Urushiol - science fact of the day

So, in researching poison oak (because, now that I'm a scientist, I should be able to comprehend complex mechanisms of allergic reactions blablabla), I learned that the oily toxin, urushiol, found in poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac (or maybe it's just called sumac), is a catechol - a benzene ring with two neighboring alcohol functional groups - with an alkyl substituted side chain... in this case, the alkyl is a long hydrocarbon side chain, either saturated or unsaturated (which gives the compound its oily nature). The urushiol oil is actually a mixture of these catechol substituted groups, with varying proportions of the saturated and unsaturated side chains (and different degrees of unsaturation). Interestingly, people are more sensitive to the unsaturated versions, and lo! Poison oak has lots of unsaturated side chains. Who'da thunk?
When the oil/ toxin touches a skin cell, it binds to proteins on the cell surface, and changes their conformation. THEN (now this is the craazzyy part) - our immune system doesn't recognize our own cells any longer (because the surface proteins are different), so our immune system attacks the cells in an allergic response.


ok, now that that's over, let me just say that I despise people who don't do their homework and then try to weasel out of responsibility for their laziness. In my keyboard class (ok, so I realize that it's a lower division keyboard requirement for most music majors, so "who cares"), NOBODY practices... or if they do, it must be like ten minutes tops. We had our second midterm today, and half the class didn't even show up until there were only 15 minutes left in the class - hoping there would not be enough time on that day for them to go - and others begged to go last, or next-to-last. I, and a few other pseudo-prepared students offered to go, if only because we were then allowed to leave upon completing the midterm...
A few weeks ago, during the previous midterm, one girl (who had obviously not prepared at ALL), asked if she could go on the following monday. Teacher said no (thank goodness). Then she couldn't play any of the scales, any of the pieces, or any of the finger excercises. NOTHING. By the end of her miderm, she was tearful and resentful, and the teacher was furious. Not directly at her, but at being put in such an uncomfortable position. nobody likes to make girls cry, least of all a sweet mormon pianist, and after she left (tears streaming after her), he ranted at the rest of the class... i guess it felt like he was preaching to the choir, but I'm sure there were some dissidents in the class....
why can't people just take care of their business.
GEEZ

ok, that's all for now
oh, and the poison oak welts on my face were oozing fluid all day. gross.

rhubarb compote

To begin what is undoubtedly going to be an oft-neglected blog, may I just say that poison oak could be a blessing in disguise...
Disclaimer: do not attempt at home, leave it to the professionals
If you ever get poison oak, take full advantage of the exquisite sensation of scalding hot water caressing the rash. I cannot find words to explain its power.

On another note, I dissected a frog this morning, removed its sciatic nerve, and proceeded to perform a series of electrical experiments, and for the most part, I was just relieved that I was able to obtain relevant data.

pardon me while I indulge in a bout of fevered scratching....

Axel is currently cooking his wonderful rhubarb compote. I never knew that rhubarb was even tasty until Helga (Axel's mum) made some in Germany.

My oboe professor, the illustrious Dr. Joel Timm, gave me a bunch of old reeds to try out, and boy do I wish he'd done this 4 years ago. Oboe might not have seemed so intimidating to a reed-less freshman thrown into a sea of serious musicians. I think I felt that a biology degree would be simpler than a lifetime of making oboe reeds... a futile pastime if ever there was one.

oh.. and I want to go on a Vancouver vacation...

Please look forward to more disorienting and mangled presentations of things I deem worthy. (I created this blog about 2 years ago, but this will be my first post)