my flash drive has limbs.

Trivial Confessions

Confession: I discovered this weekend that I have not balanced my checkbook since Sept 2007, nor do I plan to start.

Confession: Mendel was a topic in the class I was AI-ing this morning. I got this weird "awww Mendel" nostalgic feeling. (Yes, it's weird. No, I can't explain it.)

Confession: My feet are in love with the new space heater under my desk.

Confession: I hate apartment hunting. I also hate moving. And packing. And unpacking. However, my dislike of my upstairs neighbors overrides all of these.

Confession: There is an open word document where I should be writing a conference abstract right now. The blinking cursor is mocking me.

Well, it looks like you've got a tree in your lung... we'll have to operate.

5cm fir tree removed from patient's lung.

Seriously... how does that happen?! It makes my lungs hurt just thinking about it.

How (not) to annoy your labmates pt 2

Defiantly crossing the acceptable-music-genre-and-volume boundary

Normally, this isn't a problem for me, but earlier this week I forgot my earbuds one day. Frankly, music is the only way I get through the stack of papers to grade without becoming depressed. So it was a dilemma to choose what I deemed acceptable music to listen to at a reasonable volume. I think in most cases it's best to go with something sort of mainstream. Acoustic is always good. Soft rock/easy listening. Limited twang. Jazz flute is most likely a 'no.' Probably best to steer clear of the the death metal if you want to stay on your co-worker's good side. So I put away my HSM soundtracks and country twang, and put on a mix of Jack Johnson and Coldplay.

Although, I did wonder what AJ, who now sits behind me , would do if I turned and asked him to sing Troy Bolton's harmonies to complete the HSM duets. Probably look at me like I'd been sampling the lab reagents and then ask to be moved to a different bay.

How to annoy your labmates pt 1

A couple weeks ago, there was a biodept product show. This basically means that several vendors set up booths in the Jordan Hall atrium and try to get you to buy everything from eppendorf tubes to thermocyclers to antibodies. They lure all the grad students there with free bagels or pizza, hoping that we'll talk our PIs (who are in control of the moolah) to buy their products. Basically we wander through the booths, acting interested, and then head for what we really came for--our lunch.

The vendors always have promotional free stuff: post-its and pens usually. My favorite are the pens shaped like pipetmen. This time one of the vendors had clappers. You know, those things that you get at sporting events that you shake back and forth to make really loud clapping noises? Really, there's only one purpose for these in the laboratory: to annoy your labmates. There are at least two of these clappers in our lab and over the past couple weeks, every once in awhile you'll hear a loud clapping noise followed by a yelp from a surprised (and probably annoyed) labmate. Yesterday, Rohini surprised/scared/annoyed Michelle. Michelle retaliated by hitting Rohini on the arm hard enough that it was still red 15 minutes later.

My first thought when this happened: Hardy lab fight club... :)

Mark 8 words

Because I think Wordle is pretty nifty, and Mark 8 was a better choice than my golgi apparatus hw.

Google is watching me...

Today, in the recommendations box on my google reader it suggested the "Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report." I guess that tells you what my google searches have been about lately: viruses and death as a result. Kind of depressing, eh? I don't think the CDC's mortality report will make it on my list of blogs.

6 reasons why I'm happy that the HSM III Dvd release was this week

Don't judge, just read. :)

1. It's silly. Yeah, we know it and we own it. The silliness is half of the charm of HSM. The other half is equal parts Ryan's voice (give him more songs!), Troy's face (See #2), and choreographed musical dance numbers in response to life events. Sometimes you just need something that entertains without delving too far into analytical thought. 

2. Zac Efron's facial expressions. The boy had me at laryngitis (min 2:32-2:36). I'm amazed at the speed at which he can change his facial expressions. His skill holds through to HSM. And he may even teach you how to be a super he-ro.

3. Cheesy pop tunes. You know you love them. They're catchy and make me sing along every time. What's life without some power ballads and cheesy lyrics from the Backstreet Boys, Michelle Branch, Jesse McCartney, aaaaaaaaand the HSM soundtracks. I'd say it'd probably be like life without love or getting your big break and laryngitis (just can't help the Hairspray references now.) 

4. Happy Disney endings. Teenage angst followed by a happy ending. Does that ever actually happen, or do we just grow out of it without resolution? I don't know, but it's always more fun to watch teen angst than to be involved in it. Forget your former high school teenage drama and laugh at theirs.  And you can watch the angst occur via music; it's always better when expressed through song... on a bridge, on a desert golf course, in the school hallway that starts spinning, during the basketball game...

5. They just keep getting better. HSM I is mediocre at best, cut it some slack and remember it was a made-for-Disney-channel, low-budget film.  HSM II is better, as long as you don't include that extra Hawaiian headdress Sharpay song on the extras. HSM III--great. 

6. It's a good excuse (as if we need one) to get a group of good friends together for a night of marathon fun. We laugh, we cry (mostly from the laughter, not movie-inflicted distraught), we get annoyed at Gabriella's whiny voice (if she calls him 'Wildcat' one more time...).

What's that? You don't dance? ...I know you can. High School Musical. Who says we have to let it go? :)

Scientists, don't forget to label your samples...

Uni sorry for lizard dung blunder

In the Uni's defense, if you left an unmarked bag of ancient lizard feces laying around my lab, I'd throw it away too.

Awkward hug

Here's another good one. This time from Newsies. Minute 6:06. We had a good laugh over this one. A word of advice: Never hug a girl/boyfriend like this. This hug is like when two guys get excited after a big sports win and they hug, but in the midst of the hug they become uncomfortable and feel the need to reinforce their masculinity so they use the pat on the back.


Jack's bad hug

(embedding disabled. drat.)

I Got the Feelin' (Baby Baby Baby)

Oh, Cosby Show reruns. This one's a classic; makes me smile. Check it out. (Sorry, embedding disabled on this one)

The Huxtables lip sync to James Brown
AKA Theo is awesome

Jenny: "I wish my family did that..."

scientists are... interesting creatures

This email was sent to the entire biology department today:

To: [Bio Dept]

Subject: chainmail and helm for sale

Full chainmail shirt $300

Spangen helm $200

Seriously? I guess next time I need to sell my ridiculously overpriced medieval memorabilia I'll use the bio dept listserv.