Electric Co. Update #2

Following is an update, this is as much information as we get. My notes in [brackets] and red. :)
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The Electricity Department, in a press conference yesterday indicated that they will be able to have aditional improvements in the load shedding situation by this weekend as they will be able to bring the capacity up to 20 Mega Watts (the peak time requirement is 24MW). They are, however, working towards having the full capacity in place by October 17th.

It continues to be a difficult time especially for persons living in the Mattingley [MY HOOD!], West Farm and Boyds Area as the power does not return till 10:00pm. Arrangements have been made to open the Library earlier on weekends (from 7:00am) and to have Classrooms 2 and 3 available at nights till 10:00pm. [So far no acknowledgement of my open living arrangements in the dorms, both in Jen's room and the study lounge couch...stay tuned] We appreciate your cooperation in keeping the classrooms clean when you study at night for your fellow students the next morning.

We will continue to keep you informed as further information or schedules are released.

Regards

Campus Administrator

Dog Walking: Day One.

In Ross U's infinite wisdom second semester has become not only the most difficult semester but also the most inconvenient for studying. Amidst panicking over weekly exams in 4 very difficult courses we seconds are assigned the dubious honor of walking the kennel/clinic dogs each day. Our class was split into groups of 6 - 7 people last semester, and we were assigned one week this semester during which it is our responsibility to walk about ~40 dogs twice daily.

There are a number of things wrong with this - aside from the aforementioned crazyass hard semester.

1. We are required to walk the dogs 15 min each dog both AM and PM. While this is awesome for the dogs, it basically keeps us tied up with walking for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours each AM and each PM. 3 whole hours a DAY. That's a heck of a lot of quality study time. Especially when you factor in the post-walk cleanup time. Which brings me to...

2. I don't know about you, but I sweat profusely when I walk for a couple of hours in heat/humidity that can't even be compared to Florida (worse by far). Somehow I am expected to begin walking no earlier than 6 AM, complete 5 quality dog walks, get clean, and get to class by 8 AM. Perhaps if I were a guy, with hair no longer than my big toe and the ability to wash my hair with the same soap I use on my face, then I could potentially manage this feat. But I have very long hair that requires time and effort just to wash. And with no time to blow dry both AM and PM, I'm basically going to be walking around with wet head for the next week. Might as well not even bother with hygiene in general.

3. It's the rainy season. We walk rain or shine. Whoopie.

I apologize for my whiny ways as of late...just one more thing to add onto an already overwhelmed person. BUT there is a plus side...since I was sick a few weeks ago I haven't really gone running or done any good exercising. Walking the dogs has definitely put me back into the 'need for movement in my life' mode! So there's that.

Oh, and I'd like to send out a big Welcome Back to my Mom. She just returned from Italy. And did not take me. Again. Welcome Back.

Smooches to all! :)

PS - Sorry for the lack of pictures lately....camera has officially died and I can't seem to find the charger. I haven't really been home long enough to look for it in the dark. Course wouldn't matter if I did find the charger as one needs electricity to charge our fancy toys. Thus, I have drawn you all a fantastic pic using the Paint program on my computer. Enjoy.

It's not Rembrandt, but close enough. I am named after his wife, after all. :)

Lesson of the Week #4.

Today we finally had the 'pop quiz' in Parasitology that we've been expecting for upwards of a week now. Our Parasit prof really has it out for us. It was worth only 25 points (out of something like 500, so about 5% of our grade) and had only 10 questions, however difficultly-wise it was like studying for a full exam. I (and many of my classmates) could seriously have a pulled a big fat ZERO.

On to lighter news....there appears to be a genuine Dengue Fever outbreak here at Ross and I'm sort of excited about it. I realize that seems crass, as Dengue does have hemorrhagic fatal strains, but it sort of feels like that summer in 2004 when I was glued to http://www.noaa.gov/ and couldn't stand the thought of missing one moment of the exciting Hurricane action. Anywho, there are two suspected cases in our semester, and two others from upper semesters. It's the rainy "season" right now, and we Floridians know that RAIN = MOSQUITOES (I realize there is more to that equation, such as pools of water for making babies, but essentially it covers the basics). Special torture. Most students here walk around with Chicken Pox-looking skin. Thus, it's only a matter of time before more cases pop up....

Thus comes the Lesson of the Week (I realize it's been awhile...please be kind.). Since I'm tired, overworked, and a more than a bit lazy right now, I am merely providing you with an excerpt from my new favorite book that I have vowed to finished (eventually) despite it's 622 pages (whoa, just realized it was that many!). I found this excerpt doubly fascinating due to the recent Dengue outbreak AND our learning about macrophages in Immunology recently. Plus, infectious agents that evolve to outwit our already pretty darn evolved immune system are just plain neat.

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"Usually when people develop strong antibody immune responses against a virus they are protected against future exposure to the microbe. But dengue-2 [one of four strains of the dengue virus] had evolved an extraordinary ability to exploit human antibodies to its advantage. When the human antibodies attached to the outer envelope of the dengue-2 virus, the microbe played a game of stealth, allowing the antibodies to send their signals to the large immune system macrophage cells. In a process that was usually lethal to the microbes, the macrophages would then engulf the viruses, but instead of dying, the dengue would take control of the immune system's primary killer cells.

Thus, dengue-2 evaded the immune system defenses and gained entry to every organ in the body, carried by macrophages that acted as Trojan horses for the virus. As the immune system struggled to overcome its sneaky invaders, various biochemical reactions were triggered that produced soaring fevers - as high as 107 degrees F - convulsions, classic allergy-like shock, and death."

Excerpt from The Coming Plague - Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance, by Laurie Garrett (p. 255-256 if anyone decides to read along at home)

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As a side note, I find it increasingly amusing as we progress in our clinical knowledge of veterinary medicine to find "death" listed as a Clinical Sign for a disease/infectious agent. I think they should list it separately under the heading of 'The Ultimate Clinical Sign'. Seriously. Give death it's due.

I seem very good at ending on a high note lately, so with this I say Have a Fabulous Week!

This is how I feel. Pretty much every minute of the day. Help.

Taken from my fave website: http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Fear is not the King of Me.

I have found a new love. And they are called Cables. I have been knitting for years now, and have put off trying to make cables for fear that they were just too hard. I finally made myself learn by deciding to knit one of my favorite profs a goodbye gift from our lab group. [He will be leaving at the end of this semester and moving to Toronto. From St. Kitts to Toronto. Seriously.] How stupid do I feel now that I know how simple they are?! And how happy am I to have finally decided to try?! I seriously think everything I knit from now on will have cables.

My first Cables. Just a learning swatch. Not the real deal for Dr. Danny. His head is way bigger.

My nest of knitting madness on Jen's bed. Where I have AC and lights. Note Jen's Physio notebook to the bottom right corner. Good girl, Jen.

It's funny how people allow fear to control their lives. Most of us do not like to admit that simple fact, or pretend it's not the case. And for the most part, the things we fear often become something wonderful in the end - if/when we are able to take that first step. For example, moving out to a foreign country where electricity is an intermittant luxery, there is no McDonalds, and mosquitoes are more than just an annoyance (they are a serious vector for disease - 3 students now have The Dengue...but I digress) was a HUGE step in my life. Many people in my life will never know how much fear I had to quash in order to take that step. You can't even understand how many times I turned around and looked back towards home; had to force myself to turn back and look forward.

But here I am, in a beautiful country surrounded by amazing people who (for the most part, previous blog entry notwithstanding) have the same goals and aspirations as I do, who make me feel like this is my home away from home. Despite the fear and anxiety I am pursuing my goals, experiencing successes each day (no matter how large or small, they are still successes!), and am learning new and more exciting things all the time (Cables!).

I am blessed. Fear 0, Saskia 1. Actually, 2. Cables are awesome.

Need some cheese for my whine.

I try to keep this blog happy and chipper so my readers (all two of you, thanks mom & dad) get the impression everything on The Rock is honky dory.

Well, it's not.

I am breaking new ground right now: I am admitting to being seriously frustrated with life (publicly admitting, not normally my thing). I cannot maintain focus, cannot retain any of this BS, and am in a constant state of feeling like a grain of dirt under Vet School's shoe. Pretty much 24/7 I just want to tuck myself into the corner and listen to loud sappy music and consider crying (also not really my thing).

I am also frustrated with some of the people around me, people who seem to think they know what's best for me and won't just let me BE. Things in life change rather frequently (what's that quote about the only constant in life?), and sometimes good changes in one person's life might be not so great in another's. Does that mean that the person whose life changes for the good should give that up? Why can't we all just live and let live? I'm a serious 'phase' person, just like the tide I have my ups and downs. And being the stubborn jackass that I am, I have to work through life on my own. Why can't people understand that the harder they push me the harder I pull away?

Lately I've been in a constant state of feeling lonely. Even amongst crowds of friends, people whom I love and adore. It's like there's a void in my life that I can't quite figure out. I think that's part of what is making me want to "build a fort in the attic" to hide in (to quote Laura); perhaps that's what's been distracting me.

Please don't read too much into this, get concerned, write comments with attempts at encouragement or pity. I appreciate your thoughts...and I know there are many people out there in my support web (I'm even lucky enough to have a few of those here). You are all appreciated and loved. I just wanted to vent to something abstract and nonresponsive (blog)....

Okay, study break is over. Back to immuno and its wonderful simplicity. Ahh...life without sarcasm would be truly unimaginative and dull indeed.