Weird Scientists

If I haven't explained/ranted to you yet about my lab work, I'm currently looking at several gene mutations linked to inheritable forms of Parkinson's disease and my research is looking at the effect of oncological drugs on the genes expressing these mutations, which my lab planted into worms. Well, the basis for my experiment, and for 3 months of work, was looking at a crossed Parkinson's mutant with a transgenic protein that makes its dopamine fluorescent under UV. Well today, I learned there may be a "distinct probability" the transgene has been lost in the worm. And by "distinct probability," I mean it's been PCR confirmed, causing me to kick the PCR machine. Which means there is no genetic difference between my control and experimental groups....which means loud expletives were said.

How this happened could have been homozygous control worms could have infected the strain, or there was breeding back, or I'm being punished for transgressions in a previous life.

That's the way the cookie crumbles, before spontaneously combusting, I guess. Still have 2 more months to get the re-crossed worms.

In real world news, my sister has signed up for gun training class.

Yeah, I'm beginning to see no difference between reality and absurdism.

In Which I think Some Higher Sentient Beings Watch My Life Like a Sitcom

I think I was dumped. The real problem is I didn't think I was in a relationship. But a girl I've been seeing on and off for the past three months (more like actually we interacted once in each of those three months) gave the 'just a friend' speech . I'm sitting there wondering if she's been dating my doppelganger. And truth be told, my reason for hanging out with her in the first place was ennui, but I ended up even more bored and sedated after every date. So really, I managed to not have the stresses or fun one usually gets out of a relationship. I break even.

Now I need to keep on working on my thesis, because my PI has availability to enough drugs and chemicals to kill 50,000 worms and it would be trouble if he offers me some "tea."

Cause I've Gone to Canada in My Mind

So my friend Anne and I were discussing how first-year medical students either are in a relationship coming into med school, or end up hooking up with someone during their first semester, it dawned on me that should a medical class be mainly composed of men, those men normally would have to compete for the affections of the female students if this were true. Then I saw this article, and realized what my Plan B should be.

Actually I Prefer Mario Cart Wii

"Yes, I'm not very well-versed in the electrophysiological subtleties of the C. elegans worms. I'm more interested in grinding up their bodies and draining their neurotransmitters." -JML
"I take it you played a lot of World of Warcraft." -Dr. James Eberwine, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania