The days of our [Science] lives

So much drama! I thought I left of the drama behind in high school.

People breaking up friendships, tears, anger, and where would we be without people being rude.

Now I am not a part of any of this, but I get vented to, and asked for advice.

I am not a fan of drama myself, but I don't like to see my friends get hurt. So what I do is I bring her tea, chocolates, and just listen. Oh and starting a 9pm throwback dance party in lab! That part was actually a lot of fun.

What I do want to talk about is this whole "rude" thing. I lose complete respect for people when they are assholes, plain and simple. If you are a pompous bastard please stay far away from me.
In my last post I mentioned how the poster awards had to do a lot with "biology politics". Well one of the people who won is in my lab (that's out of 3 people in my lab, 1 won a poster award). Now I am not saying he didn't deserve it, yet.

First, he won because he is a favourited by: my professor, TA's, my professors close colleagues. The only people who don't favourite him are his colleagues (so us, students). Now this isn't because we're jealous, trust me. He is favourited because of his project BUT the project isn't even his!!! My professor started this project and this guy is only CONTINUING it. Unlike my project where I made up my OWN question, my OWN methods, my OWN results, I didn't just get stuff handed to me like he did. So I believe, that because of all of this (and other minor details in this category he won). I again was to stress that this is not because of jealousy, because there are other people in my lab (Master's student) and people outside of the lab that agree with me. And when I told them about how he won, their response was similar to mine: "of course, it was almost predicted that he'd win".

Now this isn't the "drama" part. What happened yesterday was what really irked me. He started a conversation with me about how he has a lot of work, including thesis. One of his projects just happens to be due at the same time as his thesis. Here are his words almost exactly:
"So I think I am just going to go up to Professor ______ and ask for an extension. He should understand thesis comes first. And he obviously knows I am a good work, like I WON THE POSTER AWARD. Clearly he'll give me an extension".
Wow buddy... Clearly you have a complex over the fact that I didn't recognize that you won the poster award and I didn't congratulate you and knelt at your feet like you expect people to.
So this makes me pretty mad. But it gets better.

A TA passes our lab and stops to congratulate him on getting the poster award. To which he replies "Oh it really isn't a big deal, it's not like I get anything with it." So when we talk to me we want to be all high and mighty, but with others we're average. Fuck you too.

Please people, don't be egotistical assholes.

Deadline approaches.

I haven't posted in almost 2 weeks. So much for posting at least once a week. But! I havent been to Starbucks to write (it was a blogging atmosphere), I have had lots of work....

a lot of thesis work...

Like I wasn't getting out of the house because I had so much work...

So clearly I wasn't able to blog. 

St. Paddies day was my only day off, I swear.

It really was! The week before I was working on thesis drafts and of course the poster. Everything caused me so much stress, it was overwhelming, ending in a mental breakdown in lab on Sunday afternoon. I'm an emotional person but I have never had a mental breakdown, especially due to stress. But I got over it, got everything done, woke up 6am on St. Patricks Day to get the poster printed (for $50!!), went to work, and then, finally, went out to play.

All the hard work really paid off

Although it really sucks that I didn't win the poster award. Turns out Biology is all about politics and who you know, which pisses me off. 

Sadly, real life isn't any better.

Now I have to finish writing the thesis, final copy. It is due in less than a week now; hopefully I can get it done with no mental breakdowns. 

If anything I have this girl to keep me company:

Relax, take it easy.

Hmm free Starbucks samples. That and free WiFi. The perks of sitting in Starbucks and sipping on heavily overpriced lattes.

Last week was incredibly stressful for me. All day, everyday, I was writing my thesis rough draft. Even though it was a rough draft I still preferred to have as much of it done as I could. Well it was rough. One day my professor says "Give me what you have, don't stress too much". Then on the day it is due, he comes into the office, where it is just me, my thoughts and my thesis and says "I hope your writing is wonderful". Wait.... what?! Yesterday you say one thing and today you want it to be close to perfect?! Well he got what I could do. Whatever.

Right after handing in my thesis I headed off to work. Until 3 am I was staring down drunk people and checking IDs. Coming home, sleeping in until 11am and then heading out to volunteer. **A message to undergraduates in university/college in really any program: volunteer! Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer! Don't be shy to email professors, PhD students, Masters or even your fellow Undergraduates. I did not realize how many people need volunteers until I was surrounded by all these PhD and Masters students who were struggling to find people** Later that night I worked again (money is very helpful in this world). This time it was a Special Event, an Arts and Science Undergraduate Formal. Ladies looked beautiful, men looked handsome. It was a sight to see. Me and my other coworkers would entertain ourselves by pointing out our favourite dresses, some beauty no-nos and of course drunk people (but this was secondary to the fashion of course). I happened to end early (1:30 am) and headed down to join my friends at a pub, made my two guy friends walk me home and safely went to bed. This morning I set up for a Photo Contest that my Conservation Club is hosting which was so lovely. Looking at the pictures made me miss summer so much! I can't wait for all this snow to finally melt away, for the days to grow longer and for the dresses to emerge.

It's cold ok. 

Just a quick flashback to last weekend. A good friend of mine came to town and we had such a wonderful time going to clubs, having lunch and catching up. I pretty much just wanted to put this in because I think the pictures are cute.

We got matching rings because we're high school like that. 

And we're just adorable. 

They Stay Down Deep

Yesterday I called my mom in the morning, as I sometimes do. This time rather than having a regular chat and catching up, she picked up the phone and after the usual exchanges she said "Sergie's mom passed this morning".
Sergie is my stepfather. He is the exact definition of a Russian man. I respect him very much. He keeps our family safe.
I had no idea how to respond to this. I am not very good in these situations, no could I remember what Russians say in cases like this ("I'm sorry for you lose" doesn't sound the same in Russian). I hung up shortly to give them time. Even though I did not know her I was deeply saddened by this news and my day did not get better from here on.
He couldn't even go home for the funeral because they were having it the next day.
Lose is such a big part of our lives. We lose our pets, our friends and our families. It is just what happens, it is nature. We really should celebrate life. As hard as it is at first.

Today was not much better than yesterday.

I am frustrated with my research (statistics specifically), I have due dates coming up and I have already been rejected twice for two programs that I have applied to (where both of my lab mates for into a program). I haven't felt this low in a very long time. I want to give up so badly. I have no idea what to do next, I am lost and I just want to give up.

Sorry this wasn't a very happy-go-lucky blog.
Have a great weekend.

OMW=On My Way

On my way back to Ontario, home city and school. It is a wonderful sunny day while I sit her in Starbucks enjoying my favourite Chai Latte.

On our last day in Alberta my boyfriend and I decided to go to the Science Center to visit the Harry Potter Exhibition. I am a HUGE Harry Potter Nerd.
It was funny my boyfriends first question was "So have you seen all the movies". HAVE I SEEN ALL THE MOVIES? Was that supposed to be a joke question?! Not only have I seen all the movies (3/7 in movie theatres and on opening nights), but I have also read all the books and have a Slytherine-like tie. I was like a little kid in that Exhibition. I got goosebumps as I heard the Harry Potter opening theme music, saw the videos and the items they had on display. Even the obviously fake British accents that the staff had didn't bother me! Only down-side was we were forbidden to take pictures in the exhibit. How could would it have been if I had a picture holding my hands with a petrified Colin Creevy or me sitting in Hagrids huge chair! Oh well, it is the experience that counts anyways. After the exhibit we decided to explore the rest of the Science Center. The body exhibit was my personal favourite. So much to smell, see, touch, hear and balance on! It was more hands-on than I expected.

And then came the time for goodbyes.

Waking up at 4:30am was no piece of cake. Not only were we upset that these were my last few glances of Alberta and my boyfriend, but also waking up early sucks. We made it to the airport with a couple of minutes left to say our heart-felt goodbyes. The mean security guard in the line wouldn't even let my boyfriend stand with me! [He has been allowed to stand with me every time I've flown before, I seriously don't know who hurt her that morning that she wouldn't let him stand beside me, it's not like he'll get through security with no boarding pass.] Her aggressive "no" made me so upset and the water works began.

All alone, I finally made it to the security conveyor belt thing. My stuff went through smoothly, my body was a whole different story.

I beeped. But I beep sometimes it happens. What they usually make me do is go back through again. Assuming this I turn around to walk through. The security guard *yells* at me saying "If you went through once you don't need to do it again". Jesus, that fine. I don't mind, no need to be a bitch.
And then the aggressiveness continues. She frisks me. But this was no usual frisk. She checked every inch of my body, with the metal checker thing as well as her hands. I've travelled a couple of times now within Canada and never have I been treated so poorly by security. She didn't talk to me through anything, she didn't ask me whether she can STICK HER HANDS DOWN MY PANTS. WTF LADY! After doing things to me that were extremely intimate she faces me and asks "Did you want to be frisked by a female or have the body scan?"... Wait a minute I thought you covering my entire body with your hands was called frisking. Bitch I am a security guard too, I know exactly what frisky is and you just did it to me, being aggressive and rude the entire time.
I was livid by this point, but of course I couldn't talk back/be rude/ be anything but nice-ish to her so I don't get kicked off my plane, I just spoke a couple of words "I don't care, just give me the body scan".
She shouts over the entire damn airport about needing a person to do a body scan for me. I turn to her and I'm like "I'd like to get my stuff first"... bitch because if I lose my laptop and phone and every other essential I have in my carry-on I'll try my best to get you fired.
At this point comes a MUCH kinder and definitely more people-friendly security guard. She asks me to take of most of my lose clothing and step into the machine. SURPRISE SURPRISE I did not have crack up my ass, nor anything else! She told me to have a nice flight and I was on my way.

The airplane ride was much more comfortable and pleasant than the airport itself. My seat was upgraded to the "Plus" section (this is similar to business class in international flights). I got tons of space and complementary lunch!! It was wonderful. Usually travelling in economy you only get pretzels and a cup of refreshments. It was nice to have an actual sandwich considering I was starving.

During my flight I met a lovely old lady from Pakistan. She was sitting in the same row as I and during the flight she needed help with english and her belt. She proceeded to tell me about her Islamic religion and how I should consider converting (after I told her I was Russian Orthodox). She was so happy that I was so respectful and still listened to her talk no matter how different (or in some cases similar) our religions are. At the end of the flight she said, in her thick accent "I will call my son and I will tell him what a wonderful flight partner I had". She was just so sweet.

My dad picked me up from the airport, he fed me and drove me back to my home city. During the trip we listened to my "hip" music and then he requested I transfer most of my music over to him. I wonder how he'll feel about my music after he hears all of it.

Anyways it is nice to be home. Just under 2 months left of school and research. I can't think of where life will take me next.

I apologize for my language in some of the areas. I guess I shouldn't be so angry, but I really am. I felt the way I the situation was handled at the airport was very inappropriate customer service.

Last published... December

Shouldn't people begin listing their "New Years Resolutions" sometime in beginning of January. I have clearly been off the radar for a while. I have no excuse. But I am thinking rather than trying to catch up on everything that I may have missed I will be posting (SOON!) a "Year in Review" blog post of 2013. I think that would be interesting. I will try to post more of course this year. Hopefully at LEAST once a week.

Anyways back to business.

Currently, I am back in Alberta. Combining this post with my previous post it seems like I never left. This time around I have not gone skiing but I did visit a wine tasting. I am so glad I went (even if I was awfully sick after and puked up almost my entire body weight...TMI?!) Visiting some kind of tasting was on my bucket list so I am very glad to have experienced it this past weekend.

The wine we tasted was wonderful. Big winners were of course the Europeans: France, Germany, Italy, Spain. 

Note to people who plan to go to a wine tasting: EAT! Eat lots. And also if you don't like the wine, dump it! At first I felt bad for the people in the booth serving their wine, but after I realized it is just an impossible amount of wine to go through and there is no point wasting your sip on wine you do not enjoy. 

This past weekend was also Valentines Day, and I just happen to be in Alberta, where my boyfriend works and lives. What are the chances??! We had a lovely dinner at an Italian restaurant with an extraordinary amount of food. Interestingly enough their menu portions were for either 2 or 4 or 6 people. Imagining third wheeling this dinner.

I will be jumping right on the writing soon! New post to come in the *near* future. 

A winter wonderland.

No matter how cold or snowy it is, I love going outside. This weekend was one of my favourites so far in Edmonton. We didn't do anything extravagant but it was so much fun.
First we went for a walk in a near-by park and this happened:

I got really close to this chickadee to take these pictures, but then there was a lot of standing like this:

                   
                   

BUT THEN:

To say the least I was very excited that the chickadee finally landed in my hand. It was a pretty wonderful moment. 

Then there was a day of skating. Can't say I enjoyed it THAT much. This is because I'm not the strongest skater so the whole time I was just terrified of falling down. Still it was a nice day to spend an evening. 

My boyfriend is clearly more fabulous than I am. 

Today we leave to Calgary to see friends as well as go skiing! I am very excited. I love skiing. I am much better at skiing than I am at skating.