Ccccold

Cambridge Has gone really cold - Freezing no less. The sky has been clear for about 6 days now, and as such all the warmth that was ever in this town, either residue from the Summer, geothermal energy from the deep crust, or warmth from the collective brain that is the PDN department has left...

Brrrr...

A Summary: Essays, Textbooks, Trees, Pool and Formal

Sorry - it's been a while again. Tis much harder to keep this up when you know there's work to be done! I wrote my first essay last week, on Fetal Kidneys, so hopefully it'll be ok. Was hard having to reference everything, though it made it seem much more professional and scientific!
Making a Vertebrate is still very tough, mostly due to the poor quality of the lectures. We've been thrown in, and some vitally important factors have just been skipped over in the lectures. I'd assumed lectures would be for covering the basic general stuff, and that we would read around for some more information. Not the way it works! I read my amazing text-book (Principles of Development by L.Wolpert) yesterday, and it explained mesoderm induction so well. Helped by the vitally important 4-signal theory that was mentioned in passing in the lecture. Seems that the textbook is going to be my friend this year.
In other news, I am going to be selling Xmas Trees again this winter, which is fantastic. The money (and probably exercise) will be very welcome! I have also been appointed Clare College Pool Captain, which was a little unexpected, but welcomed - will be a challenge, but good fun!
Last night was a vetty formal at Fitz. It was really good to see alot of them again, but certain people disgraced themselves by starting a boat race and ploughing under the tables while the fellows were still in the hall. They were escorted out, and all was a little awkward. Hopefully the college will be ok about it.

ps - happy birthday alex!

My Apologies

Finding time to post is surprisingly tough. Most of my time has been taken up with doing chores, eating, working or having fun with friends - whenever I come back to my room there is work pressing and so I've not posted yet. Maybe that is a little excessive - this is supposedly the "doss" third year after all.

So far, PDN has been a varied bunch. The first few lectures in "Fetal and Placental Physiology" (here after known as FPP) were amazing (if a little speedy), and the papers I've been reading have been really interesting. Making a Vertebrate (MAV), that I thought would be really good fun turned out to be a bit of a haul, as the first few lectures we've had have been a little poor to say the least, and I spent alot of yesterday translating them. I've spent alot of time in libraries so far, rooting through hard-bound copies of age-old scientific journals. I even ventured into the UL (And as everyone has to, found many books with crazy titles. "The Correspondence of Rubens, Tomes I-VI" entertained me most, though "Mammals of the Soviet Union, Vols I and II" was pretty shocking). Almost makes me feel like an arts student, but not quite.

Alex has dived headlong into a world of Biological Anthropology, and is just about picking through the mounds of species and behaviours she has to get her head round. She keeps piping out interesting facts like "female chimpanzees have pink bums", and "infanticide is selected for sexually". It's all very interesting really.

Tom Taylor is now an Engling, and as such is to be found in the Braeside reading Pope, Wordsworth or whatever else takes his fancy, occasionally piping up with some fascinating, but incomprehensible quote. He's really enjoying it though, which is fantastic.

Well, that's a quick summary - perhaps I should maybe go back an backdate some stuff... How much more convenient it is to keep this going regularly.

Tom
xxx

p.s. Today is my Dad's birthday, so if he's reading, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Very quick message, as time is limited. a few things:

1. Sorry I havent posted for ages. Am back at uni, and only recently got internet access. Lots of reading to do - and people in the library are using ALL the journals I need. Why can't they just read one-at-a-time!?
2. Clare formal is going up in the world!
3. Out of time. Will post properly soon

Formal

Ah, it's been so long - and it's so much better than we remember. This could be a result of our extended summer holiday, but the presentation of a "filo pastry swan" with pastry wings and neck, a chocolate coated beak, and a creamy body makes me think otherwise. This could be due to two things:
1) They're trying to impress the freshers to get them addicted to formal
2) They have a new chef (Hooray!)
3) They have a new chef and have concurrently raised the price without telling us (there's no way to tell when you book tickets).

Post formal, we went to Fez to dance the night away to Fat Poppadaddies. We were gonna go to Soul Tree, but we heard reports that it was rubbish, reports that we later found out to be well-founded.
The night went well, until Reece was ejected for unknown reasons. He was neither drunk, nor naked, nor gay, nor violent, nor anything... maybe the bouncer didn't like his face??? Anyway, we followed him out, went to Soul Tree, realised it was EMPTY, and so came home. Crayzee night, but good fun.

p.s. it's Hannah's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH