Weekend off

Well term 2 has now ended so I can enjoy the long weekend without procastinating about doing school work! We got our schedule for the new term yesterday and starting Monday we have Microbiology for 2 weeks intensively & then we'll have 5 weeks of Cell Cultivation & Basic Biochemical Analysis. I'm not too sure how I like the idea of completing a course in 2 weeks but it means we get an extra week off in August, woohoo! It also means the last day of classes falls on my birthday, 6 hours of Cell Cultivation lab, boo hoo!!!

Blood donation

We had a great weekend camping in Northern Vermont although we did come back with a few less milliliters of blood due to the enormous amount of mosquitoes. Our campsite was surrounded by stagnant water which made it a haven for frogs and toads but unfortunately also made it the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. At least the fireflies were cute and harmless! Some of our outdoor adventurers took pride in the fact that they did not react to their bites while others swelled up with unsightly welts. But we all had an enjoyable time nonetheless, relaxing, swimming, eating and of course, drinking! And if we thought we had escaped the province for St-Jean-Baptiste, we were quite mistaken...the campground was probably a good 90% Quebecers. So whoever's kids were still making a racket at 11 o'clock on Saturday night certainly understood the call of "Vos gueules!" They actually instantaneously shut up. Way to go France!

I can't believe we ate the whooooooole thing!

Well, our bbq on Saturday to celebrate Tim's birthday was (as usual) a total food fest! Eric manned the bbq and did a most excellent job (as usual!) Of course, inevitably, we ran out of propane but luckily Martin made the bbq-saving trip to the gas station to fill up the tank (thanks again!) We've even actually almost finished all the leftover desserts. My applesauce cake made with pumpkin instead of applesauce seemed to be a hit too. Mother Nature was also kind enough to keep the rain at bay so we were able to enjoy the backyard jungle even if it was a bit cool for some. And the cleanup wasn't too brutal, thanks to disposable cups and plates, that is...

Of course the weekend was over way too quickly and the reality of Monday hit us way too soon! Thank goodness it's a short week (well, I have Fridays off anyhow so the holiday doesn't make that much of a difference for me.) Yesterday's bio lab test wasn't too brutal but today was kinda painful. The morning lecture was nice & short but instead of a lab this afternoon, we had a very long power-point presentation on High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Need I say more?!!? After two hours of sitting on uncomfortable benches in the dark lab, the teacher felt sorry for us & let us leave even if he was no way near finished. We get to do it all over again tomorrow though. Can't wait!

Just a novelty

As we were at the cash at Home Depot the other night, Tim noticed the Mexican Jumping Beans they had on the counter and was quite intrigued. He had never heard of them before. Of course, there is no point to them, they're just a novelty item. Watch them jump! They're alive! But I guess some Mexican kid maybe made a few bucks selling them to the gringos...

Heart-rending news

I found out today that Julie gave birth to the twins last week by emergency c-section. At 27 weeks, Arianne is doing relatively well in the NICU but Florence only lived from Tuesday June 7th 19:14pm to Wednesday June 8th 02:05am.

I can't even possibly imagine what Julie and David are going through.
My thoughts are with them and I send them my love and strength.

It's a jungle out there!

I really should tend to my garden more often. I was out in the backyard this afternoon and hadn't planned on doing any gardening but I just had to when I saw the state things were in...I also found what appeared to be the snout of a mouse. Eww!

Today's Brush with Fame

I saw Chantal Petitclerc training on the ice bridge. Kewl.

Star Wars

I hate a hot date last night... 


We went to see Star Wars last night. Much enjoyed. Definitely much, much better than Episodes I & II. Apparently there is a difference in quality with a digital screen but me being the erudite that I am, did not notice.

Lots of idiots roaming the downtown core, this being Grand Prix weekend. Joy.

Bbq delicacies

MMMMMMmmmmmmmm, gorilla burgers on homemade cheese beer buns (I love my bread maker!) We loved them so much last night, we had them again for supper this evening!

And I wonder if Basic Protein Chemistry is better absorbed by the brain while watching Canadian Idol. I will report on my findings after tomorrow's test...

This week's little visitors... 

Weekend fun

What a great weekend, I slacked off & didn't do any schoolwork as of Friday evening. (Although I know I'll probably pay for it later...) And no housework either (the kitchen is a mess - good thing Tim & I didn't eat breakfast at the same time this morning or we would have been fighting for table space!)

So on Saturday we went to the beer fest around noon then strolled downtown for a bit & then went back to the beer fest! Mmmmm, beeeeeer...
It's okay, we deserved it, we went for a long bike ride on Saturday morning.

Today's the first day since last Wednesday that I haven't been out on my bike. I figured I should get some studying done since I do have a test on Thursday...

Mad dog or Englishman?

What a beautiful day for a midday bicycle jaunt. But it was rather windy out there. It was supposed to be an early-to-mid morning jaunt but you sit down to do something quickly on the computer and the next thing you know it's an hour later...I also got a call from my brother saying he was going to drop by and then I ended up clipping his hair for him (just don't look at the back of his neck too closely!) and then driving him back home. So I haven't done any schoolwork yet today. Oops better get to it!

Scutigera coleoptrata (Linnaeus)
House centipede

This lovely creature was seen walking through our living room last night. This lovely creature must die! 

Summer has sprung

Today's chemistry lab consisted of determining that egg yolks have cholesterol in them. It was a rather short (and pointless) experiment. Which meant I got home nice & early. So I slathered on the sunscreen and went for a bike ride along the water in Verdun. Gotta remember to keep my mouth closed, damn shadflies...

Just drove the boys (Tim & Paul) to the beer fest. I figured the mac & cheese for supper (made from scratch, not KD) was enough carbs for one day so I did not join them. I think I can manage to drag Tim back again before it ends on Sunday though.

Almost time to go laugh at some Canadia Ni Dolls.