Fun in the Lab

Hey All,

You know what's awesome? Living with a dinosaur.

But, what's also awesome is science. However, like all things it has it's less than glamorous moments, and when you're in the lab there are just some times where you need to sit there and wait for hours on end until you've finished testing. Your first sample, anyway.

Like recently I've started using sonication, and that can often be a time consuming process.  For those of you that don't know what sonication is, here's a pictorial representation.

[Yes, that's actually how it works.]

Unfortunately, our most recent sample has been causing quite a bit of trouble, and begins to release fumes and the smoke even at low settings.  And since getting my sample to mix has been more difficult than it was to get Topeka schools to integrate in the 50's things have been a little slow the last few days.

[Sorry, I was thinking of Little Rock High School.]

But that's okay, because there's plenty of activities a person can do to stay occupied while waiting in lab, so here is just a small list of fun things to help you pass time time while working in a lab:

Surfing
Sure you could surf the internet and check your e-mail, or if you're exceedingly desperate for something to do you could even start that homework assignment that has been sizing you up all week.  Or, you could try your hand at some real surfing.

All you'll need is a surface to stand on. Anything will do, a shelf, a flat screen monitor, or even the glass from your fume hood (you're probably not using it anyway). As for me, I prefer to just take a cabinet door; either from my lab or, the lab bench that is for some reason sitting in our hallway.

Once you have acquired your flat surface, find the nearest stairwell (so that you can still run back and monitor your samples!) then, place it on the top and surf your way to the bottom, if available, ride an elevator back up and repeat.


Note: If you're like me and you work in a building that dates back to the civil war and has more holes in it than a pile of swiss cheese that has been gnawed and defecated on by a pack of plague ridden rats, riding an elevator back up won't be an option.  That's okay though, because if it's a rainy day you get the added bonus of actually surfing down the stair well--bring your wetsuit!

Hide and Go Seek

This is a fun game for when your run is nearing completion and you know your partner in the lab will be returning shortly to check on the results.  Simply find a good hiding spot and see how long it takes for them to find you.

Alternate Version: Some people like to play this game with objects. If you've noticed you have trouble finding what you need, or that when you do find that solder you've been looking for all morning, its in the drawer labeled "Manuals", that's simply because others in the lab are probably playing this game as well. So, join in the fun and hide as many items as you can in your lab before your testing finishes!

Centrifuge Roulette

This one is really simple, you just take a centrifuge and some sort of semi-ball-resembling object (I like to use pipette bulbs-- also good for practicing your racquet ball technique), test tubes, and some candy.  Take the test tubes and fill them with assorted candy (or whatever, be creative!) and load the centrifuge.  Once you have set up your centrifuge on a flat surface start it up on high (make sure it's properly balanced!, i.e. put the Reese's Pieces across from the M&Ms and not across from the Nerds.) and then turn it off. As its winding down drop the ball on there and eat whichever one it lands on.

Alternative Version: If you have a centrifuge at home, you can liven up any party by making this a drinking game.

Darts
Chances are if you're in an academic building there's some cork boards laying around, go check the hallway and take one thats a decent size.Once you've found a suitable board, grab some sharpies and draw a dart board (don't forget to label and date it).  Once you are satisfied with your target, gather up some scalpels, or razors, and have at! For added fun, print out a picture of your least favorite molecule, lab equipment, lab partner, etc. and tape it to the bullseye.

Arts and Crafts
See how creative you can get with the items laying around your lab, I bet you can find some cool things to make by inflating those rubber gloves, or tieing together those thermocouples. Here's what I made when I was working with tin foil.

It's a samurai! Or is it...

Oh no! It's Darth Vader, and It looks like he's got Leia!

And that's what happens when you have nothing to do but watch a stopwatch count minutes.

I hope that helps, just remember to be creative with the endless supply of resources around you in the lab! Until next time, stay safe have fun, and remember; you're never going to be so important that you can't be asked to help stuff envelopes.

The Great Outdoors

Hey All,

So, you know what sucks: Sleeping on an air mattress which deflates in the middle of the night.  I would have re-inflated it but didn't want to wake anyone up with the pump at 4am, nor did I want to get out of my blankets since it was freezing. Instead, I spent a uncomfortable night on the floor to find out in the morning that the O-ring was once again in the wrong place on the mattress seal.  That's right,

[Too soon?]

But what also sucks, is nature. The great outdoors. Trees. Grass. Dirt. I don't like it. It's fine from a distance, like behind glass in an exhibit at the zoo, or for a visit on a vacation. You know, small doses, fake nature. Like when I get excited driving past animals on a farm.

Hell, I get excited when I see trees that aren't symmetrically placed in a sidewalk.

Except when I go home. Because, when I go home all that nature from those asymmetrical bastards ends up in my yard, and then I have to clean it up.  And I should know by now that, no matter what, whenever I go home I will have to clean up the leaves, or trim the bushes, or some other form of medieval torture.  And yet I am consistently shocked by this revelation.  Not that it matters if I prepare myself, because my mom won't tell me when I go out to say good morning to her, she'll wait until I finish getting ready and I am all clean and showered to tell me I need to clean the yard.

Anyway, we were outside piling up the leaves and dragging them to the curb for pick-up when my sister says to me "I kind of want to jump in this pile of leaves now, don't you?"

No.

No I don't.

Absolutely not.

That would be right on the bottom of my list next to rolling around in the mud, and jumping into a barrel of stagnating water, which is probably filled with mosquito eggs. Because when I look at a pile of leaves, all I see is this:

It's like when I walk around barefoot, or try to take a nap in the grass. I just can't help but constantly worry about something crawling up my leg or biting the bottom of my foot.  Its like that time I went to put my flip flops back on after swimming in the pool, only to find that a slug had decided that my shoe would be an awesome place to hang out in the shade. 

And then when I complained about how gross it was to squish it, it complained about how my feet smelled.

I don't know, maybe I'm being neurotic, but the controlled nature of a riverside park is enough for me, and any nature that comes in my house better be a domesticated animal or a low maintenance plant, otherwise it probably won't last very long.  

Bonnie & Clyde

Hey All,

You know what sucks? Running out of milk half through pouring it into your cereal and then realizing your second gallon isn't the same as your first.

[It bothers me.]

But you know what's cool? Bonnie & Clyde. Some people might say going to rob a bank for a first date is coming on a bit strong, but if done correctly it's worth the investment.

I had to do a project on them for class so my partner and I dressed up, took our props and went around campus to rob some banks.  The campus police were not so keen on the idea (go figure), and kept watching us out of the corners of their eyes the whole time.

[I think this is my favorite.]

[Based on an actual photo of them.

[We're so sneaky!]

None of this would have been possible without my friends Gah and C-Lines and their wizardry with photoshop.  I am uncapable of comprehending of how they do it, but they always make some pretty epic artwork.  They also have tumblrs, so check 'em out! http://rwgah.tumblr.com/ and http://c-lines.tumblr.com/

I would also just like to point out that I have gained a new follower since my last post forever ago. That's right I don't even need to post stuff to get people. *flex*

Other than that I have just been busy with the semester, I have a pretty full plate so I wear a lot of hats, and make a lot of faces:

In the lab I wear my lab face

[That's why they don't let me out very often.]

When I do get out, I wear my judging face

[I also wear this face to try and ward off small-talk, but some people don't get the hint.]

During our production of Noises Off I wore my sardine face:

[I was sober I promise.  Though, I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse.]

Thanksgiving break is this week and it's just three weeks until finals! Maybe I'll have some free time over the winter-break, but then again I'm sure I'll find a away to get rid of my free time, I always do. I tend get rid of free time like I do disposable cups: in the most harmful way possible by lighting them on fire.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and remember, pot-lucks are just an excuse for lazy people to host a party.

[Edit: Sorry for any double posts, I hit post before I was actually finished and just my general fail-ness.]