More foodish ramblings

The pie is gone. I am saddened by this.  Fruit (peaches!) and cottage cheese is an acceptable replacement.

Data collection goes slowly when fish will not cooperate.  I would get more frustrated but the fish are just so cute and fat and frill their fins at me and awwwww.  *emits hearts*

I like Oreos far too much for my own good.  More than pie, even.  …Oreo pie?  I might just implode with happiness.  The cafeteria had Oreo cheesecake occasionally and my goodness that was  nearly the best foodthing EVER.

Bright mornings are lovely but this dark at 7pm business is inconvenient (and dark, obviously).  I request a return to summer ASAP.  Baking in the heat is very pleasant once you’ve acclimated, and I miss running around in a tanktop, shorts and flipflops (work attire, when work is with fish in a greenhouse).  The feeling of being warm down to my bones is worth the constant stickiness (though hair escaping a bun sticks to my neck terribly).
I still wear tanktops on weekends when I go up to campus, underneath the jacket or whatever, regardless of weather.  Sleeves get in the way when you’re changing water.

9:30 is close enough to bedtime to go to sleep.

Pie!

I approve of pumpkin flavored things.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin bread (need to make!), etc.  Since ’tis the season for pumpkiny whatsits, I am enjoying the abundance of tasties.

Life currently consists of class, teaching, grading, data collection, reading (for class mostly) and pie (this week).  These things either do not make good stories or I am not going to tell you the stories because of confidentiality issues and The Internets Have Eyes and that’d be just rude anyway.

Pie is pure joy.  The rest are a mix of joy, frustration, contentment, boredom and wanting to smash things with a sledgehammer and then set the remains on fire.  Things balance out towards contentment, overall.

Saturday night I dreamed that I was watching an underground battle where princesses were riding around 50ft tall giant blue and white strider insecty things.  They died in an explosion but didn’t seem too bothered (or exploded for that matter) since they promptly glowed, reanimated and went back to battling.  Later I owned a ranch and someone had filled it with puppies and hundreds of children.  I was very upset by both since I do not much care for either.  Fur + high-pitched = no thank you.

I do my best, but really I am not much of a people person (as if that surprises anyone who knows me).

Ah well.

In case you missed it: My roommate and other best friend are getting married in June. I am the Maid of Honor. These two things make me very very happy.

TA Training

Hmm.

List!

• I will be one of 3 TAs for Intro Biology: Molecules, Cells and Physiology. It looks like I’ll be teaching 2 lab sections but I’m not sure yet which ones, when or how many. We’ll find out more specific assignments later this week.
• We had 2 days of general TA training today and yesterday.  I had Professional Ethics Training on Friday and Saturday (ick, Saturday training).  Department-specific stuff comes Thursday and Friday.
• Classes start Monday.  Somewhat nervous.
• I’m enrolled in 3 courses:  Population Ecology, Physiological Ecology and Neuroethology.
• I’m enjoying the social aspect of grad school.  It’s fun to meet other people with similar interests.
• This summer I’ve been working at Sam Noble helping organize stuff in the fish collection. Good job, good money.
• Uhhhh…
• I think the severe lack of items on this list shows how relatively uneventful my summer has been. I’ve kept busy enough but haven’t really done that much that might make a good story.
• …
• Oh look, ducks!!
• Yeah we’re done with the list now.  Will update again once I have more of interest to say.

Traditions

My room is almost completely arranged to my liking. I have one more painting to hang, but I’ll need some nails for that.
This apartment is 2 bed, 2 bath, fully furnished, 3rd floor, all bills included. The bedroom came with the bed, desk, dresser, and that chair I stuck in the closet. Everything else is mine.
View from the door
EDIT: Forgot to mention! The desk chair,chair mat and desk lamp are all from IKEA! We went to Dallas last week, I think. I really liked IKEA and hope to go again someday. :)
View from the other corner by the foot of the bed
Closet! Lots of storage space in there
Dresser + closet again
My sink is right outside my door
Attempt at bathroom panorama
My half of the hall. Caitlin’s to the left

So that’s my bit of the apartment! The living room and kitchen are nice, fairly roomy, and came equipped with standard appliances + washer and dryer. We haven’t done much to the living room yet, but are thoroughly enjoying the kitchen.

2am

Since I cannot sleep, here is a picture of me, post-graduation ceremony. I’m examining my most excellent graduation present from the Kinast family. :)

The red thing means I was summa cum laude.  The blue drape thing was for Phi Beta Kappa.  My dad’s in the background.

More later, perhaps? I’m almost done arranging my room to my liking. Perhaps a photo post once that’s finished.

Also, I am short.

Almost Over

Looks like this’ll be another listy sort of entry.

Happenings of the past month
• Finished writing my Honors Thesis. A few tiny revisions were all that was necessary. After that comes a 10 minute presentation and defense of this to 2 professors, then done. I look forward to moving on to other things, but this experience has been very valuable (and may spawn a Masters project? We are still considering).
• Hope to move into an apartment in early June. Paperwork pending, but almost all arranged.
• Graduating May 16th at 10:30am. Fear mixes with glee. I have my robes and such, but have yet to decide if I want a $35 phi beta kappa stole to go with my Honors hood. Look fancy for the relatives, perhaps?
• I’m an outstanding zoology senior and will graduate summa cum laude unless I fail all of my classes.
• I have applied for 5 summer jobs. I hope to get one. Paying rent without income is possible but uncomfortable.
• Made a new friend. He’s visiting our lab from Germany and will be here in Norman until August. I really should’ve taken German instead of Spanish. So. Many. Germans.
• Crazy weather. My truck is much cleaner than usual thanks to the rain. I haven’t taken it to a carwash in years.
• Apparently my health problems from last semester and this were rooted in dehydration, poor nutrition and exhaustion. I am feeling much better now that I’ve started keeping fruit on hand and drinking water constantly. Increased sleep is also lovely.

That is all, I think.

Fish!

Took a couple pictures of the fishtank and new fish. :)
The adults
Blurry photo of Log’s baby

Took several minutes and quite a few attempts to get a picture of the adults all facing me and being (somewhat) still.  I never did get a decent photo of the baby. Little bugger’s constantly moving or hiding under the plants… But this is normal behavior for the babies so it’s good.

Yesssssss

I’m in!  Masters program, here I come.  :D

I got the e-mail notification (they’re sending a hard copy as well) yesterday and started flailing around and did a small victory dance (as much as one can in an office chair).  Very very relieved…

Monetary Perks:

• 7 hour in-state tuition waiver each semester
• Health insurance
• $15,500 a year
• TA job

Hooray being able to afford rent :D

Also I am 23 now.  I have 3 new fish, courtesy of Seth and Caitlin.  They are female Dalmation Mollies and I have named them Freckle, Speckle and Log.  I suspect that Log is pregnant, but we’ll see.  They live happily in a nice 10 gallon aquarium, which is also new (and sits on a new 5ft tall shelving unit).  I also bought a piano keyboard + necessary accessories with some birthday money.  This last week has been purchase-tastic but they’re all good, quality items that I’ll keep for a very long time and I had help with a good portion of the purchases… So I’m quite pleased.  :)  It was a very good birthday.

Glee!

I got this e-mail today and promptly imploded with glee:

Dear Samantha,

The Graduate Selections Committee has recently reviewed applications to our graduate programs and we found yours very interesting.  We are planning to host prospective graduate students on Friday, February 27 and hope that you can arrange your class/work schedule so that you can join us.  Even though you are already very familiar with much that OU has to offer, we’d like to give you a chance to meet additional faculty, current graduate students, and other prospective graduate students.

Please let me know if you would be available to join us that day – we’re planning to start off with a group breakfast with me and Dr. Matthews, then assorted activities, before ending the day with a pot luck dinner for everyone involved (invitees do not need to bring anything).

Sincerely,
Rosemary Knapp
Chair, Graduate Selections Committee

Aaaaah, so happy / relieved…
I’m not sure exactly how I feel about a day-long introduction to the zoo department, but it should be nice (though probably tiring). At least since I live here I can go back to my room if there’s a lull in the schedule and pass out for a while. :)

It’s been a little weird to be in limbo since I sent in my application in December… I knew I could pretty much assume I’d get in, and Dr. Schlupp was saying stuff like “when you start in the fall” and whatnot and introducing me to new undergrad lab members as a probable Masters student but there was always that niggling little doubt in the back of my mind that occasionally came flailing out into the open shrieking in irrational fear.  My friends scoffed at these doubts and reassured me repeatedly of my amazing sparkle brain powers (which I really appreciate) but I’m still happy to be able to kick the irrational voice back into its cage.  Now I can beat it with this e-mail and go “Haha, see?!?!”

Oh, this means that Caitlin and I really ought to start apartment hunting soon…  Any suggestions of good places or places to avoid?  We’ll be aiming for cheap yet not overly shady, if that makes sense.

A Facebook Tag

25 Things About Me: In no particular order

1. I am only truly still when I am asleep (aside from breathing, obviously). If you cannot see me moving or fidgeting or wiggling my foot or messing with my hair or shifting sitting position every few minutes I am probably wiggling my toes inside my shoes. A lot of the people in my extended family are equally twitchy. If we stay still very long we go to sleep.
2. #1 gives me some trouble when I’m trying to concentrate on schoolwork. Treadmills are good places for me to do extended reading.
3. I fall asleep in class pretty frequently.
4. I love windows and brightly lit rooms. Dim/”romantic” lighting is nice in its own way, but I like to be able to see properly.
5. I found a small chunk of brillo pad in my food once in a dimly lit restaurant. Couldn’t see my food very well so I found the chunk by biting down on it. Ew.
6. Someday my home will be full of non-flowering houseplants and big fishtanks full of cool fish.
7. I am allergic to everything with fur.
8. I love reading.  When I was younger I’d check out 5-6 books from the library every week.  Eventually I had to stop doing this because I’d read all the books of interest in the children – young adults sections.
9. I do not  have a favorite book but do have several that I like more than others.  They’re mostly young adult fantasy novels and classics like Pride and Prejudice.
10. Manga and anime amuse me but I lose interest in most of them pretty quickly.  I only purchase Mushishi and Ouran volumes; everything else I catch on onemanga.com because I am cheap.
11. I love hugs and tend to get depressed if I don’t have enough physical contact with my friends and family.
12. I do not like it when people I don’t know very well try to touch me.  Entrance to my personal bubble is a privledge, not a right.  :P
13. It also bugs me when people wearing heavy perfume or cologne get all touchy because the smell sticks to me.
14. People ask me surprisingly frequently if I eat fish.  This question confuses me.
15. I do eat fish sometimes but prefer shrimp and shellfish in general as long as it’s cooked.  Canned tuna’s a good source of protein when food sources are limited and you have no kitchen.
16. I was actually tagged for “16 things” but I like the number 25 better so I’m going to do that instead.
17. I’m typing and posting this to my blog mostly because I prefer the posting system to FB’s notes.  FB eats my abbr tags. Haha abbr tag.
18. Sometimes my brain will only supply the Spanish counterpart to the English word I want.  I’m not that fluent in Spanish; my brain is just being contrary.
19. If you see me stop moving and stare into the distance for a bit it is because I am thinking about something and have forgotten that I was walking or the result of my thought process will determine which way I am going to go and I need to stop while I’m figuring things out.  Either that or I have seen a bird or squirrel and am watching it do something silly.  Don’t worry, I’m not broken.
20. I am completely fascinated by fish and am not entirely sure why.  I think it’s how they move…
21. I have a very dry sense of humor.  If you think I just made a joke I probably did.  :P
22. I worry when my friends disappear and I don’t hear from them for more than a day or two.  If you’re fighting dragons then please let me fight them with you; I’ll freak out so much more if I don’t know what’s going on with you.  The quickest way to convince me that you don’t like me (and that I should go away and leave you alone) is to keep me in the dark.
23. If you need my help then just say what you need straight out.  If I can help you I will.  If I cannot for some reason then I will tell you.  Trying to butter me up with small talk just irritates me and makes me want to refuse your request out of sheer contrariness.
24. I rarely watch TV and don’t listen to secular radio that often so many pop culture references go right over my head.
25. I accepted Christ as my Savior at the age of 7.  My faith in Him grows stronger the more I learn about His creation.

I was actually tagged ages ago but just now felt like doing it.  :)