Tech Tip Cheezburger

I like cheesy puns and my cat is all black like this one, so I thought "why not?"

(image created with LOLbuilder on Cheezburger)

Review: Breathe

My favorite thing from this week's course announcements was definitely the "breathing recalibration station" on Sunday, January 22nd. Always at the beginning of every semester I get really stressed from looking at the syllabi for all my classes and seeing all the work I am going to have to do. Sometimes I forget to take it one day at a time and just breathe. It will all work out. I've already been accepted into my dream school, as long as I pass my classes from here on out, I'm fine. I forget that. It's almost hard for me to really accept that I truly made it. I keep thinking "Really? Are you sure? That had to be a fluke." So I go back into my computer and find that acceptance letter (that I obviously saved) and then I relax. Is it bad that I almost can't let myself feel the satisfaction? Anyway, the breathing recalibration station helped me de-stress and remember that I have everything under control.

Just Breathe

Famous Last Words: Starting the semester

We haven't got into a lot of reading yet; it has more been about finding out what our interests are and how we plan on pursuing this class for the rest of the semester. My writing is definitely not great yet. I'm not super proud of any of my work so far but I know I will get better. I really liked some of my classmates' stories and how they were written. In some things that I read, they broke up the paragraphs nicely with spaces in between (I tend to write one big long one, which probably isn't the best) and they used dialogue which I didn't think about doing. I'll probably try to add those things into my stories from here on out.

My other classes are going okay so far. Not a lot has happened yet. I can't believe in my capstone class that my group was picking to do our presentation first with only 2 weeks notice to present and a little less than 1 and a half to have our information/PowerPoint ready (I feel like the professor should push it back a little since the canvas site wasn't even up yet till the end of the first week of class.

This semester is going to be interesting balancing work and school. Good thing is I don't have a lot of homework this semester except for this class (but this class is so different from the others that it is kind of refreshing). I am pretty impressed with what all I got done this week.

I am hoping to get ahead on a lot of my work for this week and get stuff done today (hence why I am working on this on a Sunday). I haven't felt too good these last few days; I hope I'm not contagious or anything. I really can't afford to miss any school or work. Hopefully starting this week I will get on a schedule so I won't get as stressed in my last semester of college (oh my gosh!).

Sick

To be continued...

Wikipedia Trail: From Nāga To Anaphylaxis

Nāga

I decided to look up Nāga because I had read a story that involved these people (I included that story in my Storybook Favorites). The story did not tell me very much about who these people actually are. These snake-like people show up in the epic Mahabharata. The stories of these people show up frequently in the stories and traditions in Hindu regions. 

Indian Cobra

In the etymology (study of the origin of words and how the meaning of the word has changed over time) section of the Wikipedia page about the Nāga people, the word Nāga in Sanskrit is the Indian cobra (naja naja). I decided to look at the Indian Cobra because I wanted to see what was special about that species. This species is one of four that bites the most people in India. The bite of the Indian Cobra can lead to paralyzed muscles and even respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. 

Polyvalent Serum (Anti-venom)

I decided to go to the polyvalent serum page because I wasn't sure what that was. I had a suspicion that it meant anti-venom or something similar. Specifically a polyvalent serum can help treat a bite by more than one species. I am going to attend pharmacy school so things like this always peak my interest; I wanted to know how it works.

Anaphylaxis

I read on the anti-venom page about how people can have bad reactions to anti-venoms. I saw the word anaphylaxis and was curious what that was. I found out it is a serious allergic reaction that happens rapidly. It can cause rashes, throat/tongue swelling, difficulty breathing, vomiting, etc. People can get this from insect bites, foods, medications, and more. 

Angioedema, Wikipedia

Growth Mindset

I have never heard of Carol Dweck and/or the growth mindset before this class. Honestly, as I was watching the video from Ted Talks, I realized how big a victim I am of having a fixed mindset. When I am faced with a challenge, I immediately shut down and give up. I run to friends and the internet for help before I even try to reason through it with my self. At work I try to pass off the problem to someone else first before I will take care of it. I want everything, school and work related, to be easy and immediate. I am very interested in learning more about the growth mindset. I hope it will help me open up to accepting challenges and not to get so discouraged so easily. There is a class that I am worried about; I think it is going to be the hardest class I've been in. The first day the professor was disappointed that we did not remember specific details from a class most of us took over a year ago, if not longer. I think the growth mindset will help me be more excited about this class instead of scared of it.

Photo by Queen Margaret

Time Strategies

One thing I already do to help manage my course load is by using an app on my phone called iStudiez Pro. It allows me to add all of my assignments and see a list of what all is due. I can also mark them as complete and add what grade I received which then calculates my current grade in the class. It is extremely helpful to have all my class work, exams, and personal calendar all in one place.
I read "The Psychology of Checklists" and "4 Questions to Help You Overcome Procrastination." I personally am horrible about procrastinating. I do it all the time and no matter how hard I try I always wait to the last minute. The article about procrastinating made me realize that I am not doing my best work when I wait. I would definitely not feel as stressed if I did things early; I plan on doing that with this class. Right at this moment I am trying to get ahead and not wait till this assignment is due. The other article about the checklists is definitely true. In a way I already do that with the app I have previously mentioned cause I get to check off every assignment I finish, which subtracts one from the counter of how many assignments I have left for the next seven days.

Planner

Reading Options

Ramayana Choice

I am going to read the PDE Ramayana Online option. I picked this one honestly because of the online option; I commute from a decent time away and don't have much time to stay in the library so the online option is most convenient. Secondly, I chose the online option because it has illustrations while the other one does not (pictures help me grasp the information I am reading about). Also, I have never listened to an audio book but I think it might help me focus while I read it along. 

Interests

I have not ever taken en epic literature class before. I honestly am not usually a fan of epic movies or television shows, they are usually too involved and have too many characters to keep up with. I have not taken a class about mythology before. Mythology makes me think about Greek Mythology, like stories about the different gods (can't think of anything specific but I know I have read some before). I have never taken any classes about religion. I am a Christian so I have read some of the Bible (but not as much as I probably should). I have not studied Indian history but I have taken a world music class at OU that had an Indian unit so I have listened to some Indian music, watched some dances, and watched some parts of a few Bollywood films. I've never been to Indian or anywhere in South Asia. I do not have any Indian or south Asian heritage in my family. Honestly, this class is sorta out of my comfort zone. I have a very science and math type brain but I thought doing something totally different would be refreshing (also a friend recommended this class to me). I am not sure yet what really interests me; there is also a LOT of options for things to be interested in. I am excited to see what this class shows me throughout the semester! 

From the pictures, I think I recognize Krishna and Balarama as well as Lakshmi and Saraswati from my world music class.

Lakshmi and Saraswati, Wikimedia Commons

I chose this picture mostly because I recognized the people but also because I think this picture if very elegant and has very beautiful details. I love the elephants and their wardrobes, the peacock, and the pretty attire worn by Lakshmi and Saraswati. 

Storybook Favorites

Nighttime Nagas

I have never heard of the Nagas before. The title grabbed my attention cause I like bedtime stories and thought that was what it was about. It ended up being true but I was not initially aware that the Nagas were a group of people; I thought it was a type of story. The introduction did tell me about how the Nagas were people and gave some other general information about them. I really enjoyed how the introduction ended; it made me want to read the stories. The style and layout is pretty plain. I wish there was a little more going on. There were not a little of design aspects that I will use from this story post.  

Queen of the Underworld

I was interested in this story because I like stories of the underworld type things. I had heard of the queen of the underworld but could not remember specifics. The introduction lead me to want to read the stories really well by how the author stated most other stories have been false or not entirely true. That made me really curious to see what the true story might be behind her. I think the visual theme of the post matched well with the topic.

Karma for Kids

I know generally what "karma" is but the title made me curious about if there might be different rules for kids or if there are just some stories for kids that help explain the concept. The introduction helped clarify that it was about different stories for the kids to learn about karma. I like children's stories so this was interesting for me. I liked that the introduction was something that can relate to modern times as well; kids will always bicker with their siblings. The visual style of the post was fairly plain but appealing enough not to be boring. I think I appreciate the appearance not being to crazy because it can be distracting. 

Karma as an Action and Reaction; Wikimedia Commons.

Week 1 Story: The Lumpy Mess of a Man

Week 1 Story: The Lumpy Mess of a Man

There once was a man, a lumpy mess of a man, that had it all. His wife was a radiant woman with big dreams. He had three little munchkins, a boy and two twin girls. They loved him more than anything. He had a wonderful job as the CEO of some big-time company and got a big fat salary to match. This man had the life everyone dreamed of but no one thought he was the one that deserved to have it. The man was a horrible drunk but his family looked past it because he treated them well, for now. One day the man went to work, as usual, and had a meeting, as usual. Little did he know, the meeting was about whether he could keep his job or not. At the end of the meeting he called his wife and she was extremely disappointed. He was so depressed that he decided to go straight to his favorite bar instead of home to his family like he should have. He drank by himself for an hour or two until an old buddy from college came in. They reminisced about the good ol’ times while the drinks kept coming. They decided to go exploring around downtown. What could go wrong? The two stumbled around town and got the cops called on them once for being too crazy in public. Even after that, they still wondered around and then one of them got the idea to try parkour. They jumped over trashcans and climbed on cars but decided it wasn’t enough. There was a ladder on the side of a building that looked appealing, so up they went. They reached the top and dared each other to jump to the next building, that looked a lot closer than it was. The friend couldn’t get the guts to do it but the lumpy man was nothing but confidence. He walked backwards to the very edge of the building to get the most distance for a running start. He got close to the ledge but stepped on a beer bottle and started to tumble backwards. He fell down that five story building and turned into a lumpy mess on the concrete. He somehow survived the fall but three doctors from the city and three surgeons from out of town spent hours in that room and could not fix all his broken bones. The lumpy mess of a man would never be the same.

Alcohol

~ ~ ~

Humpty Dumpty sate on a wall;

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;

Three score men and three score more

Cannot place Humpty Dumpty as he was before.

[An egg.]

~ ~ ~

Author’s Note. The original rhyme is about an egg man was sitting on a wall but he dropped off. When he landed on the ground he broke into a bunch of pieces and people tried to put him back together but they couldn’t. I tried to turn the story into a modern situation that you might actually see on the news.

Bibliography. My story is created off the nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty” in The Nursery RhymeBook, edited by Andrew Lang.

Introduction to a Future Pharmacist

School Life

My name is Heather McFarland and I am a senior majoring in chemical biosciences. I am very excited to be graduating in May of this year because after that, the real stuff begins. I have been accepted into The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy and I will start in August of this year! Last summer I had to take the PCAT (you might be familiar with the MCAT) and then last semester I had to apply and then interview for a spot. For now I am hoping to do retail pharmacy when I get done in 2021. 

Lots of pills, Pharmacy, Medications

Hobbies/ Interests

I honestly could not tell you the last time I picked up a book to read that wasn't required for school or wasn't a textbook. I love to watch movies, particularly scary movies and thrillers but I also adore all Disney movies (especially the classics from my childhood). My favorite place is Disney World! My favorite movie right now is Gone Girl (2014) but my favorite movie changes a lot. I also really enjoy listening to music. I couldn't tell you my favorite artist/band, my taste changes on a daily basis. I can say my Spotify has a lot of alternative music in it but I almost exclusively listen to country music while I am in my car. When it comes to my favorite food, I'd have to say nachos. I LOVE nachos. When I go to a restaurant, if they have nachos, there is a really good chance that's what I am getting. I am not a great cook, but I haven't tried all that much. I used to play tennis in high school and would love to play it more now. Even though I love playing tennis, I really hate to watch it. I watch a lot of OU football and watched quite a bit of NFL this last season because I was on a fantasy team (I did not do well at all). I have a cat at home; her name is Furry (I named her when I was 5 years old, don't judge), but she only responds to Kitty because I never realized I should probably call her by her real name when I was younger. She is all black with yellow eyes and she turned 16 on October 13th (which happened to be a Friday when she was born, spooky huh?). 

(Personal Photo of my cat Furry ("Kitty"); photo from January 2010)

I am looking forward to this semester and this class!