TMI about… bodily fluids
So my explainable and oh-so-nutty random bleeding that sent me into a total panic yesterday was the result of… peanuts. Specifically, a teeny tiny sliver of peanut from my peanut butter that I used. And it didn’t even hurt, it just bled like crazy until I was half-convinced that I was going to feel the ill effects of blood loss very soon.  Thankfully, it stopped. But honestly, while spitting out blood (because there was just so damn much of it that I kinda couldn’t swallow fast enough unless I was constantly swallowing), all I could think of was that “hmm, vomiting blood is a sign of end-stage liver failure…” then I double check my skin colour/eye colour to make sure that I’m not jaundiced. Not that I was vomiting up blood, it was just something that came to my head. Which did not help with my panic-mode that I was in.

Non-denominational winter holiday plans include…
Since my family is not having a tree this year… I plan on ‘adopting’ other people’s Christmas trees via holiday-time visits and on Flickr (so if you’re on Flickr, please post up lots of photos of your tree this year – so I can pretend that it’s mine). Also plan on doing a lot of baking (shortbread and sugar cookies, I’m eying you!) as well as crafting (finishing up my nearly endless Pi stole) and reading (for pleasure, not for educational purposes). One of my friends from school, R, was talking to me on the phone last night and asked what I was doing (knitting) and then she asked how many things I had finished crafting the last little while (6 Blythe-sized knits and crochets, 5 Christmas cards, 3 pairs of earrings, 2 necklaces and a partridge in a pear tree – too bad I didn’t do 4 of something lately!). And then she proceeded to inform me that I obviously need to get laid and stop doing so much crafting. Nice to know when it gets recognized…? On the bright side, my dolls are getting a shabby-fabulous winter wardrobe (complete with more hats, sweaters and 1 knitted coat – that I will definitely be doing another one, in a thinner yarn/smaller needles/etc. – so it doesn’t look so awkward). On the downside… R was definitely right, hah. So yes, my non-denominational winter holiday plans include: adopting everyone else’s Christmas tree, admiring the lights that people put up (read: people meaning other people meaning not my family, because people, meaning my family, suck that way), baking, reading, crafting and getting to see people and spend time with them while I have a (much needed) break from school. Oh, and hopefully not having to endure the wonderful family tradition of screaming/yelling/loud arguments that occurs sometime between waking up in the morning and opening presents.

And another thing…
Studying is going well. I have my first final tonight (7pm) for my non-vascular plant biology class (not called botany, because that’s a Masters/graduate school thing). My favourite word from this class for the entire term? Spitzenkörper. It’s German (if my notes are correct) and it’s the “vesicle supply centre for hyphal tip growth” in the sub-phylum Pezizomycotina (molds!) in the Kingdom Fungi. See, I learn useful things in school… Right? Like, for instance, I can identify the difference between liverworts and mosses. And, erm, I know how to draw organic chemistry mechanisms. And how infants develop. And how cells grow. All very useful things. Sort of. My reference sheet (which I am allowed… not sure why everyone keeps on a calling it a ‘cheat sheet’. Cheating implies that it’s prohibited!) is look rather full now… I used size 8 font for it (we were allowed to type it up) and now I’m just going to spend the day adding in diagrams and pictures. Shall be fun, no? I almost want to take photos of it (I won’t get to keep it).