Great commitment. Reminded me of this guy. This is what it takes to be successful at the highest level. Immense self-belief coupled with a healthy dose of foolhardiness. Not for the faint of heart. Or the normal.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Whatta man!
For the last year and a half I have seen one man fight the shithole that was his life with dignity, humor and indomitable spirit. He had to fire everyone in his lab because he ran out of funding. His grants kept getting rejected because he had no one in his lab to generate new data, and so he was basically writing the same grant over and over. And he had till the end to of this year to get funding or he would have to leave, and his lab would be shut down. He went through immense personal tragedy (that I am not at liberty to reveal), but suffice it to say it was sufficient to break any normal human being's spirit.
And yet he showed up in the lunch room everyday. The lunch room is the place where everyone on my floor meets everyday to eat, and solve the world's problems. We trash Bush. We diss the cafeteria food. We discuss the South Beach diet. We exchange gardening tips. We celebrate when the Celtics/Patriots/Red Sox win, and commiserate when they lose. He showed up in the lunch room everyday, while he was going through personal and professional hell; and he made wonderful conversation. We all knew the crap he was going through. And he never let on. Just made funny jokes, and really erudite conversation, and incredibly astute political observations.
And I heard a few days ago that he is well placed to get an NIH grant. Just when the department was warming up to throw him a retirement party, and buy him a nice going away gift. He's back. He's SO back. And words cannot express how much I admire him for fighting this and coming out on top. I can't ever tell him that.We are not on those kind of terms. We may share a common dislike for Hillary Clinton, but thats about it. So this online tribute that he will never read is about as good as it gets. Cheers to Him, and cheers to his wonderful attitude and zest for life! If I can be one-third the person he is, my life will be happy, full and fulfilled.
And yet he showed up in the lunch room everyday. The lunch room is the place where everyone on my floor meets everyday to eat, and solve the world's problems. We trash Bush. We diss the cafeteria food. We discuss the South Beach diet. We exchange gardening tips. We celebrate when the Celtics/Patriots/Red Sox win, and commiserate when they lose. He showed up in the lunch room everyday, while he was going through personal and professional hell; and he made wonderful conversation. We all knew the crap he was going through. And he never let on. Just made funny jokes, and really erudite conversation, and incredibly astute political observations.
And I heard a few days ago that he is well placed to get an NIH grant. Just when the department was warming up to throw him a retirement party, and buy him a nice going away gift. He's back. He's SO back. And words cannot express how much I admire him for fighting this and coming out on top. I can't ever tell him that.We are not on those kind of terms. We may share a common dislike for Hillary Clinton, but thats about it. So this online tribute that he will never read is about as good as it gets. Cheers to Him, and cheers to his wonderful attitude and zest for life! If I can be one-third the person he is, my life will be happy, full and fulfilled.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
False alarm!
I thought about whether I should blog this or not. Then I decided, what the heck. A sense of humor is not something I have ever been accused of lacking. Its about them mice again.
So, I got this email from the vet in the animal facility last week that one of my genetically modified "knockout" mice was dead. I got all excited. Fished around in the animal colony freezer for the carcass. Brought it up to the lab. Waited till everyone left (just being sensitive..dead animals stink!) and opened her up. Found a mass of black goop. And a large white mass that I didn't recognize. Asked a prof in the lab next door who is rather a sweetheart and a mouse man through and through to take a look. He said he didn't know either, but it was definitely pathological. I was over-the-effing-moon. I couldn't wipe that stupid grin off my face for about 16 hours. Anyway, I carefully dissected my "mass" out and put it in fixative so we could sent it down to the histopath facility for analysis.
Then I got another email yesterday from the vet. Another dead mouse. I almost fell off my chair. I was seeing publications in Cell with my name on it. Ran down double quick and obtained said carcass. Performed autopsy. Saw same damn mass. Then a small doubt. What if its not pathological. What if its just...a normal organ that I'm not able to identify for some reason. Most important reason of course, being stupidity. This time I was able to locate a recently graduated student who knows all there is to know about mouse tumors...he worked on mouse cancer models. He came in and took a look. Said, with a very straight face that I have to give him credit for, "Oh..thats just the stomach. Looks like he had a good meal before he kicked the bucket. Nothing pathological. Just a good old stomach."
I didn't know whether to laugh or just be extremely disappointed that my mice don't have cancer. After I went home, had a cuppa chai and strolled around my teeny lawn, I decided it wasn't worth being depressed over. Besides it IS funny. I thought a normal stomach was an abnormal tumor! And a professor who works on mouse development agreed with me! There is no limit to the ignorance of the human race. None.
I then gave in to my recently acquired interest in classical music (its only a couple of months old, this interest) and listened to some Rossini. After that..mice sans cancer, and experiments threatening to flush themselves down the loo and badly made pasta, and the prospect of having to have lunch with a friend who promises to be all angsty and ex-boyfriend hating (I've become an agony aunt of sorts for the junta here. Me. I don't know the first thing about relationships. And yet they flock to me, Aunty Nyx for romantic advice. Exasperated sigh.) seemed kinda trivial. So, I ate a piece of most excellent Strawberry rhubarb pie, which reminded me of Geoff Boycott, for some reason and went to bed.
So, I got this email from the vet in the animal facility last week that one of my genetically modified "knockout" mice was dead. I got all excited. Fished around in the animal colony freezer for the carcass. Brought it up to the lab. Waited till everyone left (just being sensitive..dead animals stink!) and opened her up. Found a mass of black goop. And a large white mass that I didn't recognize. Asked a prof in the lab next door who is rather a sweetheart and a mouse man through and through to take a look. He said he didn't know either, but it was definitely pathological. I was over-the-effing-moon. I couldn't wipe that stupid grin off my face for about 16 hours. Anyway, I carefully dissected my "mass" out and put it in fixative so we could sent it down to the histopath facility for analysis.
Then I got another email yesterday from the vet. Another dead mouse. I almost fell off my chair. I was seeing publications in Cell with my name on it. Ran down double quick and obtained said carcass. Performed autopsy. Saw same damn mass. Then a small doubt. What if its not pathological. What if its just...a normal organ that I'm not able to identify for some reason. Most important reason of course, being stupidity. This time I was able to locate a recently graduated student who knows all there is to know about mouse tumors...he worked on mouse cancer models. He came in and took a look. Said, with a very straight face that I have to give him credit for, "Oh..thats just the stomach. Looks like he had a good meal before he kicked the bucket. Nothing pathological. Just a good old stomach."
I didn't know whether to laugh or just be extremely disappointed that my mice don't have cancer. After I went home, had a cuppa chai and strolled around my teeny lawn, I decided it wasn't worth being depressed over. Besides it IS funny. I thought a normal stomach was an abnormal tumor! And a professor who works on mouse development agreed with me! There is no limit to the ignorance of the human race. None.
I then gave in to my recently acquired interest in classical music (its only a couple of months old, this interest) and listened to some Rossini. After that..mice sans cancer, and experiments threatening to flush themselves down the loo and badly made pasta, and the prospect of having to have lunch with a friend who promises to be all angsty and ex-boyfriend hating (I've become an agony aunt of sorts for the junta here. Me. I don't know the first thing about relationships. And yet they flock to me, Aunty Nyx for romantic advice. Exasperated sigh.) seemed kinda trivial. So, I ate a piece of most excellent Strawberry rhubarb pie, which reminded me of Geoff Boycott, for some reason and went to bed.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Hmmm..
To believe, or not to believe. That is the question.
This, I have no trouble believing. 'Cos they showed me the data.
This, I have no trouble believing. 'Cos they showed me the data.
Snippets
This article solves a lot of problems for me. I've always wanted to be a wine snob and never knew enough. Now atleast I can bluff my way through the wine conversations that crop up occasionally at parties. (What a lusciously full Merlot! There I've even made up my first official snobby wine connoisseur sentence!)
This title made me laugh:
Biological Basis of the Third-Cousin Crush
Johan N. Lundström, Charles J. Wysocki, Mats J. Olsson, George Preti, and Kunio Yamazaki
Science 30 May 2008: 1160-1161.
Unfortunately, I was at home on Friday evening when I found it on the Science website and I didn't have full access. I almost drove to lab so I could print the article out and read it. My roommate told me not be SUCH a geek. So I waited till Saturday morning. And it turned to be a letter in response to another article I had commented on earlier here.
Unfortunately, I don't even know my third cousins. And considering my family, they're probably trolls anyway.
I heard this song yesterday. And its been in my head ever since. I've heard it about 20 times since. Sometimes, Rahman is just killer. K-I-L-L-E-R. And the hero reminds me of Jugal Hansraj. Fresh-faced cuteness. Easy on the eyes, for sure. Lets hope he can act better than poor old JH. It looks a typical Bollywood college movie. Not one I'm going to be running to the theatres to watch any day soon.
I watched "All the Presidents Men" last Friday. It was gripping. I'm totally tempted to buy the book. Except I've sworn not to buy any books until I finish the 3 unread books I have at home. I'm reading Phantoms of the Brain by VS Ramachandran now. Tres cool. I'd sworn I wouldn't leave Massachusetts because I like it so much and there are so many great schools right here with good post-doc opportunities. But this stuff makes me want to beg an interview with him. Even though he's all the way on the boring West Coast where there's only one season and its always sunny. Guess I need to graduate first.
This title made me laugh:
Biological Basis of the Third-Cousin Crush
Johan N. Lundström, Charles J. Wysocki, Mats J. Olsson, George Preti, and Kunio Yamazaki
Science 30 May 2008: 1160-1161.
Unfortunately, I was at home on Friday evening when I found it on the Science website and I didn't have full access. I almost drove to lab so I could print the article out and read it. My roommate told me not be SUCH a geek. So I waited till Saturday morning. And it turned to be a letter in response to another article I had commented on earlier here.
Unfortunately, I don't even know my third cousins. And considering my family, they're probably trolls anyway.
I heard this song yesterday. And its been in my head ever since. I've heard it about 20 times since. Sometimes, Rahman is just killer. K-I-L-L-E-R. And the hero reminds me of Jugal Hansraj. Fresh-faced cuteness. Easy on the eyes, for sure. Lets hope he can act better than poor old JH. It looks a typical Bollywood college movie. Not one I'm going to be running to the theatres to watch any day soon.
I watched "All the Presidents Men" last Friday. It was gripping. I'm totally tempted to buy the book. Except I've sworn not to buy any books until I finish the 3 unread books I have at home. I'm reading Phantoms of the Brain by VS Ramachandran now. Tres cool. I'd sworn I wouldn't leave Massachusetts because I like it so much and there are so many great schools right here with good post-doc opportunities. But this stuff makes me want to beg an interview with him. Even though he's all the way on the boring West Coast where there's only one season and its always sunny. Guess I need to graduate first.
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