School thoughts

I don't know how to do my physiology homework that is due on Wednesday.

I'm not sure right now how learning the minute details of cell membrane biophysics is going to make me a better exercise physiologist.

It is hard to pay attention in a class that lasts for 3 hours, even with breaks.

I am always behind with assigned readings, and even when I read them, I forget what they say.

I guess this is the life of a PhD student.

Snapping Turtle!

On Sunday, we had a visitor to our condo complex-a rather large snapping turtle. The turtle was hanging out at the entrance of our complex in a bit of a precarious position because it was risking getting run over by any entering car. So after looking at it for a while and taking pictures, one guy picked it up and redirected it back into the woods. Hopefully the turtle is back with its family now.

I had never seen a snapping turtle up close, and I was quite surprised by its size and the fact that it had long toenails and a long tail. The guy that picked it up said it felt like it weighed 20 lbs or so. I should say that the turtle did not seem overjoyed with being picked up and definitely made some snapping motions with its head, but the guy was careful and picked it up from behind so that he would reduce the chances of getting bitten. Below are some pics of the turtle.

Off to a running start

That definitely describes this first week of school. I've now been to all of my classes, and the work has already begun. Yesterday I did biomechanics homework and started working on a physiology problem set that is due tomorrow. My officemate and 2nd-year PhD student Pete is also in my physiology class, which is really good because we can study and work on assignments together. We spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon finishing our physiology homework, which is nice because now I don't have to work on it at home. Now, I get to start on the pile of weekly readings for each of my classes. Here's to the next 4 years of my life. . .

New school year, new grad program

Today was the first day of class at UNC. For me, that also means that today was my first day as a PhD student. I am now enjoying several perks in my new role, as I now have my own office space and my name listed outside the door of our lab (ES Evans, MA). I also have my mailbox over by the faculty mailboxes, and I get to go to the exercise physiology faculty/doctoral student monthly meetings.

This semester I am taking 11 credit hours. Today I had my biomechanics class. It's going to be a lot like my physics classes from college, which is convenient because I can consult my physicist husband if I need homework help! Haha! Tomorrow I have physiology, which I'm looking forward to.

Relay Team Troubles

Over the past couple weeks, our team has been experiencing some issues, not much different than those of the USA men's and women's gymnastics teams. We have lost a couple runners due to injury or other conflicts, and to make it worse, our alternates have also had to drop out for some of the same reasons. Unfortunately, we have no Olympic-sized comback story, as we have not been able to replace our lost team members or alternates. With the race less than 4 weeks away, we are most likely going to pull out, regroup, and try again next year. Hopefully we'll be able to stay together as a team and run some local 10K's and 1/2 marathons together as part of our training.

I was looking forward to running with the team, but at the same time, I do feel a sense of relief that we've decided to scrap this year. For one thing, I don't think any of us was really prepared to run that kind of race in those kinds of conditions in the required amount of time (i.e., 13-24 miles per person in mountainous terrain at a semi-high altitude, with all of us having to average 10 minute miles in order to finish the 208-mile race in the allotted 34 hours). Also, if we had decided to do the race, and one or more of us got hurt or sick during the race, the rest of us would have had to pick up the extra mileage, on top of our own assigned miles. While no one likes to give up on a commitment, I think that this is one of those endeavors where it's better to realize ahead of time that you're not prepared and work harder for next time rather than barreling ahead, only to have a miserable time.

So hopefully, the Bear Breasted Second Basemen will make a roaring comeback (no pun intended) in next year's Blue Ridge Relay.

If you could be Summer Olympian, which sport(s) would you play?

If I were going to the Olympics right now, as a 28-year old, here's what I'd choose, in no particular order.

1. 3m springboard diving.
2. 5000 and/or 10,000m track.
3. Marathon
4. Triathlon

However, if I were 20 or younger, I'd also add gymnastics to the list.

What sport(s) would you choose?

Olympics!

I love watching the Olympics, and I am so glad that the competition starts tomorrow. Here are the events that I am especially excited to watch.

1. Gymnastics. The USA women's team won the World Championship last fall, so they are the team to beat. And we have several girls on the squad who have really good chances of medalling in the all-around and event finals. The USA men's team isn't too shabby either, plus they have really nice muscles :) Unfortunately, the Hamm twins won't be competing, but hopefully the team will really pull together and give a great performance.

2. Diving. One of my favorite athletes is USA's Laura Wilkinson, who won gold on the platform at the 2000 Games. This is her last Olympics, so I will definitely be cheering her on.

3. Track and Field. I really like all the running events (surprise, surprise), although I think my favorites are the 5000 and 10,000 meters because they are familiar racing distances to me. Also, one of the competitors in women's 10,000 is Shalane Flanagan, who is a UNC graduate.

4. Men's and Women's Marathon. Will USA's Deena Kastor be able to win a medal again? Will UK's Paula Radcliffe finally grab that elusive gold?

5. Swimming. Team USA has a bunch of awesome swimmers, not to mention all the hype surrounding Michael Phelps.

Degrees Conferred!

Yesterday was August "graduation" at UNC. It is official. We are now Elizabeth Evans, MA and Benjamin Evans, PhD.

Soap Opera Viewer

So for most of the summer, I've had a pretty flexible schedule where I'm able to be home in the middle of the day. When I'm doing stuff like lifting weights or eating lunch, I like to watch TV, and I have started watching the soap opera Days of our Lives. I was semi-familiar with this soap before because my grandmother is a very committed Days watcher. I don't think that I'm going to get that committed, as I won't be able to watch it when school starts back. If I need a fix, I can read the updates online. Here are some observations I've made about soap characters, which I'm pretty sure are universal to all soaps.

1. Everyone dresses REALLY well. I mean, you have two girls going out for coffee, and they're wearing sundresses and big jewelry and their hair and make-up is perfect. I mean, they hardly ever wear jeans! (Okay, I should add that since I'm an exercise physiologist, I'm either in the lab or working out with patients, so sundresses and big jewelry are not exactly reasonable fashion options for me.)

2. The main occupations of choice for soap characters seem to be cop, doctor, lawyer, or business tycoon. But a lot of the time, you don't even see them at work! And it's the middle of the day! So then do most soap story episodes take place on the weekend?

3. Everyone has either been married to everyone else, or has slept with everyone else.

4. Everyone is related somehow, either by blood, marriage, or adoption.

5. Related to #4, people are not shy about getting into romantic relationships with their adopted relatives. Example from Days: Stephanie is currently dating her adoptive uncle Max. Okay, I know there's no blood relation, but still, ew!

6. Everyone's been in trouble with the law at some point, even the teenagers/young adults, and a large majority have done jail time.

7. Soaps are set in small towns. I guess that's why everyone's been in relationships with everyone else; not much to choose from.

8. Soap characters have a lot of money.

9. Soap characters go into comas a lot. Like, you think someone is dead, and they might have disappeared for several years, but really they were just chillin' out in a coma. Of course, when they wake up, there's no brain damage, and they're perfectly back to normal.

10. Related to #10, soap characters seem to make amazing and rapid recoveries from usually-fatal illnesses/accidents.

11. Kids age really fast on soaps. A baby will be born, then you won't see them for say 5 years, but when they come back, they're already a teenager.

If there are any other soap watchers out there, feel free to add to the list.