yeah okay.

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:16:36 GMT

I am still alive and kicking! Just in case anyone was worried! :)

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:17:40 GMT

Well, things are alright in Catville right now. Nothing exciting is happening (knock on wood); school is going ok, etc.

I think this weekend I'm going to go and see Watchmen if I have any money to do so. Pretty awesome. I liked the graphic novel a lot, and I hope the movie is good. I haven't been too super impressed with the Marvel and DC movies lately, but maybe the quality of the original material will make the film better.

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:49:47 GMT

I never remember to wear gloves when I make chili. So my hands always smell like onions for days after. Yuck. Well, at least it tastes good and is cheap.

thanksgiving and shiz

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:29:53 GMT

So we stopped at a Candor townie bar on the way into town from Boston. I chilled for a bit with a guy who pretty much only said 3 words to me in high school (fat, ugly, bitch). I guess he's not a total douchebag, which is nice.

I saw a lot of my family. That was stressful, but parts of it were good. (Megan, Matt, UR. . . etc.)

UM. So, back to work for me. Finals next week. Xmas soon.

Weird that it's December already, huh?

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:24:01 GMT

Things are going ok for me. As usual, I have attempted to completely destroy my life, and stopped just before doing so. :) So, YAY! Cat is alive and working her way out of the hole she dug herself.

Basically, normal shit for me.

Anyway, I'm taking a creative writing class, and that is going well. Also, I am learning to draw, which is nice. Drawing is, however, time consuming and frustrating. If you know anything about me, you know how easily frustrated I become when I don't do something right the first time. So, you can imagine what it is like to hear me drawing. I think I will no longer complain about the high price of art, even crappy art.

Kel and I went to see the Tarbox Ramblers the other day. That was very good.

Blah. So, here's a bunch of random stuff for you to read about me!!! :)

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:51:02 GMT

what has cat been doing?

generally enjoying living in boston. YAY public transit!!!

also, the other day, ozzie threw up over the edge of my bed. that was very exciting.

and look, boston pride: go celtics, go redsocks, go patriots! (this way they won't kill me when they find out i don't really like sports all that much.)

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:15:52 GMT

http://www.catandgirl.com/view.php?loc=636

for those of you who don't read it, cat and girl is very, very good!

Update

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:31:18 GMT

Hi everyone.

I am still alive.

I have been living it up in Boston.

I volunteer for a church now. Yes, Cat, in a church. They have no saved my soul yet, but I think they are trying to sneakily work on it. :)

School starts soon, which I am very excited about.

I'll be in upstate tomorrow til Sunday if you are there and want to see me!

trips

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:11:44 GMT

I have been traveling so much that it feels like I never get over the end-of-trip blues. If you're wondering if I miss you, the answer is yes. I have been missing pretty much everyone these days.

So, I'm back in Boston again from Upstate NY. It was good to see my family. Also, it was good to see the country again. Being in the country, seeing the stars and the green growth, helps me to remember that I AM connected to the world. I am alive.

Also, it was nice to have animals around. I can't wait until we move into the new place so I can have my kitties again.

boston

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:07:16 GMT

In boston. Kind of tired. It's been pretty fun so far and i have a lot of hope for the future. Jet lag is a bitch tho.

Plans

Fri, 16 May 2008 22:55:50 GMT

I'll be in AZ til 5/27
Going to Philly from 5/27-6/1
Boston after that.

If you're in AZ and want to see me, now's the time. Just let me know.

Thu, 15 May 2008 20:05:59 GMT

Just a kind of general update.
I'm sick. I have a terrible UTI which has grounded me for the duration (well, the duration of time before the antibiotics start to kick its ass).
I'm staying at Stephanie's house right now. If you want to know why, and you don't already, I'd recommend calling or e-mailing me. Don't want to talk about it here.

Beyond that, I've been sleeping and getting lots of fluids. Very exciting times.
Later all.

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:46:54 GMT

summer is coming to phoenix
and oh, how i yearn to burn
like the sidewalk if my feet were bare

this town is perfect for me
here, we don't revitalize
we rip
down

rebuild

the birds of both kinds
children clogging freeways

the end of the school year

the end of the spring

various things

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:39:11 GMT

Planned a b-day party for Alyn and Josh. That should be fun.

School is going okay.

So is work.

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:26:25 GMT

Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

Rest in Peace

boston

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:41:03 GMT

Well, while alyn is in lovely Italy, I am in freezing boston!

It's pretty fun. I'm only here for an extended weekend, but it's been nice so far.

There is snow falling from the sky. I wish Alyn was here to see it!

Hope you're all having a safe and happy weekend.

Busy Busy!

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:35:37 GMT

So, Alyn is in Italy. That's pretty exciting for him. Josh and I have been keeping busy:

We bought a bunch of stuff for use around the house.
We have a huge list of stuff we're going to do while Alyn's gone!

Today we repotted M. Tiny Piny Part Deux. That was fun. You could almost see him sighing in relief!

I am tired. I have been doing a lot of homework, which is VERY exciting, I can tell you.

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 02:46:48 GMT

migraines suck.

Couple of things

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:58:56 GMT

First of all:
http://www.catandgirl.com/view.php?loc=568

Second of all:

Alyn posted that we are going to Comicon San Diego. We are going to Vegas on the same trip. It will be totally awesome.

Third of all:

School sucks.

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 04:53:22 GMT

The Thought Experiment: Assemble a 'dream crew' of characters from any science-fiction show you like, fulfilling the following roles:

1. Captain: Milda Mae "Sharpie" Corners Burroughs (The Number of the Beast, The Cat who Walks through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset.)
2. First Officer: Chewbaca
3. Tactical Officer: Jet from Cowboy Beebop
4. Helmsman: Hoban "Wash" Washburne (Firefly)(Can't argue with Alyn here.)
5. Science Officer: Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV (Cowboy Bebop)
6. Operations: Lapis Lazuli Long and Lorelei Lee Long
7. Chief Engineer: Andrew Jackson "Slipstick" Libby and DT Burroughs Carter(Various Heinlein Novels)
8. Ship's Doctor: Dr. Lafe Hubert (Heinlein)(hehe)
9. Ninth Man: Zebediah Carter (Heinlein)

OK I know this is Heinlein-heavy. . . These are the first characters to come to my mind for those positions. SO. Maybe I'll do this again later sometime

A lab for all of you to read (I needed to turn this in and couldn't email it to myself.)

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 05:43:44 GMT

Title:
Introduction:
The blood performs many functions within the body. It helps maintain homeostasis through temperature control and pH control. It brings oxygen to the cells. It fights of foreign invaders like viruses, bacteria and fungi. The circulatory system, which controls the movement of blood through the body, is essential to continued human life.
Part A
A blood cell moving from the ascending aorta, through a capillary bed in the left knee and back through the heart and lungs will travel through:
Blood Vessel Oxygenated (Yes or No)
Ascending Aorta Yes
Abdominal aorta Yes
Femoral artery Yes
Capillary beds of leg/ behind knee Yes
Femoral vein No
Inferior Vena cava No
Right Atrium No
Right Ventricle No
Pulmonary Trunk No
Right Pulmonary artery or Left Pulmonary Artery No
Capillary bed of right or left lung No
Capillary bed of right or left lung Yes
Pulmonary veins Yes
Left Atrium Yes
Left Ventricle Yes
Ascending Aorta Yes
(cycle repeats.)
Part B
If I cut myself, the following would happen:
1)There is damage to my skin.
2) The damage to the tissue triggers extrinsic clotting reactions in the blood. The tissue and blood vessels near the tissue trigger that damage has taken place chemically.
3)The enzyme Thrombin is produced.
4) Thrombin acts on fibrinogen. Fibronogen rods stick together and long threads of fibrin are formed.
5) Fibrin threads stick together, producing a net that holds blood cells and platelelets.
6) A scab is formed (within an hour, since this is a small cut.)
7) The tissue beneath the scab is repaired. (The epithelium regenerates.)
On a cellular level, several things happen when I am cut. First of all, harmful bacteria may not get through the cut in the first place, since my skin is covered with non-harmful bacteria. If it does get in, macrophages in the tissue fluid engulf and destroy any invaders. Then, they send for help by releasing cytokines. Complement proteins are activated when the antigen is detected. These complement proteins trigger complement molecules, which flood the area. Phagocytes like macrophages and neutrophils are attracted to the complement molecules. Phagocytes have binding areas for complement molecules. The invaders are surrounded by complement molecules. The complement molecules bond to the phagocytes, and the phagocytes engulf and destroy the antigen. Some complement molecules contain membrane attack complexes, which drill through antigen's cell membranes, causing the cells of the antigens to disintegrate. If this response doesn't work, the body's next step is inflammation. Histamines and cytokines are released. Histimines make the arterioles dilate, so more blood comes into the area. Histimines also make capillaries leaky- bringing more phagocytes, plasma proteins and water through. This is when clotting happens. If this step doesn't work, the body then may try a fever. The temperature rises so that the antigen can't function properly.
If none of this works, the adaptive immunity system goes into work. An antigen presenting cell (APC) shows T and B cells the antigen by bringing the antigen into the lymph nodes. The T and B cells multiply and fill the body. The invading bacteria is destroyed by the immune system.

Discussion:
1) I didn't know that there were two different cellular responses to damaged blood vessels, depending on whether there is an external or internal stimulus (extrinsic or intrinsic clotting factors.) I also didn't know why thrombosis was called thrombosis. Now I know that it's named after the enzyme that triggers blood clots. Also, I didn't realize how many layers there were to my body's defenses from intruders.
2)The value of getting a tetanus shot is that just a small amount of the antigen is introduced into the system. A person is not made ill by this, but the body produces T-cells that are memory cells. They hang around the body until the antigen is detected, and the body then produces a response to the antigen. Instead of having to catch this potentially fatal disease once to be able to defend against it, a person doesn't have to catch it at all.
3) Doing biology makes my "blood boil." (Not really!)
4) As a parent, it will be important for me to understand how the immune system works. Using too much antibacterial stuff in my house could actually cause my children to get sicker. If I use antibacterial washes and detergents all the time, the natural bacteria that exist on my children's skin will be washed away, allowing more harmful bacteria to populate the area (bacteria which is immune to antibiotics.) If my child gets a cut, the simple cut could become hard to treat because the bacteria invading are resistant to antibiotics. If the child's body hasn't fought that strain of bacteria before, he or she could become very sick. I don't want to make my children sicker than they have to be when I am a parent.
The circulatory system and the blood

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:28:24 GMT

So, I feel totally awesome and proud of myself. I'm now officially smart enough to download plug-ins into firefox and install them.

However, the support for the plug ins appears to be written in like, computer-ese or something. They talk a lot about x-47 boxes and such. So, anyway. . .

I should do some homework, but I wanted everyone to know that I was still alive and kicking.

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 03:35:35 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7059939.stm

The most interesting line of this article, to me, is: "Many Russians would like to see him executed but Russia has suspended the use of the death penalty. "

RUSSIA doesn't use the death penalty, but the US still does? I mean, it just seems weird. . .

An Open Letter to Philip Comacho

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 23:23:46 GMT

Dear Mr. Comacho:

Please either start paying your bills, or stop giving my number to the business you intend not to pay. It is really annoying to get your collection calls.

Thanks,

Cat

grumble grumble

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:39:38 GMT

You know what pisses me off? People who think that insurance should always get cheaper, and that taxes should never go up.

For the second one, where the hell do people think the government is going to get money for their crazy spending from?

For the first one, what the hell? I mean, how can you think that insurance should always get cheaper? Do you think that eventually, your insurance company will be paying YOU to have a policy with them?