Driving me crazy...

This morning I indulged in my masochist side and once again took my car into the mechanic shop. I might have well shot myself in the foot to obtain the same effect. I don't enjoy servicing my car, but I do understand it's an necessary evil in car ownership. My car isn't really high maintenance. The usual oil/fluid change and replacement of normal parts (tires, breaks, belts) that get worn down over the car's lifespan. In fact, on whole, my current car has treated me well. Hell, any car would treat me better compared to my first car which was appropriately named, "mushroom mobile". So maybe my perspective is a lil' too bias, but that my readers is a story for another blog entry.

So yes, today I took my car into the shop for what you could characterize as preventive maintenance. I have a hunch that the water pump is due to be replaced and I would rather find out about it now, rather than on some prairie roadside awaiting for a towtruck. Thus, I willingly submitted my car for inspection. Right now, it's being poked and prodded. I'll assume that they will find something wrong with it as mechanic/service shops can ALWAYS find something wrong with your car.

But that isn't the focus of today's blog rant but rather the service shuttle I receive from the dealership. This is a standard service offered by all dealerships to their "valued customers". In fact I think they prefer the customers being offsite instead of pacing around the waiting room. The problem that irks me is the employed driver of these carpools. So far I have had the pleasure to know three shuttle drivers:

There's the Granny-"Let me tell you"-driver. This woman apparently has no qualms about her personal life being public knowledge. It's like tuning into a biannual drama show. Each episode is an update on her (still) estranged husband and her run away daughter with unplanned grandson. Details of her finances, phobias, and latest jewelry purchase help the character development of this driver. But sadly the plot always falls short.

Next we have "Let's chat" and "I know a better way to get there" guy. Now I've only lived in my current city for 6 years, and in agreement with Dawn, I do get lost on occasion. However I think I know the route to my lab pretty well. Seeing that I've spent literally 4 of the 6 years living at this workplace (the other 2 years are at my flat sleeping or on the ice playing hockey). But according to this guy, he knows the best route. Um, ok... you can take that street and stop 4 times more than going the other route. But I try to keep in mind that he holds the wheel and just enjoy the scenery.

Talking about enjoying the scenery. Yes, actually, I am a quiet rider with complete strangers. Since the day I got my driver's license, I've been behind the wheel daily. Not always to my wish. Just that it was one of the various exploits by my mom with her reasoning that since she chauffeured me for 16 years, it's my turn to chauffeur her. There's also the fact that I'm one of the very few people in my social group who owns a car. So that means, I'm the designated driver. Thus, being taxied, bused, or shuttled is a sincere treat to me and I enjoy the ride... in silence, to collect my thoughts, and discover places that I never knew existed because my eyes were on the road. However apparently I was too quiet for this driver who made the comment, "Are you mute too?"

Yeah, gasp. I gave him an sympathetic smile since he was clearly pathetic and said, "No, just a lot on my mind considering that this week I defend my PhD" (yeah, I got an oil change that week too). That comment shut him up and blessed silence ensued.

After THAT interesting service shuttle experience, you'd think that there's nothing that could top that ordeal. That is true... until this morning. I was met with "The New Guy" driver, whom I predict will quickly become "That Fired Guy". First impressions were horrid. This guy comes to me in the waiting room and announces that he's ready to take me to the wrong place. I corrected him with right location to my lab (which was clearly indicated on his clipboard) and he nearly had a tantrum as he scratched out the right location and rewrote the same location in its place. I thought that he was possibly dyslexic, which cast doubt on the remainder of this car ride. Quoting myself, "I'm doomed".

A couple more misadventures occurred before we exited the parking lot, but this blog is getting lengthy. I will comment that I do not like traffic circles myself. But this guy wanted to avoid them like the plague. Unfortunately the shortest route to the lab would involve going through one traffic circle in which the guy overly complained and whined continuously as we maneuvered through this intersection. On top of that and him being brake-happy, the last straw was him blatantly neglecting my overly polite direction which of course resulted him to miss the essential turn off and forced us to go through yet another "cursed" traffic circle. I can accept that people won't be familiar with the area that my lab is located. But he refused to follow my directions and as punishment for him (and for ALL of us it would seem) another traffic circle to conquer. I'm probably being mean, maybe he's just having a bad day. But honestly, if you are nervous about driving through traffic circles during non-rush hours, you should find another day job other than driving service shuttles.

Edit: results in from the prodding which will cost me $800. Ouchie. Maybe I should just ramp up the experience and have a private limo pick me up. Servicing your car shouldn't have to be THIS painful. Woe is well.

Take me out to the patio...

First off - okay, from now it's a personal goal of mine to attend a Comic Con. Yeah, it's primarily a gathering of mostly middle age people who can be categorized as fanboys. But I do like conventions of this type. Attending one makes me think, "Well at least I'm not THAT weird." Although you may think this is a place for only comic swapping, it's now also the launching of upcoming blockbuster movies. Examples include Iron Man 2 and Twilight's sequel (I'm only in interested in the former, not the latter). This was also the venue that James Cameron launched his next movie "Avatar". Considering that the last movie Cameron made was Titanic, it makes it a pretty big deal that he launched his next film here. The vibe is so big this year that the media is dubbing the event HollyCon due to the presence of so many Hollywood stars. One preview that tugged on my memory is Disney's remake of TRON. I honestly forget the plot in the original movie - all I remember watching a dark movie full of blue lights and speed chases. But that's about it. The remake looks stoked enough that I'll spend my $15 on it one night.

Finally summer has arrive! Though I'm not enjoying being *too* warm at night despite the efforts of my floor fan. It's a sign that I'll always be Cdn - I just like temperate weather. 25oC is my max temp. But with the summer-like weather means various outings with people. In fact Wed to today, I've been out with friends nightly, sipping cold cider on patios and enjoying some summer food. Today I have a deck party to attend to continue the tradition.

There's also another tradition with hot weather: BBQs. More specifically hot dogs. I like hot dogs. I try not to think what's really in them. Though of recent years, I purposely buy those "all-beef" kind. However "beef" is still ambiguous.

This is all leading to this week's episode of Something Sciencey Sunday. BBQd hot dogs are the best. But there's an invention of the roller grill that you often see hot dog wieners being cooked. I think this is the source of where a scientist had the inspiration when faced with the problem of how to continuously rotate Western gels overnight for washing. In fact, I can see the certain scientist going out and purchasing a wiener roller for this purpose BEFORE the engineers developed the "scientific" roller (which means inflated price for the same piece of equipment). I will give the engineers credit that this roller does rock in two directions (y plane and z plane) rather than one direction. Oooooh, ahhhhh eh?



You might be wondering what's this purpose? To develop gels properly, the longer washings are with buffers to rid background developing, the better the gel looks to discern any results. Such washings require constant rocking back n forth of solution over the gels which can be rolled up in those conicals tubes. This machine makes it a godsend for the poor grad student who would have to spend his/her entire night rocking the gel back n forth manually.

A lil' Salsa No. 5

Last night some labmates and I decided to take in Latino Salsa night at a local pub. Yes, scientists do dance. In fact we enjoy the opportunity to shake it. Just attend the last night of any scientific conference, it's a dance dance revolution on that dance floor. As a result, I've danced with various professors, including those that later examined me at my thesis defense. I guess I danced well enough to leave the impression that I do know a thing or two about the rhumba and E. coli. With this day n' age of TV dance competitions, traditional dances are gaining new life in the social scenes. People are now wanting not to just dance, but dance well. No more shaking hips aimlessly or jumping in a mosh pit. No, put on those heels ladies, don on a fedora hat gents... we're going to make beautiful music together.

Needless to say, we had a great time. In fact I was impressed with the XY stock on the dance floor as usually at these social gatherings, I'll dance with women more than men. Several men certainly knew how to move. As for myself, eh... I think I should take up some lessons. I remember my grandfather teaching me the waltz and polka at the tender age of 7, but for the salsa, not so lucky for the simple reason no 7 year old should shake their hips in that manner (yeah, call me old fashion).

Since we're on the salsa side, a lil' Gypsy Kings and my fave, "Djobi Djoba". You can't help but not to shake something listening to this!

Leaving a legacy

Not much time to post this past week as I've been in the midst of moving to my new lab as mentioned before. During this process, my former lab members have been circling my bench, calling dibs on several items that I've "invented" in the lab over the years. Sure there's an thesis regarding my data that will soon grace the bookshelf for which "generations" will use as groundwork for their own experiments. But currently what my former labmates are more concern about is inheriting my legacy signature items. So today's something sciencey Sunday I give you the most sought for items from my shelf:

First up - Nanc's Amazing Transformation Miracle Machine (pat pending). This goes with that transformation procedure I mentioned last week. Within the incubator you need to place bacteria with plasmid... you need something to hold the bacteria with plasmid... enter the miracle machine. I believe all labs that I've worked in have one of these around which I fashioned. Yes, it's really kimwipe tissues in a small beaker. BUT FOLKS, there's a miracle that I've bestowed onto the vessel which gives it magic. Just ask anyone who's needed the transformation to work in a flash!

Second item - the Magic Formula. Of note, I didn't invent the actual magic formula solution, but somehow my creative "zing" added to the success whomever decided to use this solution. I'm kinda like the rabbi in the meatmarket, I'm often asked to "bless" the reagent to make it kosher. Now this may not sound scientific, having miracle machines and magic reagents. But when you're in the lab at 3AM with a pressing deadline, whatever your beliefs are, a lil' prayer and magic can't hurt things.

Not all of my tools of trade are remaining in my old lab. In fact I have a few (three to be precise) personal sciencey items that I tote from lab to lab: an inoculating needle and two culture spreaders. The inoculating needle is a standard tool, platinum wire attached to a handle, used to stab bacteria culture into solid media. This was a gift to me from my first microbiology lab instructor. For the spreaders, as the name implies, these tools enable microbiologists to evenly spread bacteria culture onto an agar petri plate. Normally, the spreaders are fashioned out of slender glass rods and often referred to as "hockey sticks" (I kid you not). However my spreaders are extra special as they are made out of a light tin alloy and were specially fashioned for me by my first lab mom, Kat, when I was just a budding microbiologist. You can't buy these spreaders anywhere, they are one of a kind, and I often have to ward off fellow labmates from stealing these two "hot" commods.

I haven't posted music of late but that doesn't mean I haven't been listening to tunes. "New Soul" by Yael Naim was first introduced from the Mac's airbook commercial. The jingle stuck in my head from the first time I saw the TV ad. Given my current job status, I've been thinking about this song more as I'm a new soul in a new lab (strange world) hoping to learn about new things (give and take). And also, just like the song says, "finding myself making every possible mistake..." fits the mood perfectly. Ehhh, I'll get the hang of it eventually.

The more you learn, the less you know...

This past week I started in my new lab which will be my home for at least the next 14 months. The lab is just 5 doors down the hall from where I did my PhD studies. In the manner of 2 weeks I've gone from a senior expert on one bacterial system to a junior lab tech with no experience on another bacterial system. But my new lab doesn't treat me as a junior, they keep mentioning, "you're a post-doc". Someday maybe I'll figure out what exactly does that mean! Yeah, I know that I have been taught how to think like a PhD, but the implementing stage is in the infancy stages. I guess it's kinda like a newly minted fresh MD in his/her first surgery... although they have all the credentials, you kinda don't want to be their very first patient. The good news is that within this new lab I'll learn new research skills that I'm lacking. My expertise so far is anything with gene expression and nucleotides. But for glycoproteins, sure, I know what they are, just working with them not so much. It'll be nice to pad my CV with more skills for future job prospects, plus I'm always up to learning new techniques.

I haven't chatted much about hockey although ball hockey has been on-going over the summer. Right now we're winding up for an array of marathon games before the quarter-finals begins. It trinkles down to a game every other day for the next 10 days or so, busy busy.

Today is Sunday and since Transformers are back in theaters, an old but relevant pic. To put new DNA into a bacteria, we often do a procedure called "transformation", where we shove a new circular pieces of DNA into bacteria, thereby transforming the bacterial cell to express new genes it didn't have before. This happens in nature, so we scientist are making use of an uptake system that was already there. With a name like "transformation", this is bound to be linked. Often I even make those classic transformer morphing sound effects. Definitely DNA in disguise.