So, school is offically craziness again. I have 12 hours of lab per week. Woah, craziness. I have a real fun partner in O Chem lab though. We both had all kinds of trouble on the first lab, and are pretty sure our TA things we're idiots but whatever, we'll struggle together. I even learned two chapters of material on wed in lab this week, I missed them in lecture last semester. Tomorrow in lab we get to make banana oil, which is supposed to be fun, however we do have to write a formal lab report, which kind of blows. Oh well

In other news, I'm old. I'm not freaking out about it anymore, but i feel really old. Everyone i know is getting engaged and married and having babies. and to quote Elizabeth, "You know living on your own in New York is one thing, but having babies, that's scary." But this girl (ie me) is not having babies until she is out of medical school, but even then, that's only 5 1/2 years. that's pretty soon. Augh.

Anyway, I have two more chapters of O Chem waiting for me. Two more weeks and I get a semi-breather, woot!

I need something to occupy my mind before O Chem.

SEVEN CIRCLES

CIRCLE ONE: THE OUTSIDE
1. What's your name: Amanda
2. How tall are you: 5'3"ish
3. What color are your eyes: hazel
4. What color is your hair: uslight brunette, though the front bleached blonde over the summer
5. Are you Male or Female: female
6. What is your best feature (physically):um, i like my hari somedays, and others it's at least good for a laugh.
7. What's your shoe size: 7-71/2
8. Glasses, yes or no: si and contacts
9. Did you ever have braces: si, and all kinds of other fun orthodontics for three years before.
10. On a typical day you are wearing: more than one shirt
11. When you go to bed you're wearing: one of the aformentioned shirts and sweatpants or the target gaucho pants.
12. work out/exercise about how often: actual work out, almost never, but I take stairs and have an active job for the summertime.

CIRCLE TWO: MUSIC
1. Name five of your favorite bands: um... Snow Patrol, Jars of Clay, Goo Goo Dolls, Indigo Girls
2. Name five of your favorite singers: Amy Lee, Regina Spektor, Michael Buble, Norah Jones
3. Name three songs you are currently playing nonstop: Hard to Concentrate- Red Hot Chili Peppers, Set The Fire to the Third Bar- Snow Patrol, On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand- Jars of Clay
4. Name one song (give lyrics) that best describes your life right now: Set The Fire to the Third Bar- Snow Patrol
5. Name one song (give lyrics) that best describes your life one year ago: In the Sun- Joseph Arthur
6. When you're driving, what are the preset stations on your radio: I don't enjoy the radio, but whatever that random station is (104.something) around Fargo is pretty enteraining
7. What's the last CD you bought: Snow Patrol, Eyes Open
8. Was the last CD you burned an actual CD or a mix:well, both?
9. Name one song/band/singer you're embarrassed to like but do: Avril Lavigne
10. If you could only attend one concert ever again, it would be:um, the only concert I've been to is Bob Carlyle and I'd rather not do that again.
11. Name one band/singer you absoulutely can't stand: Pretty much any hardcore country
12. Name a group you use to like but feel you've grown out of:um, Spice Girls?

CIRCLE THREE: MOVIES/TELEVISION

1. Name your favorite actor: Patrick Fuget
2. Name your favorite actress: either Liv Tyler or Sandra Bullock
3. Name your favorite television show right now: probably scrubs
4. Name five really cool movies you've recently seen: The Fountain, Little Miss Sunshine, The Prestige, lol those are the movies I've seen since thanksgiving.
5. Your favorite canceled television show: Full House
7. Name one movie you wish you hadn't wasted time/money on recently: A Night at the Museum, I don't thinkI was in the mood for a Children's movie.
8. You would never watch a movie with: ummm, I don't know
9. Favorite candy/food to watch movies with: chocolate of some sort
10. Three favorite tv channels: Comedy Central, Discovery Health (I can't think of any others)
11. Favorite reality show:I don't watch reality TV
12. Favorite character on a reality show: see above

CIRCLE FOUR: WORD ASSOCIATION
(Write the first word/thing/person that comes into your head when you read this word:)
1. coffee: maker
2. dog: cat
3. slut: hair (what?)
4. candy: cane
5. pole: dance? (lol oh my brain)
6. ocean: wave
7. brave: heart
8. loving: mothers
9. cookie: monster
10. death: defying
11. life: style
12. child: 's play

CIRCLE FIVE: WHICH WOULD YOU PREFER:(bold the one you prefer)
1. Ten guilty men go free OR One innocent man goes to jail for life: I can't even decide
2. Eaten by a lion OR Eaten by thousands of small insects--lots of bugs *shudder* gross
3. A life of contentment without love OR A life with love and heartache-- why can't contentment contain love?
4. Skydiving from a plane OR Bungee jumping off a bridge--either way i'm going to get sick, so it really doesn't matter, we'll go with a bridge, the lower the starting point the more likely survival is in case of a problem.
6. No television OR No music--(Where's 5?)
7. No more pizza, ever OR No more chocolate, ever--how could you do finals without chocolate?
8. A trip to Europe OR a trip to Hawaii--
9. An hour with your future soul mate OR An hour with a lost loved one--
10. No longer being able to cry OR No longer being able to feel the need to cry--
11. Sex without love OR love without sex--
12. Loving someone who doesn't love you OR being loved by someone you don't love--

CIRCLE SIX: THE LOVE LIFE
1. Are you currently in a relationship: sure am
2. Are you currently looking/interested in someone: if that includes the aforementioned relationship then interested, yes?
3. Are you a virgin: si
4. If yes, how long do you plan to be one: the plan is until marrige
5. How many times have you been "in love": I think "in love" is a silly phrase, because there are so many different kinds of love, it can be hard to differentiate between the different types.
6. Looking back, how do you feel about that person(s) now: the kind of love I have for a couple people has shifted
7. Name three things (physically) you look for in someone: I don't usually have anything in particular in mind, though I tend to pick guys who are what my mom would call "slight in build"
8. Name three things (mentally/emotionally) you look for in someone: maturity, compassion, sense of humor.
9. Biggest turn offs include: selfishness, immaturity, lack of empathy
10. Your ideal date would be: by the ocean
11. You want to get married, where, when, how: someplace pretty, before I'm 30, um, by a pastor?
12. Does anyone have feelings for you right now that you don't return: not to my knowledge

CIRCLE SEVEN: THE FRIENDS
(of your friends, who would you say is:)
1. The one you immediately go to with a problem: Alex, and Laurie
2. The most rational: Jenny, at times
3. The funniest: Laurie
4. The one you spend the most time on the phone with: Chris (ask my dad, hey pays the bill)
5. The craziest (but in a good way): Maren
6. The most honest: Maren
7. The purest: Erin?
8. The smartest: that's tough, um probably Steve
9. The most athletic:probably Sarah
10. The most compassionate: Anne
11. The one most likely to get thrown in jail and why: Alex, she's going to be a political activist, I know she is
12. The last one that said "I love you": Maren I think.

So, as I always tend to start out my blog entries now, it's been a while. School is once again in session. Tuesdays suck, but otherwise it's pretty good. I have OChemII, OChem lab, Microbio, Psych, and Health Advocate class. O Chem will probably kill me, it's going to go faster than last semester too, I had trouble keeping up last semester. In the words of my dearest sister, balls.

Hawaii was gorgeous, and I think really good for me to get out of this climate for a little while, it tends to get me down in the spring. I got some amazing coffee as well, decaf and everything!

In exciting news, I was finally able to get life insurance! They told me in high school if I could stay healthy for a consecutive year, they would reconsider me, and I have, so, yey! The lady handling my application actually came down yesterday with my paper work, and we went over medical history, signing contracts, etc. Then once we finished the application, she turns to me, and says "So, tell me about your boyfriend." It was a little strange, though her daughter was at camp this summer, actually I'm pretty sure she was on campout with Maren and I, and she goes to my hometown church. And I didn't really know where to start, and the she asked if I had a picture so she could see if she knew which one he was. And I said I didn't but then she suggested what about on my cell phone, and so I showed her the picture of him sleeping on the way to LOWBC, and she didn't recognize him. (Which I figured out later was because that's the week he was on canoe adventure plus.) Oh life.

So, it's been a while. right now I have one week left of break, and that's ok. I'm not quite ready to go back, bu tI am getting there. I also found the guy I want to research with at the U. He's researching the "the activation of T cell responses in the gut mucosa during infectious and inflammatory bowel disease." That is exactly what I want to know! Now I just need to figure out how to get to work in his lab.

So the beginning of break I spent a lots of time with Chris, which was excellent. I met a good chunk of his extended family, and stayed in Stephen for a night which was an adventure all it's own. I've don't know if I've ever been surrounded by so much testosterone. His two older brothers were home for Christmas, and he and his younger brother were there as well. Fun story. Chris and his brothers got their mom a presetn that they didn't know how to wrap, so eventually after not being able to find a suitable box, they decided to put everything in Chris' mini fridge, and wrap that. So I helped his brother John wrap the fridge and then he carried it down and put it under the tree. I have to say I'd never seen anyone with the kind of ingenuity? It was pretty sweet.

Wel right now I'm in Kauaii for a few more days. We head home on wednesday afternoon and do the wonderful overnight flight again. I reapplied for camp this week as well, as a counselor again. I'm really excited to go back, though also a big apprehensive. No matter what though, it has to be good because in the end we're there for the kids, and if they have a good time, and hopefully learn something it's s sucess.