mildly undead insanity

I just signed up for a Twitter account. (It's under the same handle as my LJ account.) I feel all...dirty now. Like, every time I "tweet" a kitten is going to die or something. We'll see how long this lasts...

...that is all :)

I have a gorram Britney Spears song stuck in my head!

This is not conducive to biochemistry.

Speaking of which, I would be much obliged if anyone could provide an easy way to remember the structures and nomenclature for the common disaccharides.

*headdesk*

migraine (n.) - recurring vascular headache, occurring more frequently in women. The cause is unknown, but the pain is associated with dilation of blood vessels. Allergic reactions, menstruation, alcohol, or relaxation after a period of stress often triggers attacked. A typical attack, which may last from several hours to several days, starts with an episode of visual disturbances (e.g. aura or flashing lights), numbness, tingling, vertigo, or other sensations, followed by the onset of severe, usually unilateral pain, sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting, photophobia, irritability, and fatigue. Ergotamine preparations that constrict the arteries are helpful if taken at the onset of an attack; aspirin does not usually provide relief. Also called megrim; hemicrania.

ergotamine (n). - ergot alkaloid that causes constriction of blood vessels and contraction of the uterine muscles and is used to treat migraine and postpartum lack of muscle tone in the uterus.

ergot (n.) - fungus (Claviceps purpurea) that infects wheat, rye, and other cereal grains. It produces several alkaloids (ergonovine, ergotamine) used in medicine. Ingestion of food with ergot causes ergotism.

ergotism (n.) - ergot poisoning, resulting from prolonged or excessive use of ergot-containing drugs or from accidental ingestion of ergot-contaminated food. Symptoms include excessive thirst, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cramping, abnormal cardiac rhythms, and, if severe, seizures and gangrene of the extremities.

ergonovine (n.) - ergot preparation used to contract the uterus to prevent or treat hemorrhage following childbirth or abortion.

I have recently developed an aversion to wearing pants.

...

I need to buy more hippie skirts. They are very much filled with win. Also, long socks with interesting designs and a couple pairs of boots 'cause, more often than not, wearing flip flops results in me falling flat on my face. Especially when it is or has been raining. Especially when going up or down stairs. Granted, I am sure passersby get a kick out of it, but I don't need anymore skinned / bruised knees.

Dead & Breakfast is the best B-rated "zombie" flick EVER. Why? Two words: thriller two-step ;)



I mean, what else goes better with chocolate fondue and mulled cider with brandy, right?

Woe unto the students whose labs I am grading tonight. I have had an all-around horrible day and am not in a very forgiving mood regarding incorrect spelling, poor grammar, and improper use, clarification, and/or general confusion of medical terms and the pathophysiology of GERD.  

That is all.

The grass looks so pretty in the morning covered in frost and fog... 

I pulled a muscle in my back this morning and it hurts like hell! Especially when I bend or move too fast. I'm pretty sure it's a byproduct of stress due to midterms, being lackadaisical regarding my workout schedule, and not stretching enough beforehand. The Captain worked through some of the tension before Day 3 of the sacrifice this morning.  It was the massage equivalent of Tylenol and gave me enough relief to get through what I needed to in the lab. 

In order to prevent future incidents like these, starting next week, I will be doing my cardio / weight lifting at the gym on Monday, Wednesday, & Friday afternoons, and doing yoga with Mothra on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I haven't done yoga since high school :P I have fond memories though, and look forward to getting back into it. Also, I look forward to not having any more pulled muscles in my back. Major, major ouch it is.

The squirrels are attacking my car with acorns again...

In other, unrelated news, I spent the night sipping on Irish coffee and reading / studying biochemistry in the papasan what now sits in the corner of my bedroom. (I rearranged some of the furniture, again.) I even wrote a couple of letters to friends and family back home; a feat I was only able to accomplish because the presentation I was supposed to give on Thursday about dietary protein stimulating insulin secretion was pushed back to Tuesday. Woot!

Been feeling a little lonely these past few days. I may have my boilermaker in the mornings for snuggling, coffee, chit chat, and whatnot, but I am missing a certain group of coffee-addicted friends what I haven't seen in a while.

*hint hint nudge nudge*

( How do you keep a Jew egg warm in teh winter months? )

(  Success (by Bessie A. Stanley) )

So, PhD or no, I win :)

it's pretty damn cool anyways :)



It's like a cross between a ram's horn and a nautilus shell and heavy as all get out, which leads me to believe it's made out of some kind of carved rock. I tried to ask the man what was selling it (along with a bunch of other shell-like necklaces and things)  at the French market about two years ago. It reminded me of Ursula's necklace from Disney's The Little Mermaid. Best $15 I ever spent :P

In case you were wondering, "apoplectic" means extremely indignant or overcome with anger ;)

I have this uncanny desire to weld something right now.

...

Anyone got a blow torch I can borrow for, like, a week or two?

Can somebody please explain to me what Obama did to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize?

I always forget how good it feels to work out / get all sweaty and out of breath. The heart-pounding, sore-muscle-making goodness that is exercise makes my pancreas happy, which makes the rest of my body happy, which makes for good sleeping and much productivity. Plus, it's an excuse to take a nice long, warm shower and rub Tiger Balm on places that hurt :P

1. I forgot to brown the meat before putting it in the crock pot, which will result in massive flavor leakage from the beef. Damn. Maybe I can use the sauce as a type of au jus? I mean, cholent isn't exactly a stew as much as a bunch of slowly cooked meat and vegetables. Once again, damn.

2. I had to substitute whole wheat flour for white flour. Also, I ran out of honey and had to substitute gradulated sugar. This means that the challah will be denser and not have the normal light, fluffy, honey-ish flavor that it normally does. Double damn. Double triple mega damn!

Today is just not my day in the kitchen.

...

*headdesk*


Edited to inform you that the challah wasn't a total loss; it merely tasted more like whole wheat dinner roles than challah. Also, the cholent is very soft, smells great, and is actually pretty tasty. Although, it would probably be considered flavorless by LA standards :P Note to self: In order to avoid future OMG-I-think-I-did-something-wrong moments, buy a book filled with tasty specifically-for-a-slow-cooker recipes.