Thanks for the Laugh

www.isitchristmas.com

Yeah...this pretty much cracked me up (thanks HB). Of course...it was right after taking a horrendously difficult verbal reasoning test....so....yeah.

miscellanies

* Umbrellas are kind of amazing. I don't mean the concept of them or anything...I mean the super-foldy, mess-of-metal complicated umbrellas. I think that whoever came up with them was a genius and I'm glad that they did. (By the way my umbrella has a lifetime guarantee. Pretty amazing huh? I just found it wrapped around one of the wires today. So...as long as I don't lose the umbrella, I'm set for life!)

* My bangs are at that really frustrating stage right now where they are almost long enough to actually stay off to the side but not quite and I'm feeling pressure to make a decision. Should I cut them so that they are out of my way again even though they sometimes look really funny and I can't pin them back as easily? Or should I just push through and let them grow to be longer so they will stay behind my ear?...such a hard choice...

* I kind of miss the ipod adds on the train. While I was gone they replaced them with NesQuik adds, which are kind of ugly. It really did shock me when the train pulled up to take me to work and there, pasted on the side was a different picture. Weird how you get used to things being a certain way...

* I am glad that I usually culture my monolayer cells in plates instead of flasks. It saves SO much time! (and supplies, cause you don't go through as many pipets when you use plates).

* Procrastinating washing my laundry makes me more creative because I have to put together clothes that are from the deepest, rarely-worn, probably-have-been-considered-for-the-Goodwill-pile-at-some-point, part of my closet. So, if in these next few days I seem to be wearing unflattering or just downright ugly clothes, you now know why.

* Ummm...so I'm pretty sure I need to learn how to hold my tongue. Lots of times I tend to share thoughts and opinions as I'm still forming them and I don't think that is usually a good thing. I should probably work on that.

Why is my life so great?

So...today on the plane I was readin' my scrips and I love how they just know what to say every time!  With the ever-present MCAT looming (among other things) it was just great to be reminded that...

"A portion of [His] Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God." (Alma 18:35)

It is good to remember who the Source of all knowledge is, and that He is willing to share it with me if my desires are in line with His.  Awesome huh!  And the best part is...I know my desire to do well on this test so that I can go where I am supposed to go to medical school so that I can become the kind of doctor He wants me to be so that I can alleviate some of the pain and suffering of His children IS a righteous desire "which [is] in God."  And I know it is what He wants me to do...and that is am amazing feeling.

So watch out MCAT...I'm ready...(or at least I will be by May 23rd!)

p.s. I graduated!...(pictures and details to follow after the MCAT...)

p.p.s. Heidi I don't want you to move yet!

Help!

Alright folks...I really need your help.  Over the past few weeks, and especially over the past few days my brain has slowly been turning into a completely garbled pile of mush as I've tried to write my graduation talk.  This has honestly been SO incredibly difficult for me for some reason.  Then yesterday I had to go and read the following quote from Elder Maxwell:

"The patient person assumes that what others have to say is worth listening to.  A patient person is not so chronically eager to put forth his or her own opinions."

Of course I took it out of context and went from not being able to choose what to say in my speech to feeling like I don't have anything worth saying.

Yeah...pretty much my brain is completely discombobulated.

So, if any of you have any time at all to look over what I have and give me suggestions I would be ever so grateful because at this point I have written so many different versions that I can't tell what is worthwhile and what is garbage and I feel like I have no ability at all to articulate what I am trying to say.  I also really need to cut about 30 more seconds out so if you have any ideas about that I would appreciate it too.

Fresh eyes and fresh minds are sorely needed!

Please tear it to shreds.  Let me know if my logic is flawed, my wording is ridiculous and inappropriate, my ideas are fuzzy, my transitions are weak, etc...etc...

Thanks!  (Oh, and by the way if you are planning on attending graduation please don't read it yet...I don't want people being scared away from attending the ceremony on account of a terrible draft of my speech).

HERE IT IS!

Over these past few weeks I have come to realize that speaking at graduation is a pretty daunting task. A graduation speaker is supposed to be simultaneously inspiring, entertaining, memorable, and most importantly…brief (because we all know what still has to come after the talks). So as I was worrying about what I should say and how I should say it I turned to my friends for advice. Their responses to my request just made me laugh. Instead of actually giving helpful suggestions, nearly every single one of them got really excited and told me that I should somehow figure out how to mention them (several even offered me a money as incentive).

While it may not be a financially wise decision, I have decided to forgo reading off a list of my friends’ names, although ironically they are (in a way) who and what I want to talk about.

Recently as I was preparing a semester-by-semester summary of my “undergraduate experience” at BYU to include in my honors portfolio it really hit me how blessed I was to be able to take advantage of so many incredible opportunities throughout my time as a student here. These experiences put me in a wide variety of new, sometimes scary, but always exciting circumstances.

This exercise also reminded me what a completely different person I am now from when I started. That somewhat awkward, shy, naïve, (but excited!) nerd of a freshman who thought she had her life all planned and figured out is completely gone (well, maybe except for the nerd part). As I’ve tried to figure out exactly what caused this gradual but drastic transformation I realized that while all of the opportunities I had were amazing, it wasn’t the circumstances I was in that gave me the strength to change, but instead it was the interactions I had with the people I met along the way that have slowly shaped me into who I am now.

C.S. Lewis illustrated this concept perfectly when he asserted:
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal…but it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit” (The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses [1980], 19).

I think we can safely add…assignments, exams, deadlines, grades, jobs, money…these are mortal. And even though these “mortal” things are necessary, it is so critical to remember that the people who surround us every day of our lives from the janitor we share an elevator ride with to our closest friends to a famous scientist we may meet in passing are all immortal souls who each have unique experiences, perspectives, and insights that we can benefit from if we choose to overcome our own prejudices, fears, and insecurities.

Just as “there are no ordinary people” there are no ordinary moments in life, or at least there never has to be.
As Elder Maxwell said, “We must look carefully…not only at life’s large defining moments but also at the seemingly small moments. Even small acts and brief conversations count, if only incrementally, in the constant shaping of souls.” He continues by asking, “What will we bring to all of those moments small and large? Will we do what we can to make our presence count as a needed constant in such fleeting moments, even in micro ways?”

I will never regret those moments when I decided to choose immortal encounters over pressing mortal demands. When I chose to spend all night talking with my roommates about precious gospel principles despite the big test I had the next day. When I chose to spend Saturday throwing a barbeque with the girl I visit taught who was having a difficult time feeling like she fit in instead of working on a project that was due on Monday. When I chose to extend my office hours to help a student struggling with the material in the class as well as personal issues instead of finishing the assignment that was due in my next class.

Those, among many others, are the encounters that have shaped my soul over these past few years. And those pressing mortal demands? The test, the project, the assignment? I honestly don’t even remember what happened with them, because in the grand scheme of things they didn’t even matter.

I am also grateful for others who chose the immortal over mortal where I was concerned. The professor who, despite being overwhelmed by more important matters took the time to go over a paper line-by-line to help one frustrated underclassman understand how to improve her writing skills. My friend who would always drag me out of the lab at lunchtime to get something to eat despite my protests that the Wilkinson center was just too far away from the Widstoe Building to make it worth it. The famous scientist-physician who interrupted his conversation with James Watson (of Watson and Crick) to talk with and later offer a position to an intimidated undergraduate from BYU who wanted to work in his lab.

These people are just a few out of hundreds who have made their presence count in my life in small and large ways whether they were aware of it or not.

So what is my advice? That memorable bit that I hope you’ll actually take away from all of this? For that I’ll turn to Horace’s famous directive “carpe diem.” Though usually translated as “seize the day” I prefer the alternate translation “pluck the day” or my favorite, “harvest the day.”

So go out and harvest today because it is a good day! But please don’t forget to harvest tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after. Whether you are going from here straight into a high-powered, high-paying job, graduate school, medical school, or to flip burgers at McDonalds, remember that those circumstances are merely mortal…but what you do with the immortal encounters in life on a moment to moment basis will shape your soul and the souls of those around you.

These soul-shaping opportunities are there if we will only pluck them! It is so easy to get discouraged by the fruits that haven’t yet blossomed in our lives (especially if we find ourselves working at McDonalds), but if we are constantly waiting by the tree that hasn’t yet born fruit we will miss out on all of the opportunities, moments, and encounters that the Lord has provided for us today to help us become who we need to be to harvest the fruits of tomorrow.

Thanks guys...you're the best!

The Need for Light

So I had to stay at the lab really late today and was debating whether to ride Stella home or not.  Usually it wouldn't even be an issue because Stella and I are quite the stellar team (except this morning she decided to de-gear her chain and I barely averted disaster...we'll have to work on that one).  The only reason I hesitated was because it was quite dark outside and I haven't made time to put the silly little light-mounting thinga-ma-jig onto Stella's handlebars so that I can use my bike light.  Oh, and the fact that I was wearing super-dark burglaresque clothing didn't help the whole cars-will-probably-have-a-hard-time-seeing-you thing.  But, despite the lack-of-light I decided to go for it, because it was so nice outside and I didn't want to waste the opportunity to have a star-studded ride through the streets o' Brookline with my pal Stella.

Well, despite the nice weather I discovered that light really is a good thing, and not just to help cars see me.  You see...it really is safer to navigate the rather complicated topography of the streets if you can see them.  I came uncomfortably close to being swallowed by several potholes, and nearly flew over the handlebars a few times when accidently running into manhole covers.  (I really don't understand how they can make them poke up so unnaturally out of the road like that.  It is quite unbelievable).  All I have to say is thank goodness for my crazy bike-riding skills!  Otherwise I may not have made it home and would probably have ended up back at the hospital where I started.

Moral of the story: I should probably move "giving Stella a headlight" from my "Things to do after the MCAT" to my "Things to do before the MCAT" list.

Brittle Nails and...Tuna Fish?

Lately I have been somewhat frustrated by the state of my fingernails. Now, while I don’t obsess about my nails like some girls do, I prefer them to be strong enough not to break or chip at the slightest provocation. So, the other day as I was waiting for my timer to go off (my life in the lab is run completely on timers because I am always waiting for something to be done spinning, incubating, etc…) I was staring at my brittle fingernails wishing they were not so brittle. Wondering what I could do about my woeful nail situation I began thinking… The traditional remedy for brittle nails is simply painting them with various sorts of strengthening polishes. Sadly, I can’t wear fingernail polish because all the chemicals I work with in the lab strip it off within minutes. So, I was left wondering what deficiencies in my diet were preventing me from enjoying the benefits of healthy nails. Thankfully, I was able to ask the all-knowing Internet and found out that while brittle nails can be caused by many dietary deficiencies, some of the most important nutrients for healthy nails are provided by tuna fish (B vitamins and essential fatty acids among other things). This fact made me very happy because I am a big tuna fan. But, I did realize that I hadn’t eaten tuna for quite a while. So I promptly went home and made a tuna fish sandwich for dinner that night. Ever since I have been making sure to get a healthy dose of tuna and I think it’s paying off! I’ve gotta go now because its time for lunch and I’ve got a yummy tuna sandwich waiting just for me!

Stella is Back!!!

Stella is officially done hibernating! After the longest winter ever she and I have been reunited and had a lovely ride ’round the neighborhood this afternoon. (By the way for those of you who don’t know Stella, she is my trusty steed, otherwise known as my bicycle. Oh…and I love her).

After removing her from the bike cage where she has been wintering I dusted her off, filled up her tires, and away we went…two old friends together again. It was a lovely (though rather windy) day and we went out exploring several of the cute old neighborhoods in Brookline Village. The houses were lovely, the sunshine was lovely, and overall the ride was lovely (although biking up the hill to my house into the wind almost kicked my trash). Wow…I’m saying lovely a lot. But it was!

Though I don’t have enough time to write a complete history of our relationship, just know that it all began one chilly Florida February when I, as a new missionary, first laid eyes on what would become my traveling companion for these many years. We have seen it all together and it has been a fun ride! Stella…here’s to you and all that you have done and continue to do for me...I love you!

p.s. I am really excited to bike around Boston again. If possible, it is even more of an adventure than driving!

Me and Stella chillin' in Florida (Notice the
sexy knee-highs showing...I was such a dork!)