My One Regret? Not Having Brought My Video Camera...

So, it was an eventful day-- I went to Dr. Mills, an orthopaedic surgeon, for a consultation on my wrist.  Well, not exactly-- my wrist itself is fine, but it had developed a ganglion cyst on the joint.  I've had it for a while, but the last month or so it has gotten a lot worse, and seemed to be threatening to take over my arm.  And, following Murphy's law, it was on my left hand, the one I use to write, play horn, play racquetball, and most everything else.Anyway, it was starting to really get in the way and painful... so I went to the doctor and he had a look, took some Xrays (very cool to look at), and then we chatted about options.  Settling on aspirating it, he prepped the instruments.  The aspiration procedure basically involves sticking a large needle into the cyst and sucking out its guts.  With no anaesthetic.  After having disinfected the area, he had his assistant help hold my arm down (any sudden jerking movements from the pain would make it ten times worse), then he put the needle in and sucked away.  It was pretty cool to see, actually, and he pulled about 1.5 cc of fluid out.  That may not sound like a lot, but it's amazing what it can do when it's not supposed to be in there.  I was surprised to see it-- it was thick like hair gel.  Not that I'd recommend using it in your hair.

Anyway, so now my wrist is back to normal (aside from some rather intense bruising), but I have to admit that I feel a strange sense of loss.  Almost like a friend has moved away.  Except that now it doesn't hurt to type, so that is great.  I'd post a picture, but, well, it's not a pretty sight right now.

In other news, I have only 2 weeks left of school, and then I'll be on tour!  It's strange, but I don't think it has really hit me yet that we'll be in the South.  It'll be a neat experience, though, and I've never been there before (Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi), so I'm looking forward to that adventure.

I'm also getting things ready for my internship in Washington.  I was able to find a place to live this week, so I am glad about that.  Mom is also relieved that I will not be resorting to my plan B, which was to buy a tent and some gear and just camp out all summer.  But I still think that would have been fun....

Geek Alert!!

So, last night, I found myself cramming (as often happens) to prepare an informative speech for my public speaking class.  Before you think I am a complete slacker, I *did* choose my topic a few days ago.  I just hadn't written our what I would say.  Or put together the power points.  Or practiced.  No matter.  A grand effort from 11 pm to ten to six this morning proved sufficient, and I presented in my 9 am class to critical acclaim (none of my classmates fell asleep while I was talking).  I talked about how penicillin works, which I think is one of the coolest things ever, but that is a topic for another day (actually, I'm quite proud of my power points, I might try to post them on here.  I used pacman screen shots to illustrate phagocytosis.  Hehe.).  Anyway, while searching for some suitable images to use in the presentation, I came across this gem:

I had to stifle the loud laugh that wanted to come out; my roommate was sleeping peacefully on the other side of the room.  But it just makes me giddy with joy.  Hehehe.  Yes, I am clearly a bio geek.

Gratitude

I received some absolutely exciting news today-- I got a scholarship for next year!  It was completely unexpected, as I didn't apply for it, it was done automatically through the biology department.  I got an email that said something to the effect of "your student financial account has been updated", and I fully expected that when I logged on, I would see that I owed the school money for something or other, and that I couldn't register for more classes until it was paid.

Needless to say, it was a welcome surprise.

Actually, that is a big understatement.  It turns out that the scholarship is funded by a former biology department chair and his wife who have long since retired, but keep giving back to the students.  And I find myself so humbled by that.  How many people do you know who give hundreds of dollars to people they don't know?  It has made me even more aware of the amazing influence people can have in the world, that we can help others through the means that we are given.  It has been an interesting semester for me.  I have had a lot of "learning opportunities" (code for "sometimes life sucks"), but through them I have become more and more aware of the difference that we can make in each others' lives.  I have had so many instances this semester where some kind words from a friend, or some compassion shown, or an offer to help have made all the difference in my day.  And it has made me realize more and more how selfish I am.  That all too often I don't think of others, or when I do, sometimes I don't do anything about it, and it remains a lonely thought in my brain, never fully actualized.  I have learned so much through others' examples lately, and it just makes me want to be better.  I hope that someday I have the means to help others, but more importantly, that if or when that happens, I have the heart to want to help.

The beginning

Well, I have decided to start a little blog.  I figured this would be especially good for the summer since I'll be doing an internship in Washington state in cancer research, and it would be nice to be able to keep friends and family updated.

My little title, "Life is Beautiful" is meant as a bit of a play on words-- I am a biology major, and studying life has led me to an ever-increasing appreciation for and awe of it.  Perhaps it's an indication of my geekiness that I find the opening and closing of Na+/K+ ATPase channels as elegant as ballet, but I really find a beauty in how life lives.

I also find that as I get a little older (and hopefully wiser along with that), life itself (in the more standard, social definition) becomes more beautiful and meaningful.  There is so much to be glad about.  I don't mean to sound naive, and I am certainly aware that life can be extremely difficult and trying, but I also find that if we focus on the things that really matter, we can always find something to be glad about.  On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur.  L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux"  -- St. Exupery

So now I'll have a place to write down my experiences, adventures, and thoughts about life.  Not that I have anything particularly profound to say.  I'm sure that if you don't know me, this blog will be very boring.  Heck, it might bore you even if you do know me, but you know what?  It's not about you.  Suck it up, princess.