Occasionally, I can be a bit territorial in the lab. I don’t walk around my bench urinating or anything like that. However, I do get rather annoyed at certain people when they take things off of my bench and do not put them back.
Imagine this scenario: I’m working on a multi-day, time sensitive protocol. This protocol requires many different solutions. So I do what any good grad student would do, I make them up the day before. I, also, gather up all the various accouterment I need. That way I have everything that I need at my fingertips, when I need it. Now, did I mention that this protocol is time sensitive? That means that when X is finished, Y needs to be added right away. I’m merrily working away, pondering the data that this experiment may give me. My timer beeps and I go to add reagent Y. I reach up to grab it off of my shelf and it’s not there! I look on my bench, it’s not there I either. I frantically look around the lab. There it is. It’s sitting on Undergrad’s bench. I snatch it and add it to my experiment. It’s a finicky little experiment that if you let go just a minute past, it’s ruined.
This happened all day. I’d go to grab my pipet gun and, lo and behold, it’s not where I left it, you know, on my bench. I’d look around and someone would have “borrowed” it. It got to the point to where, when someone would approach my bench, I’d start to glower threateningly. Heaven help them if they reached to grab something off my bench. I’d pounce and demand that it would be returned immediately after the borrower had finished. I wanted it returned to the exact same spot. Unharmed. (This last bit I had to add on when Undergrad spilled the bottle, cracking the neck a bit, holding one of my solutions.) I’m sorely tempted to put a sign on my bench reading, “Trespassers will be shot on sight.”* But I don’t own a gun. Sigh.
*I kid, I kid. I’d amend it to have acid spilled on them, anyhow. **
**Still kidding. But, seriously, don’t “borrow” my stuff.
I would do THE SAME THING. I want to beat people for you. I’m stabby today. All this shopping for girl clothes makes me wonder if I’m having a baby or a stripper.
Yes. Thou shalt not take things that are mine. I’ve had many glaring discussions with people about this, though my belongings consist more of pens and paper than important equipment. 🙂
Choke them. Now. Otherwise it gets out of hand. It is even more grating when it is your superiors to blame… ack!
I’m totally for you on this one. I don’t have a lab bench, but do have an office that’s occasionally used by other people when I’m gone on days off (10-12 day usually).
So I fill up all the bookshelf spaces, and I mark all my things with my name or “My Name ONLY” in thick black marker.
People are mostly good about leaving things pretty much the way they found them, though – I’ve been fortunate at this place.
I vote for big signs everywhere: Do Not Touch!
Aunt Becky: I’m continuously amazed by the clothes for baby girls. Seriously, does an infant need to be proclaimed a Hottie to the rest of the world?
Post-doc: Pens and paper! I’ve resorted to hiding an extra pack of my favorite pencils, otherwise they’ll disappear within a week. Sigh.
Mimi: I’ve seriously considered it. Advisor will occasionally “borrow” things off of my bench. But he’s really good about putting everything back where it belongs. In fact, he warns everyone who comes into the lab that grad students (not just me, as I got this warning coming in) are territorial creatures.
Silver Fox: That would drive me crazy. Other people using my bench (equivalent of office)! If this trend continues signs will be the only way to go!
Yes, I am also very territorial when it comes to my stuff. I’d probably go crazy if someone stole a buffer/reagent! I actually like most things in the lab organized just so. All the enzymes in a specific box, etc. I make joking snarky comments if things get moved. But I spend a lot of time moving things back, I must admit.
In my old lab, each person got a color of tape (with 15+ lab users, we ended up with QUITE the collection of colors). We then labeled all of our bottles/equipment/selves with our color. It made it VERY easy to see when stuff was not where it should be.
If you don’t want to make your lab color-ific, I’d go check out passiveaggressivenotes.com and follow the examples so as to pepper your lab with passive-aggressive notes (that’s what Annoying Coworker did, to sometimes hilarious effect).
I’m not above taking anything I see on someone else’s bench with my tape color, whether I need it at that moment or not. But, if someone asks if they can use something, I almost always say yes. (This is proving to be a problem for Jackass Student, as he’s still not speaking to me and as a result has had to make up lots of his own stuff, since I seem to make almost all of the stock solutions in the group.) Except pipettors. I clean and calibrate them myself, so everyone wants them. Everyone also knows they risk losing an appendage if they try.
SGG: The longer I’ve been in lab, the pickier I’ve become. I really think it has to do with realizing how much time I waste looking for things and wanting to graduate (eventually!).
UR: That website is hilarious. However, I’m not too sure if I want to follow in Annoying Coworker’s steps 😉
Title Troubles: I have the best set of pipets in the lab. I think I’d just rage at anyone who so much as thought about taking them! My blood pressure increases just thinking about it!
I once worked with someone who labelled everything “mine”. Hmmmm…clever.
I feel your pain – although it occurred to me that if you did urinate around the place, people might leave your stuff alone 🙂
Emily: ‘Tis true. However, the psych ward is only a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from my lab and I’d prefer to keep it that way (as opposed to me being in said psych ward).
OH, do I know your pain. I used to split a work bench with the messiest person in the lab. I was the most organized. She could never find her own stuff, so she’d take mine. And lose it. Fortunately we had the kind of relationship where I could complain as loudly as I wanted. She never stopped, but at least I could get out my frustration.
I’ve got the answer for you. Purposely mislabel your solutions. Or put up a sign that says “1 of my solutions is mislabeled and only I know which one”. That will stop the little thiefs.
Tina: Unfortunately, I think that venting would only make it worse. As Undergrad(s) are truly clueless.
Echloe: I’ve thought about that. I was thisclose to re-naming all my solutions using Harry Potter potion names.