If there is anything I can say about this year is that it has been a unique challenge. After so much time off and lulled by that sense that "I am in!" has been hard to get over. I have had to reteach myself how to learn, to assimilate knowledge, and how to do that while not completely falling apart. It been a challenge that I will always be working with by I am getting there. Motivation has never been my strong suit but I am working on that and may have figured a few things out by my last class at the end of last semester.
For anyone wanting tips, its this, figure out the many different ways you learn and then be willing to experiment with them constantly to figure out how you learn that subject best. Not only is it how you learn best, but its how you learn that material best. Don't learn to regurgitate, learn to use, it helps in the long run.
Find a school-life balance. There is nothing worse than putting one above the other as everything will eventually crumble if you do.
And find a destressor. I am still working on this as I am rather picky when in comes to my destressors. Yes, it makes finding a good one hard but it makes the find all the more rewarding. Its one of my goals for second year. I do need to be better about this, especially since the stress in my life has decided to increase ten fold. Hopefully this can become one of my outlets.
Till later and more thoughts rattle out of my head.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Monday, September 3, 2012
Coming up for air
Sorry for the lack of anything resembling a post here, I am neck deep in classes and trying to write/finish a first author research paper. Oh and keep the apartment clean (dishes are a war of attrition, I am currently winning this round).
Yes, I may be insane.
More to come.
Yes, I may be insane.
More to come.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Great Moments In Lab
More like great mishaps in lab.
So lets start with last week, where our microscope decided to kill its bulb. Not the end of the world, we have extra bulbs, right? Yes, with a caveat of course. The bulb is in my PI's office, who is on vacation for another week. Greeeeat. Oh and did I mention I have no idea where the bulb even is in this microscope? And that we need it to look at our plates daily? And that the next nearest one is at least one building over?
Thankfully, after much fighting (gentle mind you) with the scope, I found the lightbulb and got the housing around it off. I then was desperate enough to try the bag of 'used' bulbs. 90% were in fact used, however there was one that worked! I cannot tell you how happy this made me.
Next moment of pure brilliance (please read much sarcasm into this statement). I tried to make 1g/mL of BSA in PBS. Instead I made snot. I seriously cannot describe the consistency any other way. And not runny snot, but the seriously thick goopy stuff. Okay, so lets bump the starting concentration down to 100mg/mL of BSA. Much better. Now we dissolve in PBS and really well in RIPA buffer. But the special extraction buffer? Yeah, I somehow dissolved my BSA partially in this water based buffer, walked away with it on the shaker to finish dissolving while having lunch, and came back to a gelatinous solid. And I do mean solid. Even my PI was like, well thats weird, what was in this buffer again? We think we somehow accidentally cooked the BSA with some chemical reaction in the buffer (we are thinking it may have been the beta mercaptoethanol). Needless to say, we just scrapped using that buffer in our Bradford assay as a standard.
And then to finish off the day, I am going through my old notes to figure out what experiments I still have in limbo and I realize, I used the wrong control reagent on a whole experiment. Face, say hi to palm. Thankfully I hadn't done the qRT-PCR (I the big expensive reaction part) on it yet, but it does mean I have to do it all over again. My PI did point out that I now have a nice bank of RNA for controls when I need it. Still does not make me super happy. Oiy.
Thankfully, this is an atypically high mishap week.
So lets start with last week, where our microscope decided to kill its bulb. Not the end of the world, we have extra bulbs, right? Yes, with a caveat of course. The bulb is in my PI's office, who is on vacation for another week. Greeeeat. Oh and did I mention I have no idea where the bulb even is in this microscope? And that we need it to look at our plates daily? And that the next nearest one is at least one building over?
Thankfully, after much fighting (gentle mind you) with the scope, I found the lightbulb and got the housing around it off. I then was desperate enough to try the bag of 'used' bulbs. 90% were in fact used, however there was one that worked! I cannot tell you how happy this made me.
Next moment of pure brilliance (please read much sarcasm into this statement). I tried to make 1g/mL of BSA in PBS. Instead I made snot. I seriously cannot describe the consistency any other way. And not runny snot, but the seriously thick goopy stuff. Okay, so lets bump the starting concentration down to 100mg/mL of BSA. Much better. Now we dissolve in PBS and really well in RIPA buffer. But the special extraction buffer? Yeah, I somehow dissolved my BSA partially in this water based buffer, walked away with it on the shaker to finish dissolving while having lunch, and came back to a gelatinous solid. And I do mean solid. Even my PI was like, well thats weird, what was in this buffer again? We think we somehow accidentally cooked the BSA with some chemical reaction in the buffer (we are thinking it may have been the beta mercaptoethanol). Needless to say, we just scrapped using that buffer in our Bradford assay as a standard.
And then to finish off the day, I am going through my old notes to figure out what experiments I still have in limbo and I realize, I used the wrong control reagent on a whole experiment. Face, say hi to palm. Thankfully I hadn't done the qRT-PCR (I the big expensive reaction part) on it yet, but it does mean I have to do it all over again. My PI did point out that I now have a nice bank of RNA for controls when I need it. Still does not make me super happy. Oiy.
Thankfully, this is an atypically high mishap week.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Reasons why breakfast (and lunch) are important
So I know I am someone who needs to eat fairly regularly, or at least with lots of calories. And drinking water is never my strong suit. Thus it was totally awesome when, in the middle of explaining a bisected head to a group of students I suddenly feel super hot and on my way to light headedness.
So not awesome.
Been here before though last time I think it was because I was standing for too long. This time, I am voting not drinking enough and thinking a few cookies, some fruit, and some almonds was a brilliant idea for breakfast. NOT!
Must eat better -.-
So not awesome.
Been here before though last time I think it was because I was standing for too long. This time, I am voting not drinking enough and thinking a few cookies, some fruit, and some almonds was a brilliant idea for breakfast. NOT!
Must eat better -.-
Friday, July 6, 2012
Guess what I did today!
This actually went really well! Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what this 'event' was!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
The heavens aligned, and then decided to giggle
So I was historically crying this morning. In a good way.
I got accepted!
Four years of trying and going back for a masters and it finally happened! I am accepted into medical school! I seriously cannot believe this happened!
For anyone ever struggling towards their dream all I have to say is keep trying, if you work hard it will happen.
And then I went to work to try and finish a western blog while being super excited. I put the ECL devloping chemical on and then forgot to add the film for this 10 minute incubation.
Whoops :)
I'm in!!!!!!!!
I got accepted!
Four years of trying and going back for a masters and it finally happened! I am accepted into medical school! I seriously cannot believe this happened!
For anyone ever struggling towards their dream all I have to say is keep trying, if you work hard it will happen.
And then I went to work to try and finish a western blog while being super excited. I put the ECL devloping chemical on and then forgot to add the film for this 10 minute incubation.
Whoops :)
I'm in!!!!!!!!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)