Spring Break - A Blessing in Disguise!

Well, Spring Break '12 has come and gone :( It is a minorly upsetting time, but mostly an uplifiting time because Prom is soon and then after prom is graduation and then bash soo it's an exciting time too!
Anyways, the break was very much needed! It was very relaxing having a break from all the homework, stress and general over-business of school this senior year. I stayed at home for break which at first I was disappointed because I really had wanted to go on a "senior trip" or see my sister, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
1. I was able to sleep in my own bed, and actually sleep - I wansn't tossing and turning or waking up at ungodly hours in the morning - it was very refreshing.
2.  I was able to go to soccer practice and bond better with many of the JV players and the couple of varsity players that were able to make it too.
3. While I didn't get to see my sister, I was able to see my mom and dad more which was very nice too - even though it meant I had to take care of the dinner dishes :)
4. I was able to go to Gus' Original (new pizza/sub/salad/coffee/icecream and just a general going to be the hottest college hot-spot restaurant on Leonard) multiple times and get free food .... yummy! The pizza is amazing!!
5. I was able to hang out with Alena alll break . . . literally there were only 3 days where we didn't see eachother over break.
6. I was able to go on a date with Jordan to see Wrath of the Titans - good movie!
7. Easter was over break and it's always a very moving time and reminds me of all the blessings I have!
8. I saw the Hunger Games again :)
9. It was just a very great break!
Well that is what I did, thanks for letting me share!

Mi familia :)

My Grandma Palumbo and I two years ago.
She was the sweetest little old thing :)

I love the free choice! We should do this more often... for real. I wanted to write about mi familia :) So, I am the youngest of 8 kids so I kinda have a big one, but I love them all... most of the time. I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters and well really, they are all except for Luke half siblings (we only share one parent). In order from oldest to youngest: Jennifer, Jamie, Samantha, Jason, Cody, Jared, Luke, and me. We are spreading out now.. My brother Jared is in the airforce so he has been in Arkansas (spelling?) the past year or year and a half... feels like forever.... but I got to see him this weekend and I was so thrilled!!! My sister Sam and her family live on the other side of the state so if you hear me say I'm going to Detroit... I'm going to see her :) So, my parents yeah they're kinda old... but still lovable. They have 10 grandkids now... more than us kids... uhoh. They've definitely fallen into their roles. As for grandparents, I have Grandma Rykse now. My other abuelos passed away, but they are still in my heart. They're who inspired this blog.. my Grandma Palumbo and Grandpa Rykse passed away last May and I've been thinking about them alot. I mean they were the matriarch and patriarch really and super duper cool in everything. Well anyways, that is mi familia. :)

Diffusion, Osmosis and Active Transport .... What YOU Need to Know :)

Well hi there Mr. Landry's sophomores! :) So, I hear you guys will be learning all about diffusion, osmosis and active transport. Lucky for you, you guys have great resources.... aka all of us and Mr. Landry and numerous other things. Anyways, let's get started :)

First off, let's cover diffusion. Diffusion is the tendency for molecules of any substance to spread out evenly. Diffusion can be broken down into two main subdivisions, simple diffusion and facilitated diffusion. In both cases, diffusion is simply the movement of particles from a HIGH to LOW concentration and NO energy is needed so it is called "passive transport". Where simple diffusion and facilitated diffusion differ is that simple diffusion does NOT need extra help. Facilitated diffusion NEEDS extra help - think of facilitated as "being watched over" sort of like a babysitter helping a kid with a project. In this case, facilitated diffusion is the movement of particles from a HIGH to LOW concentration through protein channels. These protein channels help move specific molecules across the cell membrane - like a babysitter helps a kid complete their project.

Now that you understand Diffusion, you can understand Osmosis. Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane (a membrane that only allows certain things through it). Water flows from a HIGH concentration of water to a LOW concentration of water across the selectively permeable membrane. NO energy is needed for this to occur, so it is called "passive transport".

The third thing we need to cover is Active Transport. This is when cells have to move particles (molecules) against the concentration - so active transport is the moving from a LOW concentration to a HIGH concentration. Because this is going from a LOW to HIGH, energy (ATP) is needed for the particles to move. Since energy is needed, active transport is opposite of passive transport.Most often, active transport happens with the help of a protein pump or proton port.

REVIEW:
1. Diffusion = high to low, no energy needed, passive transport
2. Facilitated Diffusion = high to low, no energy needed, needs help of a protein channel, passive transport
3. Osmosis = diffusion of water, high to low, no energy needed, passive transport
4. Active Transport = low to high and energy is needed

HINTS:
Passive = Goes with the flow, diffusion goes with the flow from high to low.
Osmosis is like Osmosis Jones the movie, its H20 and flows from high to low.
Active = Energetic - needs energy to feel alive and to go from a low to high.

Well, I hope this helps guys! Good luck! :)

Here an Organelle, there an Organelle, Everywhere Organelles!

A ribosome in the process of synthesizing a protein 

 So, I have the choice to be any organelle in a cell.....whoa! Well, I think that I would want to be a ribosome. Ribosomes have a pretty HUGE job!! Ribosomes are made of ribosomal RNA and proteins are their job is to carry out protein synthesis. This basically means - since proteins literally do everything except store genetic information in a cell - that ribosomes in turn do everything because they make these proteins. I think it would be cool to be a part of something larger and to make a difference in the world sort of like the ribosomes make a huge difference in cells. 

Enzyme Lab...

        Well... the enzyme lab was interesting to say the least. I think it was a good lab to start off with because we had the procedure to follow instead of being thrown headfirst into everything. This lab was more like dipping our toes in the water rather than diving in... so I enjoyed that aspect. This is a smooth transition into the requirements and what it takes to do a lab - especially with not having chemistry or a formal lab for 2 years. It was an oops lab in its own way though because of the time span and the concentrations being different than what they were supposed to be. Even so, I got the general impression that a catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction.

Interests and Concerns of AP Biology...

I think the number one thing I am most interested in is learning about humans and genes and how our bodies work. My favorite part of biology in 10th grade was when we discussed genes and punnet squares etc. so I really can't wait to go more in depth with that field of study. :) 

My biggest concern with this class is coming in without a chemistry background. So far it's been playing catch-up for me rather than review... but, I know there are a lot of resources out there for me including the entire class really :) So I'm not too worried. Besides the chem background in lacking, I'm worried about falling behind in the workload because of all my other classes. I don't think there is a specific unit I am most concerned about, just the overall workload and all the labs we are supposed to do because it's been a while since I've done a formal lab... 

Hi there everyone! My name is Caitlin Rykse and this is my very first blog... ever! So... here's a little information about me. I am the youngest of 8 kids, I have 7 older siblings! I am a senior this year and this semester seems to be my hardest ever, but it's been a blast so far. I love to play soccer, hang out with my youth group and friends, read, and stay active.  My favorite subjects in school are anything related to history and current events and Spanish. I am attending GVSU next year and hope to be in the honors program. At GVSU I want to pursue gaining a major in social studies and Spanish and I hope to become a teacher at the high school level. 

Well, this semester is my hardest because of the AP classes I'm taking, but I wouldn't exchange my schedule for anything because it's going to be very worthwhile. That is why I'm in AP Biology, I am interested in biology and I want to pass the AP exam to gain college credit for it. In fact, I want to gain college credit from this course. That way, in college, I won't have to take this science course and can fill the spot with other classes.