*silent maniac laughter*

* The semester, and with it my second year in uni, is over. I have 2/3s of a BA. This also means test season is upon me. Next week's going to be fun:
Sunday + Monday + Tuesday: Invert lab trip
Wednesday: A revision class before the test in evolution, at noone.
Thursday: a 9 hour long revision lab in invert lab
Friday: Evolution test

Fun stuff, isn't it?

* Finished Churchill's third volume in The Second World War series and here's the review:

The Grand Alliance by Winston S. Churchill

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
In this volume, as evens take a faster pace so does the writing. Churchil was never a bad writer, but in the previous volume he didn't quite find the right balance between putting in every memo he ever wrote and every small background history detail.

Events are well told in good details and the sense of interest and intensivity is kep very nicely.

So far, I'm very pleased with this series.


View all my reviews.

Am now reading Stephen King's The Dark Half

@_@

Five work days + university + zoo experiment + project + university obligations = no life

However, I had this to cheer me up:
Brand New Monty Python Papperbok by Graham Chapman

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Very silly.


View all my reviews.

Happiness is....

1. A cocktail parakeet on my shoulder, playing with my earring and putting its tiny face into my curls' loops.
2. Fluffing up a bunny and having a child-costumer come up to me asking if they can hold it and to quickly and sternly answer "No".
3. Doing the same to an annoying screeching teenager girl, who has been running around the store aimlessly babbeling nonsense and responding to animals' natural behavior like only stupid teenaged girls can react when they think being disgusted and amused by whatever looks odd to them is the right and feminine thing to do, and is now standing by the bunny pen with a large sign on it saying 'Do Not Touch the Animals' asking if she can pet the bunny.
4. Fondling a rat who, after a long while of sniffing around my hands and shirt, curls up in my palms and goes to sleep.

Did I tell you I love my job yet?

The hyena project relaxed a bit and now the toy stage is in full force. The bones experiment is done and next week'll be time for the ice lolly test. I enjoyed making the ice lolly (take a small plastic tub, fill it with cut up chicken, sardines, canalopes and dates, fill it with water and put it in the freezer) but I did not enjoy putting it in the freezer. I found a dead sheep there, waiting for consuming; not a pretty sight on the end of a long bunker-like refrigerator, opening a giant bunker-like door and once the clouds of frost dissappear to see the sheep's legs sticking out in odd directions @_@

Anyways! Here are some kitty pictures:



Muh?


You again? What do you want?


The biggest toy bone (the one he did not yet consume, BTW) was also a key interest to the fluffers when I let them sniff it around. Scarlett was the most intersted:


She was trying to get under it for some strange reason...


Sam joined in




But gave up when Scarlett started showing too much interest. He's a gentleman like that; he'll give her whatever she's interested in even if he's playing with it. The only thing he'll take from her is the food bowl come gushy food time...


Hopefull much, ne?


She tried biting it from every direction

She even managed to drag it for a few centimeters...

Today I was in the zoology garden doing the last round of the bones test and here are pictures!!

This is the predator's compound's yard. Mostly the wolves are in it but the hyena gets to go there once in a while


This is the hyena in one part of his cage. The other part is of equal size on the other side of the wall.


Shiran, who came up with me onto the roof of the wolves & heyna side of the compound, looking glum. I had to take someone up there with me due to security orders...


More of the hyena


Standing in his water pool, he likes sitting there, scratching himself or drinking the water while cooling on them.


Bones round I. Note the big yellowish bone is the same one Scarlett tried having a go at. Note the changes a hyena can do...


And that's it for today, I'll bring pictures of the ice lolly round as well ^_^

Yup yup

* The cat handling survey's on the roll!! If you wish to participate (which means you have a cat who's willing to be picked up or you frequently meet a cat who does so - like in a family's/friend's house) please email: CatSurvey@windowslive.com with a headline "bloggish" Thank you!

* The hyena thing is semi-solved, that is, if the hyena won't destroy all the bones we brought him too fast....

* Finished reading A Historical Achievement and its Evolution (BTW, they didn't mis-use the term 'evolution 8D) and here's the newly-made Goodreads review-form thingie:

A Historical Achievement and its Evolution by Abigale Paz-Yeshaiyahu

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a gathering of many articles dealing with the kibbutz and moshav movements, the political and general history of the two.

A promising book, it managed to be a vewry good and educating book covering history well until it reached topics beyond that of WW2 and beyond. Until then it was extensive, well written, easy to read history and a bit of philosophy. Everything beyond the second world war and the foundation of Israel (including the big Stalin-good-or-bad crisis in the kibbutz movement!) was neglected. The articles became vague and overly sociologistic-politic-centered. Besides one purely economic article about the crumbling of the lesser-successful kibbuts during the 80s, and an article about Ben Gurion's efforts to create education settlements for the new arrivals as Israel was founded, there was nothing historical about anything happening in Israel beyond 1939.

Big, big, GIANT cock-up and a huge mistake in a book which claims to cover the kibbutz and moshav movements from 1900 to 1990.


View all my reviews.

Am now reading: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

* I started putting some old anime-fandom-era treasures up to sale on Ebay and so far the one product I put on is getting quarrled over by two people, good good ^_^

*waves smoke away*

I got a job! I'm now a proud (and happy) worker in a PET SHOP in a neighboring city's mall. Yeah, Couldn't have thought of a better part-time job for me than that, huh? I'M SO HAPPY!! A hissing cockroach walked on me and a tarantula walked on me and a leopard gecko bit me and a budgy walked on me and an ara parrot missed pooping on me and rats smelled me and a siberean hamster yelled at me and *can go on forever* fun fun!!

On a different note; the hyena experiment is under a bit of problems. Here's a short video you can sort of make out my mood from:


Goodnight and happy D-Day anniversary.

Quick Note

* Dana has left the animal behavior lab course and I'm therefore alone on the job. Not that I mind; I much prefer working alone rather than having to synchronize everything with other people. Also news on the course is that the martes are making a full use of their enclosure's branches, shelves and various entertainment facilities and despite the fact that they do show some repeatative behavior, they're also doing a whole lot more (only about 10% of what they've been doing was repeatative behavior) while the hyena's spening half an hour pacing without noticing what's going on around him...so the martes are off the topic, but I'll make 'em toys anyways <3

* The new Legend chapter is out in my original fiction LJ and FictionPress, go read it.

Over and out.

Happy birthday, Israel

* The second semester started and though the fallen soldiers memorial day and independence day cut two days off the week I managed to experience most of the classes (save for Evolution). So far so good, and here's what we have this time:
Microbiology - the prof. of which is a chubby and huggable little Sweedish Chef lookalike who's prone to smiles and staying off boring subjects.
Mulecular Biology - lead by a prof who sort of looks like Christopher Ryan with a little more hair. So far, boring as hell, actually, but tolerable.
Invertebrates Lab - only had classes so far but it's fun fun fun; lots of cool facts about inverts!
Evolution - which I have yet to have a class in but it should be interesting, lead by the last prof who taught us Animal Behavior.
Animal Behavior lab - AWESOM!! Hooked up with uni-gang-member Dana to work on steriotypical beharion (a.k.a pacing in our case) in the striped hyena and stone martens of the zoology garden.

* We're so kicking ass with that animal behavior lab project; we already have the experiment procedures figured out and a plan all ready and that SO impressed the guides and prof, way cool. We're going to make toys so the little beasts won't be bored and neurotic which also contributes to their quality of life ^_^

* Today is independence day for Israel and we celebrated by going to Jerusalem's Israel museum and science museum. The first was very nice, had a lovely mini model of Second Temple Jerusalem and the Kumeran scrolls along with some modern art I wasn't bothered with and a show of liberated art stolen from jews by the nazis.
The science museum was fun and cool and the exhibition about medicins and drugs had a bit where you can build molecules from beads and bonds and such and I made Alanine in a peptide bond with Cistein. Yes. Nerdy. I know.
The first museum also had a fantastic book about crusaders in Israel, their beginning, their various waves of conquest and their way of life and I got it for almost 200 shekels less its original price because the cover was mis-glued to the paper. Luckily, my grandfather worked at a printing house and dad knows a thing or two on fixing these things. Basically, I got an extremely cool book for dirt cheap ^_^

Ta ta!

Tests so far and a book report.

Tests: Animal Behavior was hard but fair. I hope all the idiots who filled the classroom just because they thought it's a cutsy little course with lots of animal pictures learned a lesson; this is a serious subject, as serious as any of the micro__ and biotechnology subjects *grumblegrumble* I had only three days to properly cramm to it and two out of those I shared with cramming to Genetics so I will not be surprised if my grade will not be as much as I expect of myself. Yet, there is a re-take exam always.
Genetics is tomorrow and I hope all will go well. It's the kind of test you can bring anything into (besides the course's book, of course) so I'm arming myself to the teeth with just about anything I can put into the folder. I've finished all 11 practice tests and have marked out which subjects will show me a hard time so I know what to tackle now. It should be alright, if I keep myself levelheaded. Wish me luck!

Book Report: Ah, didn't expect to finish this book quite so fast but it is a very slim book, despite its ripe and rich content, and the kind of books which are really hard to put down. Here's my Goodreads review:
Pratchett's first Discworld book, it's an amazingly adventurous, imaginative, exciting, amusing book about a poor failed wizard, Rincewind and the tourist that is the world's trouble-magnet, he's constantly made to look after.
If I give you any more plot details I'll spoil you and you really aught to read this book without knowing at all where the plot's going or it'll be just like riding a roller-coaster without feeling gravity; a total bummer.
It's not his funniest book, I must add, but it...more Pratchett's first Discworld book, it's an amazingly adventurous, imaginative, exciting, amusing book about a poor failed wizard, Rincewind and the tourist that is the world's trouble-magnet, he's constantly made to look after.
If I give you any more plot details I'll spoil you and you really aught to read this book without knowing at all where the plot's going or it'll be just like riding a roller-coaster without feeling gravity; a total bummer.
It's not his funniest book, I must add, but it's novelty and it's radical and abundant imagination and fun makes it all worth while. Highly recommended!

Next up: Sybille Steinbacher's Auschwitz, A History.

The start....and a book report

So far on Animal Behavior: I sure do hope one of the lecturers won't ask us the kind of questions he gave us as sample questions in the test. If so then I can only conclude he's hoping we'll earn good grades by cramming and memorizing like parrots, forgetting it all the next day.
He's a strange fellow, that lecturer. You know that old hobbit in Lord of the Ring's beginning, the one who frowns sourly at Gandalph as he rides into the Shire, well, whenever I see that prof he frowns at me sourly like that. I swear I've never done a thing against him.

So far on Genetics: whoever's writing the tests for this course is either very nerdy or extremely bored. Today I exercised on a story with Popeye and Olive in which I concluded that, according to blood type, Olive's been cheating on Popeye...oh lord, the nerdiness.

Book Report: Quite an air of disappointment on Tuchman, really. Here's the report:
Tuchman writes well, she obviously knows a great deal of history and can often reach that almost-impossible achievement of historians to both tell as many facts as possible while not overloading. I say 'often' because this book didn't always have this moment.
Two things I liked about this book:
1. Tuchman's deep familiarity with a very wide range of history topics and times.
2. The obviously matriculate and objective, clear way of defining 'folly' by a certain logical and smart definition without getting too emotional and choosing more "hot topic" acts of silliness.
Two things I didn't like about this book:
1. Despite her great knowledge of the periods she wrote about, she failed to write a proper background of the ruling systems and the climate of the eras she discussed. Trying to understand how corrupt the six popes of the renaissance it'd help to know why the popes has such a control over Rome as if they were the kings (rather than the rulers of the Vatican as they are now...) or who were the French they fought against.
2. The chapter about the US in Vietnam was both boring, tedious, overly-detailed and featured Tuchman referring to the Americans as 'us' and 'we' which indicates a lack of objectivity a historian should avoid at all costs.

It's an OK book but definitely not the best general history book I've ever read.

Am now reading: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett.

Lab report and progress

* I hate lab reports. With a vengeance, I do. When I don't get my data for the calculations mixed up because I'm looking at the wrong line in the data sheet I'm getting confused in the calculation itself and when I'm done doing that I have me some confusion while feeding the data to the semi-logarithmic graph I make of it. The semi-logarithmic graph has been made manually, mind you, as requested by the lab staff of babysitting masterants. Ugh, I have semi-logarithmic graphs, yuck yuck yuck!!

* Guess what, I'm done with the tests time of the hyrax project!! Hooraah! I did some initial statistic handling and have sent my guide person a heads up so she can send me the testosterone, age and sex sheet stuff. Cool!! All that's left then is further statistical analysis and writing down the paperwork. I've already written down the protocol, so the Tools and Methods bit is done, done done ^_^
As for the cat cradling project, me and Prof #2 are trying to get a hold of each other and meet up about reading material for the project. Hopefully I'll manage to get a hold of him this week.

The two news pieces I promised...

1. I got fired after a small, silly, bitchy tackle with a coworker to a shift who was also themanager of night team, but which was based on a very deep and annoying problem. I have work ethics so I don't talk on the phone while I'm supposed to stay available to answer costumers' calls, and I try to stay by my work station in case I'll miss a call. Said coworker and manager had a habit of having private conversation on her line so that all the calls kept streaming to me and when she wasn't at that she'd talk on one of her own cell phones and not notice calls entering her computer thus ending up getting to me etc. On my last shift the pressure of calls was phenomenal and she chose the wrong time to be bitchy about me needing to answer even more calls (I answered twice her ammount by then) instead of using the relative calm in calls to eat my dinner.
Also, two months ago I covered for their asses by staying to do a double shift until the next morning because the guys who were supposed to replace us stood us up. On the morning after I was praised and promised a big bonus for that act of niceness by two of my bosses but two months later and there's zilch from them.
Screw them, I can find better places and I have better things to do now.

2. SCHOOL'S BACK!! Last friday the lecturers finally signed a reasonable agreement with the ministry of treasury and the strike is over! Aw, man, how I missed my faculty...I even missed the toilet <3 it seems the semesters will be shortened by two weeks and some substance diducted but also we'll be learning 6 days a week and not just 5 as usual. My faclty has yet to give us the year's new time table so I'm still happy and optimistic but there are high chances that I might have to postpone some of my choice labs (invertebrates and variational bugs labs, most likely) to next year when you're supposed to complete all your choice labs and classes.
But most importantly...SCHOOL'S BAAAAAAACK!!

I am alive (or so it seems)

* I've worked six days this week, without even noticing it...damn, how did it come to this? Well, with nine days until the semester is due to be canceled by the strike for good and the professors still not willing to settle (they didn't show up to a meeting about it scheduled for yesturday...) it seems I still have time to keep gaining a financial fat layer before the disaster of how this academic year will look when it's finally started again will ruin any chance of me ever having a life beyond work and study.

* Speaking of life, me and the BF have a one month anniversary tomorrow (*squee*) and if I wasn't so cynical and shy I'd tell you exactly what I feel about it.

* I've updated my flicker account with some new pictures, including all my old hyrax pictures. As I was writing comments for each picture, I noticed how this stupid project and the treatment I get from the project guide didn't mar my enthusiasm for these strange little beasts. *sigh*

* Finished Mists of Avalon. Have you ever found yourself reading a book, knowing you're reading crap, but the writing style and the occasional promising plot twist kept you going?
Maybe I was fooled by Hallmark's production, Merlin, and I expected Morgaine to have a backbone to call her own. Zimmer Bradley took whatever hope I had of finding yet another female character to favor and crushed them; Morgaine is obsessed with who everyone marries and who gives birth to who as badly as the simple 'foolish' women she describes contemptibly.
The constant religious conversations were getting boring by the nine-hundredth time they were run and Zimmer Bradley's constant obsession with not taking sides or making too many snapping comments of Christianity were annoying.
Bradley gives no one a truly happy ending nor a revenge to any of the 'bad' characters and so leaves the reader with a sense of bitter disappointment. Sure, it was nice to read about the very early days of post-Roman england, but for god's sake; I could have picked up a history book and not this waste of time, energy and paper
However, watching Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail, is a wonderful cleansing experience after this book...

Am now reading Steve Jones' Almost Like A Whale.

Picture post!

Finally, I got pictures from two events I had last month; a birthday party for on of my university gang's member, and a beach cleaning operation my faculty's student council organized.

Birthday Party: The gang member, who's name is also Meirav, took us to a dance-bar called The Budha at the closed old Tel Aviv dock. The whole university gang was there, which is cool because we don't get to see each other much these days what with the strike still going on and everybody in their own job.

First off, the gang:

From right to left; birthday girl Meirav, Neta, moi, Guy, Dana and Shai.

And this is Shiran who was taking the group picture:


Olga, who was in the little ladies' room at the time:


More group pictures:

Meirav, Guy, Shay and Olga


Olga, Neta and Moi


Neta, moi and Dana (isn't she hot?)

I'll stop briefing you about the names already and just post the pictures...








Being silly with chips...




When you're drunk enough, you do stuff like this:

We really aught to be studying engineering....so much talent...

Being a responsible adult, I was not drinking the whole evening because I gave Dana and Shiran a lift to the club and back *pats self* good girl. Managed to avoid smoking, too, after 6 months of no smoking, so yay for me.

Beach cleaning: The faculty of life science (zoology, microbiology, virology, botanics, ecology, biotechnology and bioinformatics) being the hub of tree hugging dorks (accept those who continue their studies and become mouse dissectors in Block-10-like labs...) our two representatives at the student council decided to organize a beach cleaning operation in Jaffa at a small beach. Indeed, not many came, but those who did come had a great fun. It's the beginning of bird migrating season and we kept seeing arrowheads and films of cormorants overhead coming like waves. Also, the beach was very quiet and serene like only a beach at a winter's late afternoon can be. I must warn you that I look awful in these pictures so you'll just have to pretend I have a paper bag on my head (bad hair day) Pictures:

We had these big plastic bags and ran around the beach picking trash up, playing "He who finds the first bong/used condom gets a free HIV test on behalf of the faculty" and many other fun games.


And then, me and a couple of guys got into wheel digging, removing dumped wheels from the beach and boy was that a messy, hard work. My back and arms were insanely cramped the next day. Here are some wheel piccies:


Ehn!


Digging them up


Dragging them away


Taking them piece by piece


And then I found some sea cucumbers (a few Holothuria tubulosa)!! Went over to brag them off to the rest of the biology nerds

We put them back right where we found them afterwards, we did.

The whole gang


The day's howl at sunset




And that's the end of the picture post!