...The last blog?

So...It's another late Sunday night! Today has been productive day full of painting our home office and trimming the floor. I can't wait to get our new office furniture Tuesday! But after all this hard work today, my body is sore, my back hurts and I'm ready for bed. It's our last week of class this week and so happy to finally be done, since I learned half-way through I didn't need to take it for the Cloverpark RN program I decided to go to since it's so much closer to our house. I feel like I've wasted a quarter of driving and hours in a class for no reason, but I did learn a few interesting things. Funny how life changes and we have to make choices. I've decided I'd rather take 2 extra classes before I can apply to the RN program at Cloverpark, then drive an hour and twenty minutes every morning to RTC and be done with prereqs after next quarter.

.....Adios!

Protein Synthesis

Friday I got a call from my boyfriend, and he said he was in the hospital for stepping on a rusty nail sticking out of a board at work. It's known that stepping on a rusty nail can cause massive infections if the individual has not had or gets a tetanus shot and does not recieve antibiotics. Proteins allow cells to detect and react to hormones and toxins in their surroundings, and as the chief ingredient in antibodies, which help us resist infection, they play a part in protecting our bodies against foreign invaders; by promoting growth and repairing bone, muscles, tissues, blood, and organs. Without protein synthesis, and the repair of these vital components of his body, he would not be able to defeat any foreign bacteria that could lead to infection!

Heterozygous

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I were driving along and on the side of the road a man was selling "Red" labs. We have been discussing getting another dog for our Shepard, so she has a friend to play with when we are not home... So I made him turn around and let me look at them.

I had never heard of a "Red" lab, but it makes since, that the colors are due to hybridization. The father was a "Red" lab and the mother a "White" lab. Together they produced 10 puppies. When we arrived there were 8 left; 2 all white puppies, 4 red ones and 2 that were mixed.  Some had brown eyes and some had green. We picked a mixed one with the green eyes and named her Butt-a-cup! I understood how these results were possible, based off of Mendel's model.

Another every day happening, that we learned about in class!

Twins

It's amazing to me how some children possess either their mother or father's characteristics so closely, and others look so completely different than their parents. What's even more amazing to me, is the ability to have either identical or fraternal twins and be able to see the differences in the two children on multiple levels. 
The biological variatons with twins is hard for many inidividuals to understand, but learning about the difference in meiosis and the physiology aspect of how twins and offspring are created is so interesting to learn about.

My best friends nephews are fraternal and seeing them develop different personalities and characteristics is so amazing, knowing that they are twins, yet born from two separate eggs and fertilized by two separate sperm is something that I find extremely interesting.

Photosynthesis

I have officially been diagnosed with Spring Fever! The sun is shinning bright and the days are getting longer, which means it's time for flowers to start blooming...maybe. I love different flower pots and garden accents around my house...I have inherited my mom's green thumb! This last weekend my boyfriend and I took our weekend trip to Home Depot and were looking for a few flowers and plants for early spring.... This is actually quite tricky. Finding the flower we liked and one that we didn't have to wait for to plant, due to any possible "late frost." Photosynthesis is an important aspect of how the plants we bought are going to thrive! The way the plants are nourished is critical for them, and in freezing conditions they are less likely to survive.

Of course this morning after we had planted them all, I got off work and came out to a frozen car... when I got home the ground was frozen, and they looked a little wilted! I'm hoping they will survive through any more frosts this unpredictable weather might have in store...

Hoping photosynthesis will convert enough solar energy to give them the chemical energy they need to survive!

Exercise!

Something I found interesting we learned this last week, was about cellular respiration and lactic acid build up, and how much and often the body needs to exercise to start burning fat! I think it's important to understand the physiology of the body while exercises as to not over do oneself with any aerobic exercise. From now on, once I get back into the gym, I will remember it's better to exercise a few times a week for over 30 minutes, rather than every day for 10-20 minutes, to burn the most fat!

Dogs...and their food!

The other day when my boyfriend and I were buying dog food for our German Shepard Bella, I suggested we get the lamb mix for her instead of the chicken mix to give her some variety and he said back, "She's doing good with the chicken." This particular brand has been helping her gain some weight that she needed, but it also got me thinking about why dogs beg and how boring their food must taste to them after eating the same thing day after day.

I always hated it when a dog begged before I adopted Bella and referred myself as her "Momma", but thinking about it, if I was a dog I would beg for a different type of food, if I smelt something rather than the same old chicken and rice I ate everyday.

It's amazing how dogs can function and live off of the same basic elements, dry dog food and water every single day for years and still be happy, compared to humans and the diffent elements and food groups we need to survive! I don't feel so bad letting her lick my plate of nachos, like she's doing right now, or let her lick a bowl clean of her favorite thing- ice cream- afterall, the only bad thing it can do is give her some doggy diarrhea!
                               

Affects of Alcohol on the Eyes!

This last weekend was my 25th Birthday!!! Of course to celebrate, I went out with my best friends and had a few too many alcoholic beverages. For the normal person my age, this might be a normal occasion, but  for a non-drinker, like myself, I could tell the affects on my eyes the next day in photos...UNDER EYE BAGS! I have never had them in any other pictures before and to see them as awful as they were, was pretty incredible how the body reacts to alcohol.

I was interested to see if alcohol played a role in my under eye bags, so I did some research and found that...

Besides lack of sleep, alcohol plays a part in under eye bags and circles. The reason for this is due to sodium changes.  Alcohol is a diuretic. When your body is exposed to diuretics, it quickly snaps up what moisture it can and stores it for later use. This is why you always have puffy eyes in the morning after you drink!

Interesting fact I learned associated with cells and how the body stores moisture and creates "moisture pockets" under the eyes!

Diabetes

Being a nurse, I have learned a lot about different disease, but Diabetes is something that touches close to my heart, since my Grandpa passed away from this diease at the age of 79. Understanding the importance of glucose levels in diabetic patients is something that is crucial for a healthy lifestyle as a diabetic. In humans a normal insulin level is between 70-110. Anywhere below or above this level can lead to severe effects on the body, and even death.

I have seen a patient with a glucose level as low as 34, and they appeared in a comatose state, most likely near death. In a case this extreme an immediate dose of intramuscular glucose is administered as a fast acting way to increase the glucose level in the blood and 911 is always called to come and evaluate. The patient is usually then transferred to the E.R. for monitoring, because levels this low can affect other vital organs, such as the pancreas and kidneys,which can lead to long term effects, such as kidney failure, which in time will lead to death.

Learning more about glucose and insulin is something that is extremely useful in every day life!

-Unity in the diversity if life-

Something I learned this week, that I thought was interesting, was the theme, "Unity in the Diversity of Life, " and how biologists base this on three key aspects...

1.) DNA being the univeral genetic language common to all organisms
2.) Cells - basic unit
3.) Common features

This particular topic caught my attention, because I can relate to it so many ways outside of the classroom, with friends and family and life in general. Each individual that surrounds one another are all so diverse, yet we are all unified in some way in life, rather it be through DNA, cells and/or common features. Having diversity in a unified life is what makes life exciting. I couldn't imagine how "Homo sapiens" would be, if we were all the exact same, and all had the same characteristics! We'd live in a world of unanimity.

Think about this...

Introductory About Me

My name is Caitlin, but typically go by Kate. This month I am going to be 25!!! I've worked as an LPN for 3 years in March, and am currently in the process of taking prerequisites for my RN...My advice for any others who have the same goal, do not take any time off and continue with classes after you get your LPN and know you're trying to be an RN. Otherwise it seems like a forever process!

I just moved in with my boyfriend in Spanaway, from an amazing place on lake tapps, but feel like you have to take chances in life and 2011 is my year to start a new life with someone who is pretty dang amazing.

Photography is my passion, and if it paid as well as nursing did, I'd be a professional. Check out my page on facebook at Eye4Images Photography, to see some of my favorite photos...

Hoping for the best with Biology this quarter. Looking forward to learning about the scientific study of life!