Final Tomorrow

Well, I've successfully finished my journal paper. I researched Cardiac Tissue Engineering for use in Pediatric Heart Surgery. It was really interesting. Definitely something that will stand out in the future of science. Tissue engineering could possibly replace the need for heart transplant or reconstructive surgery in some cases.

I have my first final tomorrow in lab. I am not too worried about it as I've done really well in that part of my class so far, but I've still studied a lot for it. It starts at 7 am tomorrow so I better hit the sack.

I hope all the fathers out there had a great fathers day today. I installed a garbage disposal for my dad and gave him some movie tickets. He's a wonderful father and someone whom I and my wife look up to a lot. Love you dad.

Today was stake conference for Kimberly and I. We had two visiting authorities. Elder Aoyagi and Elder Gonzalez. They both were great, especially Elder Gonzalez as he reminded me that I really need to budget my time better, remembering to take time to ponder (life, the scriptures, God, my place on Earth, etc).

Jason received the Melchizedek priesthood today. I'm really proud of him. Kim and I are excited for him to serve a mission. He's going to be a great missionary. I'm sure he'll go somewhere like Ghana so he can be the white giant hahahaha.

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Ah, 1:19 AM. I just finished going over my lectures on the respiratory system. I feel like I've got a pretty good understanding now. I've learned some interesting things that changed what I thought I knew about breathing. For example: did you know that it's not our need for O2 that drives our breathing, but our need to rid ourselves of CO2! I never knew that. Of course, we need oxygen, but it's carbon dioxide that drives our breathing.

Kimberly and I went on our nightly walk tonight. It feels so good to get out with her and see the sights around our beautiful town of Spanish Fork. We like to walk to the old pioneer cemetery that overlooks the river bottoms. It's really one of the most beautiful views that's nearby. We have mountains (pronounce that with a sharp "t" if you can hahahaha), big fields, we can see the Krishna temple in the distance, big trees, chirping birds and colorful flowers. It's really lovely, interesting what we could possibly be missing right out of our front door. I love walking and talking with Kimberly. We have so much fun together and she makes me laugh a lot. Lately we've been closely analyzing and critisizing the houses we walk by. This one house that we call the "mummy house" (because the brick makes it look like it's wrapped like a mummy) just got concrete lion statue that looks ridiculous, but it's fun to walk by and smack him on the butt.

I've been listening to Boysetsfire lately (right now I'm listening to Boys like girls haha). Anyway, I saw Boysetsfire a long time ago, probably 2002 or 2003, around there. That concert was amazing and I've been a big fan ever since (funny, I went to see the Hope Conspiracy and left a fan of a different band). I'm ranting because it's late, but I feel that they have some really inspiring lyrics that really open my eyes and mind to the world. I love it. Just a couple of samples I guess:

"Walk Astray"

Our dreams are their worst nightmares, these songs a call to arms
we can dance on the graves that held us, we can change the course of time
stand up and fight, save yourself,
strike, the time is now
you and me, we are more like sheep,
forced to march crippled feet to the slaughter
I’ll stand on principle, banner lifted and a fist raised high
Filthy soul with a patriot heart, dancing rhythms in a world apart
But you and me, we can live like thieves
on the dreams that we stole from their fears
Casting pearls before swine, hanging dead on the vine
Can we strive to be so much more then this?
… to the slaughter

Management VS Labor

Sacrifice, did it really mean that much to them?
As it was killing you
They’ve locked you out after all that you have done for them
You toil yet they profit more
Save yourself today in tearing down the design that they built with our hands
Struggle by to feed your kids while theirs grow fat, privileged and disdained
They’ve bled you dry
Until all that’s left of you is sold to build their paradise
What have we worked for we’ve been scraping by for all our lives
Only to find that we’re left behind
We’ll own our own time and give you nothing in return
Our next meal will come from your table
So our lives can become something more
Than what you buy and sell
America will be reborn

School

School has kept me very, very busy lately.  This semester I have been taking Physiology (lecture and lab) and Math 1050, both in 8 weeks... It really has been like a fire hose in the mouth for me, but I have loved it.  I didn't really realize how much I love to do math!  My personality is one that loves to see things cut and dry (yes I know math is complicated with imaginary numbers and what not, but I still see it as cut and dry).  I really do like doing math problems though, and I've gotten to do a lot of them lately.  I just took my 2nd test and got an 80% on it, which I wasn't too happy about... I completely forgot how to complete a square and there were two problems that required that formula.  Although, when I found out that the highest score in my class was a 40%, that made me feel pretty good about myself.  Hopefully I can get an A in the class, even though it won't matter because it's a pass/fail grade since I'm doing it through BYU.

Physiology is a lot different than math...  I had human anatomy imprinted into my brain so well from taking the class and being a student aid, so I thought Physiology would be a breeze... I was so freaking wrong.  This class is moving at lightning speed, and I'm trying to remember everything about nerve depolarization, how muscles are innervated, why the heart conducts it's own nervous impulses, which endocrine organs secrete what hormones, and what those hormones do, how blood flows, pressure gradients, osmosis, diffusion, simple diffusion, macromolecules, proteins etc etc etc!!!  It's quite a thing... the human body.  I love it though, I relish in learning how our blasted bodies work and I'm amazed, absolutely amazed every time I learn something new.  Evolution throughout the last millions and millions of years have made us into a very well oiled machine (which I'm sure was God's design, right?)

I feel very lucky to have the chance to attend school, and I thank my wife for working so hard so I can.