What major historical event happened in July 1969?

Star Trek Version: Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise. It's continuing mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before! (gosh I loved Star Trek!)

My NASA Version: Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the space shuttle Atlantis. It's continuing mission to explore strange space stations, to seek out aliens and repair satellites, to boldly go 215 miles into space!

For entertainment (since I don't believe I'll ever have cable) I've been watching NASA TV!!! (You will still have to click the “Launch NASA TV Viewer” button.) Parts have been very interesting. The mission specialist on the Atlantis is Patrick Forrester who spoke at A&M’s Dec 2006 graduation. The Atlantis flew into the air Friday afternoon, but I missed it flying over head. Saturday you could see it slowly zooming around the Earth. Sunday it seems that the poor astronauts ran out of sippy straws for their hi-tech juice boxes, so the NASA guys were like “check in this compartment, and if it's not there, it might be in this other compartment,” so in other words, they had no clue. Also Sunday, the space ship attached to the International space station (apparently different from MIR)... and there's a Russian sounding guy that lives in it! The space station is 214 miles up... if I understood them right (which is good cuz wiki gave them a range between 199-215 miles up). That doesn't seem too far; it's 3 hrs by car from College Station to Dallas in 200 miles.

Today, they've been grappling with a thermal blanket required for safe re-entry to Earth. I thought to myself, why on Earth (or space) were they outside the space ship?! While looking up the latest gossip on hedonistic Paris Hilton’s jail status, I ran across a little article about their current troubles in space and the first of three 6.5 hr space walks they were undertaking. I think that’s why I wouldn’t want to go into space—“troubles” and being outside the craft. That, and there’s a perfectly good Earth right where I’m at. I don’t even think I’d go if it were free, and we all know how economically prudent I can be! Sure is neat to watch though. I only wish that our taxes could be diverted from welfare to NASA and other science fields (like Vet Med).

To answer the question: What major historical event happened in July 1969? Man walked on the moon. So important, yet surprisingly often forgotten. Now back to studying...

The Return of the Passport

I have my passport back! I'm now able to flee this country if I want to. (ie I can ISLAND HOP!!!) Unfortunately my limited financial resources and moral guide prohibit me from doing so. For those of you who didn't know, Ross collected our passports and $100US when we arrived to keep us from escaping! So, it's so cool, I'm OFFICALLY an 'international student.' That seems so wierd. I have a real 'student visa' just like... all my international friends back home must have. I still feel like I'm in the states though... just in a friendlier, more tropical version with cheap boo's and conch soup.

So that's the good part of my day; the bad part was I missed 5 questions (of 40) on my Nutrition test. I'm so pissed, I want the key. I so did not just make a B. Rumors circulating says that he posted the key and it says that one of the Q's pertaining to Vit A is 'green & yellow' and I put 'green & orange' because beta-carotine is found in alfalfa and carrots. (Other choices were 'green & red' and 'red & yellow.') B-carotine / 2 => retinol ~ Vit A. What's worse is that he specifically said "green to yellow-orange" and gave us examples of each: green= clover/alfalfa, yellow= fat/flowers, orange= carrots, red= tomatoes. So what does that mean?! Carotenoids are found in almost everything and can even be blue. I could just be going nuts due to rumors, and didn't miss the Q.

I have a WEB-CAM too. It's only take me a week or two to figure it out, but it works. It so reminds me of Star Trek when they could see each other and talk at the same time. It's so much better that a telephone!!!

Arnie's otters are hiding this week too. Due to the construction (the habitat destruction) in College Station with new roads, a new center, and a new golf course going in, the neighborhood otters moved into my pond. How cool!? Arnie said it looked like a big one and a little one… but HUGE. The small one is probably ~35 lbs and the big one twice that. I haven't seen the male otter in a while, but he was a monster and bigger than my 80 lb dog! This is not normal for an American River Otter (20-30 lbs), but they are not beavers, badgers, coyotes, wolves, dogs, cats, bears, nutria, hares, Mexican jaguars, bobcat, ocelot, raccoons, chupracabra, or what ever else in North America I can think of. There were beavers at one point several years ago, that ate 4 trees then moved to a better pond. Wish I had picts, but at least now I have several eyewitnesses (which means I'm not crazy).

Raining Mangos

Outside our cafeteria is a huge mango tree. It's had green mangos on it for the past month or two with a few becoming ripe at a time. Now it still looks the same with the green mangos on the tree, but every morning the tables, benches, and cement of the exterior cafeteria eating area is pelted with bright yellow mangos like it magically rained red and yellow.

The tangy aroma of mango flavoring permeates the air so that half the school smells of mango. There are enough mangos that every student and staff can take handfuls home every day. Some students have taken to feeding the island tortoises, who happen to love mangos.

For me, I intend to take my clutch of mangos home and either make some type of ethanol added slurry drink or eat them cooked or raw with a meal of chicken. I have not decided as of yet.

Ate some mangos... WOW. These are THE best mangos I've ever had in my life! I had 3 last night and 4 this morning. Let's hope they don't bring the funky jungle rash back.

No Avoiding Tissue Tests

Sadness...

My piece of mail at school was my health insurance card.

Got home and checked my email. I got lots of junk email again, but nothing from anyone I specifically expected to email me. I guess, such is life and back to studying rather than surfing the net to avoid more upcoming 'tissue tests.'

Tor-Tilla the Soup

(pronounced like ‘Atilla the Hun’)

… makes it more fun to eat, like alphabet soup.

I do not believe that I went into detail about the things my parents smuggled on island for me.

And a second note, I got an email on Friday from the mailroom that said I had a piece of MAIL!!! Who ever sent it, THANK YOU and I will try to pick it up tomorrow! (The mail room has been closed the past few times I stopped by. It’d be my luck that it’s junk mail from the states.)

So, what dad smuggled: everything. 14 boxes of Kraft mac’n cheese (minus the 2 I ate over the weekend). All of my spices from home (so glad they evaded customs). The tortilla soup I’m eating now. (Mom took me to the store and we found CILANTRO! But it took 2 grocery stores before we could find cheese, go fig.)

AND a beef roast. Like really a beef roast. Walked it right thru customs with it; they didn’t notice nor care. Didn’t put it on a customs declaration voucher, oh no. There are laws against this for a reason. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: the Foot & Mouth virus spreads 40 miles a day and infects all two-toed critters (cows, sheep, goats, deer). It’s not zoonotic (transmissible to people) like Avian Influenza is, but it shuts trade borders just the same, with equal or greater economic losses. I will happily note, however, that I cooked it and I ate it and I thought it was yummy. No more smuggling meat, fruit, vegetables, or anything that will get me into trouble onto St. Kitts though! Kapeash?!

We finally got to the heart today in class. I have no idea what he was talking about and I don’t have any idea how the blood circulates thru anymore. What he said was so completely backwards and disorganized, I will try my best to strike it from my memory. I know how the heart works, I know the parts, I know the order, I know about the hole in fetal hearts, the shunts, etc. He really made it far more complicated than it should have ever been, and our notes were 18-point font, which is absolutely unreadable. One thing he did have in the notes wasn’t a complete waste, but I will have to find a different professor to show it to me on a live dog (Onion is too quite of a dog to be a good candidate).

And really weird- I’ve broken out in a rash; like within the past hour. Itch itch itch. Haven’t eaten anything or touched anything weird… well, nothing out of the ordinary for me. What’s weird to most isn’t usually so weird to me, so it’s a matter of context. (Good example of this is my pet bread, who creeped my roommate out and now lives in my room.) The rash is all over the backs and sides of my legs… wait I think I figured it out… on my entire abdomen, my elbows, my left thumb, my right palm, and right fingers. Never mind, back to square one. I was thinking it might be something in my comforter like the Island detergent, but I didn’t wash it so it wouldn’t be that… and it’s under my clothes so it really can be that. Beats me, I’ll just scrub off in another shower.

(Wed Morning) Back to normal again.

Goats

The moment we've all been waiting for: Goats on Cars!

Sadness, one of the 11 goats was hit by a car Sunday morning, so we're down to 10.

Down to 9 if the dog comes back and eats the scared baby goat that pooped all over my porch.

(Notice the dents on the roof of the dark car.)

It's a tough life being a stinky island goat!

Please keep Mrs. Clark in your thoughts

To all my blog fans, I have some bad news. Last week Mrs. Carolyn Clark went into cardiac arrest while speaking at a scholarship awards ceremony. Fortunately, two doctors in the audience resuscitated her and she was taken to the hospital. From my understanding, she underwent surgery to have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placed in her. After she was released from the hospital, she climbed the stars at her house and her new ICD sent a jolt of electricity thru her body! She is back in the hospital now.

For those of you who do not know Mrs. Clark, she is a wonderfully warm person who took it upon herself to graciously host the post funeral arrangements for my little brother last month. I am indebted to both the Prothro and Clark Families for their kindness and support over the past 30 years.

Please keep Mrs. Carolyn Clark in your thoughts.

HOW THE HEART WORKS: Follow the diagram, double click image to enlarge, (MOM) you might need to Ctrl N to put it in a new window so you can follow along!!! The numbers in the diagram show the path of blood flow in order thru the heart. Blue areas are without oxygen; red areas are with oxygen; R= right; L= left. Hearts work like this: blood comes from body in veins to the heart, to the R atrium, to the R ventricle, to the lungs to get oxygen, from the lungs with oxygen, to the L atrium, to the L ventricle, and out to the head and body in arteries. Cardiac nodes are basically large groups of nerves that control the heart. The SA node is of paramount importance because it triggers the heart to contract (beat), while the AV node causes the electrical signal sent from the SA node to slow down. This is WHY the atria and ventricles do NOT beat in unison and WHY we hear the slightly staggered “lub-dub” of a heartbeat.

ICD’s are designed for people that have a heart that beats dangerously fast, has ventricular tachycardia, or is prone to ventricular fibrillation. The ICD is implanted under the skin of the left shoulder and has two leads (paddles/sensors) inside the heart: one on the AV node and the other in the bottom of the R ventricle. ICD’s work by stimulating the AV node to slow the electrical signal sent by the SA node, thereby slowing the heart . ICD’s also function to maintain that both ventricles beat simultaneously AND after the simultaneous beat of both atria.

Have I lost anyone yet? The ound we hear is really from the heart's valves opening and shutting, but I'm trying to be simple. I could really go into specific details about depolarization, voltage gated ion channels, calcium release, cardiac and smooth muscle receptors, carrier proteins, etc, if anyone needs me to, thanks to my Aggie education!

Other devices: pacemakers are designed to speed up slow heartbeats (SA node), while cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT’s) is aimed at treating heart failure. Also, cardiac arrest is slightly different from a heart attack. Usually a heart attack has warning signs like nausea, chest pain, numbness, and if all the symptoms are ignored, the patient goes into cardiac arrest, which is when the heart actually completely stops beating!

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor YET, nor am I familiar with Mrs. Clark’s specific circumstances. I am going off hearsay (from my mother).