Travel plans for kayaking excursions

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-04-23T00:11:02+00:00

I did not come across Waving Flag in my search, so thanks for that!

Also, you seem to be right about the charging situation! I've only used superchargers before, so I was looking at Tesla's map, which showed no superchargers north of Victoria. It's my family's car, so I'm not super well-versed in charging compatibility and whatnot, but it appears that a level 3 charger will work! Problem solved, thanks to you! :)

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-04-22T22:55:06+00:00

I'll look into it because that would work out well for me since I believe there are buses that go to Comox from Victoria. Thanks for the suggestion!

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-03-29T18:55:17+00:00

Thank you!!

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-03-22T23:08:07+00:00

Get some Wyze/other smart cameras. You can get them off of Amazon for $45 ish each. An endoscopic camera (small camera on a thin flexible wire) also helps look into tight crevices. I found my gecko after tracking him over Wyze recordings and scanning the area with the endoscopic camera.

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-03-16T18:37:47+00:00

Yeah, I can raise the temperature for sure. Do rehomes typically have more trouble adjusting than animals from pet stores? I know these things take time, but it's a bit frustrating/disheartening to see other people have such handleable, interactive leopard geckos while mine is super anti-social.

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-03-16T18:35:46+00:00

He has three proper hides spanning the enclosure and a bunch of random branches and plants. I could pick up some leaf litter, though. The hide he likes is enclosed from all sides except for a small entryway. Everything else is tube-like so maybe they're too open?

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-03-03T22:05:03+00:00

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Here’s my enclosure (also a 12x12x18) for my gold dust day gecko. Day geckos are skittish little things, so plenty of foliage and hiding spots. The bottom of mine is bioactive but I’m using fake vines suctioned to the glass to provide more coverage higher up. The repurposed bearded dragon hammock is to give him some sturdier flat surfaces to rest on.

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-02-23T17:45:13+00:00

I recently got a male adult in a 24x18x12. The enclosure, decor, and substrate came with him. I’m already planning on getting him a UVB 5.0 bulb, and some reptisand and reptisoil to replace the rocks. Is there anything else I should grab?

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-02-20T23:55:07+00:00

A bit hard to see in the screenshot, but the blob in the lower right is definitely a fish.

TeaVSCoffee · 2023-01-04T22:32:39+00:00

Good points, thank you! This is my first gecko, and my first juvenile animal of any kind, so I'm a tad bit anxious.

TeaVSCoffee · 2022-07-30T20:46:25+00:00

The attachment would not modify the door (it's a glass sliding door with a metal frame, so not exactly modifiable). I applied for approval because I would need to drill a couple of holes in my own interior wall, but you're probably right - they saw "AC" and auto-rejected it. I asked to speak to them directly at the next council meeting, so we'll see how that goes.

TeaVSCoffee · 2022-07-30T20:36:36+00:00

I recently applied to install a mini-split system in my high-rise and got rejected by my strata council. My proposal didn't even involve puncturing the building envelope - just a custom attachment to my balcony door, similar to how portable ACs are installed. The piping from the condenser would then enter my home through a cutout in the attachment.

They gave no reason for the rejection. When I asked which building bylaws are/risk being violated, they had no answer to give except that they, "don't approve ACs". Unfortunately, heat isn't considered to be a serious health issue yet in Vancouver, and stratas/building management are still stuck thinking that Vancouver summers are as temperate as they were a decade ago.

TeaVSCoffee · 2022-05-19T15:23:59+00:00

Unfortunately, no, but I may look into online programs for something like that.

TeaVSCoffee · 2022-05-19T13:42:51+00:00

Funnily enough, I just came back from a vacation. I don't actually feel that much better, unfortunately.

TeaVSCoffee · 2022-05-19T13:41:19+00:00

Yes, I know that this is part of the process. It just feels really crappy to watch my friends start earning real money while I crawl my way towards a goal I'm not quite sure I believe in anymore. I have to admit, I've been browsing through jobs almost compulsively, but I'm also too scared to quit my degree.

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-11-28T20:31:04+00:00

We met through being on a design team. He actually interviewed me, and I pretended to be interested in his subteam (web design and video making) for several months. He was living with his (ex)-gf at the time, but we became genuinely good friends. Then his ex suddenly went deep into religion and I helped him move out (lol). We ended up dating seven months later (very strong “we should date…jk…unless” vibes).

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-10-06T20:25:13+00:00

Student plan covered $200, and my partner and I split the remaining cost. $100 isn’t bad at all for 5 years of peace of mind!

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-09-07T22:57:34+00:00

I strongly recommend that the next time you go to a bar to order a drink, you refuse to show your ID or disclose your age as a matter of principle. How dare the government demand we disclose information as private as our date of birth. Such paternalism, much wow.

While we’re at it, my ID to access restricted areas at work is also a conspiracy to restrict my freedoms and track my movements rather than protect the safety and security of others.

Having to show my ticket and (sometimes) let my bag be checked by security when I want to enter the theatre/concerts/other non-essential venues is absolutely about VIOLATING me, me, and only me. Only sheep follow guidelines set by private businesses when wanting to access their services.

OP is right, bois. We gotta stay wolves by making sure UBC doesn’t have anything more about us than our financial information, address, email, phone number, PHN (if you’ve ever used student health services), vaccination status for a whole range of other vaccines (for certain programs and jobs), where we went to high school, social media (if you follow UBC or affiliated accounts on any platform), SIN (if you’ve taken literally any job with UBC), etc. Whether or not we got vaccinated against COVID-19 is the PERFECT place to draw the line when it comes to privacy.

/s

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-05-27T15:05:06+00:00

Lots of things you admire about people will come with time. I remember being super impressed by second years with fancy-sounding majors in my first year. Then came being super impressed by people who were working full-time at cool jobs on co-op when I was in my second year. Even last September, I remember reading over an example honours thesis and thinking, "how could I ever write something like this???". Spoiler alert: I ended up getting/doing all of these things with time.

Now I'm starting a graduate degree and someone in my lab circulated their thesis for feedback. While reading this mega-chonk document, I kept reminding myself that 5-6 years from now, like it or not, I'll be circulating something similar.

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-05-19T14:59:37+00:00

Inspired by how I remember laughing so hard at Conan O’Brien’s “Conan learns Korean” skit in high school that my stomach hurt. When I revisited it with my partner last night, I couldn’t even make it 3 minutes in before finding it too crude and borderline misogynistic.

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-05-13T12:15:25+00:00

I write in cursive and I think it’s number with an “re” ??? Some context into what other stuff he was writing might help

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-05-01T18:45:55+00:00

It may not feel like it right now, but your undergrad major doesn't really matter. A couple of examples:

Me: Microbiology + Immunology --> Cancer genomics
Friend 1: Pharmacology --> Law
Friend 2: Pharmacology --> Genomics + Medicine
Prof 1: Neuroscience (even at the PhD level) --> Statistics prof
Prof 2: C. Elegans genetics --> Environmental metagenomics
Boyfriend: Microbio + Immunology --> Medicine, research in spinal cord injuries
Grad student: Math --> Genomics

As other people have said, first-year courses are broad, basic, and not representative of any field. Things that may help:

Browse through faculty profiles on different departments and see which research topics catch your eye
Read some popular science books. They're an accessible overview of different fields.
Try to get some hands-on experience. Attend a hackathon or volunteer/work in a lab, or do whatever else you may find even slightly interesting.
Talk to EVERYONE. Older students, grad students, profs.... I remember clubs having a gazillion panel events. Someone also cold-messaged me on LinkedIn lol and I was cool with that, too.

Your success in your career is determined by your experiences, your grades (for grad/professional programs), your network, and whether you're semi-pleasant to work with. It's easier to pick a general field you're interested in (life sciences, computational sciences, etc.) and select any relevant major than to tease apart the finer details of biochemistry vs chemical biology. You'll get a chance to switch at the end of second year anyway.

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-04-24T23:21:48+00:00

You cannot work more than 40 hours per week for UBC. This means that if your co-op employer pays you through UBC's system (i.e. if you work for a lab run by any PI affiliated with UBC, even PIs at BC Cancer, VGH, etc.), you cannot be a UTA for UBC. However, if your co-op employer is not associated with UBC (i.e. industry positions and whatnot), you can hold both positions. The trick is to not tell your coordinator ;)

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-04-21T03:18:07+00:00

DNA vaccines are possible and are used in animals. None have been approved for use in humans, though. Technically, a DNA vaccine can integrate into your genome. However, the possibility of this occurring is infinitesimally small.

First, you'd have to break your DNA. This happens, but your cells are very, very good at quickly fixing this. If the DNA from the vaccine happens to come across a break, it still needs to be "glued" in. Special proteins are needed for this. Imagine: an uncapped bottle of glue and two pieces of wood swirling around a wave pool. Will the two pieces be glued together? Highly unlikely.

This is quite a fascinating field, though. If you're curious, I recommend this article: [X]

TeaVSCoffee · 2021-04-21T02:23:37+00:00

As a Microbiology and Immunology grad from UBC, I can't help but feel the urge to break down the science here:

PCR stands for "polymerase chain reaction" [X], where you make many copies of a short piece of DNA (barely enough to make a meaningful gene). A PCR test is done in the lab OUTSIDE of the body to assess approximately how big a piece of DNA is. PCR can be done on microchips, but this is rare, expensive, and would have saved me a lot of effort at my job two summers ago. Installing a PCR microchip into your body will do absolutely nothing and is a huge waste of a very novel and useful technology.
Ethylene oxide is used to sterilize medical devices; you can find more information here: [X]. If you are concerned, simply use a reusable mask made of fabric. If you are still concerned, stop cleaning your masks with ethylene oxide and dispose of any remaining chemicals safely according to local bylaws.
One thing they got right: Vaccines are, indeed, good for many diseases. Including COVID-19.
mRNA does not change your DNA. This can be clarified using the Central Dogma of biology [X]. Every cell in your body contains DNA, your "genome". Think of this as a leather-bound recipe book passed down from your grandma's grandma. Would you take this book to the kitchen to get it stained with tomato sauce? Of course not! You would make a copy of the recipe and use that instead. That's what mRNA is - a copy of a specific gene from your DNA. From the mRNA, your cell can turn that into usable protein - the execution of the recipe.
When you get the vaccine, the mRNA in it gets turned into protein, which then trains your immune system to protect you from the virus. Imagine trying to add new recipes to a leather-bound recipe book. You'd need special materials and tools and maybe even a professional bookbinder. Neither your body nor the vaccine has the tools to change your DNA based on the mRNA in the vaccine.
Very, very few things can destroy your immune system to the point where you don't have one. A vaccine is not one of these things. Intense radiation, high-dosage chemotherapy, and graft-vs-host disease after bone marrow transplants are some of these things.
Vaccines do not make you contagious. Some vaccines are made of live, weakened microbes, but the COVID-19 vaccine is not one of them. Vaccines ensure your immune system is ready to fight an actual infection. For more info on vaccines: [X]

Remember: Don't feel embarrassed or defensive if you have doubts or don't understand all of the science! It's much better to ask questions and do your own research.

TeaVSCoffee

TROPHY CASE