A Lady Scientist- Blog

Since when have you worn glasses? My grandfather asked when we visited for Christmas. Thinking he was joking I said, Since I was six, as I gave him a hug and moved on to give my grandmother the same. Really? He asked my mom. My mom confirmed that this was indeed true. Do you wear contacts? He asked me. Well, yeah. I replied, somewhat mystified that someone who has known me all my life (and fairly well, too. Until I was in college I saw them at least once a month during the school year and I spent a week or two every summer there.) didn’t know that I wore glasses.

I’m used to the idea that people I run into at school don’t realize that I have poor eyesight. It was quite an adjustment to make, though. Seeing as how I hailed from a rather small-ish town and people would still remark about how I looked my better in contacts (despite the fact that I’ve worn them since I was 13). Or people in my peer group still remember who I “dated” in the third grade (by dated, I mean we sat far apart from each other during lunch and my friends would giggle whenever he remotely came within my vicinity).

But I think because of growing up in such an environment I pay much more attention to other people’s quirks than most people do. I know that Advisor doesn’t like the taste of plain water. Dr. Man hates the feel of jeans. Roommate always sits on the right of people. So, I have to remind myself that it doesn’t mean that I’m unimportant if people don’t remember that I wear glasses or that I don’t drink soda or that we were supposed to meet to talk about the status of my Important Project Central to Thesis.

And today the motivation fades. I’m not as busy as I was yesterday. In fact, today has been a lot of incubations and waiting that I couldn’t avoid. (New-ish project starting up and the crapping out of a heating block for an O/N digest I set up last night). I promised myself that I would read during these blank periods and I did. I read blogs, the NYTimes, slate.com….. Just not science stuff. I think I might take a page out of Kate’s book and go be productive at home. I’m not going to read science articles here, but I would like to clean my bathroom and kitchen, take the Dixie Dog for a walk, and other such productive things. I could do all that stuff at home, instead of staying in the lab waiting for my digests to finish and being utterly unproductive. Then, I can come back this evening and either freeze them or finish. (In all honesty, I’ll probably freeze them. The ten-twelve hours that it would put me ahead just isn’t worth it to me.) Then again, maybe I’m just justifying my lazy ways 🙂

Today I was ordered, I mean given the go ahead, to order the yeast strains that I need for Important Project for Major European Conference. I was hoping that Advisor would follow up on meeting with someone that actually works on yeast. Yes, this means that we, as in the entire lab, do not work with yeast. In fact, no one (including Advisor) has ever worked on yeast in our lab. I, personally, have never worked on yeast. Our lab works with E. coli.

This meant a trip to the library to read up on yeast stuff. Eventually, I found The Holy Grail of yeast protocols (subtly titled: Yeast Protocols) (amongst other books). This led to me occupying the department photocopier for a good half hour. (The library will only allow me to check out books for three weeks). It then occurred to me (I’m not sure why) that an electronic copy of said stuff would be lovely. So, I decided to break in the lab’s new-ish scanner and scanned in all the photocopies.

On the plus side, I now have all that stuff labeled and collected in Bookends (the reference management system, not the things on shelves). On the down side, I still need to read all this stuff. But I did figure out what I needed to order the yeast strains. So, it isn’t all negative.

At least today my procrastination didn’t have to do with surfing the internet!

Today is my first day back in the lab. It’s shocking that I’m back so late, but between Dr. Man’s schedule at the hospital and the obligatory once-a-year visit to the families it has been two weeks. I spent last night reviewing what I needed to get done today and considering improving the design of Important Project. This meant that when I got in today, I got straight to work.

See, usually, my morning goes something like this:
Roll into the lab mid-morning. Make coffee. Check plates. Sit down at desk. Drink coffee. Check email and blogs. One hour later start lab work for the day.

Today my morning went like this:
Roll into lab early-ish this morning. Drop bag on chair. Boot up computer to look at to-do list. Start lab work within 10 mins of arrival. Work for a few hours. Check email.

I’m hoping that I can stick to this schedule (and, ergo, my New Year’s Goals). Especially because I need preliminary data on Important Project for Major European Conference by mid-March. This, being a fairly large carrot, is good motivation. However, this is a marathon, not a sprint. And I seem to have a problem pacing with regards to my work habits.

“I think I can, I think I can.”

The productivity café (I can’t find the link offhand) suggested that people should do a New Year’s theme as opposed to resolutions. I’m going to have to disagree there– at least when it comes to me. I need something that’s measurable. When I was a kid, nothing made me happier than seeing the line of gold stars on the calendar. I have this crazy perversion when it comes to lists. I’ll write a to-do list, accomplish something that is not on the list, add it to the list. I do this just so I can cross it off the list. Hence, I don’t think a theme will do so well for me.

The productivity café (I can’t find the link offhand) suggested that people should do a New Year’s theme as opposed to resolutions. I’m going to have to disagree there– at least when it comes to me. I need something that’s measurable. When I was a kid, nothing made me happier than seeing the line of gold stars on the calendar. I have this crazy perversion when it comes to lists. I’ll write a to-do list, accomplish something that is not on the list, add it to the list. I do this just so I can cross it off the list. Hence, I don’t think a theme will do so well for me.

So, instead I’m going to try for goals. Things that I know I can do, but usually don’t. Things that are specific. So, here are my plans:

1. Walk the dog for at least 30 mins every day.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThis shouldn’t be too terribly hard. I can walk her in the morning before I head into the lab or immediately after I get home. Besides this should help with the blahs (I’ll probably post more on this later).

2. Limit internet surfing at the lab. This means that I get 15 mins in the morning. 30 mins at lunch. 15 mins in the afternoon. 30 mins in the evening.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspHi, I’m addicted to surfing the internet. I just can’t seem to stop. Especially when I play the wikipedia game. The doc says that my prognosis is only 50-50 at this point.

3. Read at least one “fun” science paper per month.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspI really do enjoy science. However, there are times where I get bogged down in my own specific field, that I forget about all the wonders of science out there (i.e. why I really got into this business in the first place). By fun I mean anything that seems interesting and out of my field.

I’m tempted to make more, but I think if I just concentrate on these three things throughout the coming year (and re-evaluate when necessary) I’ll have more success. Or maybe next year I’ll try the “theme” thing.

I’m at the in-laws right now.  I survived yet another New Year’s Eve with Dr. Man’s grandparents. Although, I’m sure that it must be horrible luck to usher in the New Year with FoxNews blaring in the background.  Luckily, however, as a compromise we managed to watch a Bowl Game (yes, I do enjoy football… yet another something the grandparents continuously find un-lady-like about me) up until about 11:30.  After that, I smiled and nodded and made sure my champagne flute was full.

Warning Rant Alert!

The PI in the lab next to ours, we’ll call him Dr. X, is a bit outspoken. On the few occasions that I’ve spoken with him outside of a Science context generally refers to how young I’ll be when I graduate, how little I know of life, and why I am in such a rush to accomplish things (meaning: go to grad school– and graduate, and get married). While I readily concede that I am young (having just achieved the quarter century mark), I think that I am of the average age for a 3rd year in my department (I can’t help that I have a late summer birthday).

This is the same professor that thinks that all people of my generation are just not involved enough in the “world.” He recalls (with not a little bit of nostalgia) the riots after the Kent State shooting, marches on Washington because of Vietnam, and the lock down of Cornell. He feels that those times really illustrated what the young can do. So, this obviously means that “my generation” is not living up to its potential.

However, this is the same prof that keeps his students in lab all hours of the day (and night). He’s the one that tells Advisor when I’m not here (our labs are connected and he walks through them every so often). He’s on the admissions committee and refused to admit someone who had taken time off of school to travel Europe (because he/she was out of the so-called scientific loop for too long).

Whenever he launches into these rants, I want to just let loose. Spew hot, molten crazy all over him. Tell him and people like him that are the problem. When am I supposed to March On Washington? Or Riot over Iraq? Sometime during my 50-60 hour work week? And on whose money? He, being secure in his position and more flush with money than I, would be much more suitable to all those tasks.

However, I don’t. I nod and make uncomfortable noises until someone else catches his attention. There doesn’t seem to be much point in pointing out these facts. Or defending myself that I do try. That I call and write my congressman/woman when an issue that I’m interested in comes up. That I try to get petitioned signed to support my candidate or issue. That I do my best to live up to my generations societal potential. Alongside all the other potential that I have as a Scientist, Friend, Wife, Daughter…

It’s the beginning of break week here at Public U. It’s the time of year when undergraduates scamper away, parking is abundant, and the lab is empty. Except for me. It is very strange that in the scant few years that I have been a graduate student, this is the first time that I haven’t noticed the end of the semester (until this morning when I waited for a long time for a bus that wasn’t coming). It could be due to the lack of classes or formal schedule. However, it is strange to lose that marker of the upcoming Winter Holidays.

The other day a few of us got together to destress (and whatnot). The conversation turned away from grad school (for once!) to the shopping season.