Ok, so today we woke up at 7 am, so I could get to work early, and so Allison could attempt to drive down to Key West. I arrived at work at 8 am, only to find that we have no liquid nitrogen which means I can't do any lab-work today! Ack! Oh well, at least I phoned and got the 1800 number which means I should be able to e-mail people from this mail station when I get home tonight (the lab phone doesn't seem to let me connect). Still, I guess I have reason to be happy. I've been cutting back my Androcur dosage of late, and I think that has helped a lot.
10:48 am - Why I like being a scientist...
What does it take to mess up my working day? A lack of liquid nitrogen. It took me by surprise how casually I treat it, I handle it a couple of times a day, one of the coldest substances on earth, something a generation of scientists worked towards. I remember reading an article about the scientists at the turn of the century who isolated the first few drops of liquid helium. Imagine the awe and anticipation as the first tiny drop of this new material condensed within their apparatus. Imagine their despair as it evaporated before their eyes... I guess this is why I'm proud to be a scientist. I stand before the curtain of the unknown, pushing back the blackness, piece by piece with countless collegeues. Scientists are still held somewhat in awe, and I admit that I enjoy
this as well. It is probably hubris, but I guess it's just one of those little job perks...
3:17 pm - What a slow day... More runaway thoughts. I don't exactly dress like a slob, but I was wondering whether I should be a bit more spiffy, clothing-wise. I mean, I'm 26, I have a doctorate and I'm a professional researcher and yet, really I still feel like some newbie undergraduate. Maybe after I get my degree it will sink in a bit more? Either way, I dress for comfort and the expectation that by the end of the day I'm much more likely to be covered in rutheium stains rather than having just returned from a lunch with clients. Perhaps I should be grateful that I'm not expected to wear skirts and pantyhose every day, heaven knows it would cramp my cycling, not to mention it'd be expensive to buy. Either way, I'm sure I won't be able to escape it forever, one day I'm sure people will expect me to be respectable...