Saturday, February 22, 2014

Stuff in My Life...

So I'm still at school at CWI this semester and I'm taking Anatomy & Physiology and Precalculus (should have signed up for dual credit in high school...).

I have a huge secret to tell you: I actually like math. I never thought I would say that. But you know what? It's really pretty cool. Now does that mean I'm going to study it extensively? Probably not.

I also really love Anatomy & Physiology! What a cool class! I've learned so many things already. I guess I just thought I would be memorizing a bunch of bones and muscles, but that's definitely not the only thing. Here are some interesting tidbits I picked up:
  • Your body needs calcium in order to make your muscles go. If you are calcium deficient in your diet, your body will pull the calcium it needs from your bones to keep your heart pumping and your lungs working.
  • Losing weight too quickly (more than 1-2 pounds/week) causes you to have an excess of acid in your body which may cause you to pee too frequently and hyperventilate in an effort to keep your pH levels in normal range (slightly basic). If your body fails to keep your pH in the normal range, you will die.
  • Ever noticed that women are more prone to cellulite than men? That's because of the way our collagen fibers are arranged. In men, collagen fibers look like this: XXX In women, they look more like this: | | |  Basically, the arrangement of collagen in female connective tissues allows for fat to bubble out, causing cellulite in even thin women. But in male connective tissues, the fat is constricted by the X arrangement, making it less likely for cellulite to be present.
  • Your armpits stink because you have sweat glands called apochrine glands secrete the regular sweat contents (urea, HCl, and water) as well as proteins. The bacteria on your skin feed on the proteins and then produce an unpleasant smell. These apochrine sweat glands are also located in your groinal region. It is thought that these glands are homologous to scent glands in some animals used to attract mates.
Anways, I really like the class so far. And I seem to be doing well! I just have to keep up with everything. The older I get, the more I enjoy learning.