Matter, Energy, and Life of Michaela A. Castello.

Tag: introspection

  • One Long Week

    I stayed up writing a post last night, attached images to it this morning, and sent the email to Posterous before leaving for the research symposium—only to have it disappear from existence between my phone, Sparrow, and the Gmail servers. During the beginning of the symposium I wrote a new post on the back of…

  • Overcoming Inertia

    I stand on the edge of the lake, the weathered rocks pressing uncomfortably into my feet. Chilly water laps at the shore, inviting, daring me to join it; voices behind me yell encouragements. I wave my arms as though loosening up in an attempt to buy time: I am ready to jump, but I stand in…

  • Joplin Trip Aftermath

    Now that we’re back I wanted to give one final update on the trip and disaster response itself. While I think everybody would agree that we made a difference, there are areas for improvement. It was interesting seeing the FEMA contractors working alongside nonprofits and church-based organizations. While their street closures made it tough to…

  • Thesis Planning

    The lab I decided to stay in is just getting started at LLU, so right now it’s just me and the PI, Dr. Salvador Soriano. Since there wasn’t any ongoing research in the lab when I got there, the experiments we’re planning out are going to be my thesis. While the opportunity is tremendous, it’s…

  • Kernels of Devastation

    I have been allergic to peanuts my whole life. A food allergy is a major pain—it’s like a weakness, a Kryptonite that renders me helpless at even a small dose. Unlike Superman, I don’t have remarkable powers to fall back on when things are good. Peanuts contacting my mouth rapidly initiate a multistage anaphylactic reaction…

  • Snow in Southern California

    Perhaps as a result of Loma Linda University being a private graduate school (and the increased tuition income that allows), the Student Association’s Christmas party this week was fantastic. In addition to folks spending Monday through Thursday wrapping every vertical object near the party area with lights, they brought in snow. In Southern California, where…

  • Why Two Degrees?

    Looking over the long road ahead of me, one might consider asking, incredulously, why somebody would want to do an MD/PhD program at all. It’s certainly a justified question, to which the short answer is that I think receiving training in both clinical medicine and research science will be especially valuable in my future career.…

  • The Shambling Menace

    Okay, I admit it. I have a deep-seated irrational fear of zombies. I know, I know, they’re fictional and scientifically improbable if not impossible—but if they were real, the situation is ghastly. There’s something about the zombie apocalypse that invokes a more holistic fear than your typical doomsday scenario: Even beyond the devouring horde’s exponential…