke to me as it never had before, and it wasn't the boring set of regurgitated facts my teachers had been shoveling at me. It was full of wonder, adventure, and nobility. It was, as he wrote years later, a candle in the dark for me.

Needless to say I devoured the companion book. The experience prompted me to buy and read more and more books on science in general, and astronomy in particular. My parents noticed this new fire in my soul and bought me a telescope I still use to this day, 26 years later.

This last year I've enjoyed sharing both the show, and book, with my own children. While the science has aged a bit, as all good science will, I can see the glimmer of the spark in their eyes as well - a love of science, a love of learning, and a new-found sense of wonder in the universe around us.

While I can't agree with everything Dr. Sagan ever wrote or said (I believe in God, for example), my respect for him and his work cannot be overstated. Renowned professor and astronomer Yervant Terzian said it best, "[Carl Sagan] was, quite simply, the best science educator in the world this century. He touched hundreds of millions of people and inspired young generations to pursue the sciences."

He certainly touched mine. Thank you, Dr. Sagan. I am in your debt.

It's Christmas Charlie Brown

2006-12-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

Christmas is coming and I'm starting to look forward to it. Mostly, anyway. I just picked up the soundtrack recording for "A Charlie Brown Christmas," and that's going a long way to getting emotionally ready. Vince Guaraldi has a way of making me smile, no matter what the season.

Normally I'm just not a big fan of the Christmas season. I hate shoveling snow (and we tend to get a lot of it here in the Rockies), let alone driving in it. The bills pile up as more and more last minute gifts need to be gotten. (Begotten gifts? Hmmm.) The family parties don't do anything for me, either. I'm just not a big fan of my extended family. Don't get me wrong. I like them well enough. I just don't like being forced to do certain things with them.

When I was a kid, Christmas was both good, and bad. The good part was all the typical season stuff, singing carols, decorating the tree, making cookies and, of course, getting up on Christmas day to loads of new toys. I always despised the afternoon, though. Just when everything got settled and I could really dig into playing it was, "Okay John, get your coat on it's time to go visit [insert various relatives here]." By the time we got back is was late and my parents were pretty strict about bed time, even during Christmas vacation.

I hated that. I was going to see half of these people a week later on New Years day, why did I have to give up my Christmas day just to visit them early? Now that I'm older I understand that it was really my parents visiting them, not me. Most of those we visited didn't have kids my age, so there weren't many cousins to play with. Even when there were cousins involved, it was all their toys we played with, not mine. Trust me. As a kid, that's not fun.

Christmas is a big deal for my wife's family. Every year there are two big parties, one for her father's side of the family and one with just her parents and siblings. Once in a while we can get out of going to the first party, but never to the last one. What's worse is they've recently decided to move it to Christmas day.

It used to be on Christmas Eve. It was kind of cool. We'd drive out in the late afternoon, visit a bit with her parents, four siblings and their families, eat lots of food, sing songs and watch the kids open presents. There were bits I didn't like, but overall it was okay. On the way back home, we'd pop a CD recording of the Christmas Story performed by a group from the Living Scriptures Company, and listen to it on the way home. Instant family tradition. Once in a blue moon it was rescheduled, but mostly it was on Christmas Eve. That's it. Christmas day was saved for the wife and kids. Unless we had church that day, we didn't go anywhere. It was wonderful.

This year (and last, truth be told) that fickle bitch named Fate is out to ruin it for us. It looks like the party is being moved to Christmas Day, permanently. That sucks. The rest of my wife's siblings love it. "So and so has to work" and "We get bored after Christmas morning. We want to have it on Christmas Day!" are the exuces of the season.

They get bored? How? Didn't you and your kids just get a boatload of cool things and now you can relax and enjoy them? The key word here is "relax" people!

It seems that I'm outvoted, though. Our lovely family traditions must change becuase of a change in my wife's family's traditions. If you think I can make enough of a case for not giving in to everyone else's will, or just not show up, you've either never been married or won't continue to be married for very long. In the meantime, I'll just listen to Vince Guaraldi playing "Christmas Time is Here" and try to keep smiling.

Lost Dog

2006-12-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Newman clan suffered a tragedy last week. Our family dog, Rascal, was run over by a car and killed. Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to equate the loss of our dog with the loss of a child. It's not the same. Losing anyone, or anything, you have a relationship with, still hurts.

People who don't own pets may have a tough time sympathizing. Those that do own pets fall into two categories: those who have lost pets and those who haven't.

Only those who have lost beloved pets really understand.

Fortunately for us, one of our neighbors falls into the "understanding" category. It sounds funny, but they sent us doughnuts and a sympathy card. I appreciated that card – and the doughnuts. (Mmmmm . . . Maple bar . . .)

The reason my neighbors knew is that they witnessed the event. It happened in front of their house. My six year old daughter saw it, too. That's the part that really bites. She and my wife witnessed the whole thing. They rushed our beloved pup to the vet, but it was too late. The vet couldn't find a heartbeat. I didn’t find out until I checked my voice mail later that day.

It took a few days, but we're not as teary anymore. Even my six year old is dealing with it, although I think she's having the hardest time. All she could talk about for two nights straight was how she couldn't get the image of Rascal turning in circles, and then lying down to die, after he went under the car. She's doing better now, thanks to long conversations, silent hugs, and our faith.

Yes, you read it right. I said (wrote) faith. I really do believe that there is a "doggy heaven." I just don't think it's called that. I believe that all creatures are created and judged on how well they fill the measure of their creation. It's not doctrine, mind you. It's just my own interpretation of scripture.

If I'm right, and the measure of a dog's creation is how well he takes care of the family he lives with, then Rascal is in good company. He loved our kids. He was very gentle with them. Even when my youngest would steal his rawhide chewy-bone and run around the house, with him chasing her to get it back, he was gentle. He knew it was a game, and he loved to play it nearly as much as she did. He was obedient, quiet, and showed unconditional love for us all.

It's still too early to have all the pain eased, though. That's a truth I'm finding out all too well, even as I write this. So for all of you I had to cancel appointments with because of an unexplained family emergency last week, I apologize. I hope you'll understand. I really hate doing business that way, but my daughters are just too important. They needed me, and I need them. For us all, Rascal wasn't just a dog. He was family.

Of Pell Grants and Library Fines

2006-11-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

I've decided to retake Chemistry 1220 this spring. With the hubbub that surrounded my gall bladder surgery and such, I think it's just going to be the best option. So I went online and tried to register only to find a hold on my record. No surprise. I hadn't been in school the last couple of semesters so I needed to do my Perkins exit interview. I didn't think it would be an issue with me returning this spring, but what do I know?

Its turns out I forgot another thing, as well. I forgot to pay the fine on a book I had checked out from the school library. I've returned the book, it's just every time I try and pay the fine I keep finding the offices closed, or I get redirected. I go to a local campus cashier and get told, "Oh, I don't think you can pay for that here. Try this other office."

Once I get to that office it's "Oh, I don't think you can pay for that here, go directly to the library."

So I call the library, "Oh, you don't have to pay that here, just go to any of the campus cashiers."

That's where I was in the first place.

Oh well. I guess that's what you get with bureaucracies that rely on student employees.

Too Much Money

2006-11-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

I'm really getting tired of paying out the nose for way too many connection points. I've got an outrageous bill for my home phone, my cell phone, my wife's cell phone, and my internet access. It costs me too much, frankly. Off the top of my head, I'd say I'm paying out $170.00 a month for all this crap.

And I'm still using dial-up.

I can't believe I just admitted that. That's like admitting that you still have a working 8-track tape player (I don't) and a bunch of 8-track tapes (I do).

Man, I'm pathetic.

Anyway, it's time for me to move fully into the 21st century. I'm just so cheap that I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it. I've been looking into dropping the land line and going with high-speed access and VOIP, but I'm way out of my league. I just don't know where to go or what to do. I've been burned by extra charges from the telecoms that they don't tell you about until you get your first bill. "What? Didn't we mention the charge for the automatic nose-picking device we need for our customer service reps so they can remain truly 'hands free?'"

Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I need help and I just don't have time to research this like I should.

Aggressive Sleeping

2006-11-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

Okay. This is getting ridiculous. It seems like my blog is turning into a "I'm a sick whiner" and I don't like it.

Today it's true, though. I'm sick, and I'm going to whine about it. Want to whine about me whining? Get your own blog.

I've got a head cold. I thought it would be over in a day or two, but no such luck. I finally broke down and bought some cold medicine this morning. My plan for the next few days is to lie in bed and aggressively sleep.

I know that many of you will have questions about what "aggressive sleeping" is. As a master of aggressive sleeping I can tell you that while I was born with this talent, it can be learned.

Aggressive sleeping is not a good way to get rest, but it can be a precursor to real sleep. Anyone who lives alone will probably not have a need for aggressive sleeping. Those of us with active spouses and children have probably found themselves participating in aggressive sleeping competitions, without having to go through the bother of actually registering for the event.

To practice true aggressive sleeping, you must first get yourself as comfortable as you can. Usually this involves a nice mattress and a designated sleeping chamber.

For some people, this also involves pajamas. For others it involves getting naked, but I don't recommend this tactic. As you will see, getting naked may interfere with certain aggressive sleeping tactics.

I guess it could enhance a few, as well, but I don't want to go there.

For many aggressive sleep competitors, it's somewhere in between; a place I like to call "underwear land."

Addition aides can be useful. Some may go for blankets and sheets, blankets only, sheets only, or just letting it all hang out. My son questions the need for anything other than a bare mattress. It's all good, though. The number and density of pillows is up for grabs. Whatever makes you most comfortable.

I personally like the blankets and sheets model. I'll explain why in a minute.

The environment in the sleeping chamber is important, too. You can't aggressively sleep if there's too much light. The darker it is in the room, the better. Unless you're afraid of the dark in which case a small night light is allowed. As an adult I'm into the "dark is good" thing, but I still have fond memories of the warm glowing electric puppy dog of my youth. He was so cute and comforting. Sometimes I miss that mutant radioactive dog.

Alarm clocks are strictly forbidden in aggressive sleeping competitions. Anyone caught planting alarm clocks around the room will be shot and removed from the competition. Such artificial sleep hazards are not desired, thank you.

All of this may seem like normal sleeping so far but, here's where the aggressive part comes in. Anyone entering the room is to be considered a natural sleep hazard and should be driven away. Most of these sleep hazards will come in the form of your own children and spouse. Do not be fooled. They are actually demons in human form and should be dealt with on a sliding scale of aggression.

The Roll-Over

Many sleep hazards can be brushed off by a simple rolling technique, such as rolling away from the light now pouring through the door your sleep hazard just opened. This startling realization that you are in the room is generally enough to push the weaker sleep hazards back out the door.

The Non-Committal Grunt

Higher on the scale of aggressive sleeping tactics is the non-committal grunt. A soft and senseless vocalization can raise the level awareness and help drive off would be sleep hazards. This can be combined with the Roll-Over maneuver to maximize the effect.

Light Verbal Confrontation

The next level of aggression comes in the form of a simple question such as, "What are you looking for?" or a comment such as "Hello." This can be combined with the roll-over and grunt maneuvers for additional impetus. In many cases the sleep hazard will respond with its own grunts that sound suspiciously like words, "Sorry" and "Let me just get this and I'll go." Do not be fooled. They are simply trying to lull you into a false sense of security. Remember that the goal is to get them to leave.

Heavy Verbal Confrontation

If light confrontation hasn't been sufficient, it is alright to escalate into the more heavy forms of verbal confrontation. This may involve raising the voice somewhat and using statements such as, "What do you want?" and "I'm sleeping, here!" If the sleeping hazard is particularly persistent, the aggressive sleeper may feel the need to interject various oaths and curses at this point as well. This is okay, as long as you realize that the fallout from such radioactive behavior will linger and may haunt you later.

Explosion

If the sleep hazards haven't been scared away from the sleeping chamber by now, you may decide to resort to heavier tactics. This is the atomic bomb of aggressive sleeping weapons. If the sleep hazards continue to plague you, it's time to resort to more explosive behaviors. Verbal explosions will generally involve cursing, along with shouting phrases such as, "What the (insert favorite curse word) are you doing in here!?" Physical explosions, such as quickly rising out of the bed, can be great additions to the verbal explosion. (This is why I like the "blanket and sheet" model. The act is much more intimidating with the blanket and sheets flying about the room.)

Hopefully before this point, though, the sleep hazards will have gotten the idea to leave you alone, and actual sleeping can be done.

Fallout Warning

Fallout is not an aggressive sleep tactic and does not involve falling out of bed. You just need to be aware that aggressive sleeping tactics have consequences. I mentioned the radioactive fallout of cursing. This can take the form of hurt feelings and sobbing on the part of your younger sleep hazards. Such behavior will defeat all but the most callus aggressive sleeper. At other times, it will result in a counterstrike from the most powerful sleep hazard in your life (your spouse). Such counter-attacks may take the form of lengthy reminders of all of your faults and a cessation of intimacy. Most people - men anyway - try to avoid these kinds of repercussions. Most women welcome them because it means they'll actually get some real sleep.

The dangers of losing and aggressive sleep competition do not end there, though. For men, it may also involve a forced relocation from the sleeping chamber to the couch. If this occurs, take heart. You may have lost the aggressive sleep competition, but now you are qualified to enter the "I'm sorry, please have sex with me again" competition.

Good luck with that. You're on your own.

Where’s my health?

2006-11-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me the other day that I’m a hypocrite. Really. I’m big into preventive medicine, and so on, but I don’t practice it. I can’t even remember the last time I seriously exercised. It really stinks. I’m even getting winded walked down to the convenience store to get a soda.

The fact that I drink way too much soda doesn’t help either.

I took a free test over at Real Age and it scared me. Here I am, forty years old, but based on my habits and lifestyle I’m really 55.

Trust me. That sucks.

I can’t say it isn’t true, either. I feel 55 some days. The trouble is I don’t know that it scared me enough to overcome the “inertia of slacking” that I’ve gathered around myself.

So I started wondering, where did my health and vitality go? In my twenties I used to work out up to two hours a day doing marital arts. I ate good foods and took longs walks. I enjoyed my life and the feelings of youth and good health.

Now I’m doing good to walk 100 yards and not get winded. I eat too much and I sit in front of a computer or TV screen for 8+ hours a day. I’m so busy at work on some days that I barely have time for the bathroom. Maybe I should install a porta-potty in my cubicle.

Where did it all go?

Wait. I think I just found the answer. It didn’t go anywhere. I gave it away.

Trumpets and Demons

2006-10-25T17:20:00.000-06:00

I miss my trumpet. I really do. I’ve been so busy with work and family and (insert favorite time sucker here) that I’ve just not had much time to play.

My trumpet, that is.

Part of the problem is that the most “free time” I have is at night, after the wife and kids go to bed. I really don’t want to wake them up. My Lovely Wife turns into Monster Mom when she doesn’t get enough sleep. My children, being her offspring as well as mine, have inherited this species trait. Instead of being angry, though, they get whiney. “Dad, you woke me up,” they whine and then, instead of going back to bed, putter around until I have to turn from ordinary Dad into Demon Dad. This self-transformation is important. I have to do it to communicate effectively enough that they actually go back to bed. Normal human languages have no impact on my children one they have been disturbed from sleep.

Maybe you’ve discovered the same thing with your children.

I’m about ready to buy a “Silent Brass System” from Yamaha. It’s a mute with a mic pickup that you stick in the end of your trumpet. It dampens the sound from the horn, and funnels it through the mic so you can hear yourself on a set of headphones. I’ve just not convinced myself to fork over the $150.00 it lists for. I mean, “Hey, I’ve gotten away without it for the last 30 years, why start now?”

Of course when I started 30 years ago it was my parents saying, “John, get in here and practice.” (I got my own demonic traits from them, you see.) That only lasted about a year, though. Then it was “John, quit practicing and go outside.”

I miss those days.

Lost Without the Internet

2006-10-04T16:57:00.000-06:00

I’ve lost my internet connection today. Some technical glitch with my service provider has caused me to revert to the time of my childhood where computers were really nifty things, but the internet was the stuff of science fiction. No big deal, right? I should be able to go on about my day secure in the knowledge that I can work on other things and all will still be right with the world. Besides, I’ll get my connection back soon, right? Won’t I? Please?

Why are my hands shaking? Why do I feel like I can’t get anything done? I can’t get the information I want at the click of a mouse. I don’t know what to do with myself anymore. Oh no! No internet! My life is without meaning and direction! I think I’ll go jump off a bridge now.

All silliness aside, this experience has taught me just how dependent on the ‘net I’ve become. Anytime I wanted to find some information, or a quick diversion, it was off to Google for a quick search and suddenly a “new exploration into worlds of hitherto unexplored media!” Now I can’t do any of those things. I can’t check my email, I can’t update my website, I can’t even blog. (Well, I can still write. I’m doing that now. I just can’t syndicate myself until my connection comes back.)

I’m not the only one. It amazes me how many of us have come to rely on the net for information, services, products, and entertainment. What’s even funnier is that I know there are things I can do, projects that I can work on. I just don’t.

As ubiquitous as the ‘net is becoming these days, a recent meme thread I came across asked about the future of the ‘net. Some say it will disappear, sort of. It will fill so much of our daily living that we just won’t notice it any more. It could be. As video and computer technology get better we may a near zero loss of information.

Wait a minute. Isn’t that what we call “reality?” Hmmm . . .

MDs Get Chiropractic Technology

2006-09-26T12:49:00.000-06:00

I was watching TV last night and came across an infomercial for a new medical device, the DX9000. It seems that the device is designed to treat lumbar and cervical back pain, instead of surgery.

I just started laughing. Isn’t that what Chiropractors have been doing for years?

The even funnier part is that it’s not a device you can buy, as a regular man on the street. You have to be a doctor. The infomercial wasn’t to sell the device to doctors, though, it was to sell patients on the device, and let them know which doctors in their area used it.

Reason with me for a minute. For years, many MD’s and various medical organizations have given Chiropractic lots of heat. They make wild claims that (contrary to many scientific studies and tons of clinical evidence) that chiropractic manipulation (which sometimes includes heat and traction therapy in addition to manual spinal adjustment) doesn’t work, hurts people, and that the only way to treat back and neck pain is through drugs and surgery. They complain chiropractors as scam artists who just want to treat you over and over again, using multiple treatment sessions, in order to get more money.

But now that they have a machine they can capitalize on, the MD’s are okay with something other than drugs and surgery. From what I can see, the DX9000 is an advanced traction machine, designed to provide localized traction of the spine in order to take pressure of the discs, and allow them to realign themselves and heal. From what I can see it may even include an infra-red light source to provide localized heat during treatment. There are two versions of it: one for low back treatments, the other for cervical treatments. According to the infomercial, you need to come back to the doctor’s office (paying for another office visit) to get treatment five times the first week, three times the second week, an then one or two times the third week. It’s effective in 80% of cases. It’s also got a built in DVD player so the patient can watch his favorite movie, or receive instruction about the treatment, while he or she is being treated. Long term use was hinted at as being needed by the patients they interviewed.

What’s even funnier is that the infomercial claimed it was FDA approved. Since when did the FDA get involved with medical devices? Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought they were solely concerned with pharmaceuticals and food.

So here we have a machine that an MD can purchase, strap a patient on, bring that patient back for at least three weeks worth of treatments (nine or ten office visits), and charge up the nose for (gotta pay for the machine, after all), that mimics certain chiropractic techniques.

I have to admit, it is a great alternative to surgery. But tell me, how is this kind of spinal manipulation new? Chiropractors have done it for years and have been considered suspect by MDs and all kinds of media campaigns.

Oh yeah! MD’s can make a buck on it, it must be okay!

(John shakes his head and moves on.)

My Uncle Jack

2006-09-18T16:03:00.000-06:00

My great Uncle Jack died the other day. He was my mom’s uncle, but he was a pretty “young” uncle. It was one of those deaths that was for the best. He was suffering a lot, and couldn’t get out of bed or recognize his family in the last few days. That’s no way to live.

To be honest, I didn’t know him all that well. I have only a few recollections of him, but I always remember he was kind to me. He would always smile when my Mom and I would visit. Even though I was a kid, and usually sat in a corner reading books until my Mom was done visiting, I felt comfortable being in his home, and above all, welcome.

I doubt it every dawned on him how good, important, and respected, even as a ten year old, he made me feel. It never dawned on me how I’d miss his memory.

Thanks, Uncle Jack.

Today is Perfect

2006-09-14T10:26:00.000-06:00

My life has been very interesting of late. It’s been a strange sea of both chaos and order, financially, professionally, and within my family. It’s odd, though. I had a strange epiphany within the chaos. The past is memory. The future is hope. The present is perfect.

Today is a perfect day. Sure, life is messy. But this very moment, this very point in which I actually exist is perfect.

The essence of human perfection is in our ability to look at ourselves and accept what we see as perfect in the present moment. Even though we are constantly changing and growing into very different things than we were in the past, we are still perfect. Why is it that we can think of other animals as perfect but deny that quality in ourselves?

Why is it that we feel imperfect? We’ve got it all mixed up. We’ve convinced ourselves that the real purpose of life is to try and outdo everyone else. We chase endlessly after goals that elude us. Some of us not only want to “keep up with the Jones” we want to outdo them to the point where they will give up and concede that we are just “so much better than they are.” In doing so, we hunt for external objects of one kind or another so fervently that we forget to take time to simply enjoy our lives in the very moment we live them.

So here I am. Do I have to get moving and retake chemistry? Yes. That’s the (near) future. Does the bumps in my life mean that I had to delay a few things for a year (or may be more)? Yes. But so what? Today, this moment, and the next, and the next, can be perfect.

Ambien Wakes Some People Up

2006-09-12T13:59:00.000-06:00

A new use, for an old drug, that is “waking up” people suffering from a “persistent vegetative state” (PVS). 60 % of PVS patients that have been given the sleeping aid Zolpidem, (sold here in the U.S. as Ambien) are regaining enough cognitive functions, while on the drug, to be able to speak and interact with their environments. The sad part is that it took seven years to get this effect noticed enough to get people to do some serious research and go to trials.

This article at the Guardian is amazing. Go check it out.

I, Pluto

2006-08-31T15:44:00.000-06:00

In case you live in a cave, Pluto isn’t a planet anymore. I don’t know if this is similar to “gender reassignment” or not, but now it’s been demoted to “dwarf planet.” It’s lost its full planet ranking.

I wonder if that means a reduction in pay as well? Hmmm.

I’m always curious about how perfectly good planets get reassigned. What happens? Do they fall out of favor like so many Soviet leaders? Has Pluto been delinquent in its planetary duties? Just what the heck are planetary duties, anyway?

It’s not a new trend, though. This kind of term reassignment has been going on in biology for years. Every year the powers that be change anatomy terms. It’s no longer the mitral and tricuspid valves in the heart, they’re left and right atrioventricular valves (in some texts). What was so awful about mitral and tricuspid? Did some important anatomist have a lisp?

I think I know who’s behind this sort of nonsense, though — authors and publishers of text books. Think about it! In a science as dead as gross anatomy (not a lot of work is getting done in the field, these days) what else are you doing to do? Sell more books! If we can con the powers that be into changing the names, all the text books have to be changed, and we get to sell new editions to unsuspecting college students and school boards!

Hey, this happened at my school. One of our top anatomy and physiology professors helped put together an (admittedly cool) anatomy text book and voila! The school makes them a required text for all anatomy classes. Better yet, it’s the fist edition. Next year, when they fix all the typos, they can sell the second edition and kill the secondary textbook market.

Okay, so I’m being a bit facetious, but hey. How do you think Pluto must feel?

Decisions Decisions

2006-08-16T15:46:00.000-06:00

I’ve pretty well decided to got ahead and retake my chemistry classes. It solves a lot of problems and . . . to get all freaky on you . . . it just feels right.

I can’t explain why, it just feels like the right thing to do. I know, I know. “John! You’re too much of a scientist to just go on your feelings!” Maybe, but I’m also a big believer in intuition and the divine. In this case, I’m just gonna go with my gut.

So I headed over to my school’s website to register for Chem 1200 this fall. Whoops! Did I pull a bone-headed maneuver! I had checked a book out of the college’s library last semester and didn’t bother to return it. In all the hub-bub about my gall-bladder and everything else, I forgot. Rats. Decision making leads to financial aide hold. Crap.

So, I’ve gotta get over to the library with the book and fork over some money so I can have the wonderful opportunity to spend even more money on tuition. These guys have got you coming and going in terms of paying fees and what not.

I wonder . . . how can I get in on some of that action?

Pot and Fat Mice

2006-08-01T16:17:00.000-06:00

File these under “food for thought.”

According to at least one BBC article, smoking marijuana may help prevent conception. If this is true, how do college students reproduce?

Just something to make you wonder.

About me, probably.

Here’s another. Some scientists in California have developed a vaccine to stop obesity in mice. I didn’t even know mice cared if they were fat or not. Here’s another solution for fat mice.

Shameless Plug . . . and other voices

2006-07-18T19:37:00.000-06:00

I don’t know how many of you have noticed, but over on the left-hand-side of this page are several “sponsors” links. As part of my theory of shameless self-promotion, I’m going to invite you to click on those if they look interesting. See, if you click on them, and in some cases participate a bit (like snag free music), whether you send them money or not, I get paid. Or I get free advertising. Either way it helps. It’s not much money, but it does help pay the electric bill. All proceeds go to the Newman Children Shoe Fund. Or the Newman Family Mortgage Fund. Or the Help John Newman Buy More Soda Fund. Soon it may go to the John Newman Memorial Tuition Fund. Wherever. It’s all good.

Okay, enough shameless and obvious money grubbing.

The more I try and get my head wrapped around Chemistry for my final, the more my mind unravels. I’m seriously thinking of taking it over again. That solution does offer some benefits. First, not all of the grad schools I want to attend will accept my first semester Chemistry class. It wasn’t at the 1200 level (that was a “specialized” class for health science majors) and I had to get permission from my school to go on to 1220 anyway. It also allows me to get my head back into the game more fully.

The downside, of course, is that’s going to add an extra year onto my time, and more costs in tuition. Hey, I’m forty years old. I’ve waited this long, what’s an extra year? On the other hand, hey! I’m 40! I’m getting too old for this! I don’t know. I can’t decide if having extra voices in my head is a good thing or not.

What? You don’t have extra voices in your head talking to you? I think you’re just jealous that they don’t talk to you, too.

Stem Cell Research

2006-07-11T11:03:00.000-06:00

This morning on my way to work I was listening to the Doug Wright Show on KSL radio. He was talking about stem cell research. The question placed before the audience was what to do with the frozen embryos we’ve already got. Do we throw them away, because doing research on embryos is wrong, or do we just trash them?

While I understand people fears that what we are doing is tampering with life, and by doing this research we are destroying potential life, potential humans, trashing them is doing the same thing, we just don’t benefit from it. Some say we shouldn’t.

I disagree. We’ve already got them; why let them go to waste? If you want to think about it in terms of human development, human life, why let these potential lives be wasted when we can honor them, and let them contribute to society?

One of the various concerns that people have had is that we don’t want to create stem cell factories. The idea of people buying and selling human embryos is pretty vile, in my opinion. This gets worse for me when you couple if with abortion. I certainly don’t want people to profit from abortion. I’m against abortion as a form of casual birth control. I don’t want to encourage it by attaching stem cell research to it.

One man called in that made me think, though. He and his wife had difficulty conceiving and decided to go the in vitro fertilization route. Several eggs were harvested and then fertilized. The doctors who performed the procedure asked if they could use the unused eggs for research. The couple was happy to say yes. (They went on to have a set of twin girls, by the way.)

This gave me pause. If in vitro fertilization is a potential source for embryonic stem cells, why not make that the norm for the acquisition of new lines? Do just what happened here: leave the choice to the couple involved. If they say yes, used those already harvested cells rather than destroy them. If they say no, respect their wishes and destroy the cells. Let NONE profit from it, in terms of money anyway . . .

. . . or maybe we should let them. If it became an optional procedure, and the harvested cells were being sold to researchers, the cost of the in vitro procedure would come down and more couples who want children, but can’t have them, would be able to afford in vitro fertilization as an option. This might take away from the attraction of adoption, but that’s the only downside I can see.

Think about it. Instead of researchers buying stem cells from abortion clinics, profiting and supporting a culture of death, they can buy them from in vitro clinics, and support a culture of life.

And the research can go on.

I think I'm going to faint . . .

2006-06-26T16:22:00.000-06:00

I just got an email from my Anatomy professor. After sweating myself silly over how badly I thought I did on the final, she tells me I got a “B” in the class.

Now, I know that in most circles getting a “B” is nothing to get crazy over but I’ll tell you the truth: the blood rushed out of my head and into my toes when I read it. I’m shocked and amazed. Most of the people I talked to said that in order to get a decent grade I’d probably have to take it twice.

Oh, my head is swimming with possibilities. Literally. I need another soda.

I think I’ll go lie down now.

Chemistry shmemistry, I want a drink!

2006-06-20T15:49:00.000-06:00

What’s wrong with me? For some reason I can’t seem to get myself to get back to my chemistry so I can take the final and get it over with. It’s getting ridiculous. I mean, here I am. My chemistry text is a mere three feet away, snuggled quietly in my red backpack. My chem. notes are there, my scientific calculator, a couple of pencils . . . and what am I doing? Instead of studying chemistry I’m blogging about not studying chemistry.

The only thing I can think of is that I’m either avoiding it (because I’m afraid I won’t do well), or my sub-conscious doesn’t think I have enough guilt in my life. There is a part of me that keeps saying, “Come on, John. Get it together. The longer you wait the harder it’s going to be. The more time that ticks away the less chemistry you’ll actually remember and then you’ll really be in a world of academic hurt.”

I want to listen to that voice, I really do. But there’s another voice that just keeps saying, “Screw chemistry! Let’s get a soda!”

Maybe I can make a deal with them both. I’ll take a walk to the corner market and get soda as a bribe to myself to do chemistry.

Hmmm . . .

Anatomy is History

2006-06-12T11:58:00.000-06:00

For better or worse, I finally took my anatomy final. (Hmm . . . I finally finaled. Ick.) I think it was mostly for the worse. Have you ever had an experience where you’re taking a test and thought, “When did we cover that?” I sure did. Oh, well. At least it’s over and I can focus on taking my Chemistry final.

Back to Finals

2006-05-30T14:43:00.000-06:00

Now that I’m starting to get back into the swing of things, I’m facing the problem of taking my final exams. In some ways I’m lucky (if you can call having part of your anatomy removed “lucky”). I’ve had more time than my fellow students did to study. On the other hand, I’m not so lucky. Mostly I’ve been drugged and not thinking about school (or anything else) and so there’s more distance between me and they subject at hand.

The other side of this is that since I came back to work, my work schedule has gotten nuts. I’ve got more responsibility and a larger client load than ever. Okay, not “ever.” Just larger than it’s been in a long time. It’s been harder for me to carve out time in my schedule to study and take my tests.

In any case, I’ve promised myself that I’m going to take my anatomy final this week It’s waiting for me at the assessment center, I just have to go take it. I had originally planned for tomorrow but (work again!), it’s looking like it will be Thursday instead.

Wish me luck. Come hell or high-water I want to get this done.

First Week without a gall bladder

2006-05-23T14:58:00.000-06:00

The day after my surgery was weird. Not that the three days I had before that weren’t weird. In many ways, I guess, the day after was really just a continuation of the weird. They started giving me solid food, sort of. I mean, if you can call colored gelatin solid. Maybe it was just less liquid. Mostly they just checked me out and sent me home.

To be honest, that day, and most of the next week was a blur. I do vaguely remember arranging for incompletes with my professors. Mostly I just took lots of narcotics and stayed on the couch. I think I watched more TV that week than I have in the past several years.

One thing I learned that week, though. When you’re recovering from surgery, DVD rental means never having to say, “What should I do today when I’m not asleep?”

Let's play operation!

2006-05-15T15:05:00.000-06:00

So, there I was in the hospital. I didn’t want to be, but who does?

At first I tried to study my chemistry. I had a final coming up and I was hoping to make it out by my final test. It’s amazing the kinds of delusions that pain and morphine will lead to.

One astute nurse, finding me struggling with my chemistry, said, “So, with all the stress in your life right now, don’t you think that may have something to do with you being in the hospital? I think you probably should put the chemistry away for tonight and get some rest.” At first, her comment annoyed me. What was I supposed to do? I was confined to ice chips for two days and had finals coming up. My work had sent me to Vegas so I’d already lost two critical days of cramming. How was watching crappy TV and sleep supposed to help me? It wouldn’t change anything. I was still going to get cut on and have a small part of my anatomy removed.

In the end though, she was right. I was exhausted. I had pushed myself too far and my body had rebelled. In the end I didn’t get much chemistry done. Mostly I just slept and watched crappy TV for two days.

Monday rolled around and I realized that it was already noon, and I had no idea when I’d being going in for the surgery. It was supposed to be that day. My previous experiences with surgery had convinced me that surgeons were morning people of the worst sort and so I had expected to have gone under the knife by now. Or at least by 1:30. Didn’t happen, though. Even the nurses weren’t sure until the last minute.

After sitting around worrying for a few more hours, I was finally wheeled in, bed and all, to the pre-op area at about 4:00 PM. Remember how I said that surgeons are morning people? If you can help it, never schedule a surgery for the afternoon. Not only are surgeons morning people, so are operating room staff. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of more exhausted looking folks in a hospital and not have them be patients. Honestly, I was a little concerned. Mostly I just had to pee. One of the most surreal moments though, was when one of the staff came over to me with what looked like a magic marker and wrote the word “yes” on the right side of my belly and “no” on the left side. “That’s to make sure the surgeon knows which side of you to cut on,” she said with a smile.

Okay. I was officially freaked out. I’d been studying anatomy this last semester, right? Even I remembered that my gall bladder was on my right side. Why did the surgeon need a reminder? Didn’t they go to school for this sort of thing?

Too late to back out, I was wheeled into the operating room, and subjected to abuse only a fraternity could think up. I woke up later with half of my stomach shaved and four rather large band aides on me. Oh yeah. I hurt. More morphine was given and I did little but sleep through the rest of the night.

When Push Comes to Shove

2006-05-08T17:13:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Long time no update. For those of you who don’t know, I ended up in the hospital last week having my gall bladder removed. Take it from me, it’s not a good way to get out of taking finals.

I had planned on this surgery the following week. Or rather, today, so I could take my finals. I had a severe attack last Sunday, though, and ended up in the emergency room for the 37th time.

Okay, I really have no idea how many times I’ve been to the ER before over my gall bladder, but it’s a lot, all right?

I got to freak my niece out, as well.

My Good Wife and I had just come home from a business trip to Vegas at about 3:30 AM Sunday morning. (Yes, it really was business. Quit smirking.) GW had the good sense to go directly to bed (do not pass Go) when we got home. I tried, but my gall bladder had other ideas. It had been vying for my attention for the last couple of hours of our trip home. I thought about asking GW to drive, but she doesn’t see very well at night.

My Lovely Niece had been staying with the kids over the weekend. She’s 18 now, and getting ready to go off to college (full ride scholarship, no less) this coming fall. All in all, she’s a capable young woman. MLN was sleeping on the coach but started rousing about three hours after we got home. I, on the other hand, had been drifting in and out of exhaustion induced sleep alternating with bouts of increasing pain in my gut. When she, and a couple of my kids, started moving around the house like the little morning zombies they are, I finally gave up. GW was fast asleep and dead to the world. No joining the undead for her. So I turned to MLN and said, “I’d like you to put your shoes on and take me to the hospital, please.”

The look on her face of utter horror and concern was worth the price of admission. Not really, but it sounds good.

MLN did not let me down. In spite of her shock she did just as I asked, and within just a few minutes we were in the emergency room. The doctors did all of the right things, poking and torturing me in just the right ways to make me scream, and then giving me morphine to make me feel better about the abuse. About this time GW had roused herself to consciousness and joined me.

Not in the abuse, just as a witness. You guys really are sick, aren’t you.

Now, I was hoping to feel better and go home. We had scheduled this very surgery for the following week so I could take my finals. As the morphine started wearing off, though, it was clear that this attack was much worse than anything from before. I was still hurting. Not as bad, mind you, but I could still feel it. I talked with the doctor about my concerns and asked him what he thought. My would-be torturer said, quite frankly, “I think you should let us cut it out now. Your surgeon has agreed to do it tomorrow.”

How could I argue with that?

But you’ll have to wait until later for the rest of the story.

Lab + Final = Final + Lab

2006-04-20T14:42:00.000-06:00

Last night was my anatomy lab final. It was the last night I had to sniff formaldehyde and trace blood pathways . . . at least for a while.

Okay, everyone. Sing with me, “No more dissection! No more gook! No more cadaver’s dead eyed looks!”

Man. You’d think I’d have grown up by now. Guess not. I’m not getting more mature, I’m just getting more morbid.

[shrug] Oh, well.

I’m not sure how well I did on the test, though. There were at least two questions I know I guessed on, and two I just flat out couldn’t answer. That really disturbs me. If there were four questions I know I botched, how many did I screw up that I don’t know about? The thought scares me. It should scare my future patients, too.

On the plus side, I’m also done with my Chemistry lab. Want to sing another song with me? Sure you do! “No more beakers! No more flasks! No more acid and broken glass!”

There, see? I can be less sick sometimes. Still just as twisted mind you, just less sick.

Of course the semester’s not over so I’m not quite off the hook, yet. I’ve still got a week of classes and two lecture finals.

Now go do your homework.

Two Weeks to Doomsday

2006-04-12T17:28:00.000-06:00

Finals are coming up in two weeks, and I am woefully unprepared. I predict one of two things will happen.

My head will explode.

The apocalypse will occur.

Oddly enough, I’m alright with either one of those things right now.

Indecisive Me

2006-04-04T12:00:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, I consider my life to have been a perfect example of taking nearly every fork in the road imaginable. In my nearly 40 years I’ve had jobs as diverse as newspaper carrier, retail store clerk, substitute teacher, business mentor, website business owner, studio musician, printing professional and consultant, U.S. Marine, and private music teacher. As the rest of you may know, I’ve been back to school for last year studying biology and chemistry with the idea of applying to chiropractic school. I just can’t seem to make up my mind when it comes to “what I want to do when I grow up.”

It’s gotten worse.

With my recent set-backs in chemistry, and my new music studio, I’ve started seriously thinking about music education full time, instead of Chiropractic. As I look at the path ahead in both directions, I’ll be missing out on a huge chunk of my children’s lives if I pursue the chiropractic side. My oldest son will be 19 and ready to move out by the time I start practice, for heaven’s sake! With all the time I’m devoting to school and work I already feel like I’m losing my children, or at least their childhood. And if I continue on this path, it’s only going to get worse. It’s a cost I thought could deal with by making sure I spent more time with them on the weekends, but it’s not working. The cost is becoming too high.

So anyway, I’m in the middle of my continual “life path re-think” again. A Masters degree in education doesn’t look too bad, and should only take me two or three more years, not six or seven. I’ve tried looking at various scenarios, including trying for an endorsement in science (science teachers are in demand), but in the end I think I’d just be fooling myself. In many ways, I may have been already.

When it comes down to it, I’m a musician. I like all aspects of music: performing, composing, arranging, producing, and teaching. The farther I get away from that, as much as I enjoy medicine and helping people, the farther it seems I’m getting away from myself.

It’s just that when I think about trying to build a career in music, the “security hungry” side of myself starts screaming. I fear that I’ll never make any real money with it, and may end up with a crappy retirement as well. Then how will be children feel?

I hate balancing myself against my children’s future needs. When I do, nobody seems to win.

The world (of chemistry) keeps turning

2006-03-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

Chemistry has become the focus of my life, and the bane of my existence. Fortunately for me, my chemistry professor, Dr. G, has given us a way of upping our scores from the midterm. What we can do is go back through all the questions we missed, work out detailed calculations and explanations as to why the correct answer is the correct answer (this is all open book, now), and then get half credit for them.

Good news for me, except it’s due this Thursday. That’s the same day that my chemistry lab, and all its work, is due.

Here’s how the lab assignments work. The day we do the experiments, we turn in a pre-lab assignment. Pre-labs consists of a series of questions geared to letting the instructor know that we understand what’s going on with the lab we’re going to be doing, as well as a data sheet to collect and organize the data from the experiment on. After the experiment is over, we have the following week to work up a detailed report of the experiment, including all calculations needed to create the report and support our findings. We also do a post-lab assignment, much like the pre-lab in that it is a bunch of questions designed to test that we know what’s going on. On top of that, we’ve got to prepare the pre-lab for the following week.

Doing all this has been taking me way too much time. I’ve only got the lab report done from last week, and I’ve not even touched the chemistry “re-test.”

And it’s all due in two days.

Any guesses as to what my life revolves around this week?

Get back to class, you!

2006-03-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Spring break has sprung, and now it’s gone. Back to the ol’ grind am I.

I got a lot done last week, though. Not on school, but on my music studio. It’s up and running, and so far everything works. I haven’t tried everything, though. I never did get any studying done over the break, though. Now I have to hustle my butt off to get ready for an anatomy test this Friday.

I can’t decide which is more pathetic, though: to not take advantage of a break to study, or to actually study during spring break.

Spring Break

2006-03-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

Spring break is here! This week is really going to be nice for me. It’s not quite a vacation (I still have to go to work), but it’ll be a nice change to not have to go to classes for a bit. It’s weird, though. I had planned on using this week to catch up on some of my reading and such for my classes, but for some reason I just can’t bring myself to do that just yet. Instead I’m goofing off and building a music studio in my basement. Maybe I’ll get excited about catching up on my homework before the week is over.

But probably not.

Two Words

2006-03-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

Next week I will partake in two of the most wonderful words to be had in a college student’s academic career.

Spring break.

Ahhhhh. I feel so much better now.

Morning Vacuum

2006-03-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

This morning was horrible. Really. It sucked big time. This is no piddely little suckage, this is full blown outer space is a vacuum suckage. Actually, it started last night.

I got home late from work, and so I didn’t end up getting to bed until about 1:30 AM this morning. Then my middle daughter comes in to my bedroom at about 6:00 AM and wakes me up to tell me that she needs to “get something for Mom.” This happens again about 10 minutes later because she didn’t get the right thing the first time. About 20 minutes more and my wife comes in and putts around, instead of just getting what she needed and getting out.

It gets worse. About 7:00 my wife is getting ready to leave to take the oldest two kids to school and, low and behold, my youngest decides to throw a fit. She’s screaming and crying and from what I can tell, no one is doing anything about it. By this time I’ve had enough and resigned myself to the fact that I’ve gotten to bed about two hours late and been woken up about two hours early. So much for my beauty sleep. I get up to take care of my youngest to be greeting to chaos as everyone is trying to get there stuff together so they can leave, and ignoring her. As soon as everyone leaves I turn on the TV to Sesame Street and, miracle of miracles, my youngest shuts up, having been hypnotized by Elmo.

A few minutes later my wife comes back, and I putter around the house trying to get my morning exercises done, take a shower, and get prepared for my day. Only I run into a snag about the laundry not being folded and put away, so I have to hunt through a few barrels of clean laundry to find a shirt.

Eventually I get out of the house and on my way to school. On the road out of town I see an old silver and white (and rust colored in spots) truck that about broadsided me last weekend in the grocery store parking lot. My oldest daughter was with me, or I would have had a harder time not removing the smile the driver had on his face (it looked like he though it was funny to endanger me and my oldest daughter) with my fist. I took the license plate number down to report it to a couple of friends of mine. One is the chief of police in town and the other is a county sheriff. I’m not sure what they can do about this weirdo, but it was the only highlight in my morning.

At school I’ve got a chemistry midterm and I screw it up. I just can’t get the numbers to work right. I don’t know why. I did fine with the practice problems the night before. I run out of time before I can even finish the darn thing. Now I’m questioning whether or not I’ve got what it takes to even take on the sciences. I’ve never thought of myself as stupid, but when something like this happens, you start to wonder.

So now I’m at work and I get an email from a guy I bought a used laptop computer from saying he’s just shipped the laptop, but he thinks the batteries might be dead. I’m not talking just needing to be recharged here. I’m talking may need replacing. He’s promised to replace them if that’s the case, but it’s just one more annoyance added to an otherwise vile day.

There’s nineteen more hours until tomorrow morning. If I didn’t have to work, I’d want sedation.

Me study hard now.

2006-02-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

No time to blog. Must study. Anatomy lab midterm coming up Wednesday. Must study bones and muscles. Tubercles and spines and foramen, oh my. Grammar going to pot. Writing in fragments. Brain melting. Can’t think. Must study.

Time Curve

2006-02-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

Do you remember back in your college days when the rule of thumb was spending two hours outside of the classroom on homework and study for every hour you’re in the classroom? I’ve bounced that curve to the moon when it comes to my chemistry lab.

Class is scheduled for two hours a week. Theoretically I should be able to get everything I need to do outside the lab within four hours. Guess what? It ain’t happenin’. I think I spent four hours on Saturday and then another four hours on Sunday working through my lab assignments. It’s been grueling work, too. In some cases, the information I needed wasn’t available through the web resources we were told to look in. Fortunately, I’m smart enough to look at Wikipedia when I can’t find what I need.

I can’t believe I’m actually paying money to work this hard.

Dead Bodies

2006-02-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

Last week in anatomy lab we got to see the cadaver for the first time. We’re not medical students, so we didn’t do any dissections or anything. This is just the body of an old woman that donated her body to science. Presumably this was done after she died. If it had been before she died I don’t think she’d have been very happy about it.

The body was prosected (that means they cut her into parts, but left most of them attached at certain points so we could move them around) by some of the professors at the college. Then they slathered her with fixatives and dropped her into a chemical bath to keep her from decomposing.

When I was a boy I visited my brother when he as studying animal science up at Utah State University. It was pretty interesting. I got to go with one of the vet’s on their rounds and that was pretty cool, especially for a fourteen year old from the suburbs. When she started drawing blood for various tests, though, the world started spinning a bit and I about hit the floor. Something about watching that needle go in and the blood come out I guess. Years later, when I was in my early twenty’s, I was trained as an EMT. During one portion of our training they showed photographic slides of actually emergency patients. “This woman has just had her lower jaw blown off by a shotgun. What are you doing to do?” Well, what I did was ask to be excused before I threw up.

Given that history, I wasn’t sure how I was going to react when I saw the cadaver. I mean, I knew we’d be studying her at some point, I just wasn’t sure if I’d pass out or not.

Well, I guess all the intervening years of working as a nursing assistant, and cleaning up after my children, have strengthened my stomach. Cleaning up round after round of blood, spit, and vomit from various sources does that to you, I guess.

It turns out that I’ve changed. Looking at the cadaver for the first time was really interesting. It was a combination of intellectual interest and grisly fascination. Part of my brain kept saying, “This is really cool! Look at that! So that’s how that works!” Another part of me couldn’t help but remember that the history of anatomical study hasn’t always been a “socially acceptable” one. There was a time when “anatomist” was a euphemism for “grave robber.”

Truly it was life changing experience for me, though. I felt both in awe of the elegance of living things, and the grisly horror of dead and damaged bodies. It took a few days to not look at any form of meat and not remember some structure on the cadaver. I cooked a roast last Sunday and couldn’t help but think, “This is what people are made of.”

At least I’m not up at the anatomy lab at the University of Utah. There you can dissect cadavers to the smell of microwaving Chinese food.

Hitting MEGO

2006-02-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

My Chemistry professor this semester, Dr. G, has a really interesting way of dealing with quizzes. They’re online. When we get done, we are given immediate feedback as to which questions we got right, and which we got wrong. What’s cooler is that we can make three attempts at each quiz. That means that, if you’re smart and understand the technology, you can make one attempt, print the test out, and then fix the problems you ... well … had problems with.

I got stuck on this last quiz, though. Here’s the question.

Calculate the fraction of atoms in a sample of argon gas at 400 K that have an energy of 12.5 kJ or greater.

Cough, choke, sputter. Say what? We’ve been studying kinetics, and moved into equilibrium topics but, I have to admit. I had no clue how to even approach this question. So I had to go to Dr. G this morning after class and say, “I have no clue how to even approach this question.”

Fortunately for me, Dr. G is very keen on his students learning so he clued me in and the light went on for me. He went on to explain a few things about it though, and I hit MEGO.

Are you familiar with MEGO? In addition to being a toy company, it stands for “my eyes glazed over.” That’s what happens when you suddenly lose comprehension. Your eyes literally glaze over. Watch what happens next time you’re explaining something complex to someone.

I don’t think I’ve every hit the end of understanding faster in my life. At least I know how to approach it now. I need to brush up on the Arhenius equation describing rates of chemical reactions. It actually takes into the frequency factor related to the frequency of molecular collisions having the proper orientation to react.

Wait. What’s that look in your eyes? Did you just hit MEGO?

Why I'm not a scientist

2006-01-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is why I’m not a scientist. I spent several hours yesterday working on my chemistry lab. We’re studying reaction times and rates. We’ve done an experiment or two (or three or six or 14), and were using our measurements to determine rate laws for the reactions, and so on.

Now, the experiments in question were done over a period of about 2.5 hours. I spent at least three hours yesterday trying to interpret the data and do the required calculations. Guess what? In all that time I came to discover that I had done the math wrong about three times (I couldn’t get the units to line up right) and now I get to start over from scratch, almost. So much for me knowing what I’m doing.

I keep trying to tell myself, “Oh, now I know how NOT to do it!” but it’s not much consolation. While I know that (theoretically) we learn to know what something is by first knowing what it is not (such as, “I know this is a pencil because it is not a grapefruit.”), I’m still frustrated. Oh well. At least in the lecture class I’m having fun.

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I got my grade back from my first anatomy test. 94 out of 100! Not bad, if I do say so myself. Of course the teacher gave everyone and additional ten points for one reason or another but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

Driving on Campus

2006-01-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

I’ve found a strange thing going on at my college. It’s getting so pervasive that I’m wondering if the college enrolments standards have gone down. People on campus simply don’t know how to drive.

I’m not kidding, here. In order to get out of the parking lot, and sit in line at the light for who knows how long, people are tooling through the parking lot at high speed, only to have to sit in their cars for several minutes at the street light. I guess they like to hurry up and wait.

Not only do I not understand this obsession with getting “just that extra car length ahead” but I wonder how many of them actually look out their windows when they drive. Did they not see me coming up on their left, or hear me slam on my brakes and shout a string of obscenities as they cut me off? Maybe they’re trying to study their textbooks and drive at the same time.

Now, I can understand the college wanted to let them in. It’s a matter of economics. The more students they have enrolled the more tuition they collect. What scares me, though, is why society lets them do this. Don’t you think that at some point people would figure out that if you’re too incompetent to drive, you’re probably too incompetent to vote? I’m constantly wondering why some people I meet are allowed to vote and drive cards.

Wait. Maybe that was the problem with the last U.S. presidential elections in Florida. Nobody checked their driver’s licenses before letting them into the voting booth.

Some of them make me wonder why we allow them to continue stealing our oxygen supplies. If they would just stop breathing, we could put that oxygen to good use. They’re certainly not doing much with it.

I can only see what I know

2006-01-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

There’s an interesting theory that states that “we can’t see what we don’t know exists.” The story goes that the natives of North America couldn’t see Columbus’ ships on the horizon until their medicine man figured out what the ripples in the water were, and told them that ships exist.

I had an interesting experience in my anatomy lab that may support this idea. We were looking at epithelial tissues and identifying their cell types. This is the first time most of us had done this, so it was new to many of us. It was certainly new to me. As I looked at these strange pink-tinted structures under the microscope, at first I couldn’t make heads or tails of them. I was told that the darker dots were the nuclei of the cells. I could see several other pinkish lines and such, but I couldn’t figure out what I was looking at. They seemed fuzzy and out of focus somehow, even though I knew the microscope was in focus.

As I started trying to find landmarks, such as the cell nuclei, I shifted my sight to the cell walls, trying to determine the individual boundaries of each cell. I started looking at the different colors and patterns to figure out which were epithelial cells, and which were connective tissue. After a few minutes of this, suddenly my mind finally grasped the patterns I saw, everything was made very clear in my vision. It’s as if I had changed the focus on the microscope, even though I had done no such thing. I could see the tissues with great clarity, and understood what I was seeing.

Why did I suddenly see what was there, why did it suddenly come into focus, even though I had been looking at the same slide for several minutes, without adjusting the focus on the microscope? I believe that my mind had finally grasped the concept of the individual cell patterns. I had taught myself that epithelial tissue cells existed.

Mad Scientist

2006-01-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

The semester is turning out to be interesting. The chemistry is a bit of a challenge, but not as bad as it could be. Dr. G is a thorough teacher, so that helps. It’s been a nice math refresher for me as well. We’re studying kinetics right now (speed of chemical reactions). It’s been several years since I had to deal with logarithms, let alone natural logarithms, and the math involved with determining rates through initial rate experiments requires them. I’ve had to dig through the attics of my mind to figure out what mental trunk I put my college algebra in. In spite of that, it’s been fun. I feel more like a scientist again.

Anatomy is going to be interesting, and is a completely different story. In most schools they teach anatomy and physiology side by side, over two semesters. Not here. Instead, anatomy and physiology are two separate classes. That means I’m getting just enough physiology to ask questions about anatomical structures, but not enough to really know what’s going on. It’s almost like biological geography. I’m learning to read a map.

The anatomy lab is going to be interesting, though. It’s being taught by a very talented woman from Georgia, and I don’t mean the southern U.S. state. Her accent is pronounced, but I’ve not had any difficulty understanding her. I just can’t pronounce her last name.

I’ve enjoyed learning to identify certain epithelial tissues by their cell types, though. What can I say? Playing with microscopes is fun. I had a real “biology” moment (read “surreal”) when the instructor started talking about smells of the “preserved tissue” (which smell horrible) vs. “fresh tissue” which has little smell at all.

Fresh tissue? I couldn’t help it. I just started thinking about Jack the Ripper, Dr. Frankenstein and grave robbing. I can just see it now. My instructor will turn to me in class and say, in her heavy Georgian accent, “Newman! Get me a brain!”

Yes, master.

Scared Stupid

2006-01-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

School’s back in session! Yup. The heebie jeebies and I are on a first name basis. After all kinds of weirdness, I was able to get into the classes I wanted, Chemistry 1220 (Inorganic Chemistry II) and Biology 2320 (Human Anatomy). They both give me the willies.

Chem’s not going to be so bad. At least I think it won’t. It’s going to be a bit more work than last semester, but I think I’m up to it. We do have one annoyance, though. Dr. G (the head of the Chem dept. no less) wants us to read a non-fiction college level book (350 pages minimum) about science in the real world. We then have to write a report about it and talk about the chemistry of whatever subject the book is about. We’ve got to give him a proposal paper so he can approve the book first, though. Just when I was trying to finish up some fiction . . . darn it.

The class that’s got me freaked is human anatomy. It looks like a ton of information with just waaaaay too little time to cover it in. Not only that, I screwed up on my first day. A couple of girls in my chemistry class are also taking anatomy this semester, so I walked with them from chemistry over to anatomy. I had written down room 107 in the technology building, but their schedules said 207, so I figures I was wrong and went to room 207 instead. Stupid me. It turns out that there is another anatomy class (the one I’m actually enrolled in), in the very same building, at the very same time, in room 107.

Oops.

I emailed my professor, and she pointed me to some web-versions of the syllabus and other handouts she had (thank goodness).

I’m still scared, though. Between an increasing workload, and some very difficult classes, it’s going to be an interesting semester.

Got my grades

2006-01-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

I got my grades back from last semester! Straight A’s in Chemisty and Biology. It just goes to show that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Woof.

Curses, Batman!

2006-01-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Cursin’ flippin’ foul filth foul creeping crud creepy crud! I’ve been trying to get into a human anatomy class. I hadn’t been able to do it. All classes full. On a whim, I checked again and low and behold there was an anatomy lab available! Rushing to check my schedule I found several conflicts, but conflicts that could be worked out! I talked with my wife and boss about the potential ramifications of it. I did my job (it’s time based. I have to make my appointments). I got back into the colleges website and register and . . .

. . . some other young fool has taken my spot! What’s their rush? Don’t these young kids know I’m gonna die before they do?

Fecal matter!

People see what they want

2005-12-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

It looks like the whole “evolution vs. creationism” battle has hit the federal courts. If this article is true to what’s going on, the whole thing is absolutely silly. Bizarre may be a better word.

First off, it looks like Cobb County, Georgia schools put a sticker on their biology books saying, "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered." Why they felt the need to put this sticker on these books is anyone’s guess. The school board calls the stickers "a reasonable and evenhanded guide to science instruction" that encourages students to be critical thinkers. The stickers seem unnecessary to me, but okay.

Most modern biology texts I’ve ever read (including my latest one) present it as a core theme in modern biology (which it is), explain it’s core process, natural selection, and then show how certain elements of biology seem to coincide with it. They don’t bowl you over and say, “God doesn’t exist and evolution is the only true gospel of creation.” In fact, I’ve never seen a biology textbook that mentions God at all, let alone tries to prove or disprove his existence. They just teach biology as we understand it today; or at least at the time of publication.

Apparently some folks disagree. Some parents, as well as the ACLU (surprise surprise) have sued, claiming the stickers violate the constitutional separation of church and state. U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper ruled that the sticker "conveys an impermissible message of endorsement and tells some citizens that they are political outsiders while telling others they are political insiders."

Huh? Endorsing critical thinking violates the first amendment? Since when? What is this statement endorsing if not careful study and thought? And just who are the political outsiders, here? People who can’t think for themselves? The judge is doing nothing but concocting a condition that doesn’t actually exist. Judge Cooper must think that critical thinking, and forming your own opinions, is dangerous. I wonder what he thinks about bloggers?

This quote from the article is brilliant:

"If it's unconstitutional to tell students to study evolution with an open mind, then what's not unconstitutional?" said John West, a senior fellow with the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that supports intelligent design, the belief that the universe is so complex it must have been created by a higher power. "The judge is basically trying to make it unconstitutional for anyone to have a divergent view, and we think that has a chilling effect on free speech."

It seems to me that these parents, the judge, and the ACLU, are simply saying “What’s constitutional is what agrees with my position, and anything that disagrees with it is unconstitutional.” Oh, yeah. Way to protect our civil liberties, there. Not!

“Opponents of the sticker campaign see it as a backdoor attempt to introduce the biblical story of creation into the public schools...”

What? Where in this sticker’s message does it mention the Bible? Where does it mention religion? Give me a break, people! You’re seeing ghosts where there are none!

"The anti-evolution forces have been searching for a new strategy that would accomplish the same end," said Kenneth Miller, a professor of biology at Brown University and co-author of the science book that was stickered. "That purpose is, if not to get evolution out of the schools altogether, then at least undermine it as much as possible in the minds of students."

Huh? Since when is thinking critically about something an attempt to undermine biology? What wrong with simply saying that evolution isn’t a proven fact and going on to teach it anyway, along with all the other stuff we do know (more or less) for sure? Heck, we don’t know how prions function but we still teach how we “think” they might and no one bats an eye. Why is evolution so sacred that we can’t allow students to weigh the evidence and think for themselves? That’s not undermining science, that’s the fundamental nature of science! Question everything and refine our understanding!

But silliness isn’t confined to only one side of the argument. Get this:

In 2004, Georgia's school superintendent proposed a statewide science curriculum that dropped the word "evolution" in favor of "changes over time." That plan was soon scrapped amid protests from teachers.

You think? How stupid is that? Call a spade a spade, a duck a duck, and the theory of evolution the theory of evolution. Don’t back away from it! Teach it! Question it! Show all its holes as well as its wonders! Then let students decide for themselves. They’re going to make up their own minds, anyway, no matter what you do.

It is finished

2005-12-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

It’s done! I’ve taken my last final for the semester! I even think I did pretty well!

Now I can go back to bed.

Three Down, One to Go

2005-12-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

I finished my chemistry final for this term today. I think it went pretty well. I know I learned a lot. I don’t know how physically ready I was for it, though. I stayed up until 3:00 AM this morning trying to figure out a couple of things about titration and calculating volumes of solutions in acid-base reactions. I just wasn’t getting the same numbers in my calculations that the book had. Trouble is, the book has been known to be wrong, so I had the added stress of not knowing whether I was wrong or not. It turns out I could have gotten more sleep. I didn’t have to answer anything about that on the test.

If only I’d known . . . zzzzzzz

*snork* . . . mumble . . . huh?

Oh! Sorry about that. Anyway, now it’s time to study my biology like crazy over the weekend for my final next Monday. Then I get a few weeks off before I start all over again in January. I don’t think I’ve looked forward to the Christmas holiday’s this much since I was a kid.

Good News, No Fast Enough

2005-12-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it turns out that I’m going to be okay with my classes this last quarter. I contacted the grad schools that I’m planning on attending and, with only a couple of exceptions, they’re all okay with the classes I took this last semester, as long as I can get into the upper division ones from here on out. The head of the Chemistry department has given me permission to enroll in the science-major level courses, without retaking the first semester’s course, and so it looks like things are back on track.

The only problem is I didn’t do it fast enough. I was planning on taking Human Anatomy this semester but I waited too long to register, trying to deal with all this crap, and now I can’t get into a lab. They’re all full. No worries, though. I’m going to take the psychology course I need this semester, and then hit anatomy in the summer.

Last Semester May Be a Bust

2005-11-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to start the week off right.

Or not.

I went to register for my classes today and discovered that I may have to take similar classes all over again. My first semester back may have been a bust. It looks like I registered for versions of classes that aren’t going to transfer well. I took the “for health science majors” courses in Biology and Chemistry thinking “Cool! That’s what I’m gonna be! Health Sciences!” No such luck. It turns out that there are different versions of those same classes for “science-majors” and so I may have to take those same level courses all over again under a different number, just so they transfer right. Now I’m off to talk to a school counselor about CLEPing them. I need to decide fast so I can get registered for the correct classes for the coming semester.

Crappy way to start a week.

Wind Up My Stomach and Watch It Bleed

2005-11-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

School is starting wind down for the semester. Or maybe it’s winding up? I don’t know. I finished my last Chemistry lab last Saturday, so that’s one class I’m done with for the semester. I’ve only got one more Biology lab this coming Saturday. After that my Saturday’s are mine again for a while.

Finals are coming up in about three weeks. As much as I’m feeling good about my labs being done, I’m also getting nervous about my finals. I’m not sure why, exactly. I’ve done well so far. Maybe it’s just because they’re so . . . well . . . final.

My health has been giving me fits, too. I went to the hospital last Sunday afternoon in a lot of pain. It felt the same as when they had diagnosed me with gall stones, only worse, so I was thinking that was still the issue. Trouble is the ultrasound showed no such problems. Clean gall bladder, no signs of inflammation.

So why on earth was I in so much pain? I was sweating like a dog on hot sidewalk, and becoming dehydrated because of it. The doctor came back, much to my disbelief, with a diagnosis of gastric reflux. What I thought was gall bladder trouble is turning out to be something that has me more worried. They haven’t ruled out an ulcer, either. Because where I hurt, if I do have an ulcer (which wouldn’t surprise me at this point) I suspect it’s a duodenal one. Just because of where I hurt.

I’ve still not completely recovered. I need to get an appointment with my regular doctor and follow up with him. With finals looming, though, it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

I'm a health hypocrite

2005-11-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

I’ve come to the conclusion that I am a health hypocrite. I talk a lot about healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. It’s an important topic to me. I read up on all kinds of things about food, sleep requirements, and exercise.

But I’m a hypocrite because I don’t always do them.

I’ve been trying to lay off the sugar and caffeine, but when I don’t get enough sleep, I’m over to the convenience store buying an energy drink chock full of both of them. The fact that I’m not getting enough sleep in the first place is an example of my hypocrisy. It’s not that I’m not home in time. On many days it’s not even a matter of me staying up late to study. I’m just up watching DVD’s or bad late night TV.

I know I should exercise, too. I started doing it before I went to school, but now I’m trying to figure out when I can find time. See? More hypocrisy. If I really wanted to, I’d do it while I was up late watching bad television.

Now I need to figure out how to walk to talk again.

Surly John

2005-11-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

I’ve really been feeling overwhelmed lately. I’m still doing well on my tests, just not as well as I’d like to. Mostly that stems from not studying as much as I should, and letting other things get in the way. Family things have gotten pretty tight, too. I find myself being more surly and argumentative of late. I think I need to take a break, and find some stress relief. Good thing I’ve got plans to go play with friends this weekend.

How do we know what we know?

2005-11-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

In an online musician’s forum I participate in, a vocalist asked for recommendations on getting over her cold. I’m sure you can imagine that she got as many different opinions as we have members in the group. This group is no slouch, scientifically. The group includes a medical doctor and a biology professor with a Ph.D.

Our respected M.D. mentioned treating the symptoms and getting plenty of rest and fluids. Several others (including myself) mentioned herbs and other natural preparations. Still others mentioned colloidal silver, and so on.

The discussion that ensued was interesting, to say the least. I think the alternative folks were more vocal than our good doctor. What was funny was how they tried to support their opinion, and start an argument with the MD, by making claims such as “I live with a bunch of microbiologists” and so on. The MD had never discredited them; they just started in on the MD and tried to justify their position. In our good doctor’s defense, our resident biologist mentioned that he would rather trust a person who has studied, trained, and become licensed in medicine than any number of less studied (or even unstudied) recommendations.

It brought up an interesting question for me, as a proponent of SOME natural and so-called alternative medicines. How do we know that any of these things work? How do we know anything? It’s hard to discount a positive result in our own lives when using an alternative therapy, even if some people shake there heads and roll their eyes at us, telling us it was “just a coincidence.”

People on both sides of the alternative vs. traditional argument site study after study, in some cases denying that such studies exist. I can’t count the times I’ve been told, “There hasn’t been any research on such and such a remedy,” when I’ve seen and read them myself.

On the other hand, I get concerned when people start talking about natural and alternative medicines as being completely safe, when it’s simply not true. I know people who swear by colloidal silver. I’ve taken it, but I didn’t notice a real helpful result that couldn’t be achieved through taking some other herb or medicine much safer than a heavy metal solution. I’ve heard the claims that a colloidal solution of gold or silver is safe, but I’ve never seen the real studies to back that up. Maybe one of my readers can point me to one.

But the problem continues in that some studies are designed to give a specific result, rather than actually test a hypothesis. That’s why peer review is so important in the scientific community. To cut down on scientists pursuing an agenda that leads to bad science. The problem is that some studies get published before going to peer review because they support a publisher’s specific agenda.

To me, that means that we need to quit believing that science and medicine, from any modality, is some kind of sacred cow; that it’s solid and can’t be questioned. We need to question everything. As a people we used to believe that atoms were the smallest particle in existence, now we know about protons, electrons, quarks, gluons, and all those other sub-atomic particles. People used to believe the earth was the center of the universe. Now we know better. We used to believe that Neanderthal man was part of the evolutionary chain that leads to Homo sapiens. Now, with increased understanding of genetics, we’ve proven that to be false. According to modern evolutionary theory Neanderthal man and Homo sapiens both evolved from a common ancestor, but are not directly related.
I’ve had this discussion with several of my professors, now. While we may differ in opinion on certain points, there are a few things we are in agreement with. The questions should constantly be, what is the data showing us? What can be claim with some certainty, based on what we see?

What do we really know? I think that understanding how we know what we know is just as important.

Adventures in Urine

2005-10-25T09:31:00.000-06:00

This has been an interesting week for me. It’s been a roller-coaster ride, emotionally. My daughter has been sick and, due to a compromised urinalysis, we were in and out of the hospital for a couple of days. The “stick test” at the doctor’s office kept showing elevated glucose levels, but the battery of blood tests and additional urine tests at the hospitals read normal. We ended up taking her to Primary Children’s Hospital, the top pediatric hospital in the area. After several hours of various tests, they concluded that she had intestinal flu and sent us home. That certainly distracted me from school a bit, but I’m doing my best to get back into the swing of it.

One highlight for me though was in my biology lab. We had another teacher substituting, and we were doing experiments with enzymes under various conditions, including pH. One group of students was having difficulty with some of the pH tests, particular the acidic ones. I made the off-hand comment that we do the acid test if someone wanted to go pee in a cup. You know; uric acid and all. The sub got a weird look on her face and said, “That might be interesting. I’ll be back.”

I can’t believe it. I never thought I’d be able to say that I got a professor to go pee.

My Body Says No

2005-10-18T11:18:00.000-06:00

I feel like crap.

I don’t know if I’m burning the candle on both ends, or what, but I just don’t feel good. I think I may have had another bout with my gall bladder early Monday morning, and I’ve just not recovered. I just don’t have any energy, even a day later. I missed my Monday classes, not to mention work, and I’ve got another chemistry test coming up Wednesday. I’m thinking I may need rest right now as much, if not more than, I need study.

Ick.

Affirming Meeting

2005-10-13T17:49:00.000-06:00

I just got back from a meeting at BYU with Dr. Christopher Lepisto, ND. He was acting as a rep for Bastyr College, a college of natural medicine in Seattle. While the meeting was mostly what I expected, a Q & A session and presentation geared at recruiting students to Bastyr, it was also very informative.

The biggest part of it, though, was how it helped affirm the path that I’ve chosen, going back to school in pursuit of a medical career. Oddly enough, it helped me affirm my choice in doing Chiropractic first, and then pursuing an N.D. second. I’m not sure why, but it really did.

It really reminded me why I’m drawn to so-called “alternative” medicine, even though I’ve got a bit of a scientist lurking in my make-up. I firmly believe that our current medical system is broken. These poor MD’s are being asked to do too many things these days and, in too little time. To top it off, much of their continuing education is provided by pharmaceutical companies that have their own agendas. Medicare and Medicaid are broken, as is the medical insurance industry.

Something needs to be done that is more cost effective for patients; a medical model that helps people to improve and maintain their health, so they can reduce their chances of having to deal with major pathologies later on. I believe that a more holistic approach, one that integrates prevention with crisis management, is the answer.