Life As I Know It.

First update in forever.

I'm relaxing in a coffee shop off campus and have been studying organic nomenclature for the past four hours. I still don't fully understand, but I understand a hell of a lot more.

I take a break to write this due to the new arrival of 3 squawking middle aged, trash talking moms. While almost the whole coffee house is open, they chose the table right near where I've camped out with ochem.

Life has been crazy. I have another full semester this year, and I'm back to two labs: evolutionary biology and ochem. For evobio, I hatefully love my labs. We've been working with fruit flies and violating the migration assumption of the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. While it's nice to obvious results, counting all the flies normally takes between 3-6 hours and needs to be done 3 times a month.
Ochem lab is the worst. I don't see the joy in mixing 5 different solutions that look identical. Has to be done I guess.

My roommate this year has been the best. It's refreshing to have a nice, supportive roommate instead of last year. With the housing lotto coming up before we know it, we plan on rooming together again next year.

A lot of changes have come, and sometimes it's hard to find the door that's been opened. I have the best people in my life though, and they've helped lead me to better opportunities.

Until next time,
K

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!

So, the official trailers for The Dark Knight Rises are officially up.
And, Robin Williams is in some of them as Hugo Strange.
Plus, the actress that played Cobb's wife (Marion Cotillard) in Inception is in the movie. (Christopher Nolan sure does love to reuse people...)  Here are some good trailers I found :) I can't wait to go to the midnight release!!!

If you pause at 1:37 you can see Marion Cotillard. Recognize her?

Initially, I wasn't too crazy about Bane as a villain. 

But after seeing all these video, it looks like Nolan did a GREAT job with it. 

(This is the one with Hugo Strange in it too.)

SO EXCITED!!!

Now onto something non-Batman related. :) Today, I mailed out all my letters asking various veterinarians for a shadowing position. For vet school, it's suggested that you should have a ton of logged hours of shadowing. What a better time to start? Plus, shadowing a veterinarian all summer? What a better/more fun thing to do over the summer?! :) I really hope that some position is available for me. I really want to do this, for vet school and for the summer.

Well, back to studying...

Until I've survived the sea of finals,

Kara

STRESSED

This week.
Madness.

Course registration was Tuesday.
Chemistry retake AND housing lottery is tomorrow.

This picture well depicts how I feel currently.

I can't wait for Thursday night.
Going to bed at 9 and sleeping until breakfast.

Night ya'll.

Until then,
Kara

Epidural Steroid Injections

**Warning-Complaining and Whining.**

Today was my first set of epidural steroid injections.
If only I could say they weren't that bad.

Having tried almost anything, this was the next possible step.
After arching myself over a roll up table, he numbed my spine in my lower back with novocaine. He told me I would feel a pinch and a burn.
Ohhhhhh I did. It felt like getting stung by a giant hornet in slow motion.

So after this I was somewhat calmed down. Okay, the area is numb so that should be the worst part.
Haha...
Time for the epidural. He put something to my back and told me I'd feel a lot of pressure. It felt like he was just pressing his thumb into my back.
Okay, I can do this. No biggie.

Then I started feeling a cramp in my hip.

As if he could read my mind, he said that I might feel some cramping in my lower back, hips, and thighs.
The beginning of my cramp turned into a full blown Charlie horse from my lower back to my knees. I felt like someone was wringing my muscles out like a washcloth. I bit my tongue trying not to swear, but I just kept repeating "Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God..."

Once the pain lowered in intensity, I laid down for ten minutes. After getting a prescription for a handicap permit, I could leave.

My next epidural is scheduled for April 30rd. Wish me luck...

Until then,
Kara

Jedi Kittens!

Just in case you need a smile today. :)

Random Facts About Me.

Just cause.
I'll be adding to this list later.

1.) I love horses. And river otters. And sun bears. :)
2.) I'm going to be a veterinarian some day. Just wait.
3.) I'm really OCD about papers being neat.
4.) One of my biggest pet peeves is when people just coast through life aimlessly. Do something incredible!
5.) Another pet peeve: when people have loose values/beliefs. What you believe and value is your decision, but have real reason and cause behind it.
6.) I've been in 4-H for eleven years. I've been fair queen, state ambassador, camp counselor, on JL and JFB, ran for state JFB (one of five picked), etc., etc., etc. It's been a good eleven years.
7.) I played softball for eleven years and umpired for three.
8.) I find good grammar attractive.
9.) My favorite color is purple and my favorite number is four.
10.) I have two older brothers. (And I like being the only girl. :))

Cats That Look Like My Cats.

That's right, time for a cat blog.
I found these pictures online that remind me SO much of my cats at home.

First picture, a Boe look-a-like!

Next, Bonnie's twin!

And last but not least, Toby!

I can't help but to see a lion every time I look at Toby.

So there's my lame cat blog. If I find a Clyde look-a-like I will definitely be posting it.

Until then,

Kara