rapper's delight

For the past month I have been taking a Chemistry course to fill one of my science divisionals to graduate. As I do not plan on spending the next decade of my life pursuing a medical degree, I decided to take the no-frills non-science major course: Chem 108 Everyday Chemistry. It's been a fun, entertaining class. I've learned lots about the chemistry behind air pollution, global warming, nutrition, and crack cocaine. During the drug chapter, I felt a little self-conscious when I corrected the professor when she said morphine only comes in intravenuous form.

"Actually, it comes in a delayed-release pill form as well." I blurted out.

There were possible three reactions people had to my in-depth knowledge of the best opiate on the market:
1) What a know-it-all
2)Wow, I didn't take her to be a prescription drug abuser or
3)(Zzzzz...)

I also have become the poster child for a disease we've discussed regularly in the nutrition, drug, and biotechnology chapters. Take a wild guess. If you guessed albinism, you would be wrong. But if you guessed diabetes, YOU WIN!!!! When anything ever has to do with diabetes in class my professor says, "And Virginia, you should know this..."

7 times out of 10 the answer is "Diabetes"
3 times out of 10 the answer is "Insulin"

Darn right I know that crap. I think next week if she says "Virginia you should know this" I will answer "INFECTIOUS COLITIS!" or "Auto immune pancreatitis!" or "DRUG INDUCED LUPUS!" But I can't tell my whole life story, then I'd be so much less mysterious...

So, Chem 108 is fun. Lots of football and soccer players who make life interesting. Especially earlier this week when we were given a nefarious extra credit option (more like requirement). We were given 15 minutes to write a RAP about CHEMISTRY with the person sitting next to us. We had to PERFORM it in order to receive credit.

I was paired with a large football player who seems tough, with his arms covered in tattoos, but in reality, he seems to be quite gentle and shy. I think he was weary of playing into the "rap" stereotype. Or maybe he's just shy. He wouldn't call it a rap; he insisted we write a "poem". I got a laugh out of him when I insisted, "But hip-hop IS poetry!" He smiled at me, a short white girl wearing pink pants and a green polo. I felt shamed as I stood in front of the class as I spoke in rhyme about amino acids and saturated fat. My cohort refused to alternate lines with me, he merely stood there. He was proud of our work, but he remained a gentle giant.

The pair of boys that won rapped about the chemistry of viagara with a sung chorus of "We usin' Viagara-one pill a a time" Key words in their rap included "longer" and "stronger". My professor was in disbelief. They insisted they based their performance on statistics.

ZZZ's

I have been criticized by my new Wake Forest colleagues for my love of napping.

"You sleep more than anyone I know"
"Gah, did you take another nap?"
"You have pillow lines on your face again"

Give me a break, people. I only take one (maybe two) naps per day. And so what if this sleep addiction causes me to miss appointments, press the snooze button 20 times, or screen my phone calls? I know what I'm doing and I don't feel guilty. It's what I'd like to call "concentrated laziness". Two hour nap? Great, two hour workout. 30 minute nap? Great, 2nd 30 minute nap and then 30 minute work out and break a sweat.

Honestly, I think my body just needs more sleep these days. It's resting and trying to recover from the past year of chronic illness and stress. It'll just take time to be able to function on 6 hours a nights instead of 8. Or 9. Maybe even 10.

Two-Ingredient Taffy

In my first blog post, I thought I might make a contribution to society and culture as a whole in order to get off on the right foot. I thought I might share a little gem of a genius, haute couture, GOURMET recipe that has the power to bring peace to the middle east and keep paris hilton in jail indefinitely. It also has the power to provide universal health care for all people like me with defective immune systems. But anyway.

among my close circle of high school friends, i am known for many things that nearly always have to do with a random interjection of sudden, instantaneous knowledge or wisdom. Two-ingredient taffy is one of these.

What is two-ingredient taffy?

Tim would describe two-ingredient taffy as "simple joy":

Tim (12:18:35 AM): simple because it's easy to make

Tim (12:18:51 AM): and joy because it's savory beyond all words

It may look....well, rustic....(it is rolled in wax paper)
It may be difficult to chew (hey, it's just lasts longer that way)

But anyway, the first time I made this delicious delicacy, I brought it in a sketchy paper brown bag to my unsuspecting friends at baccalaureate. They trusted me and tasted the genius combination of ONLY TWO INGREDIENTS. They guessed the two, they failed. But here, for the first time in the history of the world, the recipe for TWO INGREDIENT TAFFY WILL BE SHARED.

Two-Ingredient Taffy:

*In a microwave safe bowl, combine MARSHMALLOWS and a generous amount of PEANUT BUTTER.

*Microwave at short increments at medium heat, stirring after each segment of time.

*It will have a tacky, thick consistency and very messy. If it meets your hair, you will need a haircut because that stuff ain't coming out friends.

*Using a spoon, put spoonfuls onto a square of wax paper. Wrap. Refrigerate for as long as you can stand it.

ENJOY.