Too Much To Chew On

Mondays are my busy day. I have ~ 9 hours of class, and I end off the day with a three hour philosophy night class. I've enjoyed the variation of my classes this semester. It's been nice to have a philosophy and a psych class to break up my sciences. The philosophy course I'm taking is an elective; something I've chosen as a free "no-strings-attached" course. However, taking a philosophy is like sitting in the hot tub. It's nice to do it for 10 or 15 minute sessions, but three hours of it will make you feel exhausted and uncomfortable. Last night in philosophy, albeit the great content, I longed to hit the showers of the skating rink, or possibly, if I needed to stay in the aquatic center, to at least dip my toes into the refreshing pool of science. I feel like the hot tub is important, but bite size time slots fit me best.

I kind of feel like Calvin coming home from school. I know Hobbes is going to jump me, but the suspense keeps me jittery. I'm fairly busy, but not as busy as I know I will be. I'm just waiting for my assignments to drop kick me when I'm not paying attention.

I suppose I'll leave you with these three options.

If you could fly, would you do so with:
a) Wings (think birds)
b) Some sort of jet pack
c) Nothing at all (kind of like superman)
d) I wouldn't want to fly

So This is the New Year

Greetings.

I'll spare you the "I can't believe how fast time flies by" act, and dive right into this sea of text.

I've had a great month so far. It started off with a memorable night in the pub with Stewie, Bron, and Dan, then continued over the next few days with more conversation, coffees and ice caps. Then came the plane ride in which I encountered (I imagine) the pain experienced by someone giving birth from their forehead. That is to say, the changing cabin pressure due to landing made me think my head was going to explode because of my sinus infection. It wasn't that pleasant. What was pleasant, however, was the sight of Rebecca and Janelle waiting to pick me up in Toronto at 2 am. What troopers.

I'm happy to announce that Rebecca and I are getting married. I am thrilled. Too thrilled for words. Possibly even too thrilled for calligraphy.

Since then, I've been balancing school, research symposiums, and wedding planning while making time for community. I should have put an asterisks behind "wedding planning", however, as Mrs. Sikkema is so on her game that I don't think we've felt an ounce of stress over bookings or reservations. A big thanks goes out to her.

I went to Quebec to present some research these past couple of days. It was really good. It was kind of interesting to be in a room with other students and professors discussing research. It definitely put me at ease to hear some of the trends and questions that arise from research.

I swam in the pool and sat in the hot tub when not discussing research. It was pleasant.

And now what to say? My courses are great. My courses are challenging. My courses are coming to an end as I finish up my last semester of my undergrad and move into the foggy corn field of my future, only knowing that I'll have the hand of Rebecca to hold onto as I venture forth into that moist sea of grain.

However, through it all, one truth stands out, like Vlade Divac standing in a busy street in Bejing: God is good.

I hope to keep this up.

November Loving

It's that last push of this semester, and instead of doing work that I should be doing, I am running around the house trying to steal Tim's yogurt. He stopped me and hit me with a banana. Baaah-na-na!

Tim and Ree are currently preparing for a presentation behind me, while I'm trying to distract them. Their focus is far greater than mine, as I even lost focus trying to distract them. So crazy.

I'm so close to being all done my second last semester at Redeemer. I can't wait to be home. I don't know why, but the thought of having a hot shower in the cold bathroom of my home is just on my mind.
____

The man stopped just short of the cedar door. He stood there, wondering if he should grasp the chilled metal of the handle, allowing him to go inside, safe from the cold night that was outside. Instead, he couldn't collect himself to face what was awaiting him . He turned around, and took the few concrete steps down to the drive way and hopped in his Toyota and rested his head on the steering wheel. The horn sounded accidentally, which caused him to jolt his head up. Looking around to see that no one was around to hear the horn, he started his car and stealthed out of the driveway, heading towards the nearest McDonalds. Only a cheeseburger could comfort him now. It's slick patties sandwiched between the finest cheese, lettuce and bun enticed him. The cheeseburger was his only friend now. If only it could respond to all the problems that he often poured over it in his pre-eating ritual. The end was always the same; a half eaten cheeseburger left on the tray as he ran to the bathroom to vomit and morn the loss of his newest friend. He would then go back to the door one more time, then sleep on the lawn of his brothers house just down the road.

_____

I guess I'll see you guys in a month. Ta ta.

What To Do?

I thought I'd sneak in a little something before we see October coming to an end. I mean, it's been a while, that's all. I'm currently refusing to do work at the moment, most likely originating from a small gnome in my liver squeezing it in such a way that my mind can't focus on biochem. A few momentous events occurred in the past month and a half. First, I learned not to despise the theology professor that I had in first year. I currently have him for my Reformation Theology class, and although I hate to admit it, it's not the armpit of academia that I expected it to be. Not only that, but I've learned a bit more about the reformed faith I once left and now am becoming more acquainted with. Am I sold by every idea of the reformation and Calvinism? No, at least, not yet. Although I'm quite drawn to an intellectual side of faith.

The house is going great. It's everything you think a guys house wouldn't be. Let me explain. Although there are 7 of us living here, there is little mess. Granted, like the spring flowers, things can bloom in the fridge once in a while, but generally external mess is kept to a minimum. Since the house is clean, it leaves space open for possible decorating. So what do you do with an open decoration-potential space? Well, you can decorate it. Simple things people. The dollar store works wonders for class if you only but let it. A rug here, a candle here, and a picture of the Queen over there goes a long way to making the house a home. It's not the most matching place on the block, but it sure is cozy. There's also room in the fridge-freezer for my bread. I like that. Going down to the basement is a pain. No pun intended. Comment if you understand that one, I'd be impressed. School is enjoyable and busy at times. However, I find that this year has had the best balance out of any year so far, and I sure hope that it remains that way.

I hope you are all well.

House-tacular

Hello.

All is well. The move into our house last Sunday proved to be smooth, yet disappointing. Our landlord lived in our house and when we got it, it was a mess and nothing was fixed like it should have been. We contacted the people at the church from who we rent, and arranged our new landlord. She's great, and most of the problems are fixed. This is less stressful indeed. Other than that, school is going well. I really don't have much to say. Maybe in a while I will.

This Made Me Smile

Penguins Coming Out the Door

This made me happy.

Crankysaurous

These past couple of weeks have seem to flown by. Not much on the "crazy new and exciting front", but still enjoyable weeks none-the-less. After a delightful week of having the parents out here to visit, things have returned back into their routine. It's apparently wedding season, so there have a been a few weekends sprinkled with some marital uniting. What else...

Ah, yes, how could I forget. I have had canker sores for the past two weeks which have limited my ability to eat, drink, and even talk some times. If you have ever known me when I was sick/tired, you would find out very quick that I am not that pleasant to be around. That is to say, I get agitated quickly. Having the amazing girlfriend that I do, she just shrugs off my bad attitude, and hopes that the "cranky sores" soon depart. Well, good news world; the last sore is on its way out. I ate breakfast this morning without wincing, and I can even smile. Life is good.

As for now, I need to fiddle with my thallium electrodes, because their life span is only about 40 minutes. You know what that means? John knows. You better believe he knows. Anyways, back to tinkering. It feels like I'm always tinkering. You should just call me Tink.

Summer Pickles

Ryan comes back from tree planting this week, which makes me quite excited. I'm enjoying work, as well as the times after work. My parents are in Hamilton right now, which feels quite bizzare, but strangely "right". Last night was spent in the back yard eating dinner and catching up with the 'rents. It was nice to have a full table for that.

I'm not sure what else to talk about.

I really feel like playing disc, or volleyball. Either one is a good choice. Now, what's going to happen?!?

LOL!!!111!

Still Kicking It

Ontario is great this time of year. For the past two Sunday nights, I have had the pleasure of driving head on into an electrical storm. I loved it; The dark country road lit up by lightning followed by a rumbling thunder. But enough about creation, let's get back to me, only because you're selfish.

Things have been good. The only downside so far to the summer is that Ree lives 40 minutes away and I don't have a vehicle. Work has been good, one of the huge pluses that I see so far this summer is the ultimate frisbee team Brian, Ryan and I are a part of: The Frequent Flyers. Disc is just too much fun. Other than that, video games, biking, friends and Chronicles have been taking up my free time. In general, the weeks go quickly, and the weekends even faster.

It's good to be in Ontario. Wish you were here.

Oh, and Pappa D-sparks and Momsie are coming in a week. Go parents.

Handle With Care: It's Alive!

I was going to write a summary blog on how I was doing, but suddenly the motivation was sucked out of me. So, now I'm going to list to you 5 things that I'm looking forward to.

1) Each and every weekend at the Sikkema's
2) Gardening at Brian's
3) Having the parent's come out east.
4) Cottage time up north in August
5) Cooking with good recipes and ingredients.

I'm in good spirits, and you should be to. I'm not really sure what else there is to say.

Instructions on Hatching and Maintain

These past three weeks have gone quick. I must say, to think that I was about to depart for England a month ago sounds weird. But, alas, three weeks into work and spirits are good. One thing that is not so hot is the pets in my house. This past week I've been taking care of a dog and a cat. They're generally well natured animals, but they are very annoying. Whether it be the dog wanting to sneak under my covers at 2 in the morning, or the cat wanting to scratch my feet at 4, an uninterrupted nights sleep is hard to come by. I can only imagine what new parents must feel like. Granted, their kid probably isn't hairy with claws. Mange.

I really look forward to the weekends. They're nice. Not to say I don't enjoy work, but let my specify further to what I mean. I sit in a chair for most of my day. Quite often I'm behind a computer looking up an article or analyzing data. But that stops temporarily on Friday afternoons. I get to see Rebecca (a highlight in itself) and then spend the evening with friends and family. On Saturday mornings, I have the opportunity and privilege to work on the Sikkema's farm. I used to do a fair amount of physical labour. This included working at the greenhouses helping ladies pick out pretty flowers. Once in a while I crave physical work, and it's thrown at me on Saturday morning. It's nice change. Then, the rest of the weekend is spent relaxing or exploring, or whatever tickles your kidney. Church on Sunday is always good, and going home on Sunday night is often like pulling off a bandaid slowly. Then my week starts over again.

I would say I'm in good spirits. I hope you are as well. Happy day, everyone.

I'll Pound You For A Pound

The title is a little play on words based on the currency of the British people as well as the act of pummeling someone with either your hands or the large leg of a bird.

The time here has been good. I wouldn't say it has been relaxing, though there were most certainly parts of the trip where you could put up your feet and take a breather. The first day I arrived, I landed in Heathrow airport. The first thing I noticed about this was that I was claustrophobic. Now I don't mean claustrophobic as in "I'm sweating profusely and I might snap and curl into the fetal position if somebody bumps my shoulder" but instead, claustrophobic as in "The roofs in this airport aren't very high and I wish there was more natural light." The airports I've been to in North America have higher roofs than most Christian school gyms. The change was noticeable. I then caught a flight up to Edinburgh which saw me in a zombie like state. The previous nights were not good for sleep and I was exhausted. So I landed and saw Rebecca (glory) and we caught a bus and went to our hostel in the heart of Edinburgh. I must say, it is a very cool city with an interesting history and a bitching castle.

The first day I was there, Heather, Ree and I took a walk around to get acquainted with the area. The next day we did a free walking tour to learn about the history of the city. This included seeing the church of John Knox, as well as seeing his grave, which is now a parking lot. He, however, has been remembered in the parking lot by a simple yellow square in parking spot 23. That surprised me. The day then continued with a hike up the crags which are the hills overlooking the city.

The following day we took a tour to the Highlands (northern Scotland) and saw Loch Ness, along with a number of other beautiful sights. The highlight for me was seeing the Highland bulls. It reminded me of Josh's liking of yaks back in the day.

The next day saw us exploring the city again, which ended off with an overnight bus back to London. Being a fairly leggy person, comfort was something not attained on the bus. My sleep was rocky, and saw me entering London with bloodshot eyes. All in all, I was surprisingly alert. We arrived in London at 6:30 in the morning, and met up with Tim and his cousin Derek. It was very nice to see Tim again. One thing that has bugged me so far about the British is that they have pay-booths to use the washroom in public places. I'm not going to pay 50 cents so I can take a pee. I found this upsetting, and very low class. Boo England. Boo.

The rest of the day saw Tim, Derek, Rebecca, and I seeing the big sights in London. St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abby, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, etc. However, before the tourism commenced, we sat in a park for a couple hours to get our alertness back, as well as watch some waterfowl play around for pond dominance.

From there Ree and I headed back to Charbury via bus/rail and arrived in this cute little town. Rebecca's host Beccy was very hospitable and allowed us to stay in her house these past few days. Since then we've seen the town, the countryside and Oxford. Today is a day of rest, as we prepare for our travels back home tomorrow.

Forty Five Degrees Isn't Worth Sleeping Over

After a blur of exams, I was driven to the airport and caught my plane to England. It’s weird to think about. Just yesterday I was still in school, and now I’m with Ree, in England (Scotland, rather) and it’s summer break. I have four months where I don’t need to worry about school. It’ll be nice. My two final exams saw me get very little sleep. The plane rides saw me get very little sleep, thus the grand total for the past three days have seen a total of 7 or 8 hours of sleep. I’ve been in a state of mental unawareness as I moved from place to place. However, as soon as I saw Ree waiting for me at that airport, I perked up. It was amazing seeing her again, and it’s been great. Right now I’m about the pass out from lack of sleep, but know that I’m safe in the hostel right now and that I’ve seen decent amount of things around where the hostel is. In order to be functional tonight, I’m going to take a power nap. I’ll try to keep you’s in the loopsie.

*Note: I slept, and I'm mildly more awake, though I think I'll go for round two to finish off the night. When I have time (probably Thursday) I'll upload some pictures. I guess that will quench your greedy thirst.

That is all.

Tickles the Liver

The trees outside of my window are just about to bloom. That makes me excited, not only because that means spring and the end of semester is near, but also because I think blooming makes the tree feel happy. If tree's had feeling.

I eluded to the concept of memory and the reductionist view that I had while trying to explain it as a mix of chemicals in a previous blog. I'm not sure if I believe that anymore. How could you? Maybe one day we'll be able to figure a bit more about it, but on the whole, I think the composition of memories can only be attributed to our spirit. Data, and android from Star Trek: TNG had a reductionist view of memories and stated that they were mRNA sequences stored in our brains. mRNA has a half life far too short to even remember what we did yesterday, therefore Data was full of shit.

Along with spring comes me tucked away in the library studying. I remember a beautiful Friday afternoon last year where I was the only one in the entire library for majority of the day. A fear of the sun you say? My vitamin D is important to me, don't get me wrong, but the knowledge of how vitamin D works I think is worth staying in for. Calcium regulation people, calcium regulation.

Today was Cadet and Gem Sunday at church. I could recite all the Cadet pledges, saying and verses. Cadets is a sweet program. Maybe I'll be a counsellor one day. I think I got the sign language badge. That was one of my few badges. You could say that I was more interested in using the go-cart rather than making some crappy soap candle or wooden shelf. Brian on the other hand had way too many badges. I mean, he did everything. It's probably the reason why he's so well rounded today. I was never in Gems.

Six days remain until I catch a plane to see my sweetie. Of those six days, four of them will have an exam. Of those four days, 8 burgers will be consumed, and approximately 50 mL of mayonnaise. I'm looking forward to some good food after this stretch.

Ryan and I saw a cat in the process of getting run over the other day. There was a puff of fur. Try to avoid hitting cats, or keep yours inside.

That is all.

That Stage

When I was sharing a room with Josh, we always listened to the "Z hot 10 at 10" which was a radio station's nightly countdown. Usually if I was still awake when it got to the number one song (usually around 10:50) then I got nervous and worried that I wasn't asleep yet. The interesting thing is that during my schooling career I averaged probably 9 or 10 hours of sleep a night. That's pretty good, I must say. I always ate breakfast too.

It seems like December and April blogs tend to be countdowns until everything is done. Suffice to say, that's pretty much what's on my mind right now. Two and a half weeks until my third year is done and until I'm in the UK checking out Scotland. The time in between will be spent wrapping up the semester and thinking about my career. Med school maybe? Maybe I'll be a professional turtle rider. I would need my scuba ticket though. Maybe I should get that this summer.

Ryan and I bought burgers as the main component on our mini shop the other day. That also included 99 cent 1L chocolate milk. The effort being put into cooking has diminished as the semester comes to an end. I hope that the UK will revive that a bit. In the mean time, Mrs. Sikkema comes through with a feast once a week which gives me a taste of home cooking. Man, can she cook.

Which leaves me with this. Do you believe this?

It's Possible

A week later and I have no idea where the time went. Indeed, it was a quick week. There were pro's and con's to this week for sure. Such a con would be that I made it to the gym only once this week, and I could feel my body missing the tre-weekly treadmill run. That was too bad, but tomorrow I'll push it hard. A pro, however, is that springball has started up again, so I suppose playing basketball twice this week might have caught the slack for the lack of gym action. Another pro is that I got all my assignments in on time. That's nice. In general, I'll give this week eleven mushrooms out of fourteen. A good week indeed. The best part is that I'm feeling quite motivated right now. The upcoming week looks doable, but not only that, but I'm excited to do the work. Definitely makes the week more enjoyable for sure. Only five more weeks until I'm out in England having a jolly good time with my sweet.

The people who I'm living with this summer want to spend money on making a garden bed for the house. This makes me very excited. Although I won't be working at the garden centre, I'll still have a little taste of that glorious place right in my front yard. I'm actually quite tempted to make a planter. Anyways, that might be for another time. I also like sports, beer, and explosions, just in case you were wondering if I was a guy. Well, not explosions so much.

I like the sky. It's pretty. I think I'll leave you with that.

Happy March

March is a good month. There's a few birthdays in March, there's a few holidays in March, there's a few snow falls in March, and there's a few sunny days in March. There's also a few midterms, papers, assignments, presentations and formal lab write ups in March. Still, overall, March is still a good month. It's snowing today. It also snowed on Wednesday, allowing me to not go to class and to study for a midterm. I was thankful for that. I was also thankful that Rebecca made it home safe from Rome. Rome sounded fun.

In the midst of all the business, its still nice to relax. Believe it or not, I enjoy shoveling the driveway. I love the type of work that I can see results. If I feel like I'm not doing much, I simply need to look behind me and see all the snow that's been shoveled so far. That's harder to do with school. You can do a lot, but not see anything for a while, until you get assignments back. But that's still not the same. I shoveled the driveway already today, and it's still snowing. That makes me somewhat happy. I think that means I'll go back out tonight and shovel it again.

April is also a good month. It's usually sunny and warm, and I don't have many labs or assignments. I have some final exams, but I like those. That's my favourite time of the year. However, in April I will also be seeing my sweetheart in England. That makes me happy. It's only 6 weeks away, which also makes me happy.

I'm a guy that likes to schedule thing. I might have taken this from my mother, as she is quite organized as well. I have times when I go to sleep, wake up, do work, and relax. The schedule is not set in stone, but it is well followed. I suppose that's why I keep a to-do list. I like to be able to cross off things so it feels like I'm productive. I suppose that's one of the perks of university.

I'm tired right now. I'm tired of school, tired of the looming work needing to be done, I'm tired of waking up early to do work, and staying up late to see it finished. I would like April to come quick. But that's what always happens when you're busy. Time flies. Like a dragonfly, or a horsefly, or a bird. All those things can fly.

Penguins and Bunnies

I never really know how to feel coming out of a Physics midterm. Half the time I feel like I bombed it and end up doing alright, the other half I feel like a nailed it but then discover a "see me" on the top of my page. And no, I've never had a "see me" at the top of my paper, because I don't think profs are allowed to do that. At least, I know it would make me feel uncomfortable. Whatever the case, struggling to do integrals for an hour has put me in a melancholy mood, so I will now share with you five things that I would do if I had magical powers. Please note, I do not actually have magical powers.

1) I would take all the cutest animals (no baby animals, because they're naturally cute), such as the penguin, the bunny rabbit, and the garner snake. Then I would sew them together with magical threads into a super cute animal. I will then sell these creations and proceed to donate the earned money to the animal shelters, where I got my humble beginnings.

2) I would fly. Now, I'm not talking about the "I'm Superman and somehow I am able to lift my body off the ground" type of flying. No, I'm talking about, "I have jetpacks/leathery dragon wings/ some sort of helicopter propellers attached to my elbows" type of flying. This would make commutes easier.

3) I would be able to breathe fire. This, however, would not be a discomfort. Instead, I imagine that it would be like a gentle massage in my esophagus. What would I do with the fiery ability? I would either be a street performer, a "stove less" chef, or a children’s story teller. Most of the stories I would tell would be about fire breathing dragons, of course.

4) I would be able to enchant an instrument (most likely a recorder or an accordion) and by simply playing it cause everyone around me to burst into dance. With this ability, an weekend would look like this.

Friday

7:00 pm - Head over to the ACC and get all the fans to start grooving in their seats. 10,000+ people dancing? You wont get that at any club that I've ever been to.*
10:00 pm- Head home because I was tired of all the dancing. Please note that I am not exempt from the dancing either. If I hear that music, I must dance.

Saturday

Sleep all day.

Sunday

9:30 am - Go to church, but afterwards in the fellowship hall, bust out the music and watch the people of all ages "get down."

12:00 pm - Fly back to BC with my dragon wings and have soup at my home.

3:00 pm - Fly back to Ontario, then sleep for the rest of the day, due to being tired from the post-morning service dancing, as well as two cross Canada flights.

* Please note that I have been to one club, in which the dancing was sub par.

5) I would be able to control the weather. One of my most favorite things is the look of untouched snow, so I would delicately bring clouds to snow on specific areas that have been disturb or lack snow completely. Also note that I would not make very many snow days due to this ability, though I would consider it.

I do not have magical powers.

Good day.

I was Tagged, So suck it up

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people. Unless you only want to tag 3. I'll tag 0.

When sodium ions do lead into the neuron, they are immediately escorted out again my the action of a sodium-potassium pump, a protien molecule imbedded in the cell membrane (see Figure 4-10C). A membrane's many thousands of pumps continually exchange three intracellular sodium ions for two potassium ions. The potassium ions are free to leave the cell through open potassium channels, but closed sodium channels slow the reentry of the sodium ions. ~ An Introduction to Brain and Behaviour - Bryan Kolb and Ian Whishaw