Nearly packed!

Leaving tomorrow morning early! Nearly, nearly packed. Under weight limit! Yeah! Now have to clean room which has turned into horible disaster. And sleep. More soon....

Going Away....

So I had a lovely time with some of my friends tonight. Actually, one of them was an ex-boyfriend...but still a really good friend! Anyhow, we all went to my favourite restaurant, and it was really lovely. My friend M. organized the whole thing. He is a wonderful person, but a really hilarious driver. He finds the longest possible route to go anywhere, and he drives that route. It must cost a lot for all the extra gas for the car! And we were also teasing W., L's boyfriend. He has no place to stay at the moment while waiting to hear about an apartment. He is staying with L. in her tiny room and sleeping on her floor. So after we were completely, completely stuffed from the buffet at Ivory, we went to decided that it would be a good idea to go to a movie. The last movie that I had suggested that we all go to was "Atonement". We went to it in January. I thought that it was great, L. thought that it was great, W. thought that it was okay, and M. would give it a 10/10 for boringness. So the entire group of us was not entirely pleased with my choice of movies. M. & W. wanted to see "88 minutes." I didn't really want to see that movie, and L. didn't really care. I wanted to see "21". And I somehow convinced all of them that we should see "21". Apparently I'm going to have to bring them back something really nice from West Africa. M. wants a fertility statue. I'm not entirely sure if I can get one of those, but I guess that I'll have to hunt a little since they all endured "21" for me! It was an okay movie I suppose. I have seen movies that were much worse, but I've also seen movies that were better. But I'd better stop my movie review so that I have enough energy left over to look for the fertility statue.

A Reunion with a Great Friend

As annoying as it can be, I have to say that there are some things about facebook that I truly love. And one of them is that it can help you to reunite with friends. Last fall, a friend from elementary school contacted me through facebook. We had lost touch, and we hadn't seen each other in over a decade, which is nearly half of our lives, at this point! I ended up visiting her, and it was so nice to see her again! I mean, there was the possibility that it could have gone horribly, because over that length of time, people might really change. But we actually got along really well. We'd both been traveling to similar parts of the world and both have a small addiction to chocolate and mint things, so we had a lot to talk about. It's hard to get caught up on years and years in such a short amount of time, but it was at least a start.

She and her boyfriend have a lovely place together, and they seem really suited to each other and happy together which is so wonderful to see. I can't believe how much everyone can change- but I guess that it was over a decade since I had seen her and her family. She and her sister were of course so much taller, but her parents looked so much tinier that I remember from before. I suppose that this is because I have grown a little since I was 10 years old. My friend and her mum said that apparently I had changed a lot, and they weren't sure if they would have recognized me in a crowd. My friend couldn't believe how much my brother had changed. She had remembered him as a little blond freckled five year old, and he's an adult now! Hard to believe. It's funny though, because my brother and my friend's boyfriend like to play the same online game. My friend and I actually had a conversation about this game, mainly based on the bits of information that somehow managed to lodge themselves in your brain while you are nodding and saying "hmmmm" during the pauses when you are hearing about the various quests and realms and items to be collected and groups to be formed etc. etc. and levels to be conquered. Or something like that. Maybe I should have paid more attention..... It was so great to see all of them again though.

We had so many interesting and fun adventures when we were little, and I have so many vivid memories of Christmas concerts, playing in our backyards (we lived on the same street), and sleepovers. It's funny how you can remember some things from your childhood so vividly, yet can't remember something that you learned in a course just last term. I remember my friend telling me at a sleepover about how she had named a turtle fluffy or something like this (maybe it was a joke), and as six year olds (or whatever we were), we thought that this was so absolutely hilarious.

Anyhow, I must finish shoving things into my backpack. It will be an absolute miracle if everything fits....but you have to wish for miracles sometimes! I have a bus and plane to catch home, and I hope that all of the connections go well. It'll be good to see my family again too for a wee while before heading off for more travels. But it was truly wonderful to see my great friend again after so many years.

Adventures in Fernie

Fernie is so beautiful! I'm visiting a friend here at the moment. We went to elementary school together, and we lived on the same street, so we were very good friends, but then kind of lost touch when I changed schools when I was about 9. But then she found me last fall via facebook! I was so excited to hear from her, and then when I was heading out west, it just seemed like the right thing to do to have a wee visit. It is unfortunately a short visit, but nonetheless a visit!

I went for a walk yesterday by the Elk River. It was so incredibly beautiful, until I realized that I wasn't supposed to be walking on that trail. When I got near the end of the trail, there was a sign saying that the trail was closed due to a wild animal. Oops! At least I didn't run into it....whether it was a bear or a moose or...?? Phew!

Learning from teenagers and students in kindergarten and pre-school

I am having a lovely visit with friends that I met through a program to connect newcomer families with Canadian families. Our friends through the program eventually moved to another province, and I'm visiting them now. The kids are obviously growing up! I can't believe how tall they are getting to be. Perhaps I am shrinking though?

I was so incredibly impressed by a lovely supper prepared by A, who is a young teenager. She made a lovely chicken dish with tomatoes and spices, as well as a salad garnished with lime juice. I don't know many other people her age who can cook so well! She seems to be doing very well in her new junior high school.

I was woken up yesterday morning by another A, who is in kindergarten. She explained that it was time to put a puzzle together, and she also noted that one of my eyebrows was white and the other one was the colour of my hair. She informed me that they looked like "Grandpa's eyebrows!" She'll be home from school soon, so I'm sure that she will have something interesting in store or some kind of plan!

Yet another A (there are a lot of kids whose name starts with A in this family!) is in pre-school. He is so adorable! We went for a walk the other day, and he had this indelible attraction to mud and puddles! He isn't talking very much yet, but he does have some interesting things to say when he does talk.

I went shopping with M. yesterday in downtown MH. It's kind of funny to see hills all around the city, because I am used to a very flat landscape. We had a nice time smelling all of the lotions and perfurmes at the bargain stores!

I tried to make a salad today the way that A & M had made it: lettuce, tomatoes, onions (optional), lime juice, corn oil, and salt. It was approaching the right quantities, but it wasn't entirely correct. I'll have to try again later on and get some more tips when everyone gets home.

Attending a Conference in a Backpack

So I shoved all of the stuff that I thought that I might need into my backpack, and got on a bus, and headed off to my first out of province conference to do a presentation of the research that I had been working on for the past months. I wonder how many people choose what they are going to wear by thinking about what might look best after being crumpled into a backpack?Anyhow, whether there are many or few, that is what I did....

I am finished!

I am finished my undergraduate degree....unless I somehow managed to fail something. I am thinking that that is not the case though. I can't believe that I am done. For the first time in my life, I have no homework to do. Thank goodness. After I get over my initial shock, hopefully I can enjoy this....while it lasts!

How I pulled my shoulder nearly out of joint

I decided that today would be a good day to go shopping for summer clothing. Not so. First of all, I couldn't really find what I was looking for. I decided to just try on a few things, including these cotton shirts that were on sale. I thought that they would be good for warm weather, and they were only about $3 each. Yeah. Sales. But when I tried it on, I realized that you could sort of see through the shirt, and this wasn't necessarily terribly complementary. So then I needed to take the shirt off. And I couldn't, because it was stuck. So I tried all sorts of things, including trying to pull it down over my legs (wouldn't fit over my hips), trying to pull it over my head (nearly ripped it). I'm thinking, "Who designs these things? No wonder this thing is on sale, because it is dangerous." And then after trying all sorts of things, I wondered if I was going to have to call the clerk in the store...b/c I was seriously and embarrassingly stuck in this shirt. But then I had one last attempt and bending over and pulling the shirt over my head with all the power that I could muster. And it worked. But I seriously hurt my shoulder in the process. Not a successful shopping trip.

Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia)

So I had a conversation about white water rafting in Uganda in the frozen food aisle of Safeway. Yes. I had followed my mother into the store as she was doing some shopping after a meeting that we had both attended. But I couldn't find my mother. So I did the next best thing, which was to pick up a shopping basket and wander around the store and try to look purposeful while pretending to grocery shop while looking for my mother. And before I found her, I discovered that it was free sample day! Woo hoo! And to my surprise, the Safeway free sample lady was giving away breaded tilapia fillets. So I delightedly tried one. And I realized that they reminded me of something else: white water rafting in Uganda on the Nile. You see, when I was white water rafting, the guide was talking about Tilapia. Apparently it is quite common. I can't remember specifically trying any, as I was staying with non-Ugandans. But I do remember that most of the food that I saw in markets was kind of the exact opposite of the Atkin's Diet. Lots of carbs. Lots and lots of carbs. Almost everything on your plate is a carb in a variety of different forms. So I was so taken with the carbs, that I must not have noticed the Tilapia. Strangely enough, I had just come from a meeting about Uganda before I ran into the Tilapia in Safeway.

Research Activities

Well...I've been cutting out slides like mad, and I've gotten the presentation down to around 15 minutes. Although I'm a little nervous, it is good getting all of this public speaking practice. I used to absolutely detest public speaking when I was a lot younger, but now I've more or less (depending on the time) come around to feeling more positive about it. It can be somewhat enjoyable actually. Last year at this time, I thought, "oh, I need to get research experience, I need to get research experience." So I spent my summer doing research, and then I've spent the last year doing research. And now I want a break from research! I like it, and I think that I would like it to be at least a part of my career....but now I really want a break!

Not quite finished

So there were some other unedited ramblings that I needed to have a go at. Sometimes I'm not sure if some of the phrases that I used are learned from Northern Ireland or not. I guess that I'll have to see if people look at me terribly quizzically or not.

I am so close to graduating, and I can't help thinking that if I hadn't switched faculties, I would be graduating with a B. Mus. instead of a B. Sc. (Hons). But I think that I'd take the B. Sc. (Hons) anyday. I did not enjoy my musical studies. I like music, but really, I am a social sciences/sciences type of person. This degree suited me a lot more. And I've met a few people that I was in music school with, and a number of them are working in shops that have nothing to do with music...and are planning on getting other training. But I admire them for sticking to it as well. A B. Mus. is certainly an accomplishment!

When I left the school of music, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself. I was kind of lost. I had wanted to be a doctor before that...forever....and then I realized that I wanted to aim for that again. But during my "What am I going to do with the rest of my life?" phase, I went and got tested for Holland Types. I turned out to be an SAE. Social. Artistic. and Enterprising. Interesting. I think that the typical doctor has another type. Like involving Investigative and Realistic or something. But that was my type, and I still wanted to be a doctor, and the psychologist administering the test looked at me a little quizzically. But we'll see where this all takes me. But low and behold, I didn't know what it was called, but what I want to do is called social medicine. So I guess that that is where the social comes in. And I wouldn't say that I am "out-there" about art, but I like artistic things. I think that you can be both an artist and a scientist. They come in different proportion I suppose. I feel like I am sort of on the line between the two, if there is a line. I have a friend who is incredibly scientific, but also incredibly artistic. And I don't feel like I spread out that far on the line. I'm more just kind of hovering around it with little fringe bits on either side.

But yes. SAE. That is me, apparently.

Presentations, dinner with ex's, other random stuff

My presentation is driving me completely crazy. So I want it to be interesting. I just do not want to put everyone through sitting through a completely boring, put me to sleep, how can I escape?, presentation. It is hard though. I don't want it to sound too terribly gimmicky and weird. I have a lot of ideas tossing around in my head, and I've tried out a bunch of them. A cameo by James Blunt has gotten the axe. Too stupid. But I used the Simpsons before, and it went over fairly well, I think anyway....from the feedback that I got...unless everyone was lying. But I can't think of another sleeping related story to tell. That I am an insomniac? Unrelated. But I can't believe that this is almost finished. My buffer before this fall is quickly fading. I'm excited, but also terrified. And then I have this odd feeling that perhaps they made some kind of mistake, and they are going to phone me and tell me that it is all wrong and that I haven't been accepted. Crazy, I know. So the presentation is driving me crazy. My grandmother is an artist. I wonder if this is how she felt sometimes when she was trying to create something. But a presentation is more than reading your research off the slides. It's a mix of art and theatre too. And I have to put more than half of it on the chopping block tomorrow. Too long. Too detailed. Need to make all the points concisely. And it is driving me crazy.

Anyhow, I actually went out for dinner with an ex-boyfriend a few nights ago. We're good friends, and it was actually fun to hang out as friends. His version of it is that I broke up with him, but I thought that it was a mutual break up. However it went, we both realized that it was just not meant to be in the longterm based on our career interests etc. Not to mention the superficial movie and food and child interests. We could actually be hilariously honest with each other now that we aren't dating. He told me that he thought that my parka made me look pregnant, that when we went out for sushi he felt like he was on Survivor or Fear Factor, and that he would give Atonement a 10/10 for its boringness. Okay, I might agree with the parka thing, but I love sushi and I thought that Atonement was a beautiful film (James McAvoy helps with this, of course). But I told him that I thought Rambo (2? or 3? or 4? why do they keep making these horrid films) was the second worst film that I had ever seen. I mean, it has a thin, stupid plot, senseless violence, exploits a humanitarian crisis for profit, and the main character looks like a caveman. Not to mention the idiotic and bland and stereotypical helpless blond character. Give me a break. And my ex went out and bought something like the extended trilogy or quatriology or whatever it is called when they put too many terrible sequels and remakes together and sell them. Bleh. And I told him that he was too critical and that if he wore different shoes with his jeans it would look better. So that probably doesn't sound like it would be fun to hang out in a situation like that? But actually, it was completely hilarious. Sometimes I think that it is really hard to have cross-gender friendships, b/c one person is allows bound to have a crush on the other person or mutual crushes or something of that sort. Okay, well, there may be some exceptions to the above. But I actually, I think that it might work when you both are fond of each other...but you know that a longterm relationships is just totally not in the cards. At all. But hanging out and slagging each other off...well...this just might work. So while he is complaining that everyone keeps on trying to set him up with people that he is not interested in.....

...that leaves me looking for a Jim Sturgess look-alike with a brilliant personality, great sense of humour, and whose dream it is to practice social medicine and live in remote areas of Canada and Africa. Extra points are awarded for a cute accent, cooking abilities, and musical or artistic talents. Wish me luck, because I may need it.

The Syringa Tree & Other Adventures

I had a rockin'(!) Saturday night last night hanging out with my parents and my friend Heather and her daughter. Heather had extra tickets for a play called "The Syringa Tree", which was about apartheid in South Africa. At first I didn't entirely understand what was going on, as one actor plays all of the characters (and has a South African accent). But after a few moments it became apparent what was going on, and the story became fascinating. The plot centered around a little girl named Lizzie and her family, their servants, their neighbours, and their grandparents. It was interesting to see Lizzie's interpretation of apartheid changed as she grew up, and she went from acceptance to horror. It was a powerful story. I'd like to read the book written by the actor that wrote and acted all of the parts! And a huge thank you to Heather for sharing her extra tickets!

My brother has been obsessed with the movie "Across the Universe" since he saw it last year. I finally watched it, and I have to say that I thought that it was great too! Rock musicals are not what I would imagine I'd enjoy an incredible amount, but who can resist the music of the Beatles?

My parents were on holiday a few weeks ago, and my brother and my grandmere and I went out for dinner one night while they were away. I wasn't feeling very well, so I went for a walk. As I was doing this, I ran into a man who stepped on my ankle. I don't know how he managed to do it, but it hurt an incredible amount. As I limped off clutching my ankle (while wondering if I would ever walk again!), he said, "I really got you good, didn't I?" Is that some sort of apology? What an awkward situation. Luckily I can walk again.

Almost done!

I am one paper and one presentation away from finishing this wonderful undergraduate degree. Yipee!!

The Circle of Control

A huge thank you to all of the parents who took part in the study on children's sleeping arrangements at www.babysleepstudy.org . I am now working on data analysis and writing up the results of the study. As I am doing this, I am reminding myself about the circle of control. Wish me luck.

Malaria Prevention

"You should do whatever you can to keep from getting mosquito bites. If you can, sleep in a room with screens on the windows and doors. Use a mosquito net over your bed. If possible, spray the net with permethrin (one brand name: Elimite). (Permethrin is a spray that repels mosquitoes.) During the evening, wear light-colored pants and shirts with long sleeves. It's important to protect yourself with a bug repellent spray that contains no more than 35% of a chemical called DEET. Avoid going outdoors without protection in the evening, when mosquitoes are typically more active. Medicine is also available to help prevent malaria."
If you plan to travel to a country where malaria is common, you'll probably take a medicine that may keep you from getting malaria. This is called "prophylactic" malaria medicine. Remember, however, no medicine can protect you 100% and you should still take other precautions to prevent malaria.

Prophylactic malaria medicines require you to start taking the medicine a few days or a week before you leave on your trip. You keep taking the medicine during your trip and after your trip for about 1 to 4 weeks, depending on which medicine you are taking. It's important to keep taking the medicine after your trip because the malaria parasites could still be in your blood. If you stop taking the medicine too soon, it could give the parasites an opportunity to grow and make you sick. Malaria medicines have some side effects, and not everyone can take them. Your doctor can tell you which medicine is right for you. What type of medicine you take also depends on where you will be traveling.

"Mefloquine (brand name: Lariam) and atovaquone/proguanil (brand name: Malarone) are two medicines you can take. If you can't take one of these, your doctor might recommend you take doxycycline (brand name: Vibramycin). Doxycycline makes you sunburn easily, so you must wear a hat, long sleeves and sunscreen whenever you're outside during the day."

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/travel/384.html

So I've pretty much decided against doxy. My friend was taking it for a few months and ended up getting malaria a bunch of times. Besides, I already sunburn easily, and I don't want to increase the risk of that. There's another medication that I know of from previous travels, but there was something like a 1/10,000 chance of psychosis with that one. What if you're the 1/10,000? Not fun. I also ran into an Australian during previous travels who had forgotten to take his anti-malarials for one day and ended up with malaria. And both of my parents have had malaria from previous travels, and their descriptions of it did not make it sound enjoyable. So I am going to do whatever I can to prevent it.

Clothing to wear on 3 continents!!

I need to figure out what to pack to wear on 3 continents, in several different cultures, in different climates, and that I can put in a backpack without it getting completely ruined. So...the requirements are as follows:
1) conservative so as to be acceptable in W.A. and also to help prevent malaria
2) adaptable enough to be worn in a warm climate, but something that I could add to in a cooler climate (ie the UK and Canada)
3) material that doesn't need to be ironed and will wash easily and that looks okay if you pull it out of your backpack and put it on
4) comfortable shoes- i need a pair for looking dressier and also a pair that are just plain comfortable for walking

So...in my brainstorming/consultations with my personal stylists (ha ha ha- they would be thrilled with me consistently wearing jeans and a hoodie everyday, I'm sure....), I've come up with some of the following options:

1) fairly longish dress made of non-wrinkling material that can be worn with cardigan and leggings and flats, or could wear light cotton shirt over for being conservative factor/malaria prevention
2) a pair of red shoes. I have no idea why, but I have been wanting red shoes since last fall. I seem to be on a kick of red things at the moment.

and that is all for now. I am going to have to think more. I can't go shopping everywhere I go, and I also want to get stuff that I won't be heartbroken over if it gets ruined. Hello Value Village. My self-appointed personal stylists (GM and L) should be rolling over about now. Some potential items are above. Conservative factor varies by item.

More Stuff that I Couldn't Quite Get Rid of...

Comhaltas Cards from Glens of Antrim & other Comhaltas branch

A Picture from Last Summer

One of my best friends came to visit last summer from Northern Ireland. We had a lovely time, and this is a portrait of us done in about 2 minutes when we were out one day. I'm unfortunately tidying my room for a self-change project for one of my courses, and I found the portrait in a basket in my room. It's one of those things that you don't want to get rid of, but you don't exactly know what to do with it. So I decided to scan it and blog about it.

Coffee House Fundraiser for Little Travellers at the WECC

Jewels!

I went to see the premiere of "Jewels" tonight, the new show by Manohor Performing Arts Canada. One of my best friends was in the show as Emerald. It was completely amazing! I didn't know very much about Classical East Indian dance before the show, but now I'd like to learn more! Wow! Wow! Wow!

Sleeping Like a Baby: Around the World!

It is so great to hear from so many parents with children of 9-24 month olds who are interested in our research on children's sleeping arrangements! So far, we've had hits at our site from all over Canada, the United States, the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand and elsewhere. Thanks also to the parents who have let others know about the study! If you're a parent anywhere in the world, we'd just love to hear from you. You can access the site at www.babysleepstudy.org .
I'm delighted to read any comments about the study that you'd like to leave on my blog as well!

http://rodgersforgees.bcps.org/multicultural%20image.bmp (top image)

Les Voyages!

Woo hoo! So I am definitely not the joyful tide lady, but I feel like the joyful tide lady (only not over tide). And Laura will get a kick out of this picture (hint hint , Laura).

I have had to stop myself from gleefully dancing around the house at the news that I've been accepted for a five week French immersion program in Quebec this summer! My gleeful dancing and shouts of joy have been scaring my younger brother. Oh well.

I have most of my other travel plans in place, but I was still waiting to hear about the Quebec leg of the journey. Now that I've heard, I've gone into typical SuperBecky mode to find all of the potential permutations and combinations etc. etc. etc. that might mean the cheapest possible way to get there. And 3 hours later....the difference between the cheapest and most expensive fares that I've found (including flying with two different airlines in different combinations with trains from Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City or flying into Gaspe or Mont-Joli)....is..........

$51.10

Very exciting, I know. I was actually hoping for more of a difference. Having thought a little too much about my research project lately, I feel like I want to say that the difference between the different fares is not statistically significant....but I actually haven't done the tests to find this out. But that is what I feel like saying! The cheapest way at the moment might be to walk, but that would only be if I ate very little and slept at the side of the road (on the ground). And I don't think that I have enough time to do that. So my hunt for the lowest fare will continue....

On a slightly different topic, I can't believe that it I just had the last class in one of my last undergrad courses! In some ways, it seems like I've been working on this degree forever. But in other ways, it seems like I just started! Part of me is so ready to graduate and get on with the next chapter of life, but then another part is sort of sad that this is over. If my project gets finished that is. So maybe I won't have to worry about getting on with the next part of my life after all. But I hope that that doesn't happen!

I am actually really enjoying getting more research experience, and I love the fact that the project is open to parents from all over the world.

Please send some motivation for me to work on my other, non-thesis related projects though! Maybe if I think that I'll be nearly as joyful as the Tide Lady if I get all of the project done...that will be motivation!

Baby Sleep Study Progress!

I have been hard at work on the Baby Sleep Study (which is completely taking over my life at the moment!), and it is so exciting to hear from parent bloggers who are interested in taking part in the project! The study will also now be available at www.babysleepstudy.org . I'd better try to get some sleep myself now, because we have a busy day with lots of my extended family visiting tomorrow!

Child Development Studies!

I am working on a child development study on children's sleeping arrangements, and the questionnaire for the study can be accessed at www.milestonesresearch.org/sleep.php
People can also visit www.milestonesresearch.org and click on "Baby Sleep", or look at some of the other studies available for different ages of children!

Parents of 9-24 month old children from all over the world can take part in the Baby Sleep Study!

Woo hoo!

Upcoming Travel Plans

I'm starting to get very excited about my summer travel plans. I'm a little worried about the shots though. I got every shot recommended or remotely recommended when I went to Kenya and Uganda about a year and a half ago. I shouldn't have to get too many other shots to go to West Africa (at least, that is what I am hoping!) I went to the doctor to find out about what other shots I might need, and they said that they would phone me back. And I am still waiting! So I may need to phone them millions of times to find out what is going on.

In other news, there is progress on the thesis project front! Woo hoo!!!!!!!

St. Patrick's Day

All of the gigs went quite well, and we managed to avoid all forms of green beer. Success.

Raise the Roof Fundraiser!

Woo hoo! This ended up being a lot of fun. Just 2 more St. Patrick's Day gigs to go...and I'm hoping that there won't be any green beer at any of them. Tales of the Seanachie later on today and also McNally-Robinson tomorrow. It reminds me a wee bit of St. Patrick's Day in NI- driving back from Co. Donegal for the first one, and a ceili in Cushendall for the second one. My friends laughed at the horrors of green beer though!

To Do List

What I need to do tomorrow:
1) finalize trip finances
2) prepare for concert tonight

Need to get sleep tonight. Very exciting, I know.

Cars: Lesson One

Because I don't want the above to happen. Ever.

So, I'm going to note down some lessons from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Auto Repair" to remind myself of what I need to know when I actually may need to use this information:

"I do not have to be a specially trained auto mechanic to do routine maintenance and repair." (p.1, Chapter1)

1) Read the manual that comes with the car.
2) Some repairs require physical strength. Okay, I knew this, but this may pose a challenge.
3) Wear lots of protective equipment, as outlined on p. 3.
4) Yikes. They tell you how to pump your own gas. I think that I know how to do that, I hope anyway!
5) Octane- "is a part of the gasoline that can keep an internal combustion engine from knocking. An engine with high compression may require higher octane, which means the fuel won't autoignite as quickly as lower-octane fuel." I don't understand all of this yet, but I can draw the chemical structure of octane...
6) interesting- when reaching speeds of over 45 mph, it is actually more fuel efficient to drive with windows up and the air-conditioning on- think about wind drag, which slows down or impedes progress at higher speeds

Okay, we'll move on to changing a flat tire in a future lesson.

The First Oil Change

Apparently one of our cars was in desperate need of an oil change, so I volunteered to get the oil change done. These were some of the things that I learned in the process:
1) Although it is advertised as "The Best 10 Minute Oil Change in the World", it didn't take 10 minutes. Try 23 minutes, not including the wait time. Maybe that is because the air filter also needed to be changed.
2) I have to be actually driving the car to know how to signal. I seriously nearly couldn't figure out how to signal without driving the car, and I actually made the windshield whippers go back and forth. Embarrassing!
3) I was scared to drive over the whole in the ground of the garage floor. What if the wheel had slipped? Imagine the horrible accident! Ah!
4) The time has come to learn more about how cars work. So I went to the library and borrowed, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Auto Repair." I was also looking at one specifically for "Do-It-Herself" or something like this. It seemed to contain less information than the Idiot's Guide, sadly enough. So it is my mission to learn a little about how cars work each day. I've been meaning to do this for a long time. We'll see how long it lasts...

While I was at the library, I also ran into one of my best friends from elementary school who I hadn't seen for years! What a nostalgic experience.

But back to the auto repair now....

Updates

When I was last blogging on my old blog, I was stressing out about preparing for my medical school interview. The stressing must have paid off, because I'll be starting medical school this fall after deferring my admission for a year to finish my honours thesis. (Both yeah! and ahhhh!)

On my old blog, you can read about my adventures in Kenya and Uganda during the winter holidays 2006/07.

There are also some wonderful descriptions of adventures in Manitoba and Ontario during the summer of 2007 on my friend Laura's blog.

This insomnia must end soon though. I really need sleep, and I have an early morning tomorrow.

The First Post on the New Blog!

Hello World...
So...my old blog has decided to stop working, and I felt the need to start a new one!
Now that officially have insomnia, I have some time on my hands.
So I will keep you all updated of my various adventures that are coming up in the next few months and over the summer!