It may be Spring Semester, but all I see is snow!

So far, I have been enjoying my courses this semester since they haven't been as demanding as my fall classes were. If I get lucky, there might even be a class field trip for my Cardiovascular class. Dr. Sucosky is going to see if we can view an open heart surgery so that we can better understand what we are learning.

My research is starting to pick up. I have almost finished my flow loop and my lab computer should arrive any day. This semester, I need to program my flow loop and set up a LabView program to record pressure and flow rate data. Then, I will place an aortic valve into the loop and see if I can get the correct pressure and flow curves. I need data by May so that I can apply for a podium presentation at the BMES conference in October. Even though research has become more demanding, our lab still knows how to relax. On Friday afternoons, Dan, Ling, Andrew, Alex, Aifang, Dr. Sucosky, and I all head down to Legends and down a couple of drinks at Dr. Sucosky's expense.

On the weekends, I have been staying close to home since the weather has been cold and recently very snowy. Michael and I were at the mall on Saturday and witnessed the Mall Train. It is a little train that departs from the station in front of Macy's and, for a fee, will take you on a ride around the mall. It is a sight to watch all of the shoppers jump out of the way as it chugs through the mall. I also purchased some more furniture. The furniture line that my couch comes from was being discontinued and so I was able to get a really good deal on another sofa, loveseat, and chair.

Nova and Pandora are doing quite well. Pandora has finally stopped nipping for the most part and has even calmed down some. Nova has not been her lazy self and has taken to climbing up onto the new furniture to dig.



Coming up in the life of Clara:
1) Possible trip into Chicago this weekend
2) Valentine's Day - What will Michael have planned?
3) Ski/Snowboard trip - My first time to try either, which one should I do this trip?