I'm the king of bongo bong
23.01.06, 9:04 pm

Do you know how many different diseases there are in the world? A big sodding lot, y�all. I have to learn all about the different diseases affecting the electrical channels in the body (�channelopathies�, in case anyone�s writing a dictionary) and my brain just can�t take any more information. Seriously, it�s rammed full of facts about molecular structure, function, activation and binding, and it can�t handle all these endless slides listing endless diseases that I�ve got to somehow memorise. There are 5 main types of channels, and subgroups within those groups, and subgroups within those subgroups. Lots and lots of different channels, with pretty names involving many Greek letters. In answer to the question �What�s YOUR favourite Greek letter?� I would have to say theta. It�s the prettiest. Oh, I sound like I have concussion. Anyway, back to my moaning about learning diseases:

For example: NaSk1 � hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. That�s temporary paralysis of the muscle due to excess levels of potassium, which over-excite the muscle cells and effectively freeze them. For extra fun, it is also known as Paramyotonia Congenita. Or how about calcium channels: alpha1A(P/Q type) � episodic ataxia type 2. That�s a calcium channel mutation (specifically P-Q type on the alpha subunit� man, this module is such a GEEKFEST and I bet you�re all totally skim-reading this paragraph) resulting in periodical loss of balance and muscle coordination. It comes in two types apparently, though I�m frigged if I know what the deal with the other one is. MY HEAD CANNOT HANDLE ALL OF THIS. My brain�s just given up; it doesn�t give a shit if I get a 2:1 or not. It�s on damage limitation now, because otherwise it�ll either explode due to information overload or push resident information out in the quest to find more room, and I�ll end up forgetting how to walk.

I like walking. See, my brain�s already struggling and can only handle simple sentences. Really. Simple. Sentences. Like cake is good. Trees are pretty. I went for a walk around the lake today (Ducks swim.) because I thought the exercise would do me good and give me a nice break, but it was about minus 50 out there and I got cold hands. I don�t get cold hands very often, obviously because my peripheral circulation is vastly superior to other people�s, unlike my mental capacities. Kind�ve wish it was the other way round, because although warm hands are great I doubt they�ll help give the examiners a literary orgasm. I was also concentrating so much on sending a text that I nearly fell in, but thankfully no one saw. My god, am I in a weird mood or what? What am I even talking about? Actually, looking back at that sentence on litertary orgasms it also sounds supremely dodgy. I�m going to move on swiftly.

Becky keeps coming in to check on me because she I think she thinks I�m going incredibly insane. I�m either laughing hysterically at something that�s not funny or announcing random things loudly to myself, such as �Right! I�m reading a textbook now because that�s what grown-ups do!� or, when I get pissed off and crazy, �No, I don�t care about TRP channels and I�m not reading all these sodding slides because they suck ass! You hear that, PowerPoint? I don�t care about your stupid slides! Ha!� Doubt PowerPoint is that gutted really.

Me, Becky and Mel all have an exam this Thursday. Not to make out that I�m some kind of Einstein, because blatantly, blatantly I am not (I didn�t even spell Einstein right first time), but my exam�s clearly going to be the hardest. And I�m actually feeling kind�ve worried about it, which is annoying, because I�m usually too lazy to get worried about exams. Or, in the case of P3 maths, I just resign myself to the fact that I�m going to make a big cock-up of it all and have another cup of tea. I don�t want to cock this one up though, because I REALLY want a 2:1 and I think it�d be so unfair if I didn�t get one just because I didn�t memorise what beta-N-oxalylaminoalanine toxin does to glutamate receptors. GOD. I�m so grumpy and whiny.

Neuroscience sucks. I�m tired. Must revise.

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