Update: September 4

Read about half of Chapter 11 of Molecular biology of the cell.

Received The 8th Day of Creation, read to page 26 of 618.

Bought a copy of General Chemistry by Linus Pauling (1970), for reference for my general chemistry workshop.

Looked for a laptop sleeve at Powell's Technical, but couldn't find one.

Update September 3rd

Finished reading Chapter 11 of Molecular Biology of the Cell, still have chapters 12-19 to read.

Finished jury duty, and didn't get selected to serve on a jury.

Progress Report 9/2/2008

Compiled a List of 21 grad schools I'd like to go to. Still need to pare down to 10, and figure out another school I will apply for as a master's student (the only one I've decided for sure on is UO).

Also registered for the Biochem subject GRE, which will happen on the 18th.

September Update

Read Chapter 9 of Molecular Biology of The Cell, still have 10-19 to go.

Ordered The 8th Day of Creation, still need to read.

Other stuff I need to do before class starts..

Get my hair cut before the workshop training session (not too short, though) on the 19th and the 20th.

Register for the Biochem GRE, by the 8th (preferably tomorrow).

Register for Orycon (not strictly necessary, but if I wait too long, I'm bound to forget).

Agenda for September

For September (Really, I need to get this done before I start classes on September 29th), I need to:

• Contact PSU and OHSU biochem professors about doing research. I need to go to their websites, find recent publications, read and highlight them until I understand their research before contacting them.
  
• I need to secure grad school recommendations from one of the biochem professors I took classes under. Also it'd be really nice if I could work in his lab. Need to contact him earliest, this next week if possible.
• I need to study the Cell Biology book in preparation for that class, and the Biochem GRE. Looks like we'll be coving about 10 chapters in total, so I should aim for 2 to 3 chapters per week.
• I need to buy and read a copy of the book "The 8th day of Creation" by Horace Freeland Judson. After I'm done with the book I need to e-mail my summer molecular bio professor about this.
• On the 19th and 20th, I have a class, learning to teach gen chem students in a workshop. Basically, I'll be going over difficult problems from the homework with students in a 2 hour session, and meeting with the main professor. Need to e-mail my old lab partner with a few questions about this.
• On the 3rd, I have Jury Duty.
• I need to write up grad school admission essays. I'm either going to write about how the three months I spent in recovery from eye surgery after graduation changed me, or try to relate my love of music with science.
• I need to come up with a list of 10 grad schools: 8 Ph.D. programs, and 2 Master's programs, and begin their application processes.
• Need to buy a copy of the Neurophysiology book.
  

DnD 4E: Introductory Post

If you're thinking of playing, please e-mail me at Rustybutterknife(AT-AT Walker) gmail(DOT) com

Tell me your preferred class, phone number, and your schedule. If you know anyone else who'd like to play, they're welcome to (besides "you know who"), just have them e-mail me as with the same information. I'm shooting for 5 or 6 players.

Before starting a campaign, I'd like to try a couple of one-off adventures before starting a campaign, partially to get more ideas together for a campaign, and also so that we're all familiar with the rules.

I'm willing to make characters with you whenever you're free, and, at least to start out with I'm willing to make pre-made characters. For the campaign, you'd make you're own, with or without my guidance. You do not need dice (they will be provided if needed) or the books (unless you're making a character on your own) for gaming.

Here's a list of ideas I had for adventures lasting 2-3 sessions, just to start out with:

• I could adapt a classic, relatively short, 1E module. I have one in mind, that's probably not one you've played or heard of (Tomb of Horrors, Keep on the Borderlands, Temple of Elemental Evil).
• Dungeon Magazine online has a pdf of their most recent issue for free, and has two Heroic Level (1st - 10th) adventures inside of the right length.
• A Paragon Level (11th - 20th) adventure involving a Dragon. More details as I think of stuff.
• Keep on the Shadowfell, which is a published adventure that came out at the same time as the new edition.

Right now I'd prefer to do the adaptation, and a paragon level adventure (in that order) the most because it would give me more opportunity to get to know the nuts and bolts of the system than a pre-made 4E module. Let me know what you think.

FYI: One thing I did not realize until today

The coldest days in Antarctica are sometimes cold enough to freeze Carbon Dioxide.

Telecom Immunity

The Washington Post reported that the Senate has rejected an amendment to the Telecom bill that would strip the telecom companies of immunity from prosecution for aiding in the White House's warrentless wiretapping program. Frankly, this pisses me off, but I'm happy to note that Barack Obama voted to keep this particular amendment on the bill. Hillary Clinton didn't vote either way.

Here's hoping Obama becomes our next president or at least the democratic nominee, with Dodd, one of the sponsors on this amendment as his veep.

GRE

Let me revise that, looking at the GRE website again for the Biochemistry subject test, it looks like I'll be taking the test in October. This is because the "Biochemistry" subject test is actually the "Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology," subject test. I should be taking Cell Bio next term, and the final term of Biochem is going to give me some background in Genetics and Molecular Bio, so I will be better suited to take the test in the Fall.

Midterms, Biochem program

I finally got all my midterms back, here's the results.

Instrumental Analysis: 97, Highest grade in class.

Physical Chemistry for the Biosciences: 88, above average, if I can just get my grades up a bit, I should be able to pull an A in this class.

Biochemistry, Enzymes and Metabolism: 72, which is above average, once again, though still a bit disappointing. The professor said that 70 was the highest average he's ever seen on an exam when he has taught that class, and this one's average was something like 63, 64. With that grade, I should be getting a B in the class, and I want to bring it up to a B+, like I got last term.

I need to e-mail someone who knows about the Biochemistry GRE. I'd REALLY like to take it in April, so I can start submitting applications for Fall 2009 Ph.D programs as early as possible, but I won't have taken all three terms of Biochem by then, only like 2.5. I'll try to pick up a study guide for that in the next couple weeks, either from a bookstore or the library, and probably the latter. Since I have a fairly decent text, and the ability to get notes from last years class, just having a general overview of what I'm going to be tested on is probably all I need from any of the study guides out there.

Gah, I really need to blog more. I always feel at a loss for words when I'm writing up lab reports.