End of semester

The semester I wrapping up and consequently I am rather busy; however, less busy then I would have expected. I have one more week of physical biochemistry lecture then a final on May 7 and I’ll be finished with that class. In my structure class I have a final project, which is to make a Wikipedia page on a topic related to protein structure. If one desires they can see my page here: Click here. It is a work in progress and is not due until mid-May. After I’m done with these two classes I will not have to take a class ever again, at least not a canonical class. I am taking a ‘class’ in the fall I am quite excited about. It is a one-on-one tutorial with a faculty member. I will be working with my PI, Dave Richardson, through the concepts of protein crystallography. ‘But Bradley,’ you might ask, ‘weren’t you in a crystallography lab for three years and haven’t you taken numerous courses on the subject?’ The answer, of coarse, is yes, I have. However, I still am having trouble grasping the concepts at the level that one needs if one is to get their PhD in the field of crystallography. I am pretty excited for this one-on-one tutorial; it’s a unique opportunity.

Not much else has happened besides school. I did have the opportunity to participate in the day of service put together by the LDS church. I could have chosen from about a dozen different locations but settled on helping out at the Piedmont Wildlife Center. There were several volunteers; we were split into groups and helped out on a variety of projects. The team I was with was given the assignment to erect a three-walled structure to hold a compost pile. We did this by building a three-sided square (one side was open) log cabin. The hardest part was digging the postholes. I then went into the woods where I helped clear out an area for a sitting area where children visiting the park could sit and be instructed. It was a great day; I felt I was back in Utah as there were equal amounts of children and adults .

That’s it. The next time I write I’ll be done with my classes, woohoo! After classes I’ll be researching full-time.

‘Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.’
--Brian Adams

Dirve for fun.

I have had two weekends to tell of. They were full of fun and driving long distances to have that fun. First, two weeks ago I drove up to northern Virginia where my mother was visiting from Utah. Due to the brevity of the trip, my mother was convinced that she would not be able to see me; and I encouraged her in that mentation. On Wednesday, immediately following my class, I started the long drive up to my brother’s abode in Virginia. I arrived at approximate 10 PM and thoroughly surprised my mother; it was quite amusing. Sadly, we only could spend one day together. It was a very special day as my niece was turning 14 years old. I said good-bye when we went to bed. When I awoke she was gone.

The next afternoon we all drove down to Virginia Beach. At this time, we were experiencing 85 degree weather; of course, the beach sounded fun. When we got there, fog hid the ocean from view and the temperature was a lot closer to 45 than 85. The next morning we scouted out Atlantic Avenue surveying the shops as well as the beach. While we waited for the temperature to rise we visited the aquarium in town. It was actually a pretty cool aquarium with different exhibits and a large variety of very interesting aquatic creatures. After spending a few hours there we went back to the beach where the water was slightly warmer than the mountain lakes I’ve become accustom to. Subsequently, most of our fun was had in the sand. Mike and I were buried, into the same hole, up to our necks’. It was a blast! Later that night we went to the priesthood conference, during which the Easter bunny visited. After watching Duke demolish West Virginia we went to bed, woke up, and drove to our respective homes.

I watched the NCAA final at my friend, Zach’s house. We had a few people over including Zach’s parents. What an exhilarating finish, it could have gone either way. God shed his grace and Duke won. Pandemonium followed on campus complete with a huge bonfire. Naturally, I elected to stay off campus as I am clearly above such silliness. I believe that is why one word explains the feeling I had after the game, anticlimactic. It was, however, fun the next day whe we welcomed the tam back.

This weekend I went to a YSA (Young Single Adult) conference put on by the LDS church at property the church owns in the middle of North Carolina; it was approximately two hours away. Being in North Carolina, the property had a plethora of trees. The property included a large mess hall, several cabins, and a small lake. My friend and I left early Saturday morning arriving just in time for the service project; landscaping. We improved the entrance to the camp by raising flowerbeds, weeding, laying sod, and planting a good number of perennials. We then had ‘spiritual training’ where we participated in two different workshops and heard the area seventy speak. The messages were well thought out and very good; the Spirit was definitely there. We then had 'physical training’ where we participated in a variety of events, the highlight of which was an obstacle course in the woods. We had a dance that night following dinner. The next day (today) we had an awesome Sacrament/testimony service. It was a spiritual uplifting weekend. My favorite part was connecting with a friend and meeting new people.

That’s all.

"It is impossible to live without failure. Unless you live so cautiously that you avoid life - in which case you fail by default."
--J.K. Rowling