My thoughts exactly!!!

Dr. Brazen Hussy and i agree: John McCain must think I'm a fucking idiot.

Finally! (and some Friday link love)

My westerns finally (sorta) started working like they should (i.e. bands exist again).  Why is it that the controls work but the experiments don't?  Even the controls in the experiment don't work.  GAH!  

Of course, my problems are nothing compared to Disguntled Julie's.  Seriously?  Seriously!

Oh, and my mice aren't getting sick because they're not in sterile housing.  Why couldn't somebody have mentioned that somewhere along the way?  (Excuse me while I go sac my whole colony, put all those experiments on hold, order new breeders, wait for them to breed, and wait for them to get sick.)  Somehow I think the bulk of this just became somebody else's project.  Oh well.  I was in the process of getting unattached to it anyway.

Hm...what else is new?  Crazy Man has been in a good mood.  It's pretty disturbing.  He's been getting into my bubble today, which I really, really don't do well with.  (Post to come someday about my social anxiety...)  But today, he was sitting talking to me and his shirt was gaping open a bit and I could see his stomach.  And I was so disturbed that was all I could think about.  

Oh well...I'll just try to let that memory slide away into the ether.  Or whatever.  iPod is updated, and I believe it's time to hit the road!  Woohoo!

Goodbye Mrs. Kitty

This is Charlie.

She came to live with us when I was in 6th grade.  Today she's leaving us.  She hadn't been doing well for a while, but now it's time.  Goodbye my little Charlie cat, Charcoal kitty, Mrs.  Kitty.  You can be with Daddy now...you loved him best anyway!

Antagonizer of (not so) sweet puppies and awesomest wrapper of Christmas presents.  

Maybe I'm just cranky

To Crazy Man:

1. I don't want you to come into the lab and rattle off a list of  all the crap you have to do today.  Honestly, I don't care how many letters of recommendation and paper reviews you have to write.  Stop whining about it and do it already.  And if it wasn't clear, I don't care.  Really.
2. I don't want to start my Monday by listening to you talk about how you don't think students at this university work hard enough and how you really don't believe people can be successful in science and work 9-5.  Really don't.  Really really.  And it's really hard to feel good about anything with your rants.  Really.  It's really, really hard to even have a shred of hope left after your little spiels like that.  Really.

To two different sets of neighbors:

If your dog barks continuously when outside alone, he shouldn't be left outside alone.  Even on your screen porch.  It really, really ticks me off when I can't inspect my little baby tomatoes without hearing your dog barking continuously, even when it can't see me.  Really.  I almost trudged over to your house Saturday morning in my robe and purple crocs at 7:30 AM just for the spectacle value.  Really.  We've since been debating the merits of taser vs. tranq dart.  Not really.  

To Mr. Lou:

You are NOT a pinball.  And don't beg for sausage again.  Apparently you don't like it.  So don't beg for it.  

To my right ovary:

I'm glad you've settled down.  However, could we try to avoid searing pain while I'm trying to talk to Crazy Man?  Please?

To those of you searching for medical information on teh intrawebz:

Be careful.  There's some serious BS out there.  Seriously.  It would be funny because it's so bad, except that well-meaning people believe it.  And that ticks me off too.

I think I need a nap.  I'm this cranky, even though I've had fudge twice today.  Not a good sign.

Friday links (because I'm too lazy to write a real entry)

• Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde has an awesome post up about a utopian lab collective, where everyone gets to do the things they're good at.  I still haven't decided which job I'd like...I kind of like doing everything.  Maybe that's a good sign, since I want to be a PI.  Hmm.  Food for thought.
• FSP's guide to academic etiquette.  Good advice, and more than enough sad but true anecdotes.  Because even smart people sometimes lack that thing known as common sense.
• Finally, Dr. Isis's young scientist reading list.  I just recently discovered Dr. Isis, and I absolutely love her blog.  Perhaps she's my alter ego?  ;)  Maybe at some point I'll start reading again.  Then I can really let you know what I think of Dr. Isis's picks.  Of course, I may just keep knitting
• Speaking of knitting...there will be pictures eventually, I promise.  I have finished the baby blanket I'm had been hating working on.  (And apparently the recipient looks like Yoda, but I haven't met him yet.  The baby, not Yoda.  Oh geez.)  I also knit a pair of socks and have two scarves in progress.  My weekend goal will be lots of pretty pictures.  Maybe some of the garden too.  And now I'm just rambling because I don't want to do lab work.  Hmph!

Mentoring note

In case you PI types aren't aware, your students don't want to have a serious heart to heart with you about their career and future while trying to load 84 samples onto a gel.  I'll even go so far as to say that your students don't want to discuss their career plans while they're trying to do lab work AT ALL!  

Also, while I'm at it, don't ask me if I can handle doing all the experiments I just told you I was going to do.  Especially don't do it in that condescending there's-no-way-in-hell tone of voice.  If I couldn't handle it, I'd tell you.  I'm apparently way better at this than you seem to think I am.  

Finally, don't ask me why I did an experiment that was your idea and that I bluntly told you I thought was stupid.  

That's not all, but I'll take a deep breath and let the rest go for now.  :)

"Scientists are people too"

There's an awesome post up over at Sciencewomen about childcare and professional travel.  Check it out!  Also, the new Scientiae is up.  I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but I'm sure it's awesome (and I've heard good things about it).  :)