The Pain of Neurobiology Part II

Why does evening before-exam-revision always feel like you're learning from scratch? Does my work throughout the year count for nothing?

The Pain of Neurobiology Part I

Just been to sainsburys and bought 4 cans of caffiene drink and a bag of marshmallows. Says it all really.

Hello my little blog-weeds. I say that in a loving way, like weed from Bill and Ben, not in a "stop hanging around stealing all my soil nutrients" way. Stay and have fun!

Yesterday (Saturday) was my first exam - Biology of Disease (Pathology if you're not a pretentious Cambridge type). We did papers I and III, an hour of MCQs (275 True/false in an hour. phew!) and two hours of essays. As per last year, I'm gonna list the essays I did just so I can look back on it next year and think "what was I thinking of!", or possibly, "how clever I was to write a whole essay on atherosclerosis - now I'm a vet and don't need to know about because it doesn't affect animals I can't remember anything!".

1. What are oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes? How can changes in genes or their expression result in cancer?
2. Briefly review the cellular mechanisms involved in the development of an athersclerotic plaque. What other pathological processes can result from this?
3. Outline host defences to bacterial pathogens and discuss, with examples, how bacterial pathogens overcome them.
   

Tomorrow is CVB (Comparative Vertebrate Biology), which is pleasantly vetty, but involves me remembering lots about how frogs breathe... ooer!

In other news, it was my 20th irthday a few days ago (23rd) - didn't do too much, took that day almost all off and went into town with Alex for lunch and a spot of shopping. She got a lovely dress and I got myself some new trousers. I had loads of people round to my room for food and cake on the evening of the 24th which was fabtastic - Dave bought me a table-air-hockey thingie, which proved very popular!

See ya,
Tom
x

A lesson in Weed Extrication

Man I love my new hair - makes it about 100 times easier to pull out the bits of Cam-Weed out when it's just over a centimetre long! As you can tell, I have just been canoeing - in the cold and rain. It's May for Christ's sake; and it's still freezing! We played some polo though, which was great fun, we had some fun in the "rapids" below the weir, and did a few strokes. Was good fun, but am glad to be back in the warm of my room!

Finally got May Ball tickets after messing up and forgetting to collect them - and now we have found out that Jen, Lydia and Me are wanted to play a 50min set at the start of the mayball - which will be a little weird, because it'll be right at the start, but, it'll be good fun. However, this means we'll have only 10 days (after exams) to rehearse (and come up with some songs) before the day! AARGH. Still, it'll be an amazing experience.

What else? Humm.. have done some work, have some food for my birthday tomorrow (and parcels. Ooooo!) Can't wait for exams to be over! Here we cooooooommmeee!!

Tom

Clipped

Had my hair cut yesterday - guy in the Barber's near Clare Colony wanted to charge me an extra £8 for having alot of hair to cut off, so I politely walked out. £18 is too much for a haircut, especially when there's a sign outside saying "gentlemen's haircuts, £10". So I went to Mr Polito's, who did a fine job for £12. Note to cambridgians. DO NOT GO TO THE BARBERS BY CLARE COLONY (is that libel? can I be arrested?)

I cooked meatballs on Friday, which was an interesting experience, i just bunged together some mince, herbs and onion in balls, fried them and then added a few veggies and dolmio, and BANG, it worked! Huzzah! My fear that I would think I was eating testicles was unfounded. Muwahah!

In other news, 15 exams is a lot of exams to do, especially when they are horribly fact based. I am not a "taperecorder" as Omega so eloquently put it yesterday, and am not enjoying it, Neurobiology especially. Still, they start in a week so will be over soon, and we'll be free, and, of course, it is my birthday on Tuesday. How exciting! I'm having a subdued meal at mine with friends, because everyone is revising at the mo, and I doubt they (and I know I can't) could devote a whole evening for a formal/club session, though I would love to. (So many commas. I Know that that was an appaulingly disarticulated paragraph (unlike a Badger's jaw (google it)), but I'm lazy so aren't going to change it. It's a stream of consciousness - the best way :)

Right, I have to learn about motor-systems now. It's raining and I don't want to, but I have to. Roll on the 8th of June!

Tom xxx

Look! I've been good! Haven't posted for a couple of days. Have been working hard! Promise! The last week has been tough, and I'm pretty knackered. Every spare minute feels like it should be being used for work, even though there's no way that it is going to be, or could be - bloody exam-term. Having five huge subjects to get through, each with a massive lever arch file of facts gets tiring after a while!

Spent the weekend going through my pathology practical notes, with a short break on Saturday to do some canoeing. Rich took Jenny and me out on the river and let us practice some T-rescues, and even let me have a go at a roll (though I didn't succeed). I managed to capsise and then T-rescue on Rich's boat infront of some tourists - they were very entertained. Hehe.

It was Andrew's birthday on Saturday, but as it is temps-du-examens he just had a little pub-trip on Thursday and drinks, cake and weird games in his room on his birthday. It was good fun, even though everyone had to rush off after an hour or so to do work. It's my birthday in just over a week, and I'm manicly trying to think of something to do that wont take up too much of people's time but will be good fun. Maybe I'll make lunch for everyone in a come-to-my-room-and-eat-little-things-I've-dotted- around-my-room kind of way. That could be fun.

Right I'd better get on - haven't been up long and need to get clean!

Tom.

Uppity

As you can see, the frequency of posts has increased, and that can only mean one thing - it's exam term. Today is Saturday, and I've done some VRB work, and have been into town for lunch. Alex is dying Jen's hair as we speak, and I'm sitting here listening to Marillion. Ahhhhhh. This eve, Jen and me are going to McDonalds for a stodge-fest, which will be satiating(is that a word?). I'm really craving some good stodge - haven't been to buttery all term!

Update: 7/5/06
I fear I may have eaten 1700 calories worth of McDonalds last night... goodbye Aorta!

Tom

Workyworkywork

Yesterday evening was fun. Alex, Vicky and me (I stirred) made vegetarian chili which was tasty. OO, and now I think about it, I have a room for next year - 7 Braeside - it's south facing, has two big windows and is a confortable size. Only problem is that it has no sink, but I'm sure I can get around that. Back to the evening - Alex and I went down to the LCR to watch Green Wing, and then came back to Castle end where we chatted with Jen (and later Dave) until almost 1am... A rareity nowadays, but good fun :)

So much work. So much work that I actually hoovered my room yesterday. So much work that I have photos of me doing work. Still, I think I'm almost all the way through Neuroanatomy now, which is a relief because that is the hardest bit. I think I can remember the path of the Dorsal Columns/Medial Lemniscus system - thank God I'm not doing it next year!

Still, I'll work hard this weekend, and then I can go canoeing on Monday night, and play cricket on Tuesday.

Hope you are all well!
Tom
xxx

Manic Monday

Monday was a strange little day, starting off with plans of no lectures, and little planned whatsoever to a big full crazyday. I got up at a sensible ish time of 9.30 am to get some work done, and Alex came round at 11.30 to revise over here too - Castle End is actually a very nice place in the summer.

After my canoeing larks of the weekend, I had emailed the secretary of CUCC (Cambridge University Canoeing Club) and asked when the 1* classes began. I got an email that afternoon saying that they were on Monday and Thursday nights from 6pm-8pm. I can't make Thursdays as I have a VanVeen supervision in the afternoon, so I plumped for Monday, giving me a few hours to get a couple of cheques together (it's good value for a term of classes - £12.50 for membership and £15 for the classes), cook a big lunch (as I would miss dinner) and pack some things in a bag. Also, a few hours before I went, I got an email from Rachel-the-vet-from-girton (Spikes), who invited us out to the may-day funfair that night. Another thing was planned!

So, at 6pm I arrived at the canoe-sheds, having again manically pumped up my bike (my new inner tube has a slow puncture), and we got down to some canoeing - they taught us the sweepstroke, monkey stroke, and side-stroke (think those are the names). We also did a capsize drill, played a bit of polo and bulldog. It was really really good - well worth it, and if I'm any good then I can do the assessment at the end to try and get a certificate!

I got back at about 8.20 having stopped off in Sainsburys for some coke (apparently staves of Weil's Disease) and some crisps (I was starving), and at 9pm we went to the Midsummer Fair, where I was tempted onto the "Twister" with Jen and Alex, despite my terrified cries "It's just not normal!" and actually really enjoyed it to the point that I went on the "Terminator" - a fast spinny, strobe lighting sideways spinny thing. It was great fun, though I felt a little groggy afterwards (and managed to walk into a lamppost on the way home) - hehe. Great fun.