An Excercise in Deliciousness

In lieu of actually studying, I made lemonade.

And won.

Vanilla lavender lemonade (adapted from this recipe), also known as Operation HOMEMADE LEMONADE

1 plus 1/2 cups sugar
1 large sprig of rosemary
1 medium sprig of thyme
8 - 12 sprigs of lavender buds (still on the stems)
1 vanilla bean
6 lemons
water

1. Make a simple syrup by simmering 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is hot.

2. Add half the sprig of rosemary, half the lavender, and one or two stems of thyme to the syrup. Split and scrape the vanilla bean and add both the beans and pod to the syrup. Set aside to steep while the syrup is cooling.

3. Wash lemons and slice into rounds. Place them in a large bowl and sprinkle with the remaining cup of sugar. Use a wooden spoon, mallet, masher, or other implement of smushing to squish the lemon slices and sugar until you've got liquid collecting in the bowl. When the lemon slices have been thoroughly smushed and just about submerged in the liquid, add five cups of water to the bowl and stir. Add the syrup to the bowl once it's reached room temperature. Stir after adding.

4. Store in glass bottles with the rest of the herbs and maybe a few slices of lemon.

ETA: If it's too strong for your tastes, add another half cup to a cup of water. I'd actually suggest this if you're not going to be mixing anything into it.

Scant millimeters from burnout

Taking Bio 213 and Chem 263 at the same time was not my best idea. The closer we get to the end of the quarter, the more I feel like I'm taking four or five classes rather than just three. Sure, they total to 17 credits, but that's my usual load. I will be so glad when tomorrow is over. My unknown identification with be complete and just require justification. My biology exam will be done and depending on how I do, I may not take the final. My archaeology exam will be over, but that's a cinch. I'll be able to focus on projects and memorizing reactions. The biochemistry stuff is fun, but trying to remember all the organic stuff as well will be a bitch and a half.

I'm looking forward to not really caring about protists (except in the abstract) again as soon as tomorrow's exam is over.

Heh...

Approximately nine months later, I finally come back. (Not that anyone's paying attention...) But in the past nine months, I've reworked a lot of my academic and career goals as well as worked out plans for just about everything that got changed.

Now, my general plan is to transfer winter quarter of next year to a four-year university - most likely UW - and major in biochemistry. If I can swing the classes and if I feel confident enough in my capabilities I will be double majoring in physics as well. Recent occurrences have made me realize how much I missed physics and have also made me remember how much I loved it when I was in high school.

Following graduation, I will hopefully be entering into a graduate program. The preferred program is in bioastronautics through MIT-Harvard HST's Medical Engineering/Medical Physics doctoral program. Of course, that's shooting for the stars with the GRE scores required, but if I miss that, I'll have no problem getting into any of the other programs I want. My other option for bioastronautics would be at University of Colorado, Boulder. I'm hesitant to go to Colorado but who knows. Of course, these aren't the only programs I'm looking into, but they are the ones I want most.

Back to the present, I'll be starting my final quarter of organic chemistry and biology in just over a month along with archaeology. Which will be an interesting change.

ST: Reboot

Oh my, the new movie has turned me into a complete trekkie. Not gonna lie. Watched it three times already and will probably be going for another one or two before it leaves theatres. Especially after what I've been hearing about Children of Earth. Sobbing my eyes out and watching Trek to try and take it all away in a hail of lens flares.

Fuck you Davies, fuck you.

Spring homesickness

There's something about Hyacinths that make me terribly homesick. It's likely because they smell like stephanotis and just make me want to go back home, where they grew rampant on the lanai. Seven years until I'm able to go back. Unless I end up going to UH Hilo. But, that's not likely, unfortunately.

Plotbunny

It attacked last night, demanding steampunked sci-fi. It then progressed into approximately a page and a half of careful scribbles on what would happen if someone leaked Torchwood technology in the Victorian era and that caught on after Torchwood going "Well, fuck. I wonder if we can turn a profit off this" and developing into a R&D chain. Complete, of course, with notes on what the technology would entail and when official contact was made for interstellar trade. It concluded itself with notes on stories within this bizarre universe and will be written, studies permitting, over the next year or so.

Ow and birthdays

So it's now quarter to three on the morning of my birthday. Naturally, I'd rather be in bed by now but alas, no such luck. I don't know what it is, but my right arm decided to go and start hurting about seven and now the only position that doesn't hurt is if I'm sitting up and my hand and forearm are in my lap. What a lovely way to begin my nineteenth year.

Again, questions

Do you think it would be possible to grow organs? Like if someone's loosing function or lost an eye or whatever, would stem cells cultured to grow into that organ work? Not the "put stem cells in and watch it grow back" bit, but rather "put stem cells and some liver/eye/kidney/whatever cells together into a liquid culture and grow an organ" sort of thing.

Questions, questions that need answering....

So, the more I read on biotechnology and stem cells and cloning, the more I wonder. Would it be possible to take an empty egg cell and insert the nucleus of two gametes to form a genetically identical zygote that would allow for non-rejection of stem cell treatment? And if so, would it be possible to use that technology to combine the genetics of two women, or two men so that lesbian and gay couples could have their own (genetic) children? All that would be needed in the case of the men would be an egg donor and a surrogate. It'd likely be expensive as hell, but could it work? Or, should society be so cruel as to deny them that, a guaranteed match for a patient who damaged their spinal cord or to avoid Graft Versus Host in chemo patients or to combat alzheimers or Parkinson's or Huntington's?

ETA: Er...scratch that last bit. That's what therapeutic cloning is for. *headdesk* Duh. But still, the question stands.

Life...perhaps better known as finals in two weeks

After finally deciding to go ahead with getting my BS in Chemistry or Biochemistry, I feel as though I'll be able to breathe again. Between o-chem and bio, I was probably going to go insane come fall quarter. Now, I simply need to decide on a transfer university. The more I hear from Mrs. Berg, the less I want to go to UW in favour of WSU. However, Pulman is cold. And snowy. Neither of which I will enjoy. So I'm looking at Western, but I've heard nothing of their Chemistry/Biochemistry programmes. I'm almost guaranteed to get in, but it's still a bit stressful.

But, back to preparing myself for my biology final in just under two weeks. Egads.

Quiz results

Random post, just took some quizzes and was amused by the results.

121 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

versus

15 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

Though, I got a -3 on the first try for the wife role. ^^; Not quite sure how that worked. The change, I mean. But I'm ridiculously amused by all this nonsense.

PICTURES OF JAPAN! (part 1)

Pictures from Japan.

Japan!

It's really really really hot. Feels hotter than France, but is probably about 7~10 degrees cooler and twenty times more humid. D: Will update with pictures and full posts when I get back. <333

finally, kitsuke photos!

Collars and a messy room.

New purchases!

Just recently bought two things from Ryu. Firstly, geta. Nice geta that will fit me. Though they may still be a little too big. They're 23 cm and I think I fit a 22 cm shoe. But, that's still better than the ukon geta from Daiso (XD) that fit a 22 - 26 or so. They're huge on me. And they splash dirt up onto the back of my legs. Not quite fun. Secondly, a nagoya obi. Hopefully this one fits me a little better than the silver and pink one. *crosses fingers* I haven't had a chance to measure the silver/pink one yet. (The silver one doesn't quite fit around my waist/ribcage whil still keeping the correct amount of tail. I have an 80 cm ribcage, but it shouldn't alter the fit that much, right?)

In other news, I finished my budget for Japan. I'm going to be so broke when I get back. XD But my father found some cash in an old wallet from when he went to Japan years ago (I think he said about 47,000 ¥, 8D though probably less) that I can bring with. That'll probably cover most of the food for the trip. And subway tickets in Tokyo. XD

Pictures, yay!

Kimono, kimono everywhere.

Okay, trying to get the hang of this...

I need to get in the habit of using this thing. Especially now that I've got pictures of my kimono (and am going to Japan in just over a month to get more). It's just a matter of getting them on my computer. Razrs are made of epic fail, I must say. If only because it's too bloody hard to get them to transfer photos to the computer. I will be updating again with photos of my new (as of February) houmongi, home-made nagoya obi, juban purchased at the same time as the houmongi, nagoya obi a friend purchased for me a month or two ago, michiyuki, hanhaba obi, and yukata. I've got pictures of my komon though! Tiny, but it's what I've got right now. I think I'll try wearing this one sometime in the upcoming days now that I have juban, probably taking a few pictures of my kitsuke as well. Wish me luck?


Edit: Got the Houmongi picture. Or at least one of them. It's got the lining as well as the design included.

Jobs

I've been working at Domino's since early-mid August and quite ready to quit. I need a job though. I want to apply to Joann's (for the fabric discounts and my friends who work there) but Sushi Land will give me a better opportunity for language and culture (I'll be forced to learn the names of everything) as well as let me get tips. Logically, the best option would be Sushi Land but I want to go to Joann's so badly it's ridiculous. *frustrated*

New thing to add to my list of stuff: Okobo. It's actually ridiculous how much I want those shoes.

Making the best of what I must . . .

Had to get this for my Humanities class, so I figured I may as well use it to my advantage. Rather, I needed to create an account on here so I figured a blog might be a good thing to keep. I may post some artwork, but it will likely be a kimono blog, tracking my desired items and my progress in kitsuke (and making various items). Photos will be uploaded later, probably from a camera phone so don't look for quality in those.
I may as well use this to track progress on various costuming and other clothing related projects.

What I am working on:
- Eri Sugata (any hints? I can't get it to lay right, it sticks up too much, even with the eri shin)
- Prom dress
- Cosplay for Sakura-con
- Drain Away!Kyo
- Haru Urara!Isshi
- ? (Probably just kimono, I need to go to an opera later that day and don't want to change)
- Kimono for my father
- (tentative) Nagajuban and Hadajuban

What I want:
- Obi makura
- Obi ita
- Nagajuban
- Hadajuban