January check-in

Back at the beginning of the month I said I was going to work harder at exercising everyday and cooking more often/eating healthy. In order to keep myself accountable, I figure I'll check in for the entire world to see at the end of the month!

 This is the calendar I made to attempt to meal plan and track workouts. It works really well when I make time to do it. I drew a little star next to each workout I did. I worked out every day up until Sat. the 26th... I haven't worked out now for 6 days. I was out of town Sat, ice storm Sun, crazy busy at work Mon-Wed, and today I just plain didn't want to go. It's not the best way to end the month. Cooking hasn't happened whatsoever this week, either.  This is that point in the semester where things start getting crazy and I have to be more determined to make everything work.

However, I'm confident I can get myself back on track. I did have some success this month. I lost four lbs, so I'm back to where I was before vacation and Christmas. I am pretty proud of my workout record up until this weekend, and I found some easy recipes that Ben and I both like to eat. Bring on February!

So this is what being a grad student feels like

I straight up failed yesterday...I didn't take a single picture. Whoops. Yesterday was a huge day in the lab- I was there from 6:45 am to 6:10 at night. I definitely don't intend to make that a habit. I was really glad I did, though, because I was able to get through the microarray protocol once! My results weren't as good as I thought they were, but it's all good. 

Today I was able to meet with Dr. Barrette, the mastermind of this microarray protocol. He works at the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab in Plum Island, New York, so we've been collaborating via email since this summer. He designed the array and is providing data analysis until we get a system figured out that I can use on my own.  I'm really not exaggerating when I say I'm pretty much helpless without him at this point. Today I finally got to spend the afternoon talking with him about all things microarray and it was BEYOND helpful. We pinpointed a lot of issues that might have taken months to figure out via email. Little issues that were discovered via small comments that lead into a whole other discussion. For example, one HUGE issue we discovered is that I had my PCR run programmed totally wrong. He said something about his PCR taking 3 hrs and I'm thinking "uhh mine only took an hour and a half...umm what?" I'm not surprised my slide didn't work very well after brainstorming a list of things that I need to do differently next time, but the timing for this meeting really couldn't have been better. Rather than being discouraged I've got a whole arsenal of things to try next and a way better understanding of why I am doing what I'm doing. The picture posted above is a third of the giant whiteboard diagram we made to help me understand the mechanics of all of the reactions. I took pictures since I didn't have time to write it all down in my lab notebook!

Knitting class was...

SO MUCH FUN! Haha ok maybe all caps is a bit of an overstatement...but as expected it was really fun to spend an hour or two learning something new. It took me half an hour or so to figure out what the heck my fingers and yarn were supposed to be doing, but once I got the hang of it it was really fun! The teacher, Sarah, is really great. I know her through Zumba, and I knew she was into knitting. I didn't realize how many projects she's done, though! Amazing!

It looks like a flag so far : P I'm not sure if I picked the right hobby for doing at home, though... As soon as I got home and settled in on the couch, my dog lunged for my skein of yarn thinking it was the latest toy I brought home for him. I was so surprised my other needle went flying. Back on the couch, the cat decided he wanted it so he was batting at and chewing on the yarn as I was working. Luckily he has a short attention span, so it wasn't a constant annoyance! I see this being a great hobby when I need a short break from homework- just add a few rows to my knitting project!

Let's catch up

I know you all were so disappointed I didn't post on Friday/Saturday. I was out of town helping with a Girl Scout day camp event in Sioux City! My friend Abbie is the camp director at Girl Scout Camp Joy Hollow. Having worked with her at Camp Tanglefoot, my other camp friends and I sometimes get tapped to help out with events. It's always a really good time because I get to reconnect with friends and usually act like little kids again.

On Friday night we left Ames around 6 pm and had a sleepover in the living room. We watched Pitch Perfect, although I don't think anybody made it very far into the movie before falling asleep. 

On Saturday the real fun began at 1 pm when the Girl Scouts arrived. They were mostly first and second graders which was great because they are so easy to please. We had an outdoor scavenger hunt, and then they got to play with playdough and made a mess with shaving cream finger painting. We capped off the afternoon with a trip to the sledding hill...the girls got to run down because there was no snow. Again- easy to please. They seemed to all have a great time.

 The picture doesn't do it justice...but the camp is situated in the Loess Hills which are these really pretty rolling hills that are apparently only in Iowa and China. 

The play-dough started out a little runny...we added a ton of flour to thicken it up and then we worked together to make this bouquet masterpiece.
 
Today I've been inside most of the day avoiding the freezing rain. I was forced to spend a little quality time outside trying to catch my neighbor Katie's dog Thor after he escaped! I was watching him and he slipped outside while I was trying to let my own dog out. Being the little stinker that he is he thought it was great fun to dart and dance away from me when I tried to bring him back in. Luckily her boyfriend Jake was available to help. It turns out the secret is to draw him in with a stick. Good to know! Thor and my dog Charlie are like brothers...we think they like each other but sometimes it's hard to tell : P Thor loves to play fight and Charlie is very possessive of his toys...

 

Technology is really the best

Before I forget, I made a really delicious French Dip sandwich crockpot recipe for dinner tonight. It's super simple, too! 2-3 lb chuck roast cut into large pieces, 1 can beef broth, 1 can beef consumme, 1 can french onion soup. Put in the crockpot on low for 8 hrs and then shred. It was soooo good served on a wheat bun with a piece of provolone cheese. I'm going to have to add it into the rotation for sure! I didn't take a picture of it though, so instead I'll tell you about my stats class since that's what I've been doing from 7 pm-9:45. Whoohoo!

This exciting picture is of the software JMP which we use in my Stat 401 class. It is awesome! When I took statistics in high school, a lot of the class was focused on just learning how to enter data tables into a graphing calculator by hand to have it spit out the mean/median/ standard deviation. In my stats class we just have to download a data table, clip a couple of buttons to make the chart, and then not only will it tell you that info, it will make a chart as well. We're only on week two, but I hope this software will make learning stats. less about memorizing formulas and more about using tools that are available in real life. Thank goodness- I know my math skills have deteriorated somewhat due to lack of use!

Progress is (finally) being made

Some of my grad. student peers would be able to tell you that I was fairly frustrated by my lack of progress on my project last semester. It was a LOT of waiting for things to get done that were out of my control. However, all that is changing, and it feels so good to be busy in the lab again! Tackling new protocols is a little bit stressful, but also really invigorating in a weird way. In any case, the few hours I was in the lab flew by. 

This is the thermocycler I used to do my reverse transcriptase reaction. I extracted RNA (single stranded nucleic acid) from two viruses and some cells, and after this reaction I have complementary DNA. This is only the second step out of 8 before I have my first set of results...but I'm hoping to have it all done by the end of next week! Our colleague from NY who designed my array will be in Ames next week, so I am looking forward to talking with him in person to answer the questions I still have.

Mail!

Remember having pen pals when you were a little kid? I was never very good at keeping up with mine...but it was fun while it lasted. I always used to LOVE the days that my American Girl magazine came in the mail. The catalog was great too! I could never really buy anything from it, but it was fun to daydream. Now, at the ripe old age of 21, unless I've ordered something online, the only mail I get is bills and the weekly free paper that has the grocery store ads and real estate listings...whoohoo! Today the mailman was kind enough to deliver both of my utility bills on the same day! Jeez- at least spread out the excitement a little bit!

Happy MLK Jr. Day!

The title has nothing to do with this post, but I just wanted to point it out. I had the day off of work and school. Rather than work on homework, I enjoyed my day off! I did get to the grocery store this morning and stock up on food for this week. $120 later...yikes. Food is expensive. I know I could get the cost down if I did a better job of shopping the sales. $20 of that was protein supplements so that doesn't really count...and another probably $15 was food I should have not gotten, like Valentine's themed cookie dough. Oh well. We are still saving money and calories by not going out to eat very often. I tend to alternate healthy recipes with less healthy recipes it seems like. Tonight was an unhealthy one. Since I had some extra time to make dinner tonight, I figured I would try out the pizza stone Ben's mom got us for Christmas. I found a recipe for whole wheat pizza crust and made that by hand. I thought it turned out really well! It reminded me of the crust at Great Plains Pizza downtown. Unfortunately, Ben didn't like it at all. He took two slices and ripped the cheese and pepperoni off! More for me I suppose!

Two for the price of one!

It was bound to happen eventually! Yesterday I was feeling exceptionally lazy after getting home from Zumba, so I spent probably 75% of the day finishing book three of The Game of Thrones series. Then, Ben and I went out for pizza and drinks at Old Chicago. It's one of our favorite spots because they have delicious pizza, and if you go after 9 pm you can get a mini pizza for $3 as well as cheap appetizers. Saturday is a good night to get beer there, too because you can get a pint for the price of a mug.

I joined the World Beer Tour because they have a mini-tour going on right now where you get a t-shirt if you drink 8 beers...seems pretty do-able! The only problem is I only have two weeks left! Sooo we'll see. I may have to bend the drink rule and have 3/week : P First the mini tour, then the world!

It's snowing today! This is the view from the back door of my apartment. I love having a big backyard area. It really cuts down on Charlie's barking...the apartment we looked at besides this one was 8 feet from the parking lot, so that really would have been a headache. He thinks everybody is out to get him I think.

When all else fails, just take a picture of your pets again

I was just talking about this with my friend, Katie. We both have phone photo albums full of pet pictures and very little else! I took this picture this am, and didn't end up taking any other pictures today. So enjoy. Milo is busy batting at my clothes hangers, little bugger.

Together We Dance

I don't mean this in any way to sound like an advertisement. These are the bracelets I just got in the mail that I ordered from zumba.com. I also got a really cool tank top!
http://www.zumba.com/en-US/togetherwedance

Together We Dance is the new Zumba fundraising campaign to raise money for MDA Augie's Quest, an organization raising money to fund research into cures for ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). My $20 purchase ($7.50 roughly donation), is certainly not going to cure ALS, but it's a gesture.I'm totally game to help support most any worthy cause, but this particular one is close to my heart. My grandpa died of ALS in 2008. It kind of makes me smirk in a morbid way that their catchphrase is "together we dance" because anyone who knows anything about ALS knows how impossible it would be to dance, let alone perform everyday tasks. It's a really heartbreaking disease. My grandpa was the most stubborn, fiercely independent person you could ever meet, but I watched him slowly lose the ability to walk, talk, and eventually breathe. That's not even the worst part. A similar thing happens with Alzheimers, but they are unaware. ALS is cruel. It leaves your mind totally intact while your muscles betray you one by one. I don't want you to picture a helpless man, though. His courage throughout the entire battle was amazing- he did as much as he could by himself until the very last. It killed him having to accept help with something as simple as cutting up his dinner. I don't mean to be graphic, but if there's an underfunded, underpublicized disease out there, it's ALS. Unfortunately, I don't do enough to help change that. So here's my first step. May a thing as simple as a rubber bracelet be a reminder to me to never forget- both my grandpa as he was before this disease...and the effort to find a cure.

Cuteness overload!

Today when I got home from class around 12:30 I decided to stop into the Ark Pet Shop. I walk past it every time I ride the bus, but I haven't gone in since they moved to their new location by McDonalds! I was hoping they would have some kitty litter, but they didn't. They did have a whole cage full of the most adorable little bunnies though!

They are so cute! If I didn't have to pick up their poop and clean their cage I would totally want a rabbit. Honestly though, I don't think I would be happy with one solitary rabbit. I would want a whole cage pretty much just like this. Look how they're all huddled together in their little cave! They're all different colored and pretty much just irresistible. Maybe if being a scientist doesn't work out I'll go work at a pet shop and cuddle bunnies all day. I bet it doesn't require any biochemistry or statistics classes...

Why can't all of my homework be like this?

"Select the smiling face"
"Which of the following mathematical statements are true?...1+1=2"

I know it's not going to last, but I would be totally okay with having assignments like this every week. This one was to get used to entering answers on the electronic homework website. I am NOT excited for my first math class in 3 years. I just hope it won't be a total waste of time, and I will learn something I can use in real life!

Quite possibly the jankiest classroom ever

This is in the basement of Gilman Hall...I'm pretty sure my picture didn't capture all the glory of it. The ceiling is unfinished with heating pipes everywhere, and the window looks out into a cement pit. I have my virology class here on MWF. I don't have much of anything to say about the first day of class other than this semester is going to be tough... Having two online classes is really going to test my motivation to keep up. It's better than going to class though, I am losing my patience with lectures I think. I tend to fall asleep...as my micro. classmates will attest. I don't really want to get a full-time job yet, but I also am getting tired of school. I know the types of jobs I want will probably will be easier to get with an advanced degree, though, so I guess I'll stick it out another 2.5 years!

Clean up, clean up...

...everybody do their share! Ben informed me today while we were cleaning the apartment that he hates this song because his teacher used to sing it. He didn't realize it was a Barney song! I captured these gems while Ben was gallantly tackling the entryway with the vacuum. 

 I don't vacuum anywhere near as much as I should, especially owning a dog and a cat. Hopefully, marking on the calendar when I clean from now on will help me notice when it's time to do chores again! I just really wanted to start off this new semester at ISU with my home life under control. I've gotten back in the swing of working out every day, and now the apartment is sparkling clean...to my standards anyway! Now I just need to keep my schoolwork under control and this semester will be a breeze. What could possibly go wrong? The laziness monster usually comes out and bites me in the ass though, so we'll see if I can't fight him off this time.

 

Pinterest dessert recipe success= self discipline failure

Last time around with trying to get in shape and lose some weight, I was enrolled in a 9 week challenge, and with the end of the nine weeks came the end of my strict eating habits...This time around I am planning on making it work long term. I made up these rules for myself, and I've been able to live with them for a week or so now. These will allow me to still eat what I enjoy, but it will be something to plan for and look forward to rather than just blindly indulge whenever the mood strikes.
Each week (Sun-Sat) I get:
1. One cheat meal at a restaurant
2. One really good dessert
3. 1-2 drinks
Tonight, Ben and I went to Nevada to see his mom, his sister Aisha, her husband John. Rather than have a full meal, we had appetizers and dessert. I brought this lovely pinterest concoction. It turned out really well! I have to confess...although I did only have one dessert...it was eaten throughout the night and added up to a way bigger serving size than I should have had! It's not the end of the world, though. I'll see if I can fit in an extra cardio session tomorrow on top of Zumba. I think from now on I'll stick to single serving desserts at a bakery or ice cream shop, etc...that way I can't come back for serving after serving!

If you can't read the writing from the original pinterest recipe, it says:
1. Lay down graham crackers
2. Spread cookie dough on top (partially flatten in before you put it in or the graham crackers will break). Bake until mostly done 
3. Add chocolate pieces and marshmallows on top, bake until the marshmallows start to brown.

 

It's like they're trying to sabotage my productivity

As of November, my boyfriend Ben works the night shift (midnight-8 am) as a security guard, which is awesome because it's a step in the right direction career-wise (he wants to be a cop). He usually goes to be around 10 am and wakes up at 5 to go work out. This is the scene I came home to after resistance class today at 1 pm.

 Luckily, today they were hogging most of the bed so I couldn't have laid down to take a nap...but believe me I wanted to! Even when I've had plenty of sleep, a nap always sounds nice. When Ben's asleep it's like the power of suggestion of taking a nap gets so much stronger!

I swear to God if I didn't love you so much...

...I would throttle you, Charlie. For sure. I went to workout at 6 am this morning, and then came home and took a shower. Unbeknownst to me, while I was in the shower he was working on destroying my favorite stocking hat. The problem with being mad at Charlie is that I can't be mad at Charlie. Just look at that face! This is not the first time and probably won't be the last time he destroys an article of my clothing. Usually if he chews something, it's because it's sweaty and I left it on the floor. The hat is strange, though, very out of character. It was a really soft hat though, and he does adore chewing up stuffed animals...? My poor hat. The good news is I love Charlie more than I loved my hat, so I guess he can stay...for now. 
: P

Meet the Birthday Girl!

This is my friend Genya, and her birthday was today : ) Happy Birthday, Genya!

Genya is sort of like a superhero...she has a two year old at home named Elliot, teaches 4th grade at Sawyer (where I went to school!), works out at Goals in Motion with me, teaches Zumba, and is taking graduate classes. Before I started working out at Goals, she won her 9 week challenge. While the rest of us ran a 5k at Midnight Madness, she figures what the heck I'll do the 10k. I don't want to misquote the number of her weight loss, so I'll leave that out, but I believe it starts with a 4...such an incredible lady : )

Genya was the one who kind of planted the seed that I could be a Zumba instructor. We have the same dance background- none whatsoever! I was really inspired by Arianna's Zumba classes, but Arianna could move like a superstar. Genya's classes were just plain fun and goofy. No skill required, just check your dignity at the door. So much fun and such a great stress reliever! Not to mention a fantastic cardio workout! Over the summer I would come to kickboxing and then stick around for Zumba afterwards so we had time to talk! When we were down a couple of instructors, Genya suggested I check out the Zumba training that was being held in Urbandale. So I did. More on my Zumba endeavors later : )

Work, work, work...

The title sounds awfully dull, but my job is actually pretty cool. I started working for the Center for Veterinary Biologics, Virology Laboratory in Aug. 2011. In Feb. that year I had a friend give my resume to her boss, but nothing came of it. Just about the time I had given up on working there, I got an email from my micro. teacher saying they were looking for a student employee. I applied and luckily was chosen for the job! Even more fortunately, once I graduated in May I moved into a new scholarship position that is paying for my tuition at ISU! Once I get my masters, I will hopefully be offered a job. It's definitely not my dream job, but working here for a few years will get me a ton of experience and a paycheck while I job hunt! Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to take pictures inside the lab area, so the outside of the building will have to do!

Most of you have probably already seen the back of it from the interstate with all of the bison and horses. The entire building houses three different "departments".
1. The Center for Veterinary Biologics (where I work) does all the regulatory paperwork and testing to ensure that animal vaccines and diagnostic kits work and are safe.
2. The National Veterinary Services Lab diagnoses animal diseases sent in from state testing labs. The diagnosed/confirmed the fairly recent case of mad cow in California.
3. The Agricultural Research Service- they do all the cool stuff...that's where I would like to work as a research technician once I get my masters degree if I end up staying in Ames.

My masters project is to test a microarray assay to see if we can use it to detect viral contamination in viral vaccines (for example, if we detect coronavirus in a vaccine that's only supposed to have rotavirus, we know we have a problem.) We are finally getting close to getting started. This whole semester has been sort of a waste of time...but it took a lot longer for our colleague to design the array because he is so busy! Thankfully, though, for the next six months he is getting his current projects sidelined so he can help me and the other people in my building with our projects (he is in NY). I'm going to need all the help I can get. I have no experience with this technology, and neither do any of my coworkers in my lab. The test is conducted on a glass slide that looks exactly like a normal microscope slide. The exception is that it is printed with DNA and costs $900 a pop...so I'd better not screw it up. Wish me luck!

Let's do this!

Today was day 1 of a new 9 week challenge at Goals in Motion. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are resistance days! We use kettlebells, medicine ball type things, resistance bands, and balance balls to do a variety of exercises at every class. It's always been a tough class, but lately more so because I've let myself get out of shape! Sorry it's not much of an action shot- once class got started we were all too busy pumping iron! : P 

I started working out there in May of last year, and completed my own 9 week challenge from the end of May until the end of July. After that, I signed up for a maintenance membership, but I let myself believe that my work was done after getting in shape and losing a few lbs. I would still come a few times a week, but I let other things interfere, and my eating habits slip. I'm still in pretty good shape compared to when I started, but I know I can do more. I've gained back some of the weight I lost, too, so that stinks! This time though I'm ready to get serious and make working out a priority every day! No more making excuses for myself! My boyfriend is doing P90X with one of his friends so we've both been making an effort to eat better and get in shape. Our favorite catchphrase lately is "Am I ripped yet?" Unfortunately, getting "ripped" is going to take more than a week...but we're on our way. : )

Day 1

I've heard about this challenge a few times, and I think now is the time to get started. I just looked through my blog that I made when I was in Germany summer of 2010, and reading through the text I added with each picture really brought those memories to life.  I like taking pictures but I don't do it enough. I've tried journaling before, but it's never really caught on. So why not combine the two and take on this challenge? One photo per day for one year.

Day one: 

I slept in way too late today, but I regret nothing. My dog Charlie is one of the best cuddlepups around, and besides this is the second to last lazy Sunday before school starts again. 

One of my goals for 2013 is to lose some weight and get back in shape! I'll post some of my favorite recipes here as well as updates on how it's going! Right now I'm off to the gym to do a little running : ) What are your favorite running playlist songs?