So I'm finally cleaning out my desk.  I'm SO excited to move to this new lab.  I'm feeling really good about this move and everything's worked out for the better.

Since my desk is so cluttered, among my tacked up notes and post-it's I found a chemical description that I had copied from the Sigma catalogue.  It is HILARIOUS!!!

"Caffeine (1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine):  And adenosine receptor antagonist and adenosine 3'5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) phosphodiesterase inhibitor.  Thus, levels of cAMP increase in cells following treatment with caffeine.  It has been reported to affect cellular calcium levels, releasing calcium from intracellular stores.  It overrides the cell cycle effects of various chemcials such as protease inhibitors, preventing apoptosis; and it has been shown to inhibit cellular DNA repair mechanisms."

So I guess that's where the whole, "u know, coffee stunts your growth" crap comes from, huh?   Gee, if I had a dime for everytime someone has said that to me...    Hmmm... "preventing apoptosis and inhibiting DNA repair mechanisms"....  sounds like a cancer correlation to me.  Y'all scared to drink caffeine now?  Am I scared to drink coffee now?  no way!  Starbucks did a helluva good job getting me addicted   I just think it's so COOL that now I can drink coffee and give my lovely cancer cells coffee too! 

Andrew thinks I'm the biggest dork in the whole world.  But I don't care.  I can give my cells caffeine and he can't.  na-nah-ni-nah-na!

Currently Reading When the Air Hits Your Brain By M.D. Frank T. Vertosick Jr. see related

I have to admit, I never understood- truly understood- exactly how PAINFUL face-time is.  I didn't even know what face-time meant until my corporate friends explained it to me a year ago. 

Face-time: having to look busy.  When you really really AREN'T and in actuality are bored out of your friggin' MIND!

Now I understand.  Oh boy do I.  I worked my ass off for a boss that didn't even appreciate the data I got for him and that's willing to drop *any* of his post-docs and research assistants at a drop of a dime because he can't afford to support such a big lab.  Now everyone in my lab is worried they might lose their job because their data isn't turning out right. 

What I've discovered in this past month is that he's fired 6 ppl in the past 4 years.  Why?  not because they're not qualified (altho I can't attest for the previously fired employees), but because he likes to hire two or three ppl when he really just has room for one position.  Then he has them unknowingly compete against eachother while he contemplates who the best candidate is..  Meanwhile firing the other two after they've moved their entire life to Boston to work for him.

That's so wrong. 

So what do I do in protest?  slack-off.  A LOT.  I do nothing.  I put a random research article in front of my face and space out.  For 8 HOURS.  Every now and then I turn the page (esp. when the bossman walks by) to make it seem like I'm making progress.  It'll be interesting to find how long I can keep this up... this awful face-time.  It's not as easy as you might think because lab work face-time is not in front of the computer as corporate face-time (unfortunately). 

any ideas?  actually, are there different types of face-time? 

Sweetest thing someone has said to me:  "You are like CORN to me"

LoL!    Oh golly gee whiz....

I just luv corn.

I know how I want to raise my future kids.

Wierd how I've already decided, yah?  (And even wierder that I've decided to publicize it... don't ask me why cuz I don't know!) But this didn't come un-prompted: people kept on asking me when I will be applying to med school last night and in my state of limbo, I kept on saying "soon...  I'm not sure when anymore, but definitely soon". 

Which seemed to pass off fine with everyone but Matt.  He was like, "you know, you should really get going on that if you want family and kids". 

"Me?  Family?  Kids???  Oh that's SO far in the future for me right now, I don't even think about it." 

Him: "You should.  Because by the time you get out, you'll be past 30."

Hmm....  good point.  Being a doctor means I'm gonna be really OLD by the time I actually am one.  Especially at the rate I'm going   But I don't want kids until I'm past 30 anyways.  It did however, make me think about how I would raise them when I had them.  Kids definitely won't be slowing me down.  I'm going to take them with me wherever I go (hopefully all over the world on service trips) until they're at school age.  Then, when they have to attend school, I'll take them on mini-service trips during their breaks. 

Wouldn't that be so awesome???  I would've *loved* to grow up like that!  To travel the world, help all sorts of ppl (that actually need the help), and yet have the stability of having parents around all the time.  Wow, that would be great...  you would have such wild experiences like going on safari to Africa, or trampling through the Amazon, or licking ant-butts in Australia, or educating about AIDS & birth control in China's countryside, or bungee-jumping in New Zealand, or skiing in the Alps...  you wouldn't need a list of Things to do Before You Die

What's my Animal Magnetism?  I would say tiger, or lion... or bear... or even a super ferocious house cat.  RoWR!!!  yah! 

... but I guess not according to emode.com : 

http://www.emode.com/jumpto?test=animalogt&c=5755

"Wendy, you're a PUFFIN in the wild world of love.

Aww, you sweet Puffin. You probably fall on the more traditional side of the relationship spectrum. Mating to you is more about expressing your feelings and being in love than having a frisky frolic on an island with someone you've just met. You probably take a cue from your puffin counterparts in the wild who are monogamous and keep the same mate for life.

You won't be serving many pick-up lines on your menu for romance. But that's not to say that you aren't colorful and playful. You're just more cuddly-sweet than come-hither. You probably would swim the seven seas in search of your soul mate. Once the search is over and you've found that special someone, you're the type to settle into romantic bliss — for good. Your loyalty and devotion are unquestionable. And canoodling with your mate is one of the richest rewards in life to people like you. Essentially, what it comes down to is this: When you find the right one, bye, bye, birdie! You'll be off the market for good."

A Puffin???!!    I'm a friggin' Puffin?!  Yeah....  *humpth* I didn't even get Elephant.