It's the little things

So I decided that I need to pay more attention to what brings me joy in life and to make more of an effort to remember it. Heavenly Father loves me and sometimes I don't feel that as much as I should. Logically, if God were my Father then he would be involved in the tiniest details of my life right? I just need to open my eyes to it. And as usual, he was just waiting for me to come looking for him. So what are the things that have been bringing joy to my life?



I like to laugh. A lot. At work, usually I'm the only one in on the joke but I don't mind.

Funny story from work

(for those of you who don't know what I do, I'm a lab tech in a medical research lab)

This may or may not be a Dramatic Reenactment

Changing mouse cages has become a stress relief at work. All you do it catch them by their tails, change their food and water. That's it. Nothing sketchy about that...

Sometimes the mice are really feisty and futilely try to hide under whatever there is to get away from the Giant Hand™

So I talk to them.

Oh, why don't you be like the other little mouse and don't run away! Look he isn't moving at all! I'll just get him out from under this nesting....

Hey little buddy...you don't look so good....

I don't know who drew this but I thank them for illustrating my nightmares.

GAH!!!! THIS MOUSE IS ALREADY DEAD@#$%!!!!!!


Another lab person decides not to ignore my existence like usual and says all sorts of casual "So what's goin' on?"
To which I promptly reply-perhaps a bit too promptly- that there is a cold dead mouse staring back at me that I didn't kill.

.... crickets

crickets

He shoots me a weird look and goes back about his business all within 5 seconds. 
Apparently I should not be freaked out by this because I work in medical research.
Whatever. His skin was coming away from his little skull!!! ;.;  
It made me so jumpy that when I was walking to the Institute building a guy on a bike passed me on the grass and I freaked out because I thought he was a squirrel coming after me.

Point being, I've come a long way since my move to Salt Lake. It also takes a little bit to get back in the swing of working in a lab.

Work isn't all about zombie mice though. The cactus I brought to work started to really thrive. One of the cacti even started to grow a flower! But then it started to die.

 Which was sad.

 but Laura fixed it with a specially made pipette tip antibody flower holder-upper. It worked great! And that's when Jen and Laura's nerdy friendship really began.



My family also makes me really happy.

Even though I am far far away from my family and therefore my niece Ariel, she still remembers how to make the trademark handy face that I taught her. I even get to see it on my iPhone because of a wonderful invention called "FaceTime"

that's my girl!

I also love hearing about how my dad takes my dog on long car trips to the hill country. She is my best friend in the whole wide world! PS this is not socially weird I swear! If you had a dog for 10 years you would understand!

It was cold outside and she just got shaved. Poor lil sausage.

On Saturdays and when I get out of work earlier I head on over to the Humane Society. I tried going around to help all the different animals at first but let's face it- I love the dogs best. I'm sure Diamond Belle would approve of this.

scratch my belly please

This is my friend Dante. I've seen him ever since he entered the shelter. I taught him to sit and shake my hand. Now he rolls over and wants me to scratch his belly whenever he sees me. He also likes to play fetch- or rather he likes when I throw things for him to get and then likes it when I chase him in circles trying to get it back.

Then there is Jet. Holy Crap this kid has ENERGY. He almost jumped over the 8 foot tall kennel wall when he saw me holding the leash. He would play fetch until he literally fell over and died. And he brings the ball back and waits for you to throw it again!

Watch out for him though- he is a fast mover...

                                                                           ...planted one right on my kisser! YUCK

If I'm feeling particularly down on myself I can drag myself to the humane society and no matter how late in the day it is BAM! unconditional love from my dog friends. They are just so FLUFFY I COULD DIE! There are so many awesome things going on with the shelter I just wish I could do more.

 

As a side note- if you know anyone in the Utah valley area looking for amazing dogs these are some of the best out there.

 

My library card is one of the best things that happened to me here. I am in love with the library hold system. I usually put 5 books on hold at a time and they trickle in at a great rate where I can find time to read to my hearts content. Unless it is all three books in The Hunger Games then I will read until 5 in the morning on a work day. You know it is a really good book if you won't sleep, eat, or go to the bathroom until you are finished. I've just read The Help, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Peel Society, and The Princess Bride. I currently have checked out The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The complete poems and plays of T.S. Elliot (I needed a meaty piece of literature to research and absorb) and The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic by Darby Penney and Peter Stastny. The latter is the one I'm currently reading and it is heart-rending and so interesting.

 This book is a tender mercy in and of itself because it is helping me open my mind and heart to my mom. One day I'll be able to call her more often and I know God will help me with that. I also have Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void (I think Teagan should read this one too) on hold. When I'm through with these I have 5 more to put on hold: Bold spirit : Helga Estby's forgotten walk across Victorian America, Don Quixote,  My life as a furry red monster : what being Elmo has taught me about life, love, and laughing out loud, Three Cups of Tea and Water for Elephants. I'm always on the look out for books to add to my list too. The other day I found that reading childrens book really helps me simplify my life and remember how much I am loved. It's like all my fond childhood memories from the Live Oak Library come up when I go read. 

She didn't live happily ever after, but she did have a long life and was happy most of the time.

 

Go read Her Mother's Face by Roddy Doyle. And if you're looking for a good laugh go read Walter the Farting Dog- highly recommended by the New York Times. Bubba the Cowboy Prince was also hilarious. I love to laugh at little things like this and I'm so grateful I have access to all of this with my library card.  Whole worlds are opened up to me that are full of such joy.

I also just learned that you can download 3 free songs a week through my library. Guess who just got Julie Andrews singing I'm so pretty? That's right. Me. BOOYA!

Life isn't always what we expect it to be. To be honest, sometimes I wonder if I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this. It can be so hard. Knowing that things will all be made right in the eternities is comforting but it is the little things God shows me through the daily struggle that helps me hold on. He really knows me, you know? And He is still ok with me. That is what really amazes me. 

Total side note:

Can I just say how much fun it is to sit next to Star Christensen during sacrament meeting? Bah ha ha ha. Joy. That is what today was for me. Singing joy really loud instead of some equally good words during I Stand All Amazed.

Today in church we learned to focus on the things that bring us joy. These are just some of mine. Yours are probably completely different and that is ok. I would hate to think there were 2 of me running around. Write down the things that help you to know God is watching over you today. Don't wait. It will make you smile.

Ode to my family.

I like shocking people with my Hispanic heritage because you can't tell by looking at me that any Mexican blood runs through my veins. I'm the whitest one at my Handy family reunions other than my sister Stephanie (ha ha).

So I don't really look like my family at all...so what?
Well other than believing I come from a random milk man (which I don't!) I looked a little more into it.

My maternal grandparents ( the Hispanic ones I never really knew because they died before my working memory) are pure Scandinavian. A sign that reads"You can always tell a Norwegian but you can't tell him much"  hangs proudly on their wall.

They make yearly pilgrimages up to North Dakota to visit their old haunting grounds, friends, and relatives. They use to send us home with lefse and put mayonnaise on their peanut butter sandwiches. Ok, that last part may just be because my grandpa liked his mayo...still not sure about that one.

Last time I got to visit them I looked a little closer in their photo albums trying to learn more about the family I resemble the most.

Wow. This year will mark their 59th wedding anniversary. I wonder what my Dad thinks about them being married for almost his ENTIRE LIFE. Did you know the president sends you a letter on your 50th wedding anniversary? Yeah. He does. But only if you are THAT cool.

This is my Grandmother's Senior Picture

She was a nurse, ya know. I believe she was a nurse in the war. Which war? I don't really know. But maybe it was the same war my grandpa fought in.

Korea I believe. Then they married :-) And all sorts of pictures like this abounded

Sure, life wasn't always happy for them. But it was happy most of the time. They moved to Texas because my grandmother hated the snow- just like ME! We would have Christmas with them when I was little and my grandpa would always say you need to invent chocolate microwave popcorn. Then you can retire.

He still asks if I have done that yet.

They don't have the internet- don't tell them ok?

Point is I have a pretty cool family.














And when people ask me who I look like....

                                                                                       I'll proudly say my grandma.

And if you want to see the great people you're related to ask your parents or find your family tree here

It's so easy to forget about how cool your family is when you move away. Then people wonder why you are the way you are. You think about it for a little bit then come across something like this:

Who ARE these weirdos?

Oh yeah,they are my weirdos!

And everything starts to make sense again.

Because living with my family sure has helped me become who I am. A host of pictures can't tell all the good and not so good memories that have come from this. 

Hey Nick, remember that one time we used to strap Diamond Belle to her harness and she would pull you on roller skates all over the neighborhood? She was so happy even though she wore holes in her little footpads. Then remember how we put ointment on her feet and had to tie socks to them?

Or Steph, you remember how we would paint boxes and you taught me art? Shade shade shade we love to shade. 

Hey Dad, remember that card we got you with a monkey on it that is in Spanish and how you have it hung up in your bathroom. 

That's right. Guess we do care about each other. (Dude, do you know how long it took me to remember things that happened longer than 5 years ago? No more head trauma for me or I'll forget EVERYTHING!)

Anyway, when I forget about where I came from, generally, I'm unhappy and that cannot be more true of when I forget that I am a daughter of God. And that we are all children of God. It is amazing what that little bit of knowledge will do for your perspective on life and how much a difference it makes knowing that the Supreme Creator has a very special interest in your life because you are his family.

Try not to forget that ok?

I promise it will make your day better. Just think about it a little bit- God loves you and he remembers you.

"So when I make big mistake
When I fall flat on my face
I know I'll be alright
Should my tender heart be broken
I will cry those teardrops knowin'
I will be just fine
'Cause nothin' changes who I am "

Jessica Andrews-just fyi this is from a country song 

Cause that is how I roll

Word to Mama the hut.

If only in my dreams...

Feliz Navidad

It's been interesting seeing the Lord's hand in my life and how much happier people are during Christmas. I've been to temple square to see the Christmas lights and nativity scene more times than I can count. Great for people watching! (If you need to find free parking in good walking distance I now know where to go so you don't have to park at the capital building) There was one time after a Christmas concert that I really enjoyed watching what was going on under me in the assembly hall. The singers ran back to their families. One older gent was holding his new grand baby with a look of profound glee like he got the first present under the tree. Then there was an older lady who was stooped and not dressed up like everyone else. She quietly walked to a seat in the front that was empty and just had the biggest look of gratitude on her face. She came just to hear the songs about Christ. No family- no friends. I was debating if she was homeless or not. After the concert she stayed there smiling and alone while the boisterous families walked past her. I didn't know her story but I could see how sincere she was. She looked like she considered Jesus Christ to be her best friend.

It made me realize just how much I was taking my blessings for granted. Even though my family may be apart right now it isn't like things will stay that way forever.  


Let me explain

This was my first Christmas away from home and although I still would have preferred to be with my family, I didn't get BRONCHITIS!! Oh the memories of Christmas' past.

At least we were all together that Christmas though. One day we won't have to choose between health and family

As my Dad is well aware our family is scattered all across the world this season! Nick is in Germany with the Army, Stephanie and Ariel just moved to Georgia, I just moved to Salt Lake City and Dad and Diamond Belle are in San Antonio. I bet our logic was if we spread the Handy family out enough we can spread the awesome throughout the world more effectively. Yeah, that was it.

As long as we have each other we don't need to be in Texas! And now all the siblings have access to snow so we can beat it with a baseball bat in an emotional rage!Am I right? eh? eh?

Still it is hard not being there and rolling out the duct tape, lighting the fire without lighter fluid and other fun memories that just make us sound crazy but are really fun.

I've been tremendously blessed today because the weather is WARM. I was so worried I was going to break my streak of no white Christmases. 42 degrees and all sun today. The snow melted completely yesterday and it has been so lovely. Because of a cold front in San Antonio it actually evened out to about the same temperature. Heavenly Father loves me, I think it is supposed to snow a lot for new years.

My roommate Susie adopted me into her family this year and I went to her Sister and Brother-in-law's for the holiday. We tracked Santa all night. And they went to bed by the time he hit NYC just in case. Everyone knows Santa doesn't visit kids who are still awake.

I told Susie and co. a Christmas story and was quite in awe of the illustrations. Yes, that little girl IS having a tea party with a bear, reindeer, and rabbit. They then build the biggest best snowman because you're never too small to do great things if you try your best and have friends... in case you were wondering

This was followed by a massive wrapping party and old movie party. Finally saw the end of White Christmas and the entirety of Miracle on 34th Street. My favorite part is when Mr. Macy decides to testify in court that he believes in Santa. Oh yeah, and Doris and Mr. Gayle fall in love in the end. I love that everything seems right in the world in these movies.

Photo-bombing family pictures is a past time of mine :-)

 Susie might kill me for this but her bumble bee song cracked me up every time. She brought her mother a bumble bee and then smushed it. This was her face after she smushed him.










Christmas morning we were awoken by a very excited Cody who wanted us to come open our stockings. It was only 8:30 bless his heart. He must have really been holding back.

I haven't been around a bunch of small children for Christmas in a while. Note the glee

We had fun opening presents and BOY HOWDY there were so many freakin presents! Haha Cooper got tired of opening in the very beginning. It reminded me of Ariel last year.

Susie spoke with Stephanie and tried to recreate the awesome duct tape tradition. I was not on my A-game today. That is all I have to say about that. 

 

Oh, and thanks for the new awesome purse dad!

It smells like fresh cow :-)

Speaking of cows my sister prepared for me a small package meant to brighten my life.

This is Mozzerella. She is a member of the Moofia.

Yes, you heard me right.

She sleeps on my bed now and beats the crap out of bullies who steal milk money from little kids.

She then gives the milk money back to the wee bitty ones so they can drink the milk and get bigger and stronger and beat the crap out of bullies on their own. Brings the whole teach a man to fish story to a whole new level huh?

She might be moving to my lab soon to beat up any meanies I may find there.

That's how my big sister looks after me yessiree bob. With a tommy gun and a cow suit.

But if you think I loved my presents let me show you what true joy is:

He later told us he would love it forever and keep it to give to his kids because then it would be as if he still had it. He would also have a ton of kids.

This little number was also very poop-ular with the kids

And so was the Driedal that Suzie gave me.

Hours of fun I am telling you. HOURS OF FUN!

It truly has been great, but like I said, I do miss my family. I got a call from Germany today and my Dad said he is giving Diamond Belle a Christmas present of a bath. Poor sausage doggy.

If there is one thing I would like to give to my family it is this message that I love them. They are one of my greatest gifts.

The one good thing about being able to be away from my family- if there is one- is that I have had so much more time to concentrate on other people instead of myself. I mean I can either focus on being alone up here or actually go out and do something right? I love my Savior and am so happy to celebrate His birth and life. Because of the way he lived his life and the power of his atonement I don't have to be alone. He knows me and loves me. He loves my family. I don't know anything else that is as comforting as that. Merry Christmas friends and family! I'll see you all very soon!

What I've been up to...

Once upon a time I enjoyed to read...but that was before high school.  Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad and The Stranger Albert Camas just sucked all the joy out of all that was good in the world of literature. Good grief, just the thought of existentialism still makes me shudder. 

Existentialists just need to jump in a pool of sunshine and stop thinking

I have since learned that text books made good pillows and math people just don't know how to write. (I'm looking at you Gardner. You truly made math its own language)

However

Since I'm still waiting to start my job I have nothing but time to do great things like read into the wee bitty hours of the morning!! So I will share with you the joys of what I have found this summer and very recently.

For all my microbiology friends I decided to take Dr. Johnson's challenge and read this:

Basically it was thought provoking and made me realize that I don't need to be a scientist...because they are jerks. Really big jerks. Don't worry to all my science friends you don't have to lose your souls. Oh yeah and I couldn't put it down after he went to cure yellow fever. Heart wrenching!! Bah.

Then I started reading this and realized how freakn awesome Maurice Hilleman was. And how much I loved vaccines.

 And then I realized I was a wee bit obsessed with the history of microbiology...

                                                    

and now I checked this out from the library:

The Cutter Incident: How America's First Polio Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis -Also by Dr. Paul A. Offit is going to come after that.

I've also started reading Swallow the Ocean: a memoir by Laura Flynn. It was a little too disturbing close to home and poorly written for me to finish reading. Another bad idea was checking out I am the Central Park Jogger from the library. For those unfamiliar with this incident like I was it's about a horrific event that happened to a female jogger in central park and how she came to terms with it and rebuilt her life. I had nightmares. I much prefer this book I am now 75% complete with:

"To John, for convincing me that everyone who is interesting has a past."

Another really good one I learned about this summer was by Viktor E. Frankl 

This book was about how people found hope and held on to it through their time in the concentration camps. If that isn't encouraging I don't know what is.

And then there was that one more required book that I had to finish. The infamous

 ...Except while you are waiting for something to happen and you know... FALL APART it doesn't. And you keep reading thinking maybe in the next chapter. And you keep going until finally you hit the last few chapters in a 200 something page book. Then things fell apart. And I felt empty and cheated through 180 pages of build up. 

The current library books I have are, besides The Glass Castle:

• Hope in Our Hearts by Russel M. Nelson

• Broken Things to Mend by Jeffrey R Holland

(Side note on books by LDS General Authorities: At least these ones that I have read are just a compilation of talks they have already given. Which was really cool for easy access but not what I expected)

• The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine

• The World According to Mr. Rogers: Important Things to Remember 

(Another side note: I really didn't appreciate all that Mr. Rogers did when I watched his shows. He really was a great man) 

• Achieving Your Life Mission by Randal A. Wright

(I just saw this sitting on a friend's bed and it has been amazing. I highly recommend it)

• Crucial Conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high by Kerry Patterson
• Influencer: The power to change anything by Kerry Patterson

(These were recommended highly by a friend and I took the challenge. When I first read the titles I was skeptical but it actually looks like it will be good for me. Go figure) 

Then there are these two that I have been slowly reading all summer-they are more thought provoking books

• The Peace Giver: How Christ offers to heal our hearts and homes by James L. Ferrell
• The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

Oh yeah one more flop that I read or skim-read and lost IQ from:

Don't judge me! I was lured in by the hilarity of it all!  

"Elizabeth hopes to renew her relationship with Darcy, but his aunt, the Lady Catherine, interferes, insisting that her daughter Anne is a better match for her nephew. Lady Catherine challenges Elizabeth to a fight to the death, intent on eliminating the competition, but Elizabeth defeats Catherine and her cadre of ninjas. She spares Catherine's life. Darcy is touched by this gesture, and he returns to Elizabeth. The two cheerfully wipe out a field of zombies (their first battle as a couple) and begin a long and happy future together, insofar as the ever-present threat of zombie apocalypse permits it."

I was lured in by zombie apocalypse!! But it turns out although it appealed to that 12 year old side of me, it was like a 12 year old boy mashed in as much gore and ridiculous violence as he could every other paragraph. My IQ dropped. At one point while fighting ninjas Elizabeth strangles one with his own colon after disemboweling him. Over kill much? I blame it for at least 2 months of my failure in the job market.

Oh the joys of reading for fun again. :-) Brings a skip to my step and a smile to my face. You would know that if I ever left the house and stopped reading during the day...probably

Since I know my life is going to be turned upside-down as soon as I start working and I won't be able to indulge in reading I'm putting a list of books I still want to read here. For future reference that is...

• The Life of Pi Yann Martel
• Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon 
  
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer     
• The Princess Bride
• A biography on Isaac Newton. This guy's a science BEAST!

Any more books that I should add to this list?  It's kind of interesting to see the journey I've been through this past year just based on the books I have decided to read. Pretty good indication on where I have been. Huh, go figure.

Woohoo! I got a job and I love it from the bottom of my spleen!

 Because this is a high demand job and I was interviewed two weeks ago I thought it was time to start applying to more jobs- which is what I was doing when Dr. Weis offered me the position today.

I was trying to cover my emotion while I was still on the phone but I'll admit...I got teary-eyed. Then I called my dad and bust out the celebratory Nutella!Not even a BLIZZARD can get me down!


And now the adventure story:

       My second Sunday at church was a fast Sunday. Testimony meeting was grand especially when Laura some how tied in gene numbers to acne and a testimony. Between that and Angela talking about Elder Holland shouting Don't you understand?! over the pulpit (which she recreated brilliantly) I began to feel better about the ward. There was even a marriage proposal! They mean business here. Anyway, I thought I would be brave and sit next to someone I didn't know in Relief Society so I sat next to Laura. Just the kind of quirky science person that makes a girl feel right at home.As we were talking she was giving me interview advice when I learned that low and behold she is a PhD student for Dr. Weis! That took the edge off my nerves and I hit up that interview with new determination. So I was told to go to the Eccles building and his office was on the first floor. I could park at Huntsman or the hospital or there was a parking garage that connected to the building if I could find it. Well the U of U is huge and includes a medical school so I thought my odds of getting lost would decrease if I just parked at the easiest target. When I made it to Huntsman the conversation went something like this:

"Visitor or patient"

"Neither...I was told I could park here to go to the Eccles building"

"You have to be a visitor or patient to park here"

"What if I walk through the building on my way there" Awkward smile...

Stone-faced. "No"

"Can I go through to turn around at least?"

Gate raises.

Alright, so that failed and I have ten minutes before I need to be there...I guess I'll try and park at the University Hospital then (fingers crossed). And they do allow free guest parking there!! I even found a spot next to an elevator to ensure that I would not forget where I parked. I may or may not have done that in the past...in the conference center parking lot...and was lost for 15 or 20 minutes.

Anyway, for those of you familiar with the "U" practically everything is named "Eccles" I looked it up on-line the night before to see that it was named Emma Eccles Jones Medical Research Building. So after exiting the hospital having my map of campus out and considering myself mostly lost, I ran over to two police officers in a patrol car. I took them completely off guard and they had no idea where the building was. They looked at me like I was crazy. It wasn't until after I walked away I noticed there was someone in the backseat of their vehicle wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. Oops. Imagine my joy after walking up hills and around buildings when I see the tiny Emma Eccles Jones building!

It was 5 after the hour and I was in a hurry to find the place. I walked all around the 1st floor of that building. They were all labs and walk in fridges! Only one professor had a labeled office. At this point I was thinking "Seriously? I JUST WANT A JOB!!!" So I walked into his lab and asked where he was. Obviously he was in the back and to the right. Obviously.


I was so proud of myself for finally finding the place that I didn't care he was on the phone. The interview went pretty well and he said the first test was to see if I could find the place. I don't think he was kidding... He told me about the research and what he expected from a lab tech. I thought he just wanted a "dish washer" but no. Glory be! I would be allowed to throw myself into research like a grad student without the classes! At the end he said he thought I would be terrific for the position but he had to interview a few more candidates. I walked out of there on cloud 9.

Would I have any problem working with mice?    Chortle.
Am I a PETA rep in disguise?     Um...not that I am aware.
Apparently that had happened a while back with the monkey labs. I'm told that those monkeys are treated really well- much better than the poor and homeless.

(As a side note for those of you unfamiliar with animal treatment in laboratories we take their sacrifice very seriously. Go check out IACUC if you have any problems.)

He joked about me coming from super conservative BYU and how he was more liberal than that. Apparently the job will be available if those tea party members don't get control of the government. Otherwise all American science will stop and the Chinese will take over research. So if that happens I will be out of a job but isn't the future great?

This lab reminds me of the great times I had working with Dr. O'Neill and Dr. Bundy at BYU.  I'm so grateful to finally have a job! It's times like this when I reflect and notice two things about God.
1) He has a great sense of humor
2) He really is my loving Heavenly Father and is watching over me



So, celebrate with me by learning about what I'm going to study!

"  Our laboratory studies the interfaces between the innate and acquired immune responses. We take a genetics approach, using the mouse as a model system, to decipher molecular and cellular interactions.

      One current focus in the lab includes the maturation and differentiation of B cells with the intent to identify key transcription control proteins that regulate this process. Mouse B cells enter the spleen from the bone marrow requiring a number of maturation steps to insure they are competent to respond to antigen following an infection. These immature B cells must negotiate through a series of differentiation checkpoints, requiring transcriptional induction and suppression of key target genes. We have identified a number of transcriptional control proteins that are up regulated and down regulated during this stage of B cell development. To define their roles in B cell function, we have created and are analyzing lines of mice that lack these gene products in maturing B cells, or inappropriately maintain their expression during B cell maturation.

       Another project in the lab has been to study the structure, expression and function of a set of mouse proteins known as the complement receptors. These proteins are critical for controlling complement activation during immune reactions and serve to assist in the production of the full range of B cell products. Inappropriate expression of such proteins (such as engineered mouse anomalies or human deficiencies) can give rise to a range of symptoms including autoimmunity, susceptibility to natural infections and a degraded antibody response. We have created strains of mice either deficient in such proteins (deficiency of the two major CD21 gene products) or with engineered germ line mutations that result in either mutant protein production or inappropriate expression. We have also created mice that only make one or the other of the two major isoforms of the CD21 proteins. We are currently analyzing such mice and are defining previously unknown feedback pathways that are regulated by this set of proteins.

         Another project in the lab focuses upon defining the maturation steps T cells take in positive and negative selection within the thymus, focusing upon the role of the Snai3 transcription factor on the gen eration and function of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. Snai3 is a transcriptional repressor, blocking expression of key genes within the lineage of these cells. Our goals in this project are to identify the gene targets for this factor and define the pathways of cell activation controlled by Snai3" Dr. Weis' Research Lab Department of Pathology University of Utah


And if that seemed rather boring and you skipped through it here is a good overview for you! For the record that whole website it awesome. I used it to teach a review session once in general microbiology (tear wipe) so fun.

If you are the more hands on learning type:
Use the immune system cells to BLAST away infection with General Macrophage!

Or if you could really care less than here is a picture book for children that will explain some things. It sounds epic to me.

"When our hero Pox, a young Chickenpox germ finds himself in the germ academy, he finds out that infecting is not really for him! Try as Pox might, he just can't work up the enthusiasm for sickness that his classmates - Snot, Rash, Pus and Scab - so obviously feel for the task. And when Pox is sent to ruin Myrtle's birthday, things don't work out as planned for Myrtle, Pox or indeed his horrible classmates. A fantastic and utterly bizarre picture book by the incomparable Ross Collins."

From what I gather from the website they are supposed to infect little Myrtle on her birthday but instead they enter Myrtle's dog and get the stuffing knocked out of them by little doggy macrophages. With friends like Snot, Rash, Pus and Scab who needs enemies gee whiz. I'm not even going to start about how horribly inaccurate this is! BAH! Varicella Zoster Virus could freakn' care less about who it infects! Theys infectin EVERYBODY!

Cough cough. Alright

On second thought, I think I can actually see this causing nightmares in young children so in the future I think I will stick to good ole fashion The Magic School Bus. One day I'll be a teacher like Ms. Frizzle :-)

What have I been doing in Utah besides looking for jobs you may wonder?

Wonder no more.

Sub for Santa 5k!!