10,080 minutes

How come it seems like everyone else is in and out of hospitals, and I am in perfect condition? I am supposed to be feeling sick because I'm pregnant, and everyone keeps asking me how I feel, and yet, I'm fine, I don't feel sick at all. I don't take care of my body like I should, and I've done so many stupid things, I should've had something go wrong somewhere. I've been very lucky. I'm not complaining, I'm grateful I've been so blessed. I just wish that I could share my luck and health with others.

8,640 minutes

I realized something, almost everyone everywhere that is doing this 365 are artistic people. And I'm just me, art or creativity are not my strong points. I'm just doing this for the sake of it.

Today, I tried to find something around the house that would represent me. I failed, quite miserably actually. I was like, wow, Britain come on, what describes you, who are you. With all the interviews I've been through that ask, "Tell me about yourself," I should be so much better at this. But I was not, I couldn't figure out what item would describe me.

And then I had an epiphany. Duh, Britain, there's not one item or word that describes you. There are lots of different things that make up who you are. I spent a great deal of my life avoiding labels, mocking stereotypes, and trying to break out of the boxes people put me in. Yet, I was trying to label myself, I thought I'd figured out a long time ago that labels don't work, real people are a bit more complex. But apparently I forgot that.

So here is this figurine. The cat in the dog dish. A friend gave this to me a while ago and said it reminded her of me. Originally I was confused, but I thought it was cute. Now, I think I understand a bit. I am not what you want label me as, and no matter what you call me, I'll always just be me. And maybe I relate to that kitten a little bit. I'm going to do what I want to do, whether or not it fits what stereotype I'm in, or if it's what someone else thinks I should do. The rules of society need to be broken every once in a while. Occasionally you need to defy the image that the world has given you. Be you, no matter what. To quote Shakespeare, "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."

This is me. Britain. Not just a pretty face or a nerd. Not a goth or a prep. Not a hick or just any other stereotype. I'm all and none. I'm just a young girl trying to find her place in the world and carve out the life she wants. I am determined and headstrong with head full of dreams. I love to learn, fascinated by almost all things biological and medical. I'm a hopeless romantic who wants hugs and to know I'm loved for who I am. I can be reserved, and it may take a while before I'll open up. I am very analytical, which often comes across as critical. I will be very passionate and resolute once I wholly decide on a path or cause. I will rise to challenges that are put in front of me, though I might not spare you the complaining. I will always believe in trying with all you can to reach your goals and perseverance. I'm mischievous, sarcastic and not above playing mind games. I procrastinate and over dramatize. I definitely have my opinions and they can be blunt and untactful. I am obstinate. I have my argumentative and mean streak. I am confident, even so I can still have my insecure moments. I grew up in a small town, and I love that. I enjoy the water, reading and animals. I believe in the right to dress up pretty, and to dress down. I'm beautiful, and intelligent. I am a scientist and religious. And I am so much more. I have my qualities, I have my faults. I am a daughter of God, and a human being with potential. This is me, and I'm proud of who I am. And I'm going to keep discovering who I am and changing as life goes on. If you don't like it, deal.

PS Yeah, it's a really long rambling post. It's what happens when I'm all alone for several days.

7,200 minutes

The day was ending, and I realized I hadn't taken a picture today. And what was I supposed to take a picture of, especially 'cause I needed it to be quick, since I still want to cram in as much studying as I can? So this is my Stats textbook and my calculator. I've been spending all day with these two items, since I have a test tomorrow in Stat 3000. Ahh!!! All other math: algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, they all came really easy to me. Trust me, go ask my past teachers, I didn't even have to show up and I would easily ace the test. I won math contests (and scholarships) without hardly trying. (I'm really not trying to come off as arrogant, just explaining how dramatic a change this is for me, and how it's confusing the dickens out of me.) But stats is kicking my trash and burning it. I guess the saying is true that your mind either understands calc or stats.

Oh, and to top it off I have a test tomorrow in Human Anatomy as well. Okay, technically in the lab, but still. By the way if you didn't know it Human Anatomy gets the glory of claiming to be the most failed class of campus (Human Physiology is number 2). And I didn't do as good as I would've liked in the first test. Yeah, I swear teachers are malicious and plan this. All my tests are very closely grouped together.

Well I'm going to go back to studying, and then tomorrow after this is all done I am going to relax, watch Ever After, and eat the rest of the brownies that I made today.

5,760 minutes

Yes, I am a dork and I took a picture of the sky. I know there was a bazillion other things I could've taken pictures of today, but you just can't ignore those random, impulsive ideas when they strike you in the middle of a parking lot.

So my reasons, because this picture probably deserves an explanation. The sky was so beautiful and blue today, with hardly a cloud. It always make me very happy when the sky is sunny and bright. Every time the sky looks so nice and perfect like that it makes me smile. Seriously, it looks like the sky is happy; laughing and smiling back at me. It's like the perfect color to skip to. Yes, I know I'm a dork, and sentimental one, or whatever adjective you were going to use. I'm sure it helps that my favorite color is blue, particularly that blue. That bright, smiley blue of a sky on a clear, sunny day. Sky blue, or whatever you call that. So I took a picture of the sky on a beautiful day because it makes me happy and it's my favorite color. The End.

4,320 minutes

Every morning I trudge out to this bus stop, and freeze while I wait for the bus to take me to school. That's one thing I love about Logan, they have a very nice bus system, and it's free (minus whatever comes out of my taxes - if I had a job). Thank you very much Cache Valley Transit!

2,880 minutes

This is my office where every Monday night I get to sit and wait for some poor student to decide that they are desperate enough to come to me for help with Human Physiology. So far it has yet to happen. However I haven't given up hope yet, there is still the hardest exam, exam #3 - The nervous system, and finals coming up. Mainly I just sit here bored, trying to tell myself to do my own homework.

So my office. Yes, that is a really old oven built into the wall, I don't know why, it also has baking pans sitting inside it. Somebody decided though that we would appreciate a microwave better than an oven, which I really do, so it has a microwave as well. To top it off it also has a bottle of Windex (for making the old oven shiny?), and a fairly large set of biological and medical books that I'm pretty sure don't get read much. Here is a sample of the reading found in the office Internal Medicine, 4th edition (3,000 pages of itty-bitty font!), the 1996 edition of Medical Diagnostics and Treatments, Infectious Diseases also 4th edition, The Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practices, 2nd edition, and my favorite Sabiston's Essentials of Surgery. Yes, Sabiston's Essentials of Surgery really is just what you think, a book of surgeries complete with chapters entitled: Surgical Complications, Preoperative Preparation, Anesthesia, and Technique, Sutures and Drains. Yep, your average biology undergrad reading material. Oh, it also contains a copy of the textbook for just about every biology class on campus, just 2 editions too old. Lastly, there is a white board and a copy machine on the walls not shown. And of course, this ancient computer, which oh so stealthily has the password to it written on a blue post-it note in the corner. Unfortunately this computer is old enough that it doesn't have a slot for my memory card - though it does have a slot for a floppy disk, yeah those ancient dinosaur things that I'm pretty sure are extinct or should be - so you will have to wait for me to post this when I get home so I can upload the picture.

1,440 minutes

I have decided to do this 365 project that is becoming so popular. Why, I really don't know, on a random whim I decided what the hey, how many times is a year going to include school, life and birth of your first child. My husband says I'll never finish it, he's probably right.

Anyway, these are my fish. Forgive me if the pictures aren't very good, taking pictures of the fish was very difficult. First, the reflection the glass causes, second taking pictures through moving water makes it hard to focus, third the fish can move very fast, it's hard to catch them in the frame, and fourth the tetra's little neon blue line is reflective. From the top left around we have the betta, the sucker fish, a neon tetra, technically I have 5 of them but it was a pain to take a picture of them, then my guppies, one yellow and one orange, and last my betta, again in all the glory of his territorial anger.

My fish are my babies, and they can entertain me for hours. They were a gift from my husband that spoils me. Oddly, only one fish is named. You would think if you were going to name a fish, that you would name one of the ones that is one-of-a-kind and stands out easy. But no, I named one of the tetras, the biggest girl is Taylor. Taylor is my oldest fish and one of the original fish. She is not the tetra pictured, that's one of the new young ones. Funnily enough, my favorite fish is probably the sucker fish. I fought so long against getting a sucker fish, because I didn't want one of the big, ugly ones that was going to scare the little fish. But I found one that stays little and cute. I like him for two reasons, one he actually does somethinig since he has to work for his food, second I feel bad for him for that, the other fish just get to sit around and look pretty, and he has to work. So that's my fish and day 1.