Sarah- the neurosurgeon...?

Hey everybody!
So I extracted my first hamster brain today. I am not sure whether or not this is a good thing, it was pretty gross and I am not really looking forward to doing it again. There is a lot of blood and bone crunching. And let's not forget the skinning. Anyway, it was an unpleasant procedure, but someone has to do it! Plus, my supervisor said that I did it really well:)

I am also practicing perfusion on my animals. This means piercing the heart with a needle and flushing out the animal with a fixative. It is also an incredibly tough process. Who knew their hearts would be SO small and slippery? However, I do like this part of the experiment because we get to open up the hamsters. Their hearts are still beating too. It is pretty cool. Anyway, things are getting underway. Still loving residence and still loving the coffee house:)

Still working off the turkey...

It has almost been a month since I last blogged. I hope some people are still reading this...

So what is new and exciting in the life of Sarah Chan?

Well, I love being a Don. My floor was beginning to get out of hand, but I gave them a serious talk and so far, they have been very responsive and a lot more responsible (but I say that now, come tonight and the weekend- who knows?)

I am also really enjoying myself at the university coffee house. My goodness- it is so much fun making expressos and sandwiches! I really did not expect myself to like it this much.

Today I volunteered in the pediatric ward of the hospital. There I met a boy who had cancer but was cured. It then came back and he lost an eye because of it. Now, he is back because the cancer has returned and is here for some more chemo. And this boy is not even 10 years old. Sometimes you have to just thank your lucky starts that you and the people you love are healthy. I am glad to be volunteering where I am, because it gives me some solid perspective that I appreciate a lot.