Pretending we're on Survivor

Hello everyone, this is Gabriel writing. I've haven't written much in a while, partially because I haven't had anything going on that I thought was blog-worthy. Well, this weekend we went camping in the NC mountains and had tons of fun. The campers were myself, Shirin, Anahita, Sarah, and Barney (Sarah and Barney are friends of Shirin from her days at USC). I realized I hadn't really been camping since my Boy Scout days (I've slept in a tent a few times at various places since then, but not really camping). We arrived on Saturday evening and only had time for about an hour hike into the mountains until the lack of sunlight forced us to find somewhere to camp. We had a lot of trouble finding a suitable spot in which to camp. Our guidebook said there would be clear locations but we were unable to find them. Possibly they were more than an hour's hike down the path. However I eventually found/stumbled upon a marginally suitable area to set up camp. It wasn't perfect but it had been used at least once before because we found a fire pit.
After setting up, we had a lovely meal of sandwiches, ramen noodles, and snacks. When our bellies were full we played a new board game called "Apples to Apples" (which I will probably bring to our Thanksgiving festivities, if it doesn't interfere with our Scrabble tournament). At about 11:30 we settled in for the night. I think I slept the best out of the 3 in my tent because Shirin was worried about bears and Anahita was worried about Cha Cha (her dog) who wanted to go play outside the tent.
We woke up the next morning, had breakfast, hiked our camp supplies back to the car and spent a few more hours hiking near a river. After we were all good and tired (except Barney, who was indefatigable) we headed into the little town of Highlands to get a newspaper (Georgia 14, Florida 21) and have some lunch. Overall it was a wonderful weekend and we're looking forward to doing it again soon.









I just noticed that I'm not wearing a pack in any of these pictures. I did in fact carry a pack and didn't just make the girls tote everything. :)

-Gabriel

Mas fotos!

Here are some more photos of our fun day (see blog below to see why we get to have fun!)

-Shirin

My latest obsession: Asian soup du jour

(I went to the local Asian market for ingredients today...mmm)!

Que rico!

Gabriel chowing down on soup and watching the latest Survivor show

(Too bad it was a clip show in the middle of the season!)

Me nourishing my domestic/creative side by relearning how to knit:)

Yay...enjoying our time together (without my books).

Fall Break, Finally!!!

Yay! I get a day off from school...and boy, is it needed. I just finished a really huge Anatomy exam, and, after studying 5 days straight, I really need a break. After my test Wed, I went out to listen to some music with my vet school people, and, yesterday, Gabriel and I went to the coffee shop to read and then went out for Thai food with David (who's in town for a few days). Today we're going to go shopping for food for our camping trip tomorrow (with my college friends and sister) in NC, and I'm doing things I never get to do, like clean my house and do artwork. I want to go to a music or dance performance tonight, if I can.
In other unrelated news, we are selling my red car to become a one-car family. Since I ride my bike, walk, or take the bus to school and Gabriel rides his bike almost everywhere, we are going to try to save money and the environment by driving our car only when we have to. We really haven't needed the second one at all this semester, so it's gotta go. Plus, I really don't like it. Anyone want a Saturn?
OK, gotta go...back to cleaning, knitting, and cooking. What luxuries!
-Shirin

Showing off my new birthday earrings from Tita .

Reading science papers at our favorite coffee shop (Jittery Joe's).

Scars healing nicely.

For $4500 it's yours:

Who Knows The Title Of This One?

Hi, everyone, it's Shirin again. For those of you readers that are more Gabriel-fans than Shirin-fans, I apologize for being the primary contributor to this blog recently...although I'm not sure of the reason, since I'm the busier of the two. In any case, you'll have to take it up with your favorite robot-boy, b/c I have no idea why he hasn't written lately. I guess I need to have more flag football games to get him excited about reporting again. :)
Gabriel is actually in Raleigh this weekend to play with Clayton and friends (on the computer, of course). He's only been gone an hour, and I'm already missing him. It's the first time I remember being without him for a whole weekend since we got married...it feels weird. I never thought I'd be so un-independent, but he really is my major source of happiness in an otherwise busy, hectic life of school and tests. (If only I had a cat!)
Speaking of which, I am having another battery of quizzes and exams, so I'm pretty distracted right now. I'm taking my break between classes and going to the library to study (on a Fri night, how sad!). Below are some pictures of recent stuff, including vet school pics I never put up. (Beware! Some of the pictures involve less than pretty sights of my dissection lab-sorry, it's what I'm doing right now).
Love to all of you.
-Shirin

Gabriel being silly, as always.

Me and Beth studying Anatomy.

Me, Todd, and Beth (my lab group).

The anatomy lab with all of us in it.

The classroom where I spend many, many hours (it's twice that big).

A beautiful rainy day in our front yard.

Pumpkins, Friends, & Family

Hi. My sister, Gabriel, and I went to Rock Hill this weekend to celebrate our birthday with my parents, carve pumpkins, visit with our best friend Lisa and her fiance Dan (they were in town for a wedding), help my dad with his computer, and cook like there was no tomorrow!

It was a lot to cram in, but we managed to accomplish all of it. What fun!
-Shirin

Gabriel helping my dad with his program to submit bills online.

(It took them hours and hours, but they finally got it!)

Cooking a multi-course meal with Anahita & David

(Asian soup, veggie burritos, & baked potatoes--ha ha)

Tita picking food out of my teeth for the picture.

(No we're not 251 yrs old- my mom just couldn't find a 6)

My mom getting our cake ready, while my dad cooks--it's good to be home!

Dan, Tita, & Cha Cha carving pumpkins.

Gabriel's pumpkin (no stencils used--JK!)

Gabriel & guess who?

Pumpkin-carving party galore (we're still eating pounds of seeds)!

Lisa, the expert pumpkin-carver

What Gabriel Does While I Study (Part II)

I wrote a blog about a month ago about what Gabriel did while I studied (it was play hours and hours of video games). Here's the new addition...he hasn't played as many games lately, at least to my knowledge, but he has taken up a new hobby: reading and teaching himself how to write computer code. (I know, it sounds crazy). But, he really loves it and his current plans are to write a program for an evolutionary algorithm (he says it's not as hard as it sounds) and to write a program to test his thesis (about the "ultimatum game"). If anyone is interested in hearing more about either of those two topics, please refer all questions to Mr. Beal.
By the way, this makes him the ideal spouse to have while in vet school, since he's content hanging out in the library with me for hours, as long as he has a book and a computer.
Meanwhile, I'm cramming as many facts about bacterial virulence factors in my head before Thursday at 8 AM. (I took this picture with my cell phone).
-Shirin

Gabriel reading about computer code in the vet library:

Happy Birthday To Me!

Hi everyone. Today is the day before my birthday (Mon, Oct 9 is the actual date). I had a good weekend, mostly procrastinating for my big Bacteriology test next week. I went out with Gabriel and his two visiting friends, David and Clayton, on Friday night, and then Saturday I volunteered as a bartender for the vet school's tailgating party, where I met some important people (I served beer to the dean...ha ha). Also, I met the woman in charge of hiring students for the UGA Small Animal Teaching Hospital over the Christmas holiday, which is good b/c it helps you meet doctors/techs and learn your way around the clinic before doing rotations senior year. It's a great opportunity. So, Modaresi and Beal family members, I regret to announce that I will probably miss Christmas with both of you...I just want to make an advanced announcement now. Maybe I can come visit both of ya'll at an earlier or later date, since my break is at least 3 weeks long, and I may not be working the whole time.
Anyway, tomorrow I turn 26, but I will be in class from 8-5 and then studying at night, so we celebrated tonight by going out to our favorite Thai place for dinner. It started out as a normal, delicious dinner but, at the end, turned crazy with the lights suddenly going dark and a parade of Thai people walking through the restaurant, bringing me a dish of mango ice cream with a lit candle stuck in the middle! Everybody in the restaurant clapped and yelled "Happy Birthday" and the stereo started playing a wacky tune with squeaky voices yelling "Happy happy birthday" over and over again. Anyway, it was very sweet of them, but I got a little embarassed with all that attention. There are pictures below.
So, while I won't have a cake with candles tomorrow on my birthday, I did get to make a wish on my mango ice cream tonight, and I'm sure it will come true.
-Shirin
PS I forgot to mention that I also got a great fortune in my fortune cookie!

G & friends working on the computer.

More computer work (they like that stuff!)

An embarassed me receiving my mango ice cream.

Me and my sweetheart.

My good birthday fortune.

Freshman vet girls football team unable to continue unbeaten streak, fall to 1-1

The UGA freshman vet girls flag football team fell to 1-1 last night, ending a nearly 2 week (1 game) winning streak. The vet girls, referred to hereafter by their team name "A for Effort" or "A's", had shown some real promise in their first game, but disappointed a record crowd (6 people) last night. "Female intramural flag football is much closer to high-school or pickup games than college or pro ball in that a single athlete can totally dominate a game," said noted football expert and extreme A's fan Gabriel Beal. "And the Other Girls definitely had one of those athletes." Gabriel was referring to the Other Girls' starting quarterback (name unknown). Standing at roughly 6 feet tall and with arm strength reminiscent of a young Brett Farve, she led the Other Girls to a late game victory. After a defensively dominated first 3 quarters, with the score 6 - 6, the Others Girls exploded with 2 touchdown drives in the closing minutes of the game. "That giant quarterback was the key," said A's coach Casey Neary, "I wish we could get her interested in veterinary medicine." The Modaresi-Beal Family blog was unable to secure an interview with this rising star.

"I think turnovers were the key," said rookie nose-tackle Shirin Modaresi. "You just don't win ball games when you throw 3 interceptions." Usually unflappable A's quarterback Margaret Sams threw 2 interceptions and backup quarterback Justine Bolyard was picked off once. The A's defense struggled late in the game as well. "I don't think they've had enough practice and instruction on how to play zone defense," said Gabriel Beal, "If you ask me, I think we should play man to man coverage; we've got good athletes and I think our cornerbacks will match up well with most teams' receivers."

The final score was the A's 6 and Those Other Girls 20.

-G

Fun Stuff Update

Hey! Since I've had a little break from the exhaustive exam schedule they gave us 2 weeks ago, I've been enjoying life a little more. I still only have one "real" friend in my class (Beth), but I am guessing it's because I spend a lot of time at home with my husband and in the library studying (more than my classmates, I think). However, she's a very cool friend, indeed, and makes school much more fun. We mostly get together to study since we're both in serious relationships and don't have much more time than for significant others & homework, but it's always more fun with two!:)
We have already started a tradition that the night before a test, I go over to her house and we quiz each other...mainly b/c we learn a lot by talking about the information aloud, but also because I enjoy her house full of pets! She, her girlfriend, and her roommate have 8 animals between them: 4 dogs & 4 cats! It's a full house, but I really enjoy being around so many animals while I learn about their physiology, diseases, and anatomy. I've even used her dogs as "patients" to feel around their various parts when studying.
Last week we took her dogs to the park and (tried to) study for anatomy. (The dogs made sure it was impossible to get anything done). After our first round of tests, it's become obvious to us that we really need to study every day if we want to keep up with all the info. It's hard to do when the tests are so far away, but there's no such thing as cramming and getting away with it in vet school.
Meanwhile, life with Gabriel is always a pleasure, and we're enjoying the newlywed life (we've decided we can say "newlywed" til our 1 year anniversay on Jan 11) and spending as much time together as possible.
My sister and I have been able to visit one another a few times recently, which was great. It's been harder to do than expected, even though we are only about 1.5 hrs apart.
Check out some recent photos below of me, Beth, Anahita, & Gabriel.
-Shirin
PS Look for something cute in the little red bag Beth is carrying!
PPS Look at Anahita's new short hair cut!