Meet the Joneses

Our Simpsons Movie Avatars. Okay, so I'm not that skinny, and he's not that muscled, but those were the best of 4 options, so there. It was fun.
Feet got cut off...wtf? I'm not fixing it.

Review

So the last Chem exam is tomorrow, Finals on Tuesday. I skipped Government today to work my practice problems. I've only missed this one day so far, and I could do those tests asleep and I have an A already before the extra credit, so wev.

In short, I was at school from 8am to almost 6pm today, just for one class. The professor held an extra review session after the lab ended at 4pm. He schedules reviews for Friday afternoons, since we don't have lab that day, but tests have fallen on Thursday and Friday mornings so he holds extra review sessions after the afternoon labs. He's told us several times that he won't factor a curve until after the finals are graded, if at all. He gives us plenty of hints as to what is important for the tests. Yet still, this afternoon, the goons decide that they are going to interrupt every review question by asking "Will this be on the test?" The professor is a relaxed, nice guy, seriously. He's put up with Mr. WTBOTT without getting snippy at all, until today. I guess he finally snapped, because of course it will be on the test we spent an hour on it in lecture! Guy's excuse was that he wasn't in class that day...oh yeah, because that makes you look like less of a worthless dumbass. Seriously, the professor has gone out of his way to give us extra help. But the only thing Mr. WTBOTT, and about 4 others just like him, can do is leech off our time by asking useless questions and "joking" that there "better be a 20 point curve." Leeches, I tell you!
/rant


In any case, this afternoon's lab left me feeling like my brain had been bashed by a baseball bat, and I'm kinda quesy from the stress...

Off to lock myself in a room with no internet access for 4 hours, so I might memorize some Dots.

Wasted Time

Hubby and I grabbed a coffee at the HQ building between going to Finance and the Clinic to sort our dependent paperwork. Its been a month now, its about time we got around to it. I'm not even going into how some people are making life difficult for me. Then lunch (eventually) at Arby's, and I was off to the grocery store. The commissary was closed because it is Monday, and WTF with that anyway? So, I went to the grocery store for some much needed supplies. Meals were getting mighty creative, though last night's experiment turned out well.

Yeah, and that part where I study all afternoon and don't even turn on the computer? Well, you see how well that worked.

Instead, I caught an episode of TNG. I checked to see if The 4400 was online anywhere, but no. We're thinking about getting rid of the cable and just buying shows we like, just like when we lived in Okinawa. Maybe not, I like 4400. Oh damn, and Hubby is home, and I didn't even pick up a book...Enterprise is on tonight...

Oh, I got an 83 percent on my last exam. That's pretty good considering the class average was 54 and I seriously thought I bombed the whole thing. Wow.

Dreaming of Asia

My older cousin is moving to Japan for a teaching job, and he asked me where I was stationed. I decided to give him some unsolicited advice.

I was on the island of Okinawa, south of the main island. It was fun but its way different from the rest of Japan. I got used to being taller than most men there, but somehow their fashions and pop culture are freakish clones of whatever was 15-20 years ago. Its weird.

Shop the 100yen stores, enjoy the food, don't forget to see the tourist destinations. Nothing is more lame than living in a cool foreign country and not seeing the sights. No excuses! Oh, 100 yen is about $1, so don't feel all rich with a 1,000 note in your pocket.

We were reminded pretty often that if you're arrested, make sure someone you know is aware. Otherwise you don't get food or blankets in jail. Also, if you drive, remember just by being a driver you assume a certain percent of responsibiltiy in an accident, even if it is shown to not be your fault. Don't run over Japanese kids, nobody likes an international incident on their record :D

Hi(sharply) means yes, short for Ohio Gozaimas. But if you say hi, they might understand you mean hello. Mizu is water, miso is a paste. I think... Domo between friends, Domo Arigato to the waiter, Domo Arigato Gozaimas to your boss or your girlfriend's dad ;). Tipping is considered rude. If you're not sure how to say something on the menu, just point to the picture and kinda grunt. They all think(know) we're stupid anyway, so its okay.

I don't recommend Orion beer. Don't marry a local, or a philipino. Especially if neither of you speak the other's language. Especially one you meet at a bar, ever.

Have fun. Take lots of pictures.

SG-1 Series Finale

Is anyone else just a bit disappointed in the finale? No end to the Ori threat, though I can believe Atlantis might deal with this in the future. The movie certainly won't. I just watched the interview on stargatesg1.com and they're saying Stargate: Continuum is an alternate-timeline story. Why? They have plenty of material for a movie without doing that, and enough continuity problems for fans of the original Stargate movie who haven't watched much SG-1. I would really love to see the Stargate Program made public, The show has only addressed that in, you guessed it, alternate-timeline episodes. What is the deal with that?

That is what bothers me most, nothing "real" happened in the Series Frickin' Finale, except the death of the Asgard, which was a bit glossed over. Instead, we get a mean-spirited tirade from Daniel Jackson, which was completely out of character. Then an immediate emotional switch and that whole scene just pissed me off. Not that they got together, but that it just went all weird. It just lacked the depth that character normally displays. In fact, the whole episode lacked real depth. Why make the alternate timeline last so damn long, instead of maybe a year or two and have them remember everything? I'm mad.
Enjoy an old image of SG1 (it'll make you feel better):


On an up note, it looks like Sam Carter will be the new civilian commander of Atlantis for next season. Though she looks goofy in the preview I saw, I think that mostly stems from the odd outfit she's in. It seems like an odd holdover from Dr. Weir, who was seriously injured in tonight's episode and talked about leaving command anyway. I didn't like her at first, but I got used to her personality. Whatever, not a big loss. Sam, on the other hand, will be great to see in charge. She always ended up second despite her qualifications. I also really hated how often her strong character was made to look like an awkward teen with a crush, where she could have been a little more mature. Eh, we all have flaws, and hopefully her switch to civilian life will ease certain romantic tensions. That would be fun. Yeah.

Happy Boobies!

Becky asked how studying makes me a manic cleaning crazywoman.

Well, the bug spray people posted a notice were doing the apartments today. I was actually home last time, and they just walk through real quick and spray all the exposed baseboard. Since we tend to have stuff piled/stacked/shoved against the walls, they didn't spray as much as they could have. So I made sure they could get to the baseboards. Also, I get a tad embarrassed about people seeing my home as cluttered as it was, and also things like the film that develops over the bathroom sink and mirror. Whatever, I'm crazy, get over it.

Also, I was pretty stressed about the test because I knew I didn't study well this past week. When that happens I lay awake with my mind racing over everything from the test to my future to mulling over events of the past...its not good for sleeping is what I'm saying. Cleaning in a big sweep like that burns some energy so I can get to sleep before 5am.

Oh, and my boobies! are happy. I decided to pick several bras to try on in the two sizes. Yes, Becky, the calculator worked very well for me. Turns out the old size just does not fit anymore, and I found a couple very comfortable bras on sale for $24 (from $42). I also bought some boring beige panties, because I don't like their patterns, and my normal grey or black in a comfortable cut weren't stocked in my size. Suck. They were 5 for $25, which is more than I would like to pay, but I was there already, and I needed new panties. They had different body spritz scents than the one I really loved, but I found a good one anyway. Go figure that VC is about the only place I can find perfumes that don't make my sinuses dry or congested. They smell good too!

I think I'm going to relax tonight. There are 2 books from the library that are about a month overdue. I'd return them unread, but that would just be wrong!

Boobies!

I am in love with how clean my house is right now. Yesterday's lab lasted until 4:00, and the test review lasted until 6:30. I ate dinner and then studied until midnight. Then I cleaned my house like a madwoman! until 1:am, and it is wonderful! I resisted the urge to sweep/vaccuum/mop the floors, out of respect for my neighbors, so I might do that later today.

This morning's Chemistry exam was murder! I walked out numb, shaking, exhausted. This afternoon's lab was easy and short, even though I managed to spill water on myself about 3 times. At least it was only water. Anyway, it was good to get a short day.

I haven't been to the gym all week, Bad ME! So what shall I do with my extra time today? Go to VS and get a new bra for my poor boobies! As recommended, I just measured myself. I used the Bra Size Calculator , which gave me a size I was not expecting, and which I will not tell you. Except for Amanda, who needs to be online right now! to tell me if it is accurate. But she's not, and I'm going to VC anyway, but only because Hubby gave me a gift card in December, which I have not used yet.

K! BuhByenow!

Just Another Day

The movie review paper was a waste of effort. The last exam came back, and I still had an A in the class. I studied less, if at all really. Also, the paper was graded on the basis of "did you turn it in? and did it fit the technical requirements? I'm pretty sure he didn't even read them. Whatever, I'll take 20 points. So I expect to put no further effort into Govt 2301. Yesterday I was so painfully bored that I got up and left 20 minutes early, just to check the system and make sure he wasn't the one teaching Govt 2302. I was going to drop and register for someone else if not.

Chemistry is getting harder. 2 weeks left in this term. Wish me luck.

Oh, and I put this on the myspace glob the other day, forgot to cross-post:

Perfect Spheres
Apparently the current object being used as a standard for measurement is deteriorating, and that sucks. So, the Australians are making perfect speres of exactly 1kilogram so they can measure it exactly and tell us how many atoms of that material make up 1 kilogram.

So most people wouldn't find this interesting, but I do.

Globbing

I'm really tired of the stoopid ads (that i put there on purpose, of my own free will, i know) coming up with ads for the word blog. Therefore that word is now stricken from my typing, and shall forevermore be known as glob.

Yeah yeah yeah, get over it.

Mega Exam Day 2

I won't know until Monday at least, but I think i did better on the Chem problems than the last exam, but worse on the multiple choice. On the last test, I tended to put wrong numbers into my calculator, and also transcribed wrong given values. I triple-checked all my work this time, so hopefully that's under control.

Government didn't seem too great, but I'll find out tomorrow. Just any case, I caved in and did the extra credit. 2-5 Pages on a movie with a political theme, picked from a given list, due tomorrow at noon. I did 3 pages on Farenheit 451, in about 4 hours tonight. I've read the book, but never bothered with the movie. Crappy paper, but interesting movie. Its worth up to 20 points on top of my final grade.

Then I had Chem Lab in the afternoon for 3 hours. It was better than yesterday, which ran almost an hour longer. Also, I finally bought new safety goggles because the ones I got at the campus bookstore are crap-tastic.

I've also recovered from that Abs class on Monday, and I'm never doing that again. It took a capful of Tylanol Nightime cough syrup (for the nighttime pain relief, we're out of regular pills) and 9 hours sleeping with a heat pad on my hips. I woke up in less pain, and that's all that counts.

Well, goodnight.

School Update

We got our Chem Exams back today. I got an 87%, and I'm pretty proud of that because only 5 people in the class got above 80%. Plus, he mis-graded the last problem for the whole class, and he's taking them back up to fix tomorrow, so I think I'll have a 91%.

The class average was 63%, which he said was pretty good compared to past classes and given the horrified faces we all had when we turned them in. I find that funny because a) I was horrified, and b) I often have people ask me if I'm okay because they see something in my face, when I feel I am perfectly fine/coping. So with that combo my face must have said "downright terrified."

I didn't study for the Government Exam, and I got an A which was 78% on the curve. Given that I've already had my fill of US Gov/History classes, and that half this class is about Texass government, I really could care less as long as I pass.

Anywho, the next Exam is this Thursday, for both classes. The original schedule had them on consecutive days which would have been good. I may have actually studied for Government. Sadly it did not stay that way. Damn those accelerated summer schedules.

Tonight I quizzed myself on binary ionic compounds, finished my practice problems for chapter 3, and moved on to chapter 4 where I hit the end of today's lecture. I really really know I need to revisit the polyatomic ions, but I'm still not sure how to go about it.

Its time for bed. Naughty-night peoples. (because spellcheck said so)

Outch

Yesterday I got all motivated and went to the Abs class at the gym. I got there early to do 25 minutes on the cross-trainer. I usually do the Pilates class on Tues/Thurs, and I feel like I need a better aerobic workout paired with the streaching/strength component. For the Abs class, this was a hugely bad idea. It was tough. It was in a more military format, with alot more reps of each exercise than I really needed. There was an aerobics component I didn't need. It had squats and lunges, which I really didn't need. It stressed my hips which tend to click during exercises like leg lifts and flutter kicks. Today I can barely walk stairs because of the pain.

Some of the exercises were good. OH shit im gonna be late to class!

***I made it on time, everyone was waiting in the hall to be let into the labs***

Anywho. I left my laptop on when I rushed out the door, which is sort of good anyway because the heat is very soothing on my lap. I'm going to change for my Pilates/Yoga (She calls it Piyo) class this afternoon, gulp down some Yellow Gatorade, and take an antacid tablet so I don't feel like fire is rushing up every time I have to do an exercise on my tummy. But first, I must piddle. You wanted to know, don't lie.

Well Written Post

Not this, but the post I read at Pharyngula. We Stand In Awe Its a bit longish, but if you've ever felt like opening your mind a bit, I highly recommend it.
"We stand awed at the heights our people have achieved
When the Buddhas of Bamyan were dynamited, it wasn't an atheist who lit the fuse. These modern atheists that have stirred up so much resentment among the apologists for religion are not destroyers who seek to demolish the past..."

Also, this post from Midwife with a Knife:
"You simply have to take it on faith that the eggs are ready, because when you've done this before, the eggs were done.
To be honest, it kind of creeps me out, this way of trusting the eggs."

Overheard on CNN

"Its adult content, some of it bordering on X-rated, especially that scene with Cheney and Hillary Clinton."

Lil' Bush, huh? Now I'm definitely seeing this show...hooboy...

Railing Against the Cool

I freely admit to watching Gotta Have It on Food Network. Its only because I was watching Ace of Cakes, and then I didn't change the channel or turn it off. I'm lazy.

Most, if not all, of the items on this show are for people with a lot of spare time and money oozing out of their anuses. They are wasteful consumer products, and that's something I hate. Even though at this very moment I am drooling over chocolate shot glasses. You can light the rum on fire and roast mini-marshmallows over it?? Then eat marshmallows dipped the melty chocolate cup? *droool*

Okay, back to holier-than-thou anti-consumerism. Actually no. I really wanted to talk about the KWC Waterstation. It is a round sink station for your kitchen (or outdoor grilling area I suppose) that comes with movable cutting boards, slots for strainers, and lower storage. I thought that was cool, until they said it comes in a shorter model. For short people. Like me. And now I am in love with a sink, and I want to be sickeningly rich just so I can have it.

Politics and Not Sleeping

Might as well post something new. Its not as if I have a life or anything. I did intend on going to bed at 11pm, but then the TV had some recast of the Democratic Faith and Politics debate, which I had intended to see and missed, so I watched it. Then I read some stuff online about it, and before you know it, I was stuck on the Internet. Again.

My take was that both Edwards and Obama said things I agree with. As a kid I spent well enough time living in poverty, with only Missouri MC+ as health care. One of them said "eliminating education programs in prison is not being tough on crime." Also, Edwards' response to whether he supported same-sex unions: "No, personally. But I don't think its the president's job to enforce his faith so same-sex partnerships deserve the same rights and responsibilities as any other marriage" I'm totally paraphrasing here, because I can't find a transcript and I'm too tired to keep looking. Also, Michael called while Obama was on, so I didn't get all of his 15 minutes.

Clinton seemed very uncomfortable or tired, and had a hard time looking the moderator in the face, constantly looking down. It was pretty clear to me that she was putting on a show with the whole thing, much more so than her counterparts. Coming from me, that's not exactly a criticism. Since most of the questions they asked her were about her husband's affair, I was uninterested and drifted off. I think it would be great to have a female president, but I need to see her talk in another format. From what little I've seen she pushes her talking points too hard and is a bit too stiff.

A technical note: the chairs were too high, and the candidates and moderator looked like they were having a hard time getting in and out of them. Especially Clinton and Obrian. Is it sad that I can be confident in the spelling of Solidad, but not Obrian?

Memorization Help Please

I am having a bit of trouble memorizing Polyatomic Ions. I've been trying flashcards. I can guess the formula from the name most of the time, but getting the name from the formula isn't happening. Is there a trick out there, or is it really as hard as it seems?

Thanks for listening :)

Alexplorer wrote:
I'm rusty on this, but the suffixes and prefixes (preficies and sufficies?*) follow a trend within a series.
[...]
In some cases these forms don't all exist, so you have to know the series already to some extent.

Also, if you have a few molecules in your head already, then you can remember the charge. For example, H2SO4 is sulfuric acid. I always remember SO4 is -2 because of the two hydrogens.

Part of the trick is to treat this as a language in that you have to get to listening for what sounds natural much like matching the appropriately gendered article to an ambiguous word in German or French.

*I don't have my irregular plurals memorized yet, and I've been speaking English all my life.

That's a great way of looking at it, as learning a language. I think I'm starting to get the hang of some of them just because I've heard/read them several times before. I thank science fiction writers and scienceblogs.com for making it really easy for me to memorize most of the element names and symbols already.

Janis wrote:
You poor thing...

This site addresses your problem, it even sympathizes with you about memorizing the dreadful things. Good luck!

http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/compounds/polyatomic.shtml

I think this site is exactly what I need, thank you so much. Isn't this the cold hard truth:

"First year students are often asked to memorize lists of polyatomic ions without any context. Mnemonics can be helpful, but they provide an artificial way to organizing what must be memorized. This beginner's guide to polyatomic ions will eventually provide a relevant context for students learning the names and formulas of polyatomic ions"

Mnemonics never work for me because it seems like more work to memorize the mnemonic than the actual information. I swear the only thing I ever learned by mnemonics was the order of the planets, and now that's all messed up with the whole Pluto thing. Nachos I guess it is now.


Thanks to you both.

Definition

Apprehension:
Clanking, frustrated, unpleasant sounds coming from the direction of my husband and my $500 printer.

I will destroy the one that damages the other.

Exam 1

Well that was fun, in a twisting gut, rising panic sort of way. I feel like I did surprisingly well on my chemistry exam. I only had to guess on one (of 15) multiple choice, and totally winged it on the last problem. The last one is okay, because he told us afterwards that he forgot we hadn't covered that section yet. So he'll grade us leniently based on what we tried to do. Government was straight multiple-choice, and the questions were as annoying and repetitive as the professor's lectures. Unfortunately, it also assumed we read the required chapters, which I sorta kinda didn't do. Oh well, its still multiple choice and I can guess better than most. We'll see.

Its a fairly nice day, mild by Texass standards, so the windows are again wide open. That's such a relief from the closed-in feeling I get when the a/c is on. I did a little de-cluttering around the house, and I really need to do dishes. After lunch. Maybe.

Knocked Up (no Mom, its just a movie)

A Longish Review of Knocked Up, but maybe because I read all 106 comments...
A Smaller Review of Knocked Up, which we saw this weekend, which I thouroughly enjoyed, and which you really must see.

Caution: Both reviews contain Spoilers.

this film contains one of the most brilliantly subversive commentaries on misogynistic language I’ve ever seen. During the movie, the word “vagina” is (notably) used by guys as an insult. And then during the delivery—KAPOW! You get not one but three (IIRC) shots of the baby crowning. And all I could think was: “Awesome! Could there be a better commentary on how fucking stupid it is to use ‘vagina’ as an insult to convey weakness?!” Superb.

Sick of Sick

I can't stop sneezing, which automatically causes your sinuses to produce more mucus. I've about had it with the cycle of sinus troubles I've been going through for about...forever. I should have done some homework/reading on Thursday afternoon but I just couldn't bring myself to move or focus. I eventually took a very long, very hot bath, wrapped myself in my new terrycloth robe, and fell asleep. I feel feverish and achy even though I'm not running a high temperature. Why is that? I still didn't feel well Friday, even though I was up until 4am reading at bitingbeaver. We went to see a movie when I woke up at noon today. Then we went grocery shopping. Remind me again that I do not go to the grocery store with my husband. Infuriating.

Because these are 5-week summer terms, I'm now severely behind in my notes and reading, and a little behind in my problems. The problems aren't turned in, they're just for practice, and they tests in both my classes are being pushed back a day or two, so that's good for me. I sat around until 6-ish when I had some chicken and rice soup which suddenly made me feel much better. Go figure, right? That, plus some hot tea, really gave me a burst of motivation. I finished my Chemistry problems from Chapter 1, read and took notes on about half of Chapter 2. Government is on the back burner until I can get past Chapter 3 in Chemistry, plus memorize the Periodic Table and some other tables from the text.

In the middle of making another mug of tea, I decided to clean my kitchen and clear the refrigerator of old and/or moldy items. Dear Husband, I left the eggs in the refrigerator but they are old, please put them in the trash when you change bags. Uncluttered the dining table (which still has no chairs), put away the domino set (which opened up in the trunk on the way from MO), and then ever-so-gingerly moved the bibles (no kidding) into a bag and beside the door.

Why do I always try to put a d in the word refrigerator? Probably the same reason things are always so awsome to me.