Sunday, June 28, 2009

Terrified

I used to like giving presentations. I thrived on that rush of adrenalin that comes with standing in front of 5, 10 or 300 people. I once made an unpracticed speech about weapons of mass destruction in front of about 300 people at a Model United Nations conference in the real-live meeting palace/conference center of the United Nations in The Hague.

Tomorrow I have to give a presentation to four people, in a tiny little dingy meeting room. I won't even have to stand up or dress up for this presentation.

When did my adrenaline become ineffective in overcoming presentation horrors?!

No windows

I like windows. I like big windows that let in lots of light. When I looked at houses I did not consider any houses with those small, eye-level windows so many houses from the 60's and 70's seem to have. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put in a 2-foot window 5 feet off the floor? I don't like living in a dungeon, but maybe that was the cool thing to have 30/40 years ago.

Lately I've noticed that there is one place I am glad does not have big, or for that matter, hardly any windows: the lab. The space is large, if I had to guess, the entire lab with office space is probably about 1500 sq. feet. But I'm a bad guess-timator, so let's just say the space is about the size of a small/medium 2-3-bedroom one-level house, just partitioned differently.

The lab doesn't have any real windows that you can open. It has this panel of glass about 18 inches high 6 and a half feet from the ground in this one area, maybe a total of 18 inches x 12 feet of glass. The only thing you can see is sky. Most days it's just clouds, every once in a while a ray of sunshine sneaks in, but this is pretty rare.

Without windows it's hard to tell the time of day without looking at a watch. So when I'm in the lab when most other people are getting ready for bed I can hardly tell that it's pitch-black outside, because I'm basking in the glow of fluorescent lighting.

Friday, June 26, 2009

I don't know

Today a very astute person pointed out to me that I say "I don't know" a lot.
I rarely don't know what to say. I can fudge my way through most topics of conversation and even if I truly don't know something I usually say something like "Interesting," or "OK" and/or tilt my head and nod.

So why would someone point out to me that I use the phrase "I don't know" a lot? A whole lot, apparently.

I know why. I say it when I don't want to answer a question or when I'm nervous. Mostly these are personal questions about emotions and opinions. I also say it when I know the answer will upset the other person. Then the "I don't knows" come flying out.

So today I made a resolution to stop saying "I don't know." Well, except for when I truly don't know the answer, and even then I might be better off with something less clueless, such as "Let me think about this question and I'll get back to you" or "I'm not entirely sure, but here's what I think..."

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Armadillos and proteins

Two random facts of the day:

  • the Dasypus genus of armadillos gives birth to four homozygous armadillo babies (that's identical quadruplets) every time they give birth.
  • titin is the largest known protein with almost 3,000 kDa, which is about 5x10^-18 grams, which is, really, really small, but huge in the protein world.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Lavish indulgences

Today around 3pm I got this inexplicable urge to get a haircut. The last haircut I got was about 8 months ago and cost about $14 at Super.cuts. It wasn't much of a haircut, I just needed my hair shorter and it did the trick. The shortest hair on my head is at least a foot long and it's curly on the approximately 2 days a year I don't tie it up. It's quite hard to mess up a hair cut for me. Today, however, I decided I was going to go to a real hair cutting place, a non-generic, unique, one salon only no hair cutting chain.

So I pulled up my default for finding anything and everything (Google) and soon learned that there was a place only about 3 minutes out of the way on my way home from school, and it even had two positive reviews mentioning "unique decor" and "drinks and snacks". I was intrigued by the lure of food and drinks and I was looking for a non-generic hair cutting place. Also, I'm a little paranoid sometimes, and the name was a word play on "hair and paranois" and thus appealed to me. Off I went, even got a free parking spot right ouside the door, but when I walked in I knew this was about 5 notches too fancy for me. The place looked like out of a magazine! Granted, my experience with hair salons is next to nothing, but this place looked awesome. It was a mixture between a chateau, a stylish lake-side cabin and a Super.cuts on steroids. Lots of powerful, expensive steroids.

I was immediately greeted by a very stylish (without a doubt gay) man in his 50's, who asked if I had an appointment. Uhm. No. I've never gone to a hairdresser before that required an appointment. Of course I didn't say that, I just mumbled something about spur of the moment, busy schedule. He gave me a disappointed look and said that one of the ladies had an opening next Friday. He handed me a business card and as I was backing out the very stylish door in my not-so-stylish outfit, probably looking terrified and embarrassed at the same time, he said "I might have an opening at 6.30 tonight, give me a call".

I got in the car and drove home, convinced I was forever banned to the likes of Master and Super.cuts. But I was so intrigued by the decor that I called Michael (his name was on the gold on black background business card), and sure enough, he told me to come in at 6.30pm. Not wanting a repeat of my somewhat understyled appearance, I showered, changed, went to the bank (who knows, maybe hair stylists don't take credit cards, or maybe I would need to leave a cash tip), and off I went.

Michael greeted me, told me to help myself to the food and snacks (I was too intrigued by the decor and the original, at least 10 foot high ceiling to even bother with the food), and within 5 minutes I was getting a scalp massage. This was no Super.cuts 30 seconds hair rinse with Sua.ve. This was the real deal. I usually don't fuss with my hair, and I've mostly been using Burt's Bees and equally natural stuff on my hair. Michael washed/condition and who-knows-waht my hair about five times, and my scalp went from feeling warm and balmy to cool and minty and then as refreshed as it must have felt the day I was born, but I coulnd't have cared less if he was pouring radioactive shampoo on my head. I was in scalp-massage heaven. In retrospect I regret not asking him what shampoo he had used. And then buying it. For $60 without any regrets.

The rest of the hair cutting adventure was equally grand. The mirror I sat in front was gigantic, and I mean entire-wall, spotless and wow-I've-never-seen-myself-in-such-a-big-mirror-for-such-an-extended-amount-of-time large. Michael chatted away and told me about the hospice work he does (when he's not giving scalp massages or haircuts to slobby-looking people like me, I assume). He didn't look at me funny when I asked him not to blow dry my hair, but said "I can tell you don't blow dry your hair, it's so healthy and strong and free of damage, that's pretty rare with the stuff people usually do to their hair!" Wow. Usually I get something like "But it's the same price with or without blow drying."

By the time I was done and standing by the "check-out" (is that what you call it at a salon?) I didn't care it if cost $20 or $100. It cost $30 and I gave him a $5 tip, although I almost felt strange tipping him, because what I really wanted to do was thank him profusely and tell him I'd never go anywhere else to get my hair cut. ever. And that I would tell everyone I knew to make an appointment. Today.

And then I felt so utterly luxuriously refreshed and new and whole that I went and had some Sushi for dinner, all the while wishing I had asked what shampoo/conditioner/myster stuff he has used to wash my hair. I'll be sniffing my hair occassionally until I wash it again to soak up the smell. Or maybe I'll just go back for another haircut in a couple of months and make sure to ask for/buy some magic shampoo.

Divorce, Adultery and Mayhem

I'm a compulsive news-reader. Maybe it's an addiction. I just like to know what's going on in the world.

The last few days have been pretty sad news-reading days. There's been a much-more-than-fair share of violence and protests, on top of accidents. Add to that Steve Jobs' new liver and I'm sure that some bottom rung overnight new typists have been working hard.

What has bothered me most this week, however, have been two cases of highly publicized adultery. First, there was Jon & Kate Gosslin, who decided to "call it quits" after 10 years of marriage, because it's what's best for their children. Since when is it best for children to lead two separate lives, one with each parent? Divorce is not best for their children. It's what seems best for themselves right now. Getting out of a relationship that has hit a hard patch and renounce a covenant they entered into 10 years ago by walking onto a courthouse and arranging the paperwork? Nothing easier than that, apparently.

I hold a firm belief against divorce, except for cases of domestic violence and repeated adultery. But I'm not about to impose my belief system on someone else. However, I hope, no, wish fervently, that they have the sense to retreat into some much-needed privacy so their eight children (please, stop calling them kids, it sounds diminutive) can adjust to their new lives privately and NOT in front of a camera with the whole world watching.

The other instance of adultery was Mark Sanford, the governor of South Carolina. First he simply disappeared at the end of the legislative session, and his staff said he went to hike the Appalachian trail. I thought "good for him! I hope he gets some quiet time to himself". Then they redacted that statement, and not even his wife knew where he'd gone. Then he said he went to Argentina to visit Buenos Aires, which he said was a beautiful city. A few hours later he admitted to an affair with an Argentinian woman.

Did he really think he could disappear for a week, not telling his wife where he went, without causing some sort of stir? Apparently he admitted (privately, I can only assume) to the affair five months ago. Are we to believe that he simply continued his affair? The man had to fly to a different continent to see this woman. He didn't just bump into her again at the store after not seeing her for several months. No. A trip to Argentina is something very intentional (and planned. and pricey.).

So there. Two highly publicized cases of adultery. I'm glad the governor of SC admitted to his affair (at least he tells the truth, part of the time?), and I can only hope that the Gosslins somehow realize that they need to step out of the limelight, because, after all, they're only doing what's best for their children.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Happiness is...

...a set of Pyrex dishes with lids.

Work on the house is nearing completion, and tomorrow the kitchen cabinets will be put in. When I lived with my roommate I had very few kitchen utensils, and most of those were for baking. So tonight I set out to buy the things one needs in the kitchen, from plates to bowls, to a good knife, cutting board(s), pots and pans, down to the paper towels.

Those Pyrex dishes just about made my day, which was definitely on the crappy side for the most part.

8 days

That's how much time off I get per year. Not all at once, not even two days in a row. Nope. There are eight national holidays, that I get off. Let's see if I can come up with a complete list:
-New Year's day
-MLK day
-Washington's birthday
-Memorial day
-July 4th
-Labor Day
-Thanksgiving
-Christmas day

And in the lucky year 2009, July 4th is on a Saturday, so make that 7 days. Plus I didn't stay at home on Washington's birthday, which makes that 6 days. That's a whooping 25% vacation cut! (In 2010, July 4th will be on a Sunday, which means another 12.5% reduction in days off for the year 2010.)

Wait, I know what you're thinking: "Isn't everyone supposed to get, you know, a few days of vacation? Or maybe just a stay-cation in these rough economic times? Perhaps a long weekend? What about some family time around Christmas? Perhaps visiting some family over Thanksgiving (taking off Black Friday)?"

Excellent questions. I'm glad you brought those things up. After being told that any request for vacation would be met with the reminder that anyone can be "fired" (they don't call it that in grad school, they call it Master's degree), I got the following answers: No. No. No. No. and. No. Does that answer your questions?

I sure hope it does, because that's all the answer(s) I got. It's gonna be a loooong summer, I can tell already.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Combating negativity

Overly negative people who always only see the negative side of something really wear me out. They grate on my nerves and make me want to scream. Everything is glass half-empty and blah, blah, blah. How do people like that live anything close to a happy life? Can't they, for once, just see something GOOD or POSITIVE in something, anything?

I have a giant negative cloud hanging over me (impersonated by a person), and it is wearing me out more than anything else in my life. My mind is tired and my soul is writhing in pain. No kidding. It's that bad.

On the flip-side of life, I now have a gym-buddy and a gym-date; a fellow-student, and a girl on top of that (I work with all boys, there is way too much testosterone in my life). My locker at the not-so-great-but-essentially-free gym at school has probably rusted shut. I'm not sure I still know the combination to get into the locker! I also have no idea what may be inside the locker. All I know is that I pay $25 a semester to rent the thing. I guess Thursday will bring all kinds of surprises with it!

Here's to Thursday and to some soul and mind-purging exercising.

PS: I've been reading (OK, listening to books on tape) about mountaineering and Alpine-style mountain climbing lately and find it fascinating. Perhaps I will climb some high mountain some day. I also just finished listening to a book about yoga, and I think my life, body and mind could benefit from yoga (please leave a comment if you know of any good tapes or yoga books for beginners - I have a yoga mat).

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Dentist Consumerism

I never had any big problems with my teeth. My siblings had braces (one had them more than once even), but the worst thing that's ever happened to me was chipping some teeth. Add some cavities and my dental history is complete. Every 18 - 24 months I work up the nerve to go to the dentist, and it usually coincides nicely with moving, so I hardly every see the same dentist twice.

Two weeks ago I had my first dentist appointment in almost two years, and I was mostly just a little mad at wasting two hours of my life on a dentist visit. A friend of mine had recommended this dentist to me, the office is within walking distance of school, and they take my insurance. So I went, with no negative or positive expectations and I was appalled.

The waiting room looked like a mall for teeth! Between your normal routine care poster reminders, there were advertisements for veneers, whitening procedures and other dental stuff I had never heard of. Every poster was sponsored by some sort of a dental accessories' manufacturer, and the receptionist asked me if I anticipated needing to set up a payment plan. I just shook my head, but not because I didn't think I would need one, but because I was shocked! I hadn't even seen the dentist, how was I supposed to know whether I could afford the bill.

Then I went in to see the dental hygienist, who treated me like a 3-year old. She politely informed me of THREE different products I could buy on my way out to help with the individual needs' of my teeth. No thank you. She then told me I would have to come back another time to see the dentist, since we had taken such a long time already. I said no, but no thanks. I didn't mind waiting for a while, but I was definitely NOT going to come back a second time (and pay another $20 co-pay!). If we were out of time, I would just leave without seeing the dentist, since I didn't have any dire dental emergencies anyways. I said this politely and non-threateningly, just matter-of-factly. All of a sudden a window of time opened up in the dentist's window. How convenient!

Almost 90 minutes after stepping foot into the front door I finally saw the dentist, who said that three of my teeth were in absolutely dire need of serious work. Really? None of them hurt... what's wrong? My two chipped front teeth apparently need to be redone as soon as humanly possible, and my chipped molar would need to be fixed even sooner than humanly possible to avert some kind of serious dental crisis.

I chipped my front teeth in 1993, and my molar in 1999. 16 and 10 years ago, respectively. I've seen at least three dentists with each of these teeth and they have all said the same thing: no need to do anything unless the teeth start giving me problems, or the look of my chipped teeth bothers me. No and No.

So after telling this newest dentist of mine that I had no interest in doing anything about my chipped teeth she looked at me as if I had told her I wasn't interested in fixing the life-threatening internal bleeding in my abdomen. But I said No. NO thank you.

She then pointed out four teeth that had cavities and said she would get a pre-certification from my insurance to see if they would pay anything to get those taken care of. Sure, go ahead. I'll let you fix my cavities, but I do think that it's a little strange that my insurance pays for four cavities per year and you found exactly four of them today...

I will be calling my dental insurer to inquire about costs/co-pay for fixing cavities and also to see if I can go to see a different dentist in my network without having to pay out of pocket. I walked out of that dentist's office utterly perplexed and appalled at how I had been bombarded with advertisements and tricked (unsuccessfully) into spending a pretty penny for something that is not as necessary as this lady told me it was. I can only liken this feeling of commercial onslaught to the horrors some people experience when they step foot onto a car sales lot.

Before I forget - the proverbial cherry on top of this dental visit was the TV blaring Dr. Phil in every room, an episode about children resulting from affairs and the corresponding child support. I asked the dental hygienist to turn it down and she turned it down about 0.001 notch and said something about how she enjoys Dr. Phil. *vomit*

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Oh, Canada

Tomorrow I am doing something I have not done in a long time (8 years is my best guess).

I am going to go to a tourist-y place, stay at a very nice hotel, have a fabulous dinner at this hotel, and then breakfast before seeing the sights (read: ride that boat that goes to the falls). I am going to spend the day/night in Niagara Falls with my mom tomorrow. The hotel, dinner, breakfast and parking will probably amount to 1.5 weeks' pay, which doesn't say much, since I'm on a stipend, but I just don't do extravagant things like this.

When I go places, I try to find a free place to stay (a friend, a friend's friend), and I've even slept in my car to avoid shelling out money for a place to stay. Whenever possible I stay at hostels, but these are a little scarce across the US, unlike in Europe.

I spent 5 weeks in Spain last year and spent a total of $1500, including transportation (from another European country, so no cross-Atlantic flight), lodging, food, souvenirs, camera batteries, etc. That was probably the best trip I've ever taken. Where did I stay and what did I eat? That's another story for another day.

I don't do extravagant things but I will try my very hardest to enjoy a night in relative extravagance. It helps that my dad will be footing the bill, since the trip is mainly for my mom.

Little things

I hung up some curtains yesterday and from the moment they were up it bothered me that I had attached the brackets holding up the rod to the frame of the window instead of the wall next to the window frame. I had trouble falling asleep, because I just kept staring at the curtains, since they were in my bedroom. So today I took them back down and put them back up. An hour of work to fix the two hours I did yesterday.

Little things can bother me so much that nothing else matters. They get under my skin.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Scratchy

Having an itch is one of my least favorite sensations. It drives me crazy.

Today everything seems scratchy and itchy. The seams on my shirt are almost painful and my sweatshirt is not warm enough to keep me from being uncomfortably cold in this air-conditioned ice-box.

I can't wait to go home and put on soft, non-scratchy clothes.

Old man in the corner

I sat in this waiting room yesterday for about 10 minutes, and about an hour later for another 5 minutes. An old man was sitting in the corner, wearing non-descript, drab grey and brown clothes, head lowered and hands leaning on his cane. He didn't respond to my "hello-s", or my "goodbye-s". He never flinched or moved, and as far as I could tell he didn't move in that hour I was gone either.

When was the last time I sat someplace without speaking or moving for an entire hour?

Monday, June 8, 2009

Full speed ahead

From the moment I got up today to the moment I go to sleep I will not have had any idle minutes (seconds probably). I jumped up with the first sound of my alarm and it was go, go, go all day with school/work, house, dinner at someone's house, picking out a sink and sink accessories at the store, laundry, brushing teeth, and very soon it's back to bed.

I had about 10 uninterrupted minutes of silence and idleness today, but that was in the waiting room of a doctor's office, so it wasn't like I was enjoying myself or sitting in the yard gazing at the greenery. It was the anticipation of awkwardness and uncomfortableness, so I was glad I only sat there for ten minutes.

Maybe tomorrow will bring a little bit more rest.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

What real people do

I have this picture in my mind of what real people do.

Real people get up at the same time every day and eat breakfast.
Real people dress appropriately for work.
Real people eat lunch.
Real people go home at around the same time every day.
Real people eat dinner.
Real people have some leisure time in the evening.
Real people go to bed at a decent hour.
Real people do the dishes regularly.
Real people buy new clothes when their old ones are worn-out.
Real people spend some time with friends and family regularly.
Real people have hobbies that they tend to on a regular basis.

I don't do most of those things on any sort of regular basis. I get up at a different time each day and I eat at random times throughout the day. I don't do things a little bit or moderately. I either do them right and right now, or I don't do them at all.

People pick up a hobby. I decided to learn how to play the piano, and memorized entire leaflets of piano notes within a few months.

People have a plant or two. I planted about 30-some different plants, herbs and vegetables when I decided I wanted a plant.

I'm either going 180 mph or not at all. My car's roof is taped up with shiny, silver plumbing tape and an extra-thick black trash bag. I wear the same five shirts over and over and over again, and I've had most of them for at least 3 years. I buy multiple pairs of my favorite pants so I can wear them more often (read: every day). I probably own about 150 shirts and 50 pairs of pants/skirts/shorts, and I'm pretty sure that most of them haven't been worn more than a couple of times, if that.

Someone recently told me that my picture of real people is unrealistic. Hardly anyone has a routine that they follow to the t, and most people have a certain degree of chaos in their lives. I just feel that my life is more chaos than routine.

I have a feeling that owning a house and having a real, physical place to call home may help with the chaos in my life. I hope it doesn't make me boring.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

"We can see everything!"

Is what my across-the-street neighbors said about my lack of curtains.

Needless to say, I was appalled, both at the fact that people could see (no worries, nothing incriminating happened, I think), and that they would tell me so matter-of-factly. They even complimented my choice of color for the walls. I guess they could REALLY see.

I measured all the windows tonight and by mid-week every window that faces a neighbor will hopefully be adorned by some sort of view-obstructing piece of fabric.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Box Spring

Where I'm from there are no box springs. There are just beds and mattresses.

About a year ago I bought a brand-new bed with a box spring, and while the bed frame is absolutely great, the whole box spring and mattress combination left me wondering if I would have been better off spending my money on a platform-style bed.

The mattress seemed to sag, and despite my frequent and sometimes middle-of-the-night-frantic efforts at flipping and turning the mattress did not alleviate this problem. I was sad, because I had spent more money on that mattress than on a month's rent (add the bed and box spring and you're up to three months' rent. ouch), yet I woke up every morning with aches and pains.

For several months I had seriously considered buying a new mattress, but put it off, because I knew I would be moving sometime over the summer. So last week I moved, and the box spring for my queen-sized bed did not fit up the staircase. Four people tried, someone removed a window, things were shoved and pushed, but the box spring was not going anywhere. I was a little bit excited, because now I had an excuse to buy a new bed, or at least get rid of my mattress.

I actually went and looked at full-sized beds, but they are just a little short, so I mulled and moped for a few days until I realized that my mattress (now on the living room floor) was actually extremely comfortable! I concluded that the problem was NOT the super-expensive pillow-top mattress, but the box spring! So, I thought to myself, maybe I could transform my box-spring wood-frame bed into a platform bed! After consulting several handy men and women I set out with a plan and measurements, and with the wood cutting department at the home improvement store that is not orange, I soon found myself in my bedroom with a pile of 2x6's and some plywood. After two hours, my mom and I had successfully converted my bed into a platform bed and I dare say it looks good!

Unfortunately there are no pictures of the process because my camera is on an extended vacation. I will post pictures of the end result.

Cost of the conversion: $80 in lumber and screws
The averted costs of new mattress and/or new bed: $1000+
Having the neighbors think that you're crazy with all the wood bashing and drilling at 10pm: priceless.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Things I will miss...

and things I will NOT miss about living in the apartment I lived in until last week and/or apartment life in general.

Things I will miss:
  • my roommate (10 months and no arguments or fights!)
  • the short walk to school
  • the large semi-walk-in closet in my room
  • my roommate's cats
  • the large hallway closets
Things I will NOT miss:
  • my roommate's cats' fur and litter box
  • not being able to paint the walls or make any other "major" changes to the place
  • the tiny bathroom
  • the turquoise tiles in the bathroom
  • the lack of counter space in the kitchen
  • the lack of ample kitchen cabinetry
  • the fruit flies that came with my indoor gardening
  • the gas stove with a giant food-devouring hole around each burner
  • the extra short toilet
  • the smell of cigarette smoke downstairs and in the elevator
  • the maintenance men walking in 2 seconds after knocking on the door without waiting to see if anybody was home
  • the elevator door that regularly jammed into my (insert appendage or body part here)
  • having to drag my bike up and down the stairs from the basement
  • paying $1 for laundry and $0.75 for the dryer
  • paying another $0.75 for the dryer because the first round didn't actually dry anything
  • having permanent stains on my clothes because the washers were so old and inefficient
  • having to wait 3 hours to do laundry because everyone else was also doing laundry
  • finding my freshly washed and mostly dried clothes on the nasty couch next to the washers
  • being scolded by the ladies in the landlord's office for changing my own light bulbs
  • handing half my monthly pay over to the landlord
  • dead bugs in the cheap-o light fixtures
  • the lack of dishwasher
  • the nails that stuck up from the hardwood floor and ruined almost every pair of socks I have, and one pair of long pants!
  • waiting 5 minutes for the hot water to come on
  • the lack of a fan in the bathroom and the subsequent mold/mildew
  • the lack of control over the heating system (I wore shorts around the apartment ALL winter long, even when it was below zero outside)
  • the fear of never seeing my security deposit (two months' rent) again (the lady in the office assured me yesterday that I'd be getting it all back, most likely... I'll believe it when I see it)
  • getting mail addressed to every person who has lived in the apartment over the past 20 years or so
  • having someone over only to hear them say "these two weird girls lived here last year, they had the same couch you guys have, and ya, they were strange".
  • the constant feeling of impermanence and lack of a true home.
I can honestly say that I don't have any true regrets about quitting life in an apartment. When I have to mow the lawn after a 10-hour day at school/work, or the water heater mysteriously stops working, or the power goes out, I'll be sure to think of all the things I don't miss about living in apartment.

Tired

This week has been just one thing: tiring. I wake up tired, I go to bed tired, and in between I just work, work, work, and then work some more.

I have a big presentation at school tomorrow, and the preparations for it have been exhausting (mentally), and when I'm not preparing for the presentation I'm trying to get things in order at the house, and when I'm not doing either of those things I'm out trying to find some part to some thing in the house that needs fixing. I also have another project due Friday, and by the looks of it, it won't get done unless I pull an all-nighter tomorrow. Judging by my current state, that will not happen, which means I'll be working on that over the weekend. And on Monday I start work in my permanent "lab home" for the next 4 or so years.

I'm tired.