Bday Fun

Our friend Wes had a brithday last week. His wife Sharbee organized at little birthday fun for all of us. We went bowling...I managed to break 100 the first game but did even worse the second game. Josh bought Wes a bunch of superman stuff kinda as a gag gift for his bday. Then we ate at El Vaquero and ended up going to El Chico for dessert so we could watch the last half the OSU game since it was on ESPNU. OSU won!

Game Day

Last Saturday, OSU smoked Missouri State! It was a fun game; we went with our friends Wes and Sharbee and their little boy Caleb. The picture with the hands in the air is the "waving wheat" - that's what we do when we make a touchdown.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...in the chemistry lab!

This week in lab we did distillations, where you run water through your set-up. Tubes came loose once when one group turned on their water so water was shooting out everywhere. After that, I backed up every time a group turned their water on for the first time. Then a group forgot to hold their tube while it drained water into the sink and a tube was flying in the air like a snake, shooting water everywhere. Cries of "What do we do? What do we do??" were heard. I answered them backing away from the lab rain, "Turn off the water!" Later a similar incident occured, but this time the group remembered that turning off the water, turns off the water shooting across the lab. It was a long lab period; I left wet and tired.

Ultra Nerd

This morning I got to teach the lecture portion for a professor that was out of town. It was a good experience since I have never done a course lecture (just lab lectures) before. The prof wanted me to use this giant model of a cyclohexane molecule to demonstrate the chair conformation. I had to take it home last night to make sure I knew how to use it; to be able to explain to the students the things I needed to using this model. So yesterday, I broke it down so it would fit into my backpack. I didn't want people seeing me walking across campus with it. But this morning I didn't know if I would have time to rebuild it once I got to class so I just sucked it up and walked with it totally intact. It was early so I actually only ran into a few people..not too bad. BUT after class, it was primetime on campus for morning classes so the courtyard I had to walk across from the lecture building to my building was full of people. I had to carry my gynormous molecule looking like an ultra nerd. What's worse, I look young so people never think I'm a professor...sometimes people think I'm an undergrad. So I definitely didn't look like a prof carrying a teaching tool. No, I looked like a nerdy student who LOVES her giant cyclohexane molecule. YEEESSSSS!

Waiting...

So Friday morning I turned in my preproposal and my "almost-full" proposal to my advisor. YAY!! I'm finally moving along in my graduate hurdles. I'm just waiting now to hear what I need to change before I can submit it to my full committee. It's a bit stressful and nerve-wracking waiting...it's going to be a long month of this.

Bragging Time

Here are two of my favorite pictures of my neice; her mom just sent them to me. Isn't she the cutest??!!
One is of her as the "mud monster" - that's what she called herself.

I Heart Jack Bauer!

Ok, so that's a bit overboard, but for those of you who know Josh and me, you know we love 24! And 24 took a lot of emmys Sunday night. We only watched maybe half an hour of the emmys so I was glad when I read Monday morning that 24 won 3 major awards:
Best Drama Series
Best Directing for a Drama Series
Best Actor for a Drama Series (Keifer Sutherland).
If you don't watch 24, you should start.

Weekend

We had a good weekend. I was pretty efficient on Friday; I worked late at school and then went grocery shopping late that night.
Saturday, Josh and me took the dogs for a run at the lake and swimming. Newman ran the whole 3 miles! His leg is doing awesome.
Padme ran a mile with me and kept wanting to stop and lay down on the mile back (we were walking by this time). Newman and Padme swam quite a bit later - Padme looks like a seal because she goes all the way under the water - head and all! I'll have to take some pictures of them next time we take them to the lake. Funny enough, Newman was not sore and still hyper all weekend while Padme has been sore and sleepy.
Last night, Josh and me went to the Acapella concert at church. It was great - I was really impressed with this new group. It was an uplifting night.
Today after church we had potluck. We met one of our "adopted" college kids - they're baseball players. Josh is in Heaven already talking to them about it.
Overall, it's been a nice, eventful weekend!

Newman's Healing

Newman's leg is healing as you might be able to tell from the pictures. He can be outside without a leash for short periods of time now.
He can run and stretch his leg out, too.

Padme and Newman have been playing together A LOT; I guess they're making up for lost time.

BaCk To ScHoOl

It was the first day back to the fall semester today. I haven't ridden the bus in quite awhile due to the 3-digit-weather we've been having. This morning it rained and cooled us off so it wasn't too bad to walk to the bus stop. In the summer, the bus is pretty much empty except for me, the bus driver, and maybe another person. Today, to and from school it was packed. Some people even had to stand (not me, I got a seat quickly).
I met my students today - they seemed like a good group of students. I usually have a good group so I'm not really worried about that. All I had to do today was give introductions and give a spill of safety. Hopefully, I didn't talk too fast, and my students will pass their quiz on Wednesday. Ha!

Chemistry Meeting

So Friday we had our department TA meeting where we get our assignments for the fall and get our annual safety training. Here's what I remember:

1. As usual our head of department was full of jokes at the beginning of the meeting. And as usual I laugh at his jokes. I appreciate his humor.

2. Some new grad student, in his introduction to the department, informed all of us he was single. With the girl/guy ratio in chemistry, not sure if his search will be sucessfull. Especially since many of the women are married/engaged.

3. Another new grad student who is Asian American told us in her introduction (with obvious-American-English) that she was from OKC, and that she was NOT an international student...so please stop asking.

4. I got the lab I wanted to teach, and a good time, too. My friend on the other hand gets the losing end every semester...if she gets a good lab, she gets an awful time to teach (eveningss or Fridays)...if she gets a good time, it's a not-fun lab (too much grading). Maybe she'll grow to love her teaching assingment this semester. Maybe.

5. My students' final is the Friday of finals week - the last possible day of the semester. Which means I for sure will be grading that Friday before break.

6. We watched some safety video about gas cylinders and how to handle them safely. I was hoping they would demonstrate in the video how they can become "rockets" - no such luck.

7. The day ended with another meeting about my lab and me running into an old friend from OC who is about to start his first grad year in the Biochem department. He looked maybe a little shell-shocked. He had a million things to do. Welcome to grad school.

Treadmill Dance

I think I might have mentioned it one time, but I'm not the most graceful on the treadmill. One time, I fell off. I grabbed onto Josh who was on the treadmill next to me. He was going down with me if I was going down! Anyway, go to this link...it's of some guys dancing on treadmills - something I only aspire to do, for I never will be able to synchronize my steps like that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI&mode=related&search=

By the way, many of you may be thinking (as I was), who has time to do this? Of course, you (and I) have time to watch junk on the internet, too.

Summer Reading Recommendation

I've been reading Mary Piper's book Reviving Ophelia this week. I had read another book by Piper called Another Country when I was an undergrad. Mary Piper is a therapist whose books are for the therapists and non-therapists. I really liked Another Country: it was about older people and how my generation can connect with them. It was required reading for a Romans bible class I took. We talked about generational groups within the church and how that can divide us. Another Country gave us ideas on how to close in the generational gap. Reviving Opelia was written before Another Country, but I still think it still relates to our young girls today - if not even more so. Piper discusses all the troubles that teenage girls are faced with in today's world - how radically different it is from pre-80's days. It's given me a better understanding about my adolescent years, compassion for troubled girls, and ideas on how to parent when I one day have teenagers.
I've enjoyed reading a book that is not in my field but still thought-provoking.

Fun Weekend

We had a good weekend. Josh's mom, stepdad, and our niece got to come visit us. We had a good time visiting and playing with Tana. We even went swimming! Saturday, Josh and me went to a wedding. It was outside - whew! was it hot! BUT we got to cool off inside during the reception. It was a beautiful wedding.

Josh and me at the Hill-Gotcher wedding. 

The girls 

Padme wanted to join the fun with Tana and Josh. 

We enjoyed our fudge-sicles! 

We were all tired by Sunday afternoon - including Josh and Brutus! 

LOTR and SBTB Trivia Pursuit

Josh recieved Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit DVD Edition for his birthday last March. Of course, you can't play the game unless you're with other LOTR nerds. We've gotten to play a few times now with other friends who are fans of the movies and books. Sad to say, but I'm actually better at this version of trivial pursuit than I am at regular trivia pursuit. The last time I played the regular version I didn't get any pie pieces - I felt so dumb. BUT apparently, LOTR trivial pursuit is what I'm soppossed to play.
So early in the mornings here Saved by the Bell reruns are playing. Everytime Josh and I would go to spin class we can see the TV with SBTB episodes on (there's back to back episodes the whole class period). We aren't plugged into the TVs so we can't hear the show, we can only see it. If you give me about a minute, just by seeing a SBTB episode glimpse, I can lay out the whole plot of that particular episode for you. I think it's my gift. I think it's time to buy Saved by the Bell Trivia Pursuit DVD Edition.

75 minutes of Spin

Josh and I attend a spin class twice a week at the early hour of 6:30 AM. Those 45 minutes are killer, but I feel so proud of myself afterwards that I survived. Today was our last spin class for the summer (we have a month break until the fall classes start up). Today was a "special" 75-minute class...I burned 600 calories. It was crazy long, and I was just glad that I finished the 75 minutes and didn't die. Someone in class said that we need to make shirts that say, "I survived 75 minutes of spin class!"

Chemistry Quotes

I found some chemistry quotes today. I thought they were interesting.

It is disconcerting to reflect on the number of students we have flunked in chemistry for not knowing what we later found to be untrue.
- Weber, Science With a Smile, 1992

We know very little, and yet it is astonishing that we know so much, and still more astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power.
- Bertrand Russell

I remember when I was an undergrad, and my professor stopped talking right in the middle of his lecture on atomic orbital theory. Dr. Baxter said in effect, "When we get to Heaven, God could tell us that we had it all wrong about this stuff...of course you still will be tested over it." And then he continued lecturing. That thought always stuck with me. There's so much knowledge that we "think" we know and then find out later it was incorrect or not entirely true. Scientists can study down to subparticles, but we can't fully comprehend it all. We say, "Oh, it's just chaos after that." I think there's still order to it; we just aren't smart enough yet to figure it out.

Well, I just thought I would offer a little food for thought. It's things like this in science that confirm my faith in God. Everything is too complex to have just "come about."

Visit to Marlow

Back in June, I took a little road trip with my Aunt Sissie and Mamaw down to Marlow, Oklahoma. We met other family at my great-grandmother's (Nona) to help her move. It was a nice time catching up and visiting. I saw my great aunts and great uncles...and my great-great aunts and great-great uncles! What a crew!

Uncle Alf, Aunt Lorene, and Nona 

I tried to organize all of Nona's jewelry. 

Aunt Kaye, Uncle Bob V., Mamaw, Nona, and Aunt Lynn laughing 

Me and Aunt Sissie 

Mamaw and me 

Uncle Bob, Mamaw, Me, Aunt Sissie, and Nona 

This is what I wish I was doing right now..."skiing" or at least falling down a hill in the snow. It is SO HOT here...like I'm sure it is everywhere in the U.S. right now. It's 10:30 at night here, and the heat index is 99...what in the world??? 

These are some people I work with from my research lab...Alan, Zeid, and Sulaiman. In all my pictures I've ever taken with the research group or at a conference, I'm either chees'in it or I look especially nerdy. This one is a toss-up! 

Why I Love the OSU Library

So I'm writing my pre-proposal finally. I convinced my advisor it was a good idea..now it's time for my committee to be convinced. I've been in the library A LOT it seems here at school. Searching for articles. Looking for books. Writing up my idea. So here are things why I Heart the OSU library:

1. The coffee shop has the best chai lattes...ever.
2. When I'm having a problem locating or printing an article, any staff librarian is EXCITED to help me. I feel like a celebrity.
3. The staff here know me. Somebody told me the other day, "Do you live here?" Okay, so maybe I'm here A LOT, but at least the librarians notice.
4. If our library doesn't have it, they'll get it for you in no time.
5. There are many good places to work in the library. Quiet places. Places to take a quick nap with no interruptions. (hmm...That'll be my next entry...Why I Heart Naps...)

Top 10 Memorable Things at Camp This Year

1. My cabin. I had a great group of 5-6th grade girls. Everyone actually showered this year. Yay!
2. Mice. Every night for 4 days we had a little visitor, by the second night I was screaming with my girls on top of the bed. Our heroes killed the mouse on the 5th night.
3. My co-counselor Linda. She was easy to get along with and fun. She also gave me medicine at night so I wouldn't have to walk to the nurse's to get it in the dark.
4. Snake citings. People were seeing copperheads, and I saw the rattlesnake that Jeff killed with a stick.
5. Fishing. I actually caught a fish. Of course, I wasn't going to take it off the hook. One of Josh's campers did it for me.
6. Friday night party. The 4th-6th grade girls had a party in the mess hall. I just sat down and laughed at them - they were wound up. Bigtime. I think that's what happens when you chug 6 cups of Dr. Pepper at midnight. Yes, one of our girls did that.
7. Teaching. I got to teach the 6th grade and 10th grade girls. Very different audiences. Very different subjects. Ha!
8. Canteen. I ate at least one candy bar a day. The candy and pop got me through the days when the food was too gross to eat.
9. Fireworks. Fires. Fireworks landing right behind us. That excitement caused one of my girls to start crying. I was more worried that a snake was going to come up behind me.
10. Skits. Josh singing "I've Been Everywhere" and all the performances we had this year...Lighten Up, Summer Singers, and Phil's Gameshow.

Scientifically Chic

So there's this article I read that gives tips on how to decorate your kitchen scientifically. You can use test tubes for spices, salad dressings in volumetric flasks, or candles on watch glasses. I have a feeling Josh would veto this redecorating idea...
http://www.orangemagazine.com/article.php?aid=202

PDN (Public Display of Nerdiness)

Like in many nerdy departments, we have professors that talk to themselves in the hallways. Usually he or she is giving the day's lecture to themselves or trying to solve a research problem out loud. I don't find it odd anymore when I see it in my building. Of course, if you are in public, that's a whole other ballgame. I happen to drive by one of these professor's houses yesterday and saw him outside in his yard talking to himself and the cat. He was lecturing about chemistry in public! I think the cat's eyes were glazed over.

My 3rd Anniversary Mug

I just recieved my complimentary mug for being a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) for 3 years. I didn't get a mug the first year, and last year it broke in the mail. I'm suprised the mug survived the trip this year. It's in a thin styrofoam container with tape wrapped around it. Not the most sturdy packaging. My nerdy mug has the element lithium on it since it's the third element on the periodic table of elements. There's also some nice facts about lithium to read about on the mug. I must say, I'm very proud of my chemistry mug. I really don't have much chemistry parafernalia so it's kinda cool. I can't wait until next year's beryllium.

Josh and Newman