tag:blogs.targetx.com,2009:/osu/nice_genes//161 2009-01-06T21:17:46Z Movable Type 3.34 tag:blogs.targetx.com,2009:/osu/nice_genes//161.8527 2009-01-06T21:13:02Z 2009-01-06T21:17:46Z

In a poignant turn of events, legendary central Ohio sportscaster Jimmy Crum passed away yesterday as his beloved Buckeyes took a bitter loss to the Texas Longhorns. My own memories of Mr. Crum are limited to a few faint glimmers...

nice_genes Read the full news story here.]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2009:/osu/nice_genes//161.8511 2009-01-04T19:31:23Z 2009-01-04T20:01:27Z

First, passing on President Gee's New Year's greetings to students. I love this man and I'm so pumped to be graduating under his tenure. I got back to campus Thursday evening and things were still pretty quiet on Friday when...

nice_genes New Year's greetings to students. I love this man and I'm so pumped to be graduating under his tenure. I got back to campus Thursday evening and things were still pretty quiet on Friday when I went around to pick up my textbooks, which I now have down to an art. I stopped at the campus bookstore in the Gateway, wrote down the titles and prices. (I couldn't have bought them there anyway since they didn't have any of them in stock!) Then I hustled up to SBX where they actually had my books in stock for [marginally] cheaper, so I bought three books for $220. (My geology lab manual cannot be found anywhere for the moment.) Then I went to Sullivant library, looked up the prices on Half.com and discovered I can save about $60 on the whole caboodle, so I ordered those and will be returning my SBX purchases before the winter return deadline next Tuesday. Take that, textbook industry! By Saturday campus was showing signs of coming back to life. I went to the RPAC in the afternoon to lift and it was pretty packed...I couldn't even get a racquetball court to play on. Coming back after church today, 11th was chockful of cars returning students to the south dorms, so it's officially time for back-to-school.]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.8467 2008-12-24T13:15:37Z 2008-12-24T13:19:09Z

Full article link Dr. Anita Hopper, one of my former professors and chair of the molecular genetics department, was just named an AAAS fellow along with seventeen other OSU professors. OSU was second only to UC-Irvine in the number of...

nice_genes Full article link Dr. Anita Hopper, one of my former professors and chair of the molecular genetics department, was just named an AAAS fellow along with seventeen other OSU professors. OSU was second only to UC-Irvine in the number of new fellows this year, and had more than twice as many as Michigan (Boo!). It's always humbling to realize just how distinguished OSU's faculty are and what an honor it is to study with them.]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.8455 2008-12-22T20:45:06Z 2008-12-22T20:47:28Z

Last week my friend and I went to play racquetball and I've been hooked ever since. (Which just goes to show you how dangerously addictive my personality is.) In the past few weeks, I have discovered my inner jock in...

nice_genes Last week my friend and I went to play racquetball and I've been hooked ever since. (Which just goes to show you how dangerously addictive my personality is.) In the past few weeks, I have discovered my inner jock in such a dramatic fashion that my former gym teachers would probably pass out from shock if they saw me. And swatting the ball around in an empty room is surprisingly conducive to some life lessons, which I now present to you... 1."Life is like sex and tennis: you only get better if you stroke with someone better than you." I don't remember where I originally heard this, but it's very true. Most days I just go to the RPAC by myself and practice hitting off the walls, but it's always much more challenging to actually play with someone. You can't read their mind and know where they're going to hit the ball, and you have to make an effort to hit something they can return rather than just swing haphazardly. (Though I end up doing that a lot too.) 2. "Swing like you mean it." Half-hearted just doesn't cut it, in racquetball or in life. My best volleys happen when I race to meet every hit like my life depended on it. I've run into a few walls as a result, but I figure that's a small price to pay to be able to return a crazy hit. 3. "Play off the back wall." Another friend introduced me to this one when we played on Sunday. He suggested we play off the glass rear wall, so that if the ball hits that first before bouncing, it's still good. Sometimes stuff happens that just blasts right over our heads, but the rebound is still returnable. So play off the back wall. 4. "Let's play left-handed." Another suggestion from Sunday that actually resulted in some pretty good backhands. My backhand is much weaker than my forehand, but when I race to hit a ball on my right side using my left hand, suddenly my backhand is much better (and in my non-dominant hand, no less). Sometimes all it takes is a change in perspective to make life easier. 5. "Forget the rules." This is my life's motto anyway. I don't know the rules of racquetball, and for now I have no interest in learning them. I just want to practice hitting the ball the direction I want it to go and wake up the long-dormant fast-twitch muscles in my body. So for practice, I'll play left-handed or make a rule that says I can't pick up the ball with my other hand to re-serve--I have to hit it off the wall or floor no matter what. It's not regulation, but it's good to hone the skills I need if I ever do decide to play seriously. And finally... RPAC Staffer: We have racquets but no balls. Me: (to my friend) Hey, we know men like that... tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.8430 2008-12-18T22:48:39Z 2008-12-18T22:58:48Z

Chances are, if you are a prospective student reading this, you already want to go to college, but perhaps not for the same reasons I would advocate. I went with several other WOW staffers to Como Elementary today to talk...

nice_genes WOW staffers to Como Elementary today to talk with the fifth graders about college. Amid questions about tomatoes and cabbage juice, here is some of the advice we gave.

• College is less about acquiring a body of knowledge than learning a way of thinking. You won't come out of college knowing everything about anything (or a little about everything), but hopefully you will know how to find out about everything.
• Always ask questions. That is the key to scientific inquiry but also any other discipline. Who, what, when, where, why, and how questions, are not limited to any particular field.
• Read, read, read. Whether it's the newspaper, a novel, or a textbook, cultivate a strong appetite for reading because the written word is the primary means of disseminating information, at least in our culture.
• College is not an end in itself but a gateway to a lifetime's worth of possibilities. Again, it is not so much what you learn but how.

It was a lot of fun talking with these young students and seeing how open-ended their futures are. It definitely reaffirmed my calling to work with young people through education, which is a nice encouragement as I slog through the application process. All my grad school apps have been turned in and the quest now turns to finding money...]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.8412 2008-12-17T12:06:14Z 2008-12-17T12:19:52Z

Is it really just eight days until Christmas? It seems like we finished classes later this year so that the time between the end of the quarter and Christmas is shorter than I remember in years past. Campus is very...

nice_genes Is it really just eight days until Christmas? It seems like we finished classes later this year so that the time between the end of the quarter and Christmas is shorter than I remember in years past. Campus is very quiet now, although the tenant above me is still doing jumping jacks at six in the morning (the only explanation I can think of for the noises I'm hearing). At least OSU is a research university, so there are still people around working. I can't imagine what it would be like in a true "college town" that pretty much dies during holiday season. I've been spending my time catching up on my reading, mopping up graduate school and fellowship applications, and spending much-needed time with friends who are still in town. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.8358 2008-12-12T03:12:47Z 2008-12-12T03:37:11Z

I took my friend Sarah out to lunch today and we went to Anna's Greek Cuisine over in West Worthington, my old high school stomping grounds. Theoretically I was supposed to have her back for class in 45 minutes, but...

nice_genes Anna's Greek Cuisine over in West Worthington, my old high school stomping grounds. Theoretically I was supposed to have her back for class in 45 minutes, but she said that missing 7th period English wasn't a big deal. Which is good because service was a little poky during today's lunch rush. We hovered for about five minutes before being seated and there seemed to be longer-than-necessary gaps between every stage of the meal, from ordering to getting our check. The decor is your standard faux-Greek isle, with a slightly incongruous tiki-looking hut on one wall. I ordered the roasted vegetable pita, which consisted of onions, eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms, but unfortunately came swimming in too much of the promised tomato sauce. It tasted decent but I personally would have preferred more spices. But all in all not a bad lunch for $6, though service could have used some improvement. (Though probably I was just stressed about trying to get us in and out too quickly.)]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.8255 2008-12-04T03:06:15Z 2008-12-08T02:06:53Z

Just a quick update: -The in-flight magazine for American Airlines featured an article on Columbus! I did not think to snag a copy, but it was funny to see the city mentioned right when I was leaving it. -I will...

nice_genes leaving it. -I will be performing in the Vagina Monologues 2009 on February 14 (also known as Singles Appreciation Day) with VdayOSU. -The lights are up at Mirror Lake! I'll try to post a picture here soon. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! -Finals don't look terrible this quarter, if you overlook the specter of another half-of-total-grade-exam for mol gen. My English classes are in the bag and I feel pretty secure for my animal phys exam on Friday. But it will be a long long weekend of cell biology...]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.8165 2008-11-26T04:23:49Z 2008-11-26T04:27:05Z

I think I've swallowed the egg in terms of work for this quarter: seminar paper is turned in, midterms are over, cow's in the barn for my final project in English 405. Except not really: next week I have a...

nice_genes I think I've swallowed the egg in terms of work for this quarter: seminar paper is turned in, midterms are over, cow's in the barn for my final project in English 405. Except not really: next week I have a final on Friday, a Christmas party to plan for Thursday night, an outreach event on Saturday, final project due Monday, final exam and take-home exam all on Tuesday. But all that matters not, for tomorrow I go...to CABO SAN LUCAS. Don't be surprised if I go parasailing into the sunset, never to return. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.8122 2008-11-24T00:37:53Z 2008-11-24T00:44:12Z

I am not condoning jumping into Mirror Lake, but I have to say it. I SAW BEANIE WELLS!!! I was not able to see this live, but that's okay. I don't know if I've ever been so starstruck. Except maybe...

nice_genes I was not able to see this live, but that's okay. I don't know if I've ever been so starstruck. Except maybe the time I met Bill Nye. Which makes no sense because I don't even care THAT much about football and I'm frankly kind of relieved that the season is over because that means I don't have to help host a football party every other weekend. But in the end, GO BUCKS ALL THE WAY!]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.8068 2008-11-20T02:48:55Z 2008-11-21T16:17:53Z

I sort of wish I cared enough about Beat Michigan Week to have any desire to participate in any of the *festivities* but honestly it is so cold and I am up to my ears in schoolwork that banking my...

nice_genes Beat Michigan Week to have any desire to participate in any of the *festivities* but honestly it is so cold and I am up to my ears in schoolwork that banking my emotional well-being on a game of pigskin seems rather unwise. I had vaguely considered jumping in Mirror Lake as a senior year hoorah, but that was last week when the temperature was still in the 60s. And before my friend told me about the lab work his microbiology class did on the Mirror Lake water... But in any case, I'll be down there tomorrow night with Chi Alpha handing out free hot chocolate to those who have less common sense than I do. I figure I should at least go see it once in my time here.]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.7998 2008-11-14T17:40:56Z 2008-11-14T17:46:31Z

Today from 11am-1pm OSU Serving With Honor is putting on the Empty Bowls event where students can buy a bowl for a donation of $10. They also receive soup, bread, and a drink for their donation. All funds raised go...

nice_genes Serving With Honor is putting on the Empty Bowls event where students can buy a bowl for a donation of $10. They also receive soup, bread, and a drink for their donation. All funds raised go to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank to help fight hunger in Franklin County. My high school participated in a similar project every year, with the Pottery Crew lending their skills to making some pretty nice bowls for sale. All this makes me really want to take ceramics spring quarter, but that will depend on whether I can make all the content course substitutions I want for my master's in education. So I could have anywhere from one to three classes that I actually need to take spring quarter. Boo...]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.7925 2008-11-10T19:58:03Z 2008-11-10T20:10:51Z

The title of this post refers to the two ways your grade in a class can die. Death by a thousand paper cuts: Between weekly quizzes and homework assignments, discussion problems, lab reports, cleanliness points, and the ever-popular "participation grade,"...

nice_genes The title of this post refers to the two ways your grade in a class can die. Death by a thousand paper cuts: Between weekly quizzes and homework assignments, discussion problems, lab reports, cleanliness points, and the ever-popular "participation grade," there are a million ways for you to earn but also lose points. The danger of having a class structured this way is that you tend to ignore the 0.5-point lost here and the 0.75-point lost there, until the law of subtraction catches up with you and suddenly you are out half a letter grade. Examples of this in my academic history include: Chemistry 245, 246 (organic labs), Microbiology 520 (laboratory portion), English 405 (Carmen-based science writing course) Guillotine: You have two, maybe three, exams in which to prove your mastery of the course content. One of them has just passed. You got a 75. (This situation being PURELY hypothetical, of course.) This happens more the higher your course number. Examples of this include PCMB 432 (Plant Physiology) and Mol Gen 607 (Cell Biology). Sometimes I wonder why I didn't just major in general biology rather than specialize in molecular genetics. I thought that entomology and plant biology would be horribly boring, but it turns out I need some of those classes for my teacher certification content anyway. Why, why, why. I used to be able to say that I found it fascinating, which I do, but not enough to compensate for the damage I am about to do my GPA and sanity. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.7853 2008-11-05T23:28:26Z 2008-11-05T23:38:12Z

So just in case you live under a rock and my blog is your only window to the outside world, America has elected its first black president, Mr. Barack Obama. In other history-making news, it has been over 70 degrees...

nice_genes So just in case you live under a rock and my blog is your only window to the outside world, America has elected its first black president, Mr. Barack Obama. In other history-making news, it has been over 70 degrees in central Ohio for the past three days. Yes, it is November, no, the weather did not get the memo. As a result you see students wearing intriguing and innovative combinations of gym shorts and Ugg boots, trench coats and flip-flops, in this unprecedented spate of meteorological shenanigans...oh wait, it's always this crazy in Columbus. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/osu/nice_genes//161.7813 2008-11-03T15:09:10Z 2008-11-03T15:13:35Z

So this entry will be huge, so I'll put most of it in the extended entry. Chicago is the nearest BIG city, which is why it was the site of my JEOPARDY! audition this weekend. There is also gobs of...

nice_genes Saturday, November 1, 2008 I woke up at 5:51 AM Saturday morning, having set my alarm at 5:40 AM but hitting "Cancel" instead of "Change." After a moment of mild panic, I threw my breakfast into my carry-on and dashed to the airport to catch my 7:21 AM flight to O'Hare. The flight went without a hitch and I made my way to take the train to downtown. Two stops later, the conductor announced this was the last stop. Bewildered, I followed everyone off the train, when a nice hotel worker told me that the blue line tracks were closed between Jefferson Park and Cumberland due to construction. They packed us onto shuttle buses to take us around the closed zone, then put us back on the train. I navigated a few more subway and bus changes and made it to my friend Kailin's apartment near the University of Chicago. We wrangled out our afternoon plans, I dozed for half an hour, and then headed out the door for lunch in Chinatown. We ate at Lao Shanghai, ordering Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings for which Shanghai is famous), vegetable soup for two, salt and pepper fish (Kailin), and Szechuan eggplant (me). The food was good and portions were huge, but service was a little poky and ambiance nonexistence, for those who care about that sort of thing. Total for lunch was about $35 including tip. We ended up boxing about 1/3 of our dishes each, though the eggplant was too saucy to survive an afternoon jostling in a cardboard takeout box. Picture from LTHForum post Reviews: Yelp.com; Citysearch At this point, Kailin left to take in a show at Steppenwolf with a friend, and I poked around in Chinatown for about 45 minutes before leaving to meet Anna at Navy Pier. I ended up getting a bamboo steamer and foot pumice, though I tried without avail to find a mentholatum inhaler for Josh. At Navy Pier there were still some Halloween things floating around, as well as many, many children. It probably would have been more fun if we were, say, five. But I did get in touch with my inner child, sort of... We hiked over to Michigan Avenue and made a beeline for American Girl Place. This is basically the greatest shrine to spoiled middle-class childhood possible, and I came to do my obeisance. My parents bought me Kirsten when I was a kid and I loved her a lot, but Samantha was always my favorite. When I went to Chicago last year for New Year's, I talked myself out of buying her and I've been kicking myself ever since. When I found out that Samantha was retiring at the end of 2008, I knew I had to get her before it was too late. Other stops along the way included the Disney Store, Macy's, Crane & Co Paper, the Lego Store, Ta-Ze, and the Sanrio store. Many of those purchases include Christmas gifts, so they cannot be written about yet. On the way home Kailin took me to Open Produce, a little place "dedicated to providing fresh produce to the community at affordable prices." Their prices were higher than the average Columbus grocery, but the concept was intriguing and I was only buying a little bit, so I splurged on a $1.50 giant plum. Sunday, November 2, 2008 Woke up at no-idea-what-time-thanks-to-Daylight-Savings-and-Central-Standard-Time. Ate some fruit, then went back to sleep. Woke up again, showered, had some oatmeal and read a little before getting on the bus to go back downtown. Wound up at the Museum of Science and Industry, waiting for the #10 bus to come at 10:10. At 10:20, getting slightly concerned, I called the CTA to check whether the 10 was rolling that day. It was, but did not start until 11:10. My audition was supposed to start at 11:30. I frantically called Kailin to see if there were alternate ways to get downtown, and she told me to cross the street and catch the #6...just as it rumbled away. A cab driver saw me bumbling down the road flailing my arms around and asked if I needed a ride. I spent my last $20 cash to get to the Westin on Michigan Avenue by 11:00 and heard the cabbie's colorful views on politics. (Keeping in mind that Chicago is on fire for Obama.) At the Westin, I found the audition room and filled out some paperwork. They snapped Polaroids (seriously?!) of each person (19 total) and ushered us into an extremely cold meeting room. After introductions (lots of political science majors and quiz bowl graduates), they gave us some hints about answering questions, then administered another 50-question test. This was followed by 7 mock rounds of Jeopardy with three of us playing at a time. After each round they did the little personality interview Alex Trebek always does after the first commercial break on the show. Then we were free to go. A girl from Kansas State and I made our way to O'Hare, which was a little nerve-wracking because I rolled in around 3:10 for a 4:00 flight. Luckily I got through security fairly quickly and settled onto the plane next to a guy who turned out to be from England, working for OCLC. The sun set behind me as I jetted back to Buckeye Country, after the craziest weekend I've had in a while. Callbacks will be in late March for taping in April. Stay tuned...]]>