Am trying out LJ for the next month. All posts are friends-locked but otherwise things should be the same.

Something something patience

So while I'm sick, it seems like the PI has decided that rather than publishing what we have now, he'd want the interaction data after all. This is extremely frustrating and not a little confusing. I am baffled and so are the collaborators. My appointment with the office of grad studies for my exiting paperwork is on the 22nd so I'm going to have to explain this situation as that I doubt my PI will let me go until we get the manuscript accepted for publication. The manuscript that hasn't even been sent out yet.  Augh.

Caught something last Sunday and spent this week taking meds and trying to fight it off before finally succumbing to it sometime Thursday night and arrived at work Friday morning only to be ordered by the PI to take care of my cell culture  (which no one else could do except me) and go home. Which probably says something since he's the one who's been pushing me for new data on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday this week while knowing I'm running five day long experiments. Still feeling kind of achy and gross this morning, but mostly crushingly disappointed since this is the first October in YEARS where I've arrived at a place where I can enjoy myself and now I'm spending my first weekend nursing a cold. I had PLANS dammit.

And in this week...

Collaborator still working on draft, I ran some experiments, the cold room is still leaking so I probably will need to wipe up the water come Monday. Also my cultures a redeveloping a fungal problem. No idea how much of that is an effect of the fact that our new eco-friendly building is both warmer and damper than our previous building. No idea if the fact that for the first time in ever our lab is doing some fungal work (yeast for Y2H assay) played a part. Either way it kind of sucks as I have to repeat a bunch of stuff again and also re-make a bunch of media.

It autumn here yet

Went to Del Mar Fairground last week and spent two hours at the Home and Garden show rather than the ...horse racing that people generally go see (because as one of my high school teacher said: I am an 80 year old in disguise and have zero interest in horse racing). It's basically a convention with booths of construction company, architecture firms, renewable power companies &c, and I mentioned to Lucy, I basically gave people there massive headaches because I insisted on Asking Questions. A lot of which aren't necessarily the sort that a sales person is equipped to answer. (Like for instance: this one guy was trying to sell me this new paint that's supposed to be permanent, or at least he claims it lasts "forever" and it's also insulating as well and doesn't chip -- I wanted to know what kind of chemical / technology's involved so that one layer of paint can be insulating -- whether it's some kind of polymer or clay -- you get the idea.) I ended up collecting a lot of flyers and pamphlets, and got some good research info for a story of mine -- though I do have to figure out what having an architect on site will be like and the logistics of getting a construction crew somewhere remote. Ah well, I do know someone who works for a construction company, so I might ask her at some point.

Badly organized post, you have been warned

Since I sort of have more time on the weekends now, I've decided to go around the city and visit all the famous landmarks that I haven't yet seen before I leave. I've started last Sunday and am currently aiming at one site per week, which should carry me hopefully past the submission & review stage of my manuscript.

Yay it's September

Moving a 15 year old lab and its assorted equipment, samples, and detritus when the lab is down to 2 grad students, 1 lab tech, and 1 undergrad had been most exciting. Of the variety that I shall add to the let's never do that again, ever, list.