Find something to keep you going

Its hard to not get burnt out during a difficult semester. With classes and work and homework and all the side reponsibilities, it gets tiring trying to get through all of it. The way to do so is by finding something that keeps your energy up and your spirits high. Of course you need to find the time to work it in to your schedule which can sometimes become the most difficult part, but doing something to keep you sane will allow your grades to remain high and keep stress at bay. Myself, I like to go climbing at the sb rock gym on state st. It's a good spot to have some time to myself and just monkey around. There are a million ways to have fun in Santa Barbara. It's all about finding the one that keeps you most in line. 

The beach is also a solid way to mellow out. 

Passover dinner

My roommate is Jewish and he gave me my first experience of Passover dinner. Super fun. At a member of his family's house, a party of about 30 people gathered around a table to sing songs and talk about the meaning of Passover all while eating super good food and drinking a bunch of wine. Granted, my buddy's family is a little unorthodox but that makes Passover dinner that much more fun. One of the cool parts about the dinner was that it was at a house a Malibu. Now I've never been there but if I had to pick a house to live in, it would be at a house in Malibu. These places were incredible. Huge 5 million dollar homes on beach front property with amazing architecture. It was definitely a good time hanging out there and getting a little more of the lay of the land in Southern California. Overall, great night and another reason to love living in Cali. 

View from the street. Not too shabby

Things get harder

I'm not sure if it an obvious thing but as classes progress they can get significantly more difficult. To maintain a solid level of competency, more time is required to prepare and be aware of what is going on in class. This has become wildly apparent in my organic chemistry class. What we are involved in now is a multistep synthesis reaction where using several substituent materials, a single staring material is transformed into a final product. What makes these reactions more difficult isn't necessarily the reactions being performed but the level of guidance with which they are discussed. At this point, it is expected of us to know how to perform a certain type of lab technique effectively. Thankfully, my reaction is going fairly well and I'm on to the final step of the reaction. Synthesizing tetraphenylphtalic anhydride from tetraphenylcyclopentadienone. Cool huh. 

Part 3 final product. 

Spring is around

The weather is finally starting to get hot and the beaches are starting to really be back in play. If I wasn't so busy with school and work there is one beach in particular I'd like to go. East beach. It's down shoreline dr. and it's lined with about a dozen volleyball courts. Now ice never been very good at volleyball but it's still always a good time. Usually my housemates and I will get the neighbors and head down to the beach to play 3v3. My favorite part about it is that after you work up a sweat play volleyball, the water is the perfect way to cool down. While You're not technically allowed to bring dogs on the beach I tend to do it anyway. I never see the big deal as long as you pick up after them. Anyways, check out the beach and enjoy springtime!

Playing fetch with a stick bigger than him

We live where people vacation

From time to time a cruise ship will float by CC and two things will happen. First, I'll get irritated that I'm walking to class at 7:45 in the morning, and second, is that I'll remember that I live in one of the most spectacular places in the US. There are certainly times when I've taken Santa Barbara for granted because of the fact that I've been living here for a while but it's nice when there are reminders of how excellent this place is. It's cool that we get to live in a place where people vacation. Coming to that conclusion I think that's how I would like to pick the places I'm going to live in the future. The only real downside I can say for moving in the direction is that I'm broke all the time. Even if I didn't take classes and I worked 24/7 I wouldn't be able to buy a house. Even so, renting and living with roommates has produced some of the best times of my life and I'd recommend it to anyone. 

Here is the cruiseship just leisurely rolling by...

Sushi

I'm not usually super in to sushi but dinner at this place in montecito may have changed that. It's called sakana and they have great food. Their menu is huge and has pretty much any kind of sushi combination you could want. Per usual for sushi the place was a little on the expensive side, but as far as sushi goes, it was fairly priced. I also not typically a fan of sake as I generally prefer grape wine to rice wine but the warm sake they had at sakana was pretty good. There are some other sushi spots in town but I definitely suggest heading to sakana. It's right in montecito by blenders. Check it out. 

End of midterms

Well the last midterm is in an spring break is around the corner. Spring break is a genius invention. I think it keeps everyone sane. This week I had an organic chem midterm and a cell bio midterm. Neither were easy. When administration says to study for two hours for every hour of lecture it's usually an overblown figure, especially when talking about gen ed classes. That figure for science classes is not exaggerated. I was underprepared for my exams and spent the better part of 5 days study for both exams. My suggestion is to dust off the lecture notebook weeks in advance of the exams. It seems like redundant information but it's critical for getting good grades. Either way, my week is almost over. 

Just have to finish lab....

My spot

One of the best spots to live is either on the riviera or right beneath it. I live just at the bottom of the hill and have always had one particular spot that I like to go to look at Santa Barbara. It's off of alameda padre Serra and just a short five minute walk from my place. Looking out you can see the pier. The Mesa. Downtown. Even some of city college. My suggestion is find a few places that are high up that'll give you a solid view of the bowl that is Santa Barbara. It's a pretty spectacular sight. 

This is where I come on thanksgiving

Working hard

It's been a jam packed semester with the course load that I'm taking and working has added an extra element to that. I work about 20 hrs a week at a local emergency vet hospital. it's certainly an interesting environment working in en emergency setting. I've learned a significant amount about physiology, anatomy, and pharmacology. What I've been coming to understand is that experience is often more important than book smarts. What I mean is that I could learn biology till I'm blue in the face but if I don't know how to apply it then it's essentially useless. So my suggestion is to find a job that is the first rung on the ladder of your chosen career or even a career you might be interested in. It's basically what your twenties are for. If you work hard and apply yourself opportunities will arise to climb the ladder and move forward in your career. 

This is the surgical set I wrapped to be sterilized for future surgeries. 

Faculty lecture

Today was definitely a good day. One of my favorite professors had received the faulty member of the year for his hard work and dedication to the sbcc community. Blake Barron, the professor for animal biology and human sexuality classes gave his faculty lecture of the year called sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Rhythms and sensations of life. While I had heard much of the material he lectured on because of taking his animal bio class, it was still refreshing to here Blake's enthusiasm. It's the main reason he is such an influential member of the community here. I highly suggest taking one of his classes. He will help to instill a solid work ethic while making learning not such a chore. One of the best parts he that he gives you every opportunity to get an A as long as you put the work in. Overall, having taken his class has made me a better student and a more enthusiastic learner. 

Biological systems in the mix. Whoop whoop

Biology

While this technique is used in several different science classes, I enjoyed the specificity of the experiment in relation to biological structures. In cell bio lab our class used thin later chromatography to determine the polarity of several different amino acids. Amino acids are the molecules which are the building blocks for proteins. Using a TLC plate and a specific type of developing solution, groups in our classes determined the relative differential migration amounts for specific amino acids. In doing so we were able to determine which of the molecules were polar and which were non polar. While I don't recommend cell bio to non bio major students because of its time commitment and difficulty I do suggest at least checking out a bio class for a gen ed requirement or something along those lines. You might find you enjoy bio enough to make it your major. 

This is our completed TLC plate. Not much to look at but interpreting data is the challenge 

 

Post rain surf

After a weekend of rain Sunday was a great day for surfing. The waves at Hendrys were over 4 ft. All day. The water was definitely a little cold with the winter chill but with a solid suit the water was fine. The only thing that's not the greatest about surfing after a rain is the water runoff. When there is a significant amount rain the oil, trash, general funk gets swept out to sea. It makes for kind of a gnarly surf slush but when the waves are that good it's hard to say no. 

This is the view at Hendrys this past Sunday in the morning. Overcast but still good. 

Calvin and Hobbes

Recently I bought the complete series of all the Calvin and Hobbes books. What I find most enjoyable about the books is that they are equally as entertaining now as they were when I was a little kid. As I've grown older and a tad but wiser I've begun to understand the finer points of humor that the author has and how he portray it through the characters he draws. Below is one of my favorite sketches. Calvin is discussing the evolution of laughter with his good pal Hobbes. It strikes an interesting note by describing the oddity that we as humans enjoying laughing at things that are absurd. Hobbes retorts by saying that if we couldn't laugh we probably couldn't handle life. These little snippets of wisdom from Calvin and Hobbes are what has drawn me to the comic once again. I highly suggest buying the whole set or even just one little book on amazon. You can get the entire four volume set for only 50 bucks. Check it out. 

Lakers celtics

So I finally got to go inside the staples center. The whole area around it is basically a carnival on game night. Tons of people. Tons of things happening. It's kind of like going into the future. Either way it's a good time. Being from Boston I  always want to see my teams when they're in town. I missed the bruins when they played the ducks and kings so I thought tickets to lakers celtics would be a solid valentines day present. Unfortunately the celts lost and I took the typically barrage of insults from zealous sports fans but it's all good. I definitely suggest getting down to LA to check out the staples center and the espn zone at some point. Definitely worth the trip. 

Bio club

To get accepted to a good school via transfer is more and more competitive so it's always worth while to try and find a few ways to make your resume look better while enjoying yourself. I good way to do that is by joining clubs. It shows that you are active in campus activities and that you are able to balance a schedule. A solid club to join is bio club. They do bake sales, field trips, and all sorts of helpful study sessions. They are have fun activities like the kickball game against the geology club. Last year bio club won. Woo! Go us. 

Here is a picture after the victory

Downtime

This semester is undoubtedly my most difficult. I'm taking cell bio, ochem 2, and physics 2. With a workload like that I've been figuring out ways to mellow out on my downtime. There are tons of places on campus to take a minute to kick it and read a book or just lay down for a nap. One spot I've enjoyed lately is the stone steps next to the bridge on west campus. With the jack London book is just got, I've been taking some time inbetween classes to take a breather and give my brain a little rest. I highly suggest doing something similar and taking a second to enjoy living in sb. 

This is my spot. 

Well ladies and gents

I may have created the greatest culinary invention of all time. In the process of unsuccessfull making sushi I have created something far superior. Something beyond sushi itself. I call it. The sushirrito. A masterpiece is ingenuity and persistence. Is it a burrito? No! Is it a sushi roll! Definitely not! It is, the sushirrito. Designed with a complex of sticky rice, cooked salmon, avocado and fried carrots, it blends together the delights of the mobility of a burrito and the tastiness of a sushi roll. Soon to be perfected, it will take over the sushi cuisine. Fear not my fellow Californians, the California sushirrito roll will be available. 

Here is it's prototype

Farmers market

With people always stressing about how to eat healthy and where to buy the food, I thought it would be a good idea to mention the farmers market. In sb every Tuesday and Saturday the farmers market comes to town right on state st. It's basically stands of all kinds of fresh farmed foods ranging from meats and cheeses, to hummus, greens, and fruits. Although it's a tad more expensive than buying food at Ralph's or something there is no doubt things are fresh and super tasty. What's nice is the vendors will usually hook it up with a taste of the goods before you buy. I highly suggest checking it out. 

This is my buddy buying some fresh strawberries in quarters. One of the more humorous parts of that day. 

Final semester

My last semester at cc ins already in full swing. Half dozen lectures and five labs a week. It's pretty heavy but I figure as long as I have solid time management I'll be all set. The biology direction at sbcc is tough. Right now I'm enrolled in cell bio, organic chemistry, and physics. So far it's going pretty well. Granted, its not even two weeks into the semester but judging from the syllabus and previous course work experience I feel like I'll be able to manage it all. 

This is what's going on at the moment. Ochem lab. Reducing camphor to produce isoborneol

Snowboarding

This winter I finally got some time to head back to my California hometown to do some snowboarding. When I first moved I Cali in the fall of 2010 my destination was big bear lake. I ended up about 30 minutes away in arrow bear but spent most of my time at the mountain. In December I got all my hear together and headed up the hill with some friends to go ride. Unfortunately for the mountains this has been a historically dry winter so the snow wasn't exactly awesome but it was still a super fun time. Tickets are a little pricey especially when you're a broke college student but it's still cheaper than the trek to Tahoe. Overall, it's a great time going back to the mountain and spending some time snowboarding. 

This is the summit at bear mt. Pretty excellent. 

More activities

While on winter break I got lucky enough to be taken to pismo beach for the first time. After a two hour drive, I arrived at the beach and geared up for going ATVing. One of the most fun things I've done since living in Cali. In pismo there are sand dunes that stretch for thousands of acres that are open to the public for riding. The dunes range anywhere from 5ft to 100ft. Now I'm no expert so I wasn't to keen on heading down the giant dunes but I did a couple of times just taking it slow. Overall it was an excellent day and I highly suggest heading up to check it out. 

Me and an ATV in pismo

Winter break

Over winter break I discovered a bunch of new parts of California. By far my favorite of them was Lake Tahoe. Located on the California Nevada boarder, there is basically an unlimited number of things to do. When I went, about 13 of my friends and I rented a cabin in the Tahoe keys. We went for 4 days going snowboarding at Sierra and heavenly resorts. Only bummer was that this year has been a dry winter and there isn't a whole lot of snow. Still, we had a blast as we spent out days at the mountains and our nights at the casinos in Nevada. There a couple different one but we spent most of our time at harrahs. Solid spot and definitely a good time. Casinos are definitely one of the easiest places to make friends and cut loose with your friends. 

Here's what happens when you make friends with cool coats