So I had my first plants biology lab this week and it went really well. The awkward thing is that I walked into the room and didn’t know a single person (besides of the instructors, because she’s also one of my profs and I had her for my plants biology lab last term as well). And then a girl sits down next to me and introduces herself and guess who’s got a new lab partner? That’s right, me! It turns out that we both took the same plants biology course last term and we figured out where we sort of recognized each other from – we also had the same plants biology lab. Total fail for memory, I know. She’s also in my invertebrates zoology class and she’s in my invertebrates zoology lab as well. I know people! I know people! Oh, also turns out that she is in my biochemistry lecture as well, so hopefully a good resource and will be my friend? I feel so awkward when I say crap like that though.

Makes me sound like a little kid going “Will you let me take a look at your notes? I’ll be your bestest friend forever.”

I also have two TAs in that plants lab – one’s a Masters student, the other is an undergrad (and same age as me o_O). Plus we did a few cross-sectionings today and my slide of my stained yam (yes, I said yam – stained it to look at the starch) got photographed for the class website. Yeah, total dorkish moment there. But it was cool. I got asked if I had taken the plants class last term because I was using tips I had gotten then for making my cross-sections (the answer, of course, was yes).

Ahem, Besides my major biology geekery there ^… I’ve spent money lately, for two lab manuals and custom courseware. What I hate is how my school handles stuff like lab manuals and custom courseware. If it’s lab manuals for science classes or custom course materials for science classes – they’re not available through the school’s bookstore. Instead, they’re available through a somewhat related student club. For instance, I had to track down the biology club in order to buy my invertebrates zoology lab manual, I went to the microbiology club’s room to buy my biochemistry custom courseware and I had to get my plants lab manual directly from my professor (because the botany club doesn’t handle sales?). In previous years, when I had to get (required) custom course materials for classes like chemistry, some biology classes and English, I could get everything through my school’s bookstore – meaning one stop, one line-up, one swipe of the credit card rather than needing exact change in small bills. /rant.

Anyways… Things have been going pretty well thus far (then again, only the fourth day of school, so who knows?). I did, however, realize that in my last week of classes before the spring/reading break that I get, I have 3 lecture midterms and 1 lab midterm. Which would be fine if I didn’t have two midterms on the same day (lab and lecture) but the lecture midterm is in the late evening (7-9pm) and the next morning (at 8am), I have another lecture midterm =/ Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? I’m going to ask my prof (for the 7-9pm midterm) if it will be possible to write it at another time, since I do live off campus and I’d be a) getting home at around 11pm and b) needing to wake up at 5:30am. And while I would really love to suffer and go through sleep deprivation for the sake of getting something that resembles a grade, I’m going to see if I can write it on another day, like on Wednesday or something. So I don’t fall asleep during my morning midterm or something.

Gah. I need to stop talking about school.

Umm… I got mail? (Finally?!) I ordered my sister D’s Christmas present back in December. I got a notice that it had shipped (from Hong Kong) on December 8th (the label on the package says December 7th) and it arrived yesterday. So my mom said that it was probably sent via surface mail (chugging along the ocean on a boat or something), but there’s like three different stamps on it that states that it was sent by air mail. So either the postage system in Hong Kong is incredibly slow, or Canadian customs is incredibly slow or Canada Post is incredibly slow. Or some combination of the three (I’m guessing all three). You know those Rubik’s cubes? I found one online (that’s not an “official” Rubik’s product) that is 4x4x4 rather than the traditional 3x3x3 for my sister’s gift. Needless to say, she really likes it – even if it did take forever to arrive. =)

Also, my mom’s been having vision problems lately and she’s had an appointment with the optometrist. He claims that the issues that she’s been having are “normal” though? And only to be worried if it persists or worsens. I’m really concerned since my mom does drive to and from work on Mondays and Tuesdays (she carpools with my sister for the rest of the week)… But my mom doesn’t seem too concerned? So I don’t know if I’m just worrying over nothing right now. I mean, even the doctor said that it was normal and it wasn’t anything to be worried about. =/ Not sure how I feel about that, honestly. I mean, while he does have a medical degree and specializes in eyes, it just seems weird to have a doctor tell someone that the vision problems that they’re experiencing aren’t anything to be worried about.

I hope everyone had a lovely Thursday. I’m looking forward to the weekend already… ♥