I feel like blogging, but there's nothing to blog about, really. Life's pretty uneventful right now. So, this entry's gonna be pretty random ( Read more... )

So, I'm in a quandary. Back in October, the most awesome guinea pig in the entire world (second only to Ruby) showed up in the Pet-co down the street from our house. He's white with a black spot around one eye, and on his backside, and his all coarse and wiry. When he was there in October, I said if he was still there when I was more stable and had ( Read more... )

Yesterday was good. I'm getting the hang of work. I ran the finals gel from start to finish on my own, and it came out fine! I also poured four gels, and they all looked (at least mostly) usable. I'll only have three gels to run on Monday, which is good, since it'll make for an easy first day on my own ( Read more... )

Feeling a little overwhelmed by work today. I'm figuring stuff out, a little bit at a time. I know that's normal, and to be expected. What worries me is that I'm gonna be on my own starting Monday, and I totally don't feel ready. I managed a gel pretty much on my own today, but messed up the staining and had to redo it. Then something similar ( Read more... )

I'm feeling quite positive and optimistic today. I got my first real look at my job. It looks interesting and doable. Electrophoresis is not nearly as complicated as I was afraid it would be. I will be injecting dyed DNA into what's basically a thin layer of jell-o. Then, I connect electricity to the concoction to make the DNA move. Finally, I' ( Read more... )

Yesterday, I had my first day of work. It consisted of filling out the necessary hiring paperwork (I got on as a direct hire, instead of temp!!!) and reading a bunch of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures. The way you're supposed to do things so you're doing it like everyone else in the company. They keep things repeatable). It also involved being ( Read more... )

So, the past couple of mornings, I have been watching kid's shows. No, I don't know why either. Actually, I was very favorably impressed. I'd forgotten what a smart show Sesame Street is. Grover used the phrase "double entente," for example. And Cookie Monster did a segment on how to tell if things are alive (Does it grow? Does it breathe? Does it ( Read more... )

I just landed a job at a company that makes DNA strands! This is sooo super-rad, I can't even explain it. I interviewed there in the fall and was really into the place, but didn't get the position. The position I will be in this time is a little less involved, at least at first. I'm just really excited that I have a job, that's in the lab, and I'll ( Read more... )

So, two of the people involved in the Megan Williams kidnapping have been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Ah, plea bargains. If convicted, the others face life sentences (which, I think, in WV, is actually 30 years. Go figure). I'm glad to see this case hasn't totally dropped off the face of the Earth. I'm not sure why she's appearing on the ( Read more... )

Best thing evar! In the paper version. they show pictures of Hillary Rodent Squinten and John McCheeze. Cute rats. I found this much more amusing than I should have. I actually laughed out loud when I read it at work. I approve of rodents. I have known very few that were not completely awesome. Anything that brings awareness to what great pets they ( Read more... )