nwhiker | Where I'm at. (Reply)

Wow, what a freaking week.

I still haven't written up our camping/hiking trip from last weekend because I've been getting home so freaking exhausted.

I walked in Tuesday morning and found the cell incubator was out of CO2 and my go-to people for help were all out. I did find someone to help me and show me how to do it, never having changed one of those before, and it was a good thing: Raul apparently installs those bottles without the plastic "crush" washer, and I could not budge the connection even with the big wrench. Even if I'd known how to safely change the tank, I was not breaking that bolt loose.

Wednesday, I had to euthanize a poor little mousie, though tbh, she was sick (vet report suggested a "neoplasia") and it was the right thing to do, but I don't like doing it. And the bottom of the 4C fridge was a puddle of water. I mopped it up, but it was a bit nerve wracking because there were three plugged in instruments sitting in said puddle of water. I lived! 🤣

Thursday, I had a litter of 11 pups to deal with and found out that we are missing two of the ingredients needed to make more neuronal growth medium, something I hadn't done before. It was last made in March, so I didn't have anything to do with it and I guess Raul didn't order what we'd need to make it again (usually he's pretty good about this). I tore apart the lab looking for two things, even though my July chemical inventory didn't show them. Sigh. So no media to use the neurons but I had to sac the mice anyhow. UGH. I had a little cry... ok, maybe it was a sobbing fit after I finished this. Of course I was there cleaning instruments, red faced and teary eyed, when two people walked into the lab to tag some equipment. I did have the door closed, but one had keys. I will long be grateful to both of them for not saying anything.

Also on Thursday I came in to find that yet again the bacteria incubator had had a hot spell and cooked my bacteria. We need to replace it, I'm getting tired of having to repeat experiments because of this bs. The dept electrical person is supposed to be installing an external digital temperature controller but it's been three or four months and I'm tired of waiting. I mean, the temp is supposed to be at 37C. I try to keep it at about 34C so there is some room for variability, but still, every few days, I come in to a temp above 42C. Blah. I repeated the experiment but since I didn't need the bacteria shaker overnight, left the plates in there with the shaking OFF. Agar plates don't do well shaken, LOL, as one of the undergrads found out when I was doing my MS.

All this to say that it was an exhausting week. And I'm going into a weekend that will be fun, my nephew and niece arrive today, YAY! Then I work three days and we head out for camping at Crater Lake. That trip all needs to be planned and prepped for... I'm not quite sure when.

Dh has been at trains Thursday and Friday so no help from him, he comes home exhausted after that, and he's at trains today too. Tomorrow we're planning on doing fun stuff in Seattle, though of course the "cloudy" forecast for the weekend turned to "pouring rain". 🙄

I'm both wiped and pre-emptively wiped, LOL. I'm good, but... I'm still wiped.