Note to self: Do not take a leftover turkey sandwich for lunch in between classes on Monday.

I collect a few things. For a long time I collected stamps. I still do sometimes. I collect dolls. Antique, unique, foreign, and ones that have memories behind them.

I also collect brownie points. I am an avid collector of brownie points. Last spring semester, the only reason I got an A in my math class was because I racked up so many brownie points. My professor even told me that. Basically.

With only 3 weeks left in the semester, I decided that today was the day that I needed to gain bonus points.

I told my Spanish professor that the way he grades is “smart thinking”. Actually, it’s not. From a student’s perspective it is, but from a teacher’s perspective it’s not. Tests are worth almost nothing, and there isn’t a final exam. If you come to every class every time class meets, and if you do your homework, but you still get C’s on tests, it is still possible to end up with an A in the class.

My biology professor is much different. He grades more traditionally, with a curve. I believe I’m at the top of the curve, but a few extra brownie points never hurt anyone.

Today I showed him this website. I ran across it when I was researching genetic mutations. It’s an interactive map of the human genome. There are genome maps for other species also. I really didn’t understand a whole lot of it, but what I did understand was very helpful. I typed the gene I needed information on into the search engine, and the results showed me everything about the gene and its neighbors. Very useful. To the right of the map there is a table that gives information on the genes. The table tells what the genes are used for, and will sometimes list syndromes or disorders that are associated with that particular gene. Also very useful.

Needless to say, my professor was very excited. Probably because he understood what more than 1/180 of what the map was talking about. When he ran to show another professor, I knew my brownie point count doubled.

I let my mantis go today. I hadn’t been able to catch a moth the past couple days. I think all of the moths died because it’s been so cold at night recently. Also, I think she is getting ready to lay her eggs pretty soon. Aww poor little mantis…

Last night I slept outside on the balcony. When I woke up there was a praying mantis by my head, just watching me. I brought her inside and searched around for an adequate cage. Everything was either way to big or way to small, so I just decided to put her on my bamboo plant.

“Poor mantis. You should let her be free.”

“Be free? She is free! She’s loose in the house.”

“She wants to be in the wild.”

“Are you kidding me? She’s having the time of her life. Bamboo to a mantis is like a luxury suite to humans.”

“How do you know?”

“Because all the normal looking manteses want to look like their Asain cousins. The Asain cousin lives in the mantis version of Beverly Hills.”

“Sure.”

“There are perks to living with me. Not only does she have a house that is the perfect shade of green, has the perfect amount of moisture (it’s water bamboo), and allows her to be like a mantis movie star, but she also gets food hand delivered to her.”

“I guess that is pretty good.”

“I think she’s expecting. So basically she’s one of those movie stars that rents out 7 private suites just to have a baby (or two, or three hundred).”

She must really like it on that bamboo because the only time she’s moved is to eat a moth.

Today in my biology class we were testing our blood to see what our blood types are. Well, most people were testing their blood types, anyways.

One girl stuck herself in her finger, squeezed out the three drops needed, then decided that she was going to faint. I could see her from across the room turning pale.

“Nancy, come with me. Let’s go.”

“I’m seeing black spots….ugh I feel like puking.”

I took her to the bathroom were she spit up some stomach fluid.

“I’m so cold…and dizzy”

“You’re cold because you’re going into shock. That means your blood is all in the middle of your body.”

I made her lie down on the floor while I propped her feet up. After about ten minutes she started feeling better and told me that I could go. I told her that if I left she could sue me. Then I got a sinking feeling that this lifeguarding stuff will never go away. Stupid second nature.