Blog every day in May Pt 1 & 2

I think this idea rocks. Here it goes!

Day 1 (since I just found out about this today...you get a double dose!): The story of my life in 250 words or less (or one paragraph..)

I'm a wife by vow, a Christian by Calvary, an American by blessing, a Californian by birth, a Texan by choice, a dog momma by adoption, a friend at all times, a leader by actions, a world traveler by adventure, a hard worker by determination, a biologist by a Bachelors degree, an Epidemiologist by a Master's degree and career opportunity and a runner by competition. We can't forget that I'm also an Oreo lover and a Coffee freak.

Life story--not so much but you get the idea.

Day 2: Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at.

I am an Epidemiologist (and, no that is NOT a skin doctor). I know more about diseases than you would want to know and am always learning because they are always changing! I spent 4 years as a pre-med/pre-law student and loved the microbiology/infectious disease aspects of my courses. So I pursued a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology (we cant forget about that concentration in Leadership studies--which was pretty fun too!). 

So, what exactly do I do? Well some of it I can't/don't want to tell you (sounds too legit...right?). But basically, I investigate disease outbreaks, protect others from communicable diseases/food-borne illness and educate on preventive measures that people can take against certain things. 

So, instead of bore you with what Epi is and all that stuff why don't I teach you about an awesome book that you can read (if you're into this stuff)? It explains a lot of what I love.

 It's called The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. It's about Ebola and Marburgviruses--among some other ones. It's a nonfiction story but written in a way that sounds fiction (so it really gets you hooked by use of the character descriptions and the plots--which, remember, are factual). I'll be honest, I had a tough time getting through the first 25 pages because it was all background info and I just wanted to get to the BSL4 stuff (Biosafety Level 4). BSL4 agents, such as ebolavirus, are super infectious and have potential to kill lot's of people and they don't have any treatments. 

OK. I'm done boring you. If you are interested in this kind of stuff go ahead and try out the book! 

This pretty much sums it up:

{{Some photos I took of the first few pages of the book.}}

Can't wait to read everyone's 31 posts this month! I'm excited about this link up if you can't tell!
-Meg