Famous Last Words:

This past week was one of the least productive weeks so far this semester. I planned out the week Sunday so that I would get all my homework and lab-work done by Wednesday night so that I could have a stress free Thanksgiving; however, this did not happen. I have still, a week later, only done one of many lab reports and Thanksgiving had it's own stress beyond worrying about school work. It wasn't all bad though, as dinner was amazing and we played the game Life until about 1:30 in the morning. For those interested, here is my grandma's mac & cheese recipe that I made:

Feel free to try it!

We ended up using chives instead of parsley, and we added panko on top. It was really great! But we did have to double all the portions as we made this dish for 7 people.

While I didn't finish my schoolwork goals, I got the most important assignment done - my antibiotic assignment. This was a time consuming task and I am glad I started working on it Wednesday as it took me till Sunday to complete. And like I said - the food was great this year at Thanksgiving.

Another thing I did this week was make a concept map! A few weeks ago it was a mandatory assignment and I absolutely hated every second of it. To give you an idea of how complicated it was and why it took about 10 hours to complete, here it is:

This is about the central dogma of microbiology: replication, transcription, and translation and the ways they are connected. 

The thing that made it so difficult was that I had to think hard about how everything was connected. The largest part in green was the most confusing, as many things interlinked over different periods of time so I had to find a way to connect them and make the connections make sense. While I hated this assignment, I got every question on the exam about it correct. From this experience I was motivated to actually make another one - but this time I enjoyed it! I think the lack of grading made it less stressful and I was able to calmly make it without fear of mistakes. It even turned out better than the one I turned in for a grade, only taking about 2-3 hours in all:

This concept map is about three biological pathways in which microorganisms break down glucose for energy, the different energy forms, and how they tie into the TCA cycle and how they all tie into the production of ATP. 

One thing I learned from this - while I did not initially understand the method to my professors madness, I am glad she gave us this crazy hard assignment because now I have a new study method I had never considered before. 

Wikipedia Trail: From Macbeth to King James

Macbeth, King of Scotland

I started with this page about the real Macbeth, because I had no idea he was a real person! I had no idea Shakespeare based it on real events, as the Real Macbeth was also killed by the Real Malcolm III. While based on real people, the article states it is not based on real events.

Holinshed's Chronicles

This lead me to here, Holinshed's Chronicles which are about British history and are the chronicles that Shakespeare used to inspire him for the play. Once again, I am met with surprise that Banquo is also a real person. Shakespeare also altered the witches from the chronicles nymphs and fairies and was thought to have done this to add a more sinister tone to his play.

Banquo

Here I learned about Banquo as I knew him in the play but that in life or at least the Chronicles he was actually an accomplice to the murder of the king. The change of character heart was done by Shakespeare to appease King James which leads me to my final article. While, as I said, the article seems to state he was a real person there is no reference to his roll in life other than an accomplice to murder leading me to believe the name was changed from whomever was the real murder accomplice.

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Above is an image seen in the Banqo wiki page and I really love it. In all my storybook research I did not see this painting and I think it is a very unique representation of the three witches but more or less as one evil entity. This is honestly a painting I would love to have hanging in my home.

James VI and I

This article is about King James, and though I have heard his name I have never really thought about him before. This king did not have a brave or quick death, as he suffered from kidney stones and gout, with severe teeth decay which probably was enhanced by his alcoholism. He was so ill, his pee was purple suggesting he suffered from porphyria,  but it was later dismissed because kidney stones can turn pee bloody also. He was said to be suffering a severe case of dysentery when he died.

Reading Notes: The water snake, Part A

Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

A girl went to bathe in the forest with others, but once in the pool there was a snake. The girl got out but found the snake was on her clothes, and upon trying to poke it with a stick to get it to leave the snake said it would leave - if shed marry it.

The girl did not want to, but upon peer pressure of the others she did. She got her clothes back and went home, telling her mother what happened. The mom said it was ridiculous as no one could marry a snake. They all forgot the weird event.

The girl came home one day, crying as she had been chased by a horde of snakes. The mom barred the door shut. The snakes broke the windows and stole her, which her mom followed the girl as she was taken by the snakes.

They went into the pond where they turned into people. The mom cried but went home, accepting her daughters fate. Three years went buy and the girl remained under the pond, having children with the snake. She begged her snake husband to let her see her mother, and one day he did. Before she left, she asked what to say when she needed him. He told her a phrase and she left with her children. The mother was so happy to see all of them. The mom asked how she would get back home, and she told her the phrase. After she went to sleep, the mom took and axe and called out the phrase, to which immediately the snake showed up. The mom cut off his head, and the pond water turned red. The daughter awoke saying it was time to leave, but the mom asked her to stay another night. The next day she left and said the phrase, but her snake husband did not show. She saw his head floating in the pond and guessed what happened.

In grief, she turned herself and her children into birds.

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Reading Notes: Fairy Ointment, Part B

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

Goody was a nurse who helped the ill and infants. One night she found an ugly old man at the bottom of the stairs who asked her to help his wife who was too sick to help their baby. She didn't trust the man but she needed the money. When she went down the stairs, she saw outside a black horse with fiery eyes and they sped away.

They rode a very long time and when they reached the house Goody took the baby boy. The mother gave Goody ointment and told her to stroke the baby's eyes as soon as they opened with the stuff. She was curious, so when the parents weren't looking she put some of the stuff in her own eye. Suddenly, the poor cottage was elegant. The mother was beautiful and the baby's clothes were made of fine silks. She noticed other children with pointy ears messing with the sick woman, and realized this goo gave her the ability to see pixies. Eventually, the woman became well and could take care of her baby and the lady left without saying a thing. The old man paid her more than she had ever received for her service.

The next day Goody went to buy some things she needed. But while shopping she saw the old man, stealing openly but no one seemed to notice. She didn't think she should interfere, but she wanted to be a good customer so she approached the old man hoping to stop him. She started to talk, and the old man interrupted her in shock that she could see him.

He asked her which eye she could see him with, and she said her right. That is when the old man realized she had used the ointment - enraged, he took her right eye and she was blind on that side until she died.

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Reading Notes: The Old Woman and Her Pig, Part A

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

An old woman was cleaning when she found some spare change, enough to buy a little pig. Once home the pig refused to go over the stile. The old lady asked a dog for help, but he too refused. She walked farther and found a stick, asking it to beat the dog as it would not bite the pig and the stick also refused. Eventually she met fire, and demanded it burn the stick - but the element would not. She found water, asking it to put out the fire. She asked an Ox to drink the water. She asked a butcher to kill the ox. She met a rope that she asked to hang the butcher. She asked a rat to gnaw on the rope. She asked a cat to kill the rat.

Up to this point, everything she asked was denied, but this time the cat agreed if she would bring the cat milk. So the old lady found a cow, who offered milk in return for hay. The cow ate the hay, and she gave the milk to the cat. The cat killed the rat, as it was dying the rat gnawed at the rope, which began to nag the butcher, who began to kill the ox, which started drinking water, which put out fire, which burned the stick, that beat the dog, who bit the pig - scaring it over the fence.

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