Labels

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Introduction


Subjectively Fun Facts

My name is Selena; the name Selena comes from the Greek deity Selene, goddess of the moon.
Image result for selene
A marble bust of Selene by an unknown artist. Image found here.
Image found here from the 1940 issue #42 Batman comic book.







However, the reason I was named Selena was because my at-the-time 14 year old sister was really into the Batman comic books and loved the character Catwoman - whose name was Selina - and suggested the name to my parents.   












My hobbies and interests include:
  • Reading (almost anything)
A complete collection of Lovecraft stories and my favorite Agatha Christie novel were some gifts I received last Christmas (also a microscope, thus the reason it's included in the photo I took).
  • Movies (specifically horror/thriller and comedy)
Some of my favorite horror/thriller movies (Image sources: Get Out, Sinister, and The VVitch [you may need a translator for this one]).
And some of my favorite comedies (Image Sources: Death Becomes Her, Deadpool, and Superbad).
  • Playing with my dog
Some photos of my dog I took.
  • Kayaking
Me at the Tahlequah River, taken yes with a waterproof Kodak camera and then uploaded.
  • Painting
If I am feeling particularly uninspired I find painting memes entertaining (personal photo)
Speaking of animals specifically, I had a cat named Jazmin for 16 years and my dog, whose name is Angel, just turned 2. I'm not a cat or dog person, I'm just an animal person (reptiles and fish too).

(personal photos)

Objectively Defining Facts

I was born in San Diego, California but moved to Norman, Oklahoma two weeks before my second birthday so I'm pretty much from Oklahoma. I was raised by my Buddhist, Marine father and my paternal Jewish, not Marine grandmother. I have two sisters that are one and two decades older than me and an uncountable amount of cousins from California to Georgia.

As you probably have guessed by now, my major is Microbiology (Professional) and I am minoring in Chemistry - but that is because the professional degree (as opposed to the standard degree) requires more than 15 hours of chemistry; although I would have wanted to minor in chemistry regardless because if I wasn't majoring in micro, chem would be my second choice. My interest in this field began when I learned about the black plague in 6th grade; it was immensely interesting to me how something no one could see with the naked eye could wipe out millions of people and have such a monumental impact on culture and society. Once graduated, I want to be apart of researching and curing diseases that affect our world today. I definitely want to further obtain a masters degree and maybe some day even a PhD on the subject.

Fin.



21 comments:

  1. Oh, look, there is the goddess Selene herself: perfect! I had just commented about that on your Storybook post. And the Batman/Catwoman connection is brilliant. How cool!

    LOVECRAFT: He is not on the reading list for class, but you can find him here online:
    An H. P. Lovecraft Anthology

    Your pets are so cute! I especially like Jazmin in the Blue Moon box ha ha. We just lost one of our cats this summer to a dreadful and unexpected illness; I am so glad for all the cute pictures we have to remember him.

    And you had said something about microbiology and mythology... now I can see one important connection: do you know about Boccaccio's Decameron and the black plague? That's a connection!
    Decameron: Frame story

    And the Decameron is one of the reading options for class too. You'll see that when you browse the UnTextbook at the start of Week 2. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Selena! I love your name story! It’s so interesting to find out how people got their names. My name is Erin, and it’s Irish, and it means…Ireland. Yeah, my elementary school name projects weren’t as cute as the kids whose names meant “glorious flower” and such, lol. My mom thought it was a short and spunky name, and that’s why she chose it. I also adore reading anything and everything, but I do not like horror movies very much. *shiver* I also love kayaking! I went to Montana this summer, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I wanted to kayak, but all the waterways were flooding from the snowmelt. Maybe next time! Good luck with your microbiology major. Science isn’t my thing, but I have crazy respect for those who love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Selena!
    We have such similar taste in movies! Death Becomes Her is one of my all time favorites. My favorite movie genre is 100% horror. I saw the VVitch in theaters and absolutely loved it! If you have not seen Hereditary I highly recommend that one as well! It takes a lot to spook me but that one sure got me a couple times!
    Hope your semester goes well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Selena! You seem very well-rounded and that seems like the best kind of person to study diseases, as disease is linked to every part of humankind, society, and our economy. I'm actually very happy that I came across your blog because I have a podcast that I want to share about the spread of diseases through produce by my favorite podcast called Planet Money. Before I listened to this episode, I never realized the intricate process of what happens when somebody is hospitalized for a rare disease and how a specialist has to track down the source of the disease, who else interacted with that source, and how to eliminate its existence. Here's the link if you're interested! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2&i=1000418454549.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Selena!
    I find microbiology and the study of diseases fascinating as well. It sounds like you may be wanting to do some sort of research for the CDC maybe specializing in unique pathologies? That sounds like a pretty sweet job to me! Looks like you have great taste in comedy movies as well, who doesn't love Ryan Reynold's Deadpool though? Best of luck on your endeavors to obtain those graduate degrees!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Selena!

    Wow, everything that I just read from your intro makes me feel like we were meant to be friends or something. I am ADDICTED to horror movies and mysteries and I’m actually in the process of collecting the hardcover copies of all the Agatha Christie books. My military dad also raised me to be a hardcore marvel/dc fan. RYour take on your intro was a really good choice so I applaud you for that! I’m a micro/chem junkie myself, thought I wasn’t smart enough to keep going with a Chemical Engineering Major in the beginnning or the Microbiology major I switched to after. I ended up doing Planned Program as a major and put emphasis in Pathogenesis so I could keep up with disease study and lab work, putting in more effort on the biochemistry and organic chemistry additives as well. I loved your page and can’t wait to read your writings. Have a great semester!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Selena! I'm from Norman too! I also enjoy reading and Deadpool, Superbad, and the Witch are some of my favorite movies. I definitely don't think I could be a painter though lol. That takes a ton of practice, obviously. Your cat and dog are really cute. It's definitely not that common to find somebody who loves both cats and dogs. Nice meeting you!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Selena!

    Fellow microbiology major here! Your pets are too adorable! I've never been able to come down on either side of the great cat vs. dog debate; I love them all. Good on you for grabbing the Chem minor! I finished the core Chem classes and said adios to that.

    Spooky stories are always my favorite. I think the jolt of a really good horror film can't be replaced. I always feel a bit more alive if I watch a nice suspenseful monster or slasher movie, even if I lie awake afterwards reminding myself there is no monster under my bed.

    Nice to meet you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Selena! Well, of course, I have to mention how adorable your dog is! She has such huge ears and I loveeee it! I love microbiology and chemistry so I’m happy to see that you decided to major/minor in those fields! We definitely need more people to research those very dangerous diseases so great job! I’m currently taking pathogenic microbiology so I just learned all about the Black Plague. I really love how you added in the story about how you got your name! That is super funny and a great story!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Selena! I never knew that the name Selena came from a Greek deity. That is really cool! It is also cool that you were named after the Catwoman character. I really like horror movies too! Which is your favorite? Are you going to see the new Halloween movie in theaters? Microbiology is really cool. I took the class over summer school once and I had a great time, especially during the lab! Thanks for sharing everything!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello Selena! I’m actually doing my semester storybook about Selene, so I think you have a wonderful name! I love animals as well, and I love seeing pics of your furry friends. I miss my dog back home, but my roommate recently got a puppy and it’s the cutest thing ever. Also I can’t believe you painted that bird meme. It’s one of my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Selena,
    Microbiology is one of those subjects that I think is really cool but know next to nothing about. I also agree that Get Out was a great movie, but unfortunately I don't really have any recommendations. I also wanted to mention that both Jazmin and Angel look super cute. I hope that you're able to be successful and have a career that you enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Selena! I love hearing about when people are named by their siblings. My mom is the youngest of four girls, and when her next-older sister was born, my grandparents let the oldest two girls name her. They said they forget the name but wanted to name her after "the girl from Peter Pan" so she was named Wendy. They later realized they meant to name her Tinkerbell, so it's probably best they forgot which name they were thinking of haha!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Selena! I really like the way you have your page set up! The pictures make it so appealing. My favorite movie genres are also horror and comedy! I think your reason for choosing the microbiology/chemistry path is so interesting. I am currently taking microbiology and I cannot believe the variety and complexity that comes with those little microorganisms.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hey Selena!
    Wow! I love your pictures to help describe what you love to do. And painting memes! What else have you painted? Since you was interested in the Black Plague, if you want, there is a class within the History of Science department History of Public Health with Aparna Nair. (my major is History of Science) There is a whole section on the Black Plague. Hope that you are having a great semester!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Selena!
    Wow! Your painting is super good! I used to paint a lot in middle school but I kind of lost it in high school, and now I’m trying to pick it back up in my free time. I also love scary movies, but I haven’t seen very many because my whole family and most of my friends hate them. I think your goal to get a PhD and curing diseases sounds amazing! Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Selena, I loved that you used so many pictures to give us more detailed insight on your life! Sinister is one of my favorite horror movies too, since it is more eerie rather than "jump-scare" horror and so that is my preference. Your dog is super adorable by the way! I hope you have a great rest of your semester.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey Selena. I think it's actually pretty cool your sister was the one that basically gave you your name based off of Batman. That's the first time I've ever heard that which makes it really unique. Also when I learned about the Black Plague I had the same thought running in my head like you. It's crazy to imagine how much things we can't see affect us on a day to day basis.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Selena! I enjoyed your introduction! It's funny when I read the name Selena, I immediately thought of the singer. They are a lot of famous Selena's out there. I'm not much of a scary movie person, but I love seeing them in theaters (I think they make them less scary.) I also just finished the Haunting of Hill House, and that was super scary, but really good!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Selena! I like your very visual introduction! I think the images blended really well with your amazing introduction. I like Batman comics too! I generally like all the marvel movies, but Batman has been my favorite. That “Get Out” movie was really scary. I liked watching it. Your dog is so cute and adorable! I wish I have a cute dog like yours. It’s nice to meet you Selena!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Selena! It seems like you have a pretty wide variety of interests! How do you find time to do it all? I also love horror/thrillers, but have a hard time finding people who will watch them with me. It's inspiring to me to hear about other scientists and their motivations, especially since curiosity about the black plague was also one of my first draws to natural sciences. I hope that your semester finishes well and that finals treat you kindly!

    ReplyDelete