I "Heart" Oregon

In less than three weeks I leave to go back to California for the school year. Though I'm very excited to be back at school, I am starting to become sad about leaving. Even with email, chat, facebook, and phone calls, I miss my family and friends so much during the year. The other thing I miss when I'm at school, something I didn't even anticipate missing when I left last fall, is Oregon. And here are the reasons why.

1) The Oregon Coast. They don't make coasts like these in California. I want to be able to wear a sweat shirt to the beach, and to always be prepared for a sudden rain storm, even in summer. I don't get the CA beaches, people just go to get tan and wear inappropriate clothing. And seriously what is up with beach volleyball, when did that become an Olympic sport?

2) The Green-ness of Oregon. You don't even think about how green things are until you leave. The trees may be green in some parts of CA, but it isn't the same color. In CA it is a sickly pea green color, not the deep forest green of the Willamette Valley. When I came back to Oregon after being gone for three months, I was socked by just how green everything really was here, and how much I had missed it.

3) Outdoors-yness of Oregon. How many people do you know that haven't been hiking at least once, that don't know where to go to find a good spot without any people, or don't know what REI is? If the answer is few to none, then you live in the pacific northwest. The main activity in CA is going to the mall or to the beach to "lay out". God gave us nature for a reason and we are supposed to enjoy it. Now, how to talk my CA friends into that.

These are just a few of the reasons I will be sad to leave Oregon for California in a few weeks.

Cheers!

Laura

No News is still no news

Three weeks and two days! That's when I leave to go back to school. It is hard to believe the summer has gone so fast. Not that I should really be surprised since I have actually been busy this summer. It has been so wonderful to spend so much time with my family and friends. I don't even realize how much I miss everyone when I'm at school until I'm home and able to do things with everyone.

Last week my mom and I went up to my grandfather's house. It was a typical trip up there, full of new and "exciting" family adventures. Trips like these make me come home reciting in my head "I am structurally sound, I am structurally sound". They also make me extremely grateful to all the people in my life who treat me like family even though we aren't related by blood.

On Saturday, three friends and I went hiking. It was a really fun trip. The four of us used to spend a lot of time together in Bible quizzing and it was nice to be all together again. The hike itself was beautiful, with a huge payoff in the end in the form of a suspension bridge.

Though I know I will miss everyone in Oregon, I'm really excited to go back to school. My classes are going to be really fun this year, and I'm looking forward to living in a new dorm with a roommate that is one of my best friends at school. How could I not be thrilled to go back when I get to take physical chemistry, multi-variable calculus, and astrophysics. Plus a couple of other random classes.

I have spent the last few weeks slowly going through a list of all the medical schools in the country to look for ones I might apply to. It feels a bit like college searching all over again, except this time there are fewer choices and my main goal is just to get accepted somewhere. All this has been a little stress inducing. I don't want to spend four years in Milwaukee, or Detroit, or New Orleans, or South Carolina. Yet, if I get into medical school in only one place and it is a place I don't want to be then I guess I will bite the bullet and do it. I know God has everything under His control but it is still scary knowing that I could end up so far away from everyone I have ever known for four years of my life.

My dream is still to go to OHSU, but I will just have to wait to find out if I get accepted or not. Applications are due for the entering class of 2011 June 1st 2010 so I'm trying to make some decisions now before I'm extremely busy with school.

Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile. (Laura)

Amendment 1: The Laws of Thermodynamics Paraphrased
1. You can't win, you can only break even.
2. You can only break even at absolute zero.
3. You can never reach absolute zero.

Amendment 2: Q: if both a bear in Yosemite and one in Alaska fall into the water
which one dissolves faster?
A: The one in Alaska because it is Polar.

Amendment 3: Q: What do chemists use to make guacomole?
A:Avogadros.

Chemical Fun

Two years ago, for Christmas, my parents gave this wonderful book called "Chemically Speaking". Take one guess what it is about. Here are some of my favorite quotes.

The Rules of the Lab
1. When you don't know what you're doing, do it neatly.
2. Experiments must be reproducible. They should fail the same way eath time.
3. First draw your curves, the plot your data.
4. Experience is directly proportional to equipment ruined.
5. A record of data is essential. It shows you were working.
6. TO study a subject best, understand it thoroughly before you start.
7. If you can't get the answer in the usual manner, start at the answer and derive the question.
8. If that doesn't work, start at both ends and try to find a common middle.
9. To do a lab really well, have your report done well in advance.
10. In case of doubt, make is sound convincing.
11. Do not believe in miracles- rely on them.
12. Team work is essential. It allow you to blame someone else.
13. All unmarked beakers contain fast acting, extremely toxic poisons.
14. Any delicate and expensive piece of glassware will break before any use can be made of it.
15. The probability of an event occurring is inversely proportional to its desirability.

"Organic chemistry just now is enough to drive one mad. It gives one the impression of a primeval, tropical forest full of the most remarkable things, a monstrous and boundless thicket, with no way of escape, into which one may well dread to enter." ~Wohler.

"Lord, I fall upon my knees
and I pray that all my syntheses
may no longer be inferior,
to those conducted by bacteria." ~Unknown

"A chemist, a physicist, and a geologist were walking along a beach when the physicist suddenly said that he wanted to measure the depth of the sea, and then he jumped into the sea. The geologist said that he wanted to see the seabed and he followed suit. The chemist waited for a while for the to reappear and then concluded 'Physicists and geologists are soluble in sea water'." ~unknown

"Physical Chemistry- The pitiful attempt to apply y=mx+b to everything in the universe.
Organic Chemistry- The practice of transmuting vile substances into publications.
Inorganic Chemistry- That which is left over after the organic, analytical, and physical chemists get through picking over the periodic table.
Chemical Engineering- The practice of doing for a profit what an organic chemist only does for fun." ~unknown

Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Of Sailboats, Summer, and Sunshine.

The last week or so has been really busy (for summer that is). One of my friends remarked last week at dance class that business in the summer tends to come in spurts; either you are bored out of your mind or you are running around like a maniac. (sorry, Emily S. I'm paraphrasing).

Saturday (the 4th of July) was extremely busy. My dad and I got up early (early for summer at any rate) to go to the reenactment. It was fun to see friends there and to watch the battle. After the battle we went back to town so I could go to the TEA Party (Taxed Enough Already). I told my mom that morning that I was going to go to the TEA party, and she was a little surprised to see me standing on the sidewalk, holding a sign, down town a few hours later. Apparently, she envisioned me drinking tea with a few friends all dressed up. I suppose I should have specified what exactly I meant by "TEA Party".

That evening we went to see our town's fireworks, and then followed that up with a show of our own, complete with patriotic music provided by my wonderful little sis. I'm not sure the neighbors appreciated the rousing piccolo playing at midnight, but the 4th of July is only once a year after all.

Sunday brought more fun with a church picnic, and a softball game. Though confidant that we would end our loosing streak, we lost again. However, no one has as much fun loosing as New Hope. And being warned off by the umpire that I better stop acting like a fast pitch player and hit any ball I could about made up for the loss.

On Monday I went to one of my good friend's 21st B-day party. It was so nice to see her. We both go to college, so our visits are few and far between now. After the party I had youth group. Ever week it seems to be going better. My guitar playing is getting better, and I'm more used to the kids.

I just got back from a walk around the neighborhood. Someone that lives in the neighborhood just bought a brand new, absolutely beautiful boat. (The only thing that could make it better is if it was a sailboat). We were walking around it looking at when the owners came out and offered to show us the inside! It was wonderful. And it only has 3 1/2 foot draw! I'm slightly green with envy right now. At some point in my life I will own a boat, but a sail boat (well with a outboard, because getting into a harbor is just too hard without one). Things like this make me wish that my grandfather was still alive. Not just because he built sailboats, but because I wish I could share it with him.

Thankfully, this week the weather has cooled down a little. Last week was much too hot, it was like California all over again. If I wanted it to be 90 degrees I would go to school in CA. Oh, wait...

Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: Boats are one of the main reasons I want to someday live near the coast.

Amendment 2: A northwest coast, not california.

Amendment 3: About six more weeks before I head back to school.

Silly Laura

Well I messed up. I went back and watched my videos that I posted on my blog (three post back, the one with the funny videos, go back and watch them if you haven't already) When I got to the last one I realized something. It was too long. The clip I was actually looking for stops after Mark Lowry says he went around and closed all the windows. I didn't mean to get the rest of it in there. And so now you are going to get a lecture.

In the clip Mark Lowry goes on to give the "watch example". You know the one. It shows up in every single christian textbook when they try to disprove evolution. It goes like this. If I smash my watch up, and put it in a plastic bag, and then shake it up for 6 million years, I will NOT get a watch back. They say that this disproves evolution.

It is based on the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics which states that the over all entropy in the universe is increasing or things go from order to disorder. BUT, But , But. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is only statistically true. Let me say that again. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is only statistically true. This means, for the entire universe things are going from order to disorder, but it does not mean that small examples of disorder to order will not happen. And when you look at the universe Earth really is just a small part. So the point is the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics does NOT disprove evolution.

Now before some good creationist comes and kills me, I do NOT believe in evolution. But I will not sit by and let people give all Christians a bad name, because a few of them don't understand their science.

Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: I told you, you were going to get a lecture.

Amendment 2: I know I come off strong, but science is a huge part of who I am, and and I hate it when people try to say that I am a hypocrite for believe both in God and science. There is no true conflict.

She Stands

Dear God,

Thank you for allowing me to live in this country. I know it isn't perfect, but thank you for the freedom that you have given us here, in the USA. Help me to appreciate this freedom daily. Do not let me take it for granted. Thank you for giving me a country I can be proud of, a country where I can worship you in safety and openness.

Help me to remember that my freedom is not free. It came at a terrible cost. A cost of many lives. Men and women, that gave their lives for mine. Don't let me forget their sacrifice. Help me to honor them by respecting and remembering what they died for. God thank you, for blessing the U.S.A.

Amen!

Much Too Hot for anything but blogging

Well I was bored today. It was to hot to be outside, and you can only play ping pong for so long. So I decided to write a very self centered blog post. 20 Things You May Not Know about Me. Sounds like some kind of movie title.

1) I have a small scar on my hand that I don't know where it came from.

2)I learned to read lips at a very young age for a very good reason.

3) I can't whistle.

4) Now that I have been to Europe, I want to go to Israel.

5) I refuse to eat tomatoes.

6) But I like ketchup.

7) I have a trig function on my bookshelf that when graphed, looks like a butterfly.

8) I wish people would make sense.

9)My personal opinion is that baseball is an analogy a life.

10) My favorite toys growing up were legos. I built a very nice hospital once, complete with ER, outpatient clinic, lab, MRI, x-ray, and CAT scan.

11) If I can avoid talking on the phone I do.

12) Punctuality is a trait I admire in people, so much that I have a hard time dealing nicely with people when they are late.

13) I do not beleive in lucky or unlucky numbers, but my favorite number is 16.

14) My best friend is my sister.

15) If I call you my friend it should mean a lot to you.

16) I have been in love with math since I was about 7 years old.

17) I don't have my ears pierced.

18) I prefer not to be in charge but I will if I have to be.

19) I'm an INTJ

20) My room has a nautical theme, complete with instruments from my grandfather's boat.


Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: I heard a really fun thing said today. "I was dealing with my own problems for a while. Like the leggings fiasco."

Amendment 2: Take a guess who said the previous quote, and it wasn't me.

Funny Videos

Here are some of my favorite youtube videos. Enjoy!












Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.