Something Interesting

I actually have "Blog something interesting" for today written on my weekly to-do list. But I did not realize how interesting it was that I was going to blog about. I forgot even, that it was on there until just now when I was thinking about my day and why I wanted to blog about it. But there it was, so of course, now I have to blog.

This is what I wish to blog about: my day at the lab.
If this sounds dreadfully boring to you, please do not give up reading. It will be more interesting as you go farther on.
First, the preliminaries:
I work for a professor at my college every Wednesday from one to five. He does work in nanoparticles. He has two labs: one in which we play with chemicals and one with a microscope so we can view our results.
I was working in the chemical lab on my project at around quarter to three when the grad-student came in (Enter important "grad-student" music - whatever you might think appropriate for such an occasion). He was friendly and asked me a couple of questions. Then I left to observe my results. A few minutes later I came back to not see the grad-student but to see his work on fire.
Yes, that is what sometimes happens when chemicals are heated on a hot-plate. Except I prefer it not to happen when I am the only one in the lab. So I freaked out, but I had enough sense left to turn off the hot plate. Then I frantically looked up and down the hall for someone. The other undergrad student who is working on the same project as I am came down, so I asked him to go to our professor asking what to do. Eventually, it burned out. But it was quite a lot of excitement.
Shortly thereafter I knocked over my vial of solution with the sleeve of my lab coat. It spilled but fortunately it was easily cleaned up.

I told the other undergrad that I felt today was a bad day for me. Accidents seemed to be happening where ever I went. He said thanks, he'd stay away from me.

And then I came home and watched Beauty and the Geek, which, by the way, we are trying to figure out whom of the guys from our college should best be sent to for social improving.

How I Freak Myself Out

Here is what I use to freak myself out:
Go to NarniaWeb and scroll down to the little counter for Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The counter for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is counting down to May 2010.
May 2010 is also my expected graduation date. So essentially (assuming everything goes as planned, both in my college plans and the movie plans) that counter is also counting down the days to my graduation! And that can be very unnerving if one happens to see it when there is a lot of homework waiting to be done. It literally ticks away the seconds and I can sit and watch my college life go by, second by second.

It puts new meaning on life as a vapor.

I have added a new blog

It is really new!
Not like the other couple ones I have added.
It was only started just today.

Please look at The Writer's Notebook

Sleep deficit (Dyke Darrel) = injuries * clumsiness

So this week, I think I have been trying to see how long I could last before killing myself, or at least badly injuring myself.
It all started with Dyke Darrel...
Tuesday evening, I made plans not to do homework but instead to do some serious organizing so I would stop dropping things off my to-do lists and forgetting important things like due dates for homework. So I did that. And then, I decided to stay up a little later and read a little more of "Dyke Darrel, Railroad Detective". Meaning...I went to bed at three.
Now Dyke Darrel is not so enthralling in matters of plot or character or even writing style, but one can't take a break when the hero is shot by criminals, left on train tracks in paths of oncoming trains, rescued by escaped convicts, and nearly murdered again by aforementioned convict, etc.
So thus I went to bed early Wednesday morning.

Knowing I would not be functioning well the rest of the day, I decided, that morning, to go to the gym. I usually go to the gym Wednesday mornings after Differential Equations, but I wanted particularly to go because it would give me some energy. But my tired brain overestimated the power of my arm muscles and I injured the muscles in my right upper arm and shoulder and slightly hurt those of my left arm as well. These injuries, however, did not bother me much Wednesday. That evening, I determined to complete my Macro Economics homework before taking a break to watch "Beauty and the Geek", the one TV show I watch because my roommates introduced me to it and we watch it together. Only, we watch it online instead of on the TV. I was nearly able to implement this plan, but then I fell asleep while working on the homework because of my sleep deficit from the night before. I slept for an hour or so and then woke up to find my uncomfortable sleeping position had thrown my jaw out of line. After watching something with my roommates (we had to watch "Numbers" instead because "Beauty and the Geek" was not up yet), I returned to my Econ homework to work over it until two in the morning.

So now I had added more lack of sleep to my already large sleep deficit and by Thursday morning, I was tired. But I still had things to do. Like making dinner for that night. After lunch, I made up a salad to put in the refrigerator for dinner. And I sliced my finger in the process with a really sharp knife. It made a clean shallow cut so it didn't bleed a bit, but it was just a teensy bit sore. Also my arms were aching and I found my right arm to be so stiff and sore I could not lift things with it. At four, I had a review for an upcoming Diff Eq exam. When I left my seat at the end, I tripped over a little stair and landed on both my knees and banged the hand whose finger I had previously sliced.

It was after the last mishap that I stopped to think. I had hurt myself so much in the past two days it was quite funny. So I decided the topic needed to have a blog post of its own. I walked back to my apartment and began frying chicken for dinner while composing this same post in my mind. And burned my hand by splattering oil from the fry pan.

But I still had work to do. So I went to bed at four yesterday morning. I am saying yesterday because today is Saturday now and my knee is still hurting from the banging up it received Thursday.

End of post.



Postscript:
Lest any of you think this means I have had a terrible week, you are mistaken. Of course I would not care for this to happen every week, but it has provided excellent opportunities for God to show His faithfulness to me every day in all my work and daily living.
So of course I must give glory to Him even as I write a post about my own foolishness.

And note: Clumsiness comes from not taking your Mother's advice about staying up late all night reading.

Dyke Darrel the Railroad Detective

"My dear boy, it's dangerous---"

A low laugh cut short the further speech of
Mr. Elliston.

"I supposed you knew me too well, Harper,
to imagine that danger ever
deterred Dyke Darrel from doing his duty."

"Of course; but this is a different case.
'Tis said that four men were
engaged in the foul work, and
that they belong to a league of
desperate ruffians, as hard to deal
with as ever the James and Younger
brothers. Better leave it to the
Chicago and St. Louis force, Dyke. I
should hate to see you made the
victim of these scoundrels."

Mr. Elliston laid his hand on the
detective's arm in a friendly way,
and seemed deeply anxious.

"Harper, are you aware that the
murdered messenger was my friend?"

"Was he?"

"Certainly. I would be less than
human did I refuse to take the trail
of his vile assassins. You make me
blush when you insinuate that
danger should deter me from doing my duty."

And thus that daring detective Dyke Darrel and his whole barrel full of alliterations takes off on his adventure.

I am sorry. That quote was just too good not to share. I have been poking around Project Gutenberg under the P's these past couple days and finding amusing books such as Dorothy Dale, a girl of today which was a series started by that great syndicate that wrote Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I almost think Dyke Darrel could be another one of those, except it seems the characters are not young teens like I might expect. But then, I have not looked up the author yet, nor even finished the first chapter. But Project Gutenberg states the author's name is a pseudonym, so perhaps it is a series written by some other person in his own right.