I wish my life were this exciting

I saw this picture on the BBC website yesterday, and I think that my title basically says it all.

Liz's Quiz

This quiz was made by my sister-in-law, Elizabeth Jane Mann. I'll play, too. Here goes:

What name did you wish you had when you were a kid?
One of my best friends had the name Quang. I was always sort of jealous of how the teachers couldn't pronounce it. Or his last name--Nguyen. Yeah, Nguyen would be a good one.

Would you rather go without brushing your teeth or wearing deodorant?
I'd probably go without the deo for the BO. I don't like cavities. At all.

In your opinion, what is your most annoying habit?
Sometimes I talk to myself when I'm doing homework (when I have to figure stuff out, like in physics or chemistry).

If bodysuits came back in style would you wear them?
Sign me up--I didn't get a turn the first time.

If you were offered $300,000 to relive high school would you do it?
I guess it depends on if I had to do it as a 23 year old. Probably not at that point, but if I went back in time and was that age again, then sure. High school was a good time. Better than junior high...

Would you rather live without a cellphone or the internet?
Probably without a phone. I don't really call that many people, but the free long distance is nice (especially living "long distance" from home). The internet, however, is extremely useful both for work, study and play. Plus, you can use Skype and have the phone on the internet.

What is one question you wish you could ask people but don't because it's not polite?
I generally ask anyways, but "how did it happen"/"can I see?"

Would you rather lose an arm or a leg?
Probably an arm. I like being able to move around on my legs, and I'm ok without a prosthetic. I could still play racquetball, which is what really matters. I mean, come on.

If you could only listen to one band or singer for the rest of your life, who would it be?
Jack Johnson or Ben Folds. Probably Jack Johnson so that the music would be rated G. :)

What do you do in the privacy of your home that you wouldn't do in public?
Poop. I hate pooping in public bathrooms. Sorry if that's TMI, but you asked.

Would you rather have a pretty face with a pudgy body or a so-so face with a perfect body?
Maybe a pretty face. I could always get my pudgy body into great shape. You can't do a whole lot with a so-so face. And you could lose that perfect body a lot easier that a pretty face.

In front of a large crowd would you rather sing or dance?
Sing. If I didn't have to be serious while doing it, I could probably even enjoy myself.

How often do you weigh yourself?
Far less than monthly. It's tough when there's not a weighing device around.

Food for thought

In my wanderings on the internet through different forums and facebook groups, I've seen several discussions concerning the existence of God. There are a lot of people who don't believe in God who ask others to "prove" to them that He's there. People try, but are generally unsuccessful. I've felt sad for folks who struggle without the reassurance of a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for us, but haven't really known what to say to those folks. I know that I certainly believe in God and am grateful for the comfort of the Plan of Salvation. So why is it so hard to convince others that He's there?

I was reading a BYU forum address by Terryl Givens, a professor of religion and literature from Virginia University. There was one part at the end that really struck me, because it helped to answer my question. Here's what he said:

I am convinced that there must be grounds for doubt as well as belief in order to render the choice more truly a choice--and, therefore, the more deliberate and laden with personal vulnerability and investment.... One is, it would seem, always provided with sufficient materials out of which to fashion a life of credible conviction or dismissive denial.... What we choose to embrace, to be responsive to, is the purest reflection of who we are and what we love. That is why faith, the choice to believe, is, in the final analysis, an action that is positively laden with moral significance.

So basically, there's not enough evidence to prove things in either direction, and as a result, we have to choose. That's right, it's another chance to exercise the fabulous gift of agency. And there's enough room for doubt, just as there's enough room for belief. Each person has to choose whether or not they want to believe, and that choice--as Givens states so well--is a reflection of who we are and what we love.

The entire address was amazing, and I highly recommend it to everyone (it's about Joseph Smith and some of his contributions to the world--great stuff). Here's the linky: Terryl Givens--"Lightning Out of Heaven": Joseph Smith and the Forging of Community, BYU forum address, 29 Nov. 2005

Mmm, bacon!

I push the darn button at every hand dryer where I see this picture, but my hopes are always crushed. I'm hoping that one of these days I'll get lucky.

Research paper

For my writing class, we've gotta write a research paper. I get to research whatever I want. Unfortunately, I have to choose the subject by Monday (and no, I didn't procrastinate this--we were informed yesterday). I don't really know what I want to research.

One thought I had was to start researching medical schools--try to find the ones that I would like to go to, what makes them good, and what it takes to get in. Two birds with one stone: find out good information that I need to eventually anyways AND get credit for it.

So here's my question: What other ideas do y'all have for my research paper? What should I write 8-10 pages on? What should I devote several hours to over then next few weeks?

Nerdiness rears its head!

I think that this is the first time that I've posted a picture to my blog. And what a picture to start with!

I'm taking a intro to microbiology class this semester, which has both a lab and lecture portion. Lecture hasn't been anything special, but in lab we've been learning some basic techniques. Last Tuesday I made this plate, and I let it incubate at 37 degrees C (that's body temp). When I pulled it out today, I was really excited with what I had found! Look at that--four different colors! How cool is that? And they all started with stuff too small to see with the naked eye.

The translucent one in the top left is E. coli and the yellow in the top right is a strain of Staphyloccocus (aureus? I forget), both from cultures provided by the instructor. The bottom two came from streaking the bottom of my shoe.

The streak from my shoe made a plate that had tons of different kinds of bacteria. I chose two of the colonies that I liked, and made a "pure culture" streak on two different plate, isolating the white and reddish/brownish strains. It's fun when this stuff works. Not only that, but my KOH string tests and Gram staining all worked today! That's a lot better than my ordeals with the staining on Tuesday.

A Weekend of New Experiences

I tried a few new things this weekend. On Saturday morning, I had my first experience with yoga. While I agree with Brian Regan about some of the things he says from what I've seen of it ("now take your leg, and throw it around your neck like a scarf"), it turns out that the beginner stuff is not so bad.

Mostly yoga is about stretching and breathing. I can do both of those. So Jess and I followed along with a DVD that she's got (Yoga for Dummies). And it was nice. My body felt good, and I felt like it was a good experience. Then my muscles had their say this morning. I think that I used some muscles in my back that I hadn't in quite some time, and they let me know. I was surprised that just stretching could cause some soreness. But that's not going to stop me from doing it again tomorrow night--hello FHE activity!

Another new thing this afternoon was parsnips. They sound like scissors, but they're more like carrots. White carrots. That taste pretty darn good when fried in butter and have some seasoned salt on them. Mostly because anything tastes good when fried. I don't know that I would like them as much if they were just cooked, but we can find that out later. The important thing is that I ate healthy.

One other thing, not so related, is that I have to write a personal narrative or essay by Wednesday. I was trying to think of experiences or stories from my life that could fill up 4-6 pages (double-spaced). Any ideas?