ranty reminders, reminding rants

ranty reminders, reminding rants

May. 15, 2006, 11:43 pm

crappiest day of the term so far. biology's getting harder than it was, and i'm starting to come off the high of scoring well and writing good essays so far... there's loads more to being a good biologist, and i feel inadequate. the trouble with this term is all the projects and experiments we have to do... it's like it's suddenly been dumped on all our heads and it's so alien to me, so dreaded, so unfamiliar. i like going into the lab, experimenting, getting the results and going home. i hate experiments that drag over 2, 4, 6 weeks (exactly the lengths of each of the 3 major ones i've got this term). and we've got to plan, control, setup, monitor, measure, analyse and writeup all the experiments. a pain, no doubt, but i do see it as a necessary evil and i'm trying to get my head round it. what annoys me is how they throw you in at the deep end and make you plan everything yourself, whilst making it compulsory to work within certain conditions. take my plant physiology project for example. if i could completely have it my way, it would be simple, straightforward, to-the-point. but no. we need to use phy b mutants in addition to wild-type arabidopsis. why? spent an entire week thinking i was being very daft for not understanding the purpose of the mutants in the experiment, but i've been turning the matter over and over in my head and i still dont see the point. and everyone i ask (group members, demonstrators) tells me it's for extra data for the writeup. but WHY do you need extra data? yes, it does tell you something new. yes, it's novel information. but it's completely unrelated to the basic question the forms the premise of our experiment. i'll say- the mutants are a great thing to be working with, lots of hypotheses to be proven and disproven etc. but the point is... we dont need the mutants. [/rant]

i'm just tired. the usual 915 lecture, followed by the lemna practical, and moving our arabidopsis plants from the coldroom to the greenhouse/light rigs, then it was off to the library to find books on immunoprecipitation (they do NOT exist. *mutter*) for my essay before going back to get some lunch. a quick chat on msn with a friend and it was back into the labs for a long, taxing workshop, then tutorial where more work was announced (i shouldnt be complaining though-- this term's tutorial is the lightest one i've ever had)... then it was off to the library again to search for the mythical immunoprecipitation books, and by the time i got back to my room and sank into my chair the clock on kyan read 18:37.

but then i remember why i came and how i got here, and my shoulders square up again, my chin tilts up. and the smile returns :) i just need a reminder sometimes.

ironing procrastination

May. 14, 2006, 6:44 pm

am blogging now because i am procrastinating and putting off my having to iron a basketful of clothing. with warmer weather upon us, you can't hide crumpled tops under knitted jumpers anymore. can i please hear a big BOO to that. anyway bustajam turned out to be absolute shite, and an utter waste of time and money. spent £3.50 on entry and £2.30 on less than a half-pint of smirnoff ice (i plead EXTORTION! i should be getting at least the entire bottle for that kind of price) and stayed all of 40 minutes before i decided i owed it to myself to get the hell out of there. very disappointing.

went into p+p today, only to be told to go home because the weather was godawful and there was no one in the bar, so they didnt need staff. surely they could have called earlier? on the bright side though, the bus ride there and back was free. am praying that the skies piss it down on thursday and i wont have to go in either... but wednesday's fine, i'm happy to work wednesdays! :) or this wednesday, at least. ergh.

essay on immunoprecipitation due friday. get started on it BY TOMORROW, charmain. good girl.

And I am a writer, writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
And I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My bones
My bones

I'm a money lender
I have fortunes upon fortunes
Take my hand for tender
I am tortured, ever tortured

And if you don't love me let me go
And if you don't love me let me go
[the decemberists]

to party or not to party

May. 13, 2006, 8:56 pm

bustajam starts in half an hour and i've been so psyched up for it in the past week, but suddenly i'm not so sure anymore. i'm not actually that tired from my day at p+p today... it's the thought of the 22 hours coming up that's dragging me down like a leaden weight. decided not to go, but jess *just* sent a really sweet text so i might change my mind after all.

am annoyed that p+p put me on for wednesday and thursday closing shift when i explicitly stated that i am NOT TO BE TOUCHED on weekdays unless desperate. is it not enough that i avail myself to you all weekend from friday night to sunday night? in any case, that's when you're most understaffed.

you know what? sod it, i'm off to party. it's going to be one of my last few chances to, before p+p claims the bits of my life that biology hasnt already staked a claim to. here's to a smashing night. off to get dressed!

that thing

May. 05, 2006, 1:01 pm

Girls you know you better watch out
Some guys, some guys are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing

It's been three weeks since you've been looking for your friend
The one you let hit it and never called you again
'Member when he told you he was 'bout the Benjamin's
You act like you ain't hear him then gave him a little trim
To begin, how you think you really gon' pretend
Like you wasn't down then you called him again
Plus when you give it up so easy you ain't even foolin’ him
If you did it then, then you’d probably fuck again
Talking out your neck sayin' you're a Christian
A Muslim sleeping with the gin
Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in
Who you gon' tell when the repercussions spin
Showing off your ass 'cause you're thinking it's a trend
Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again
You know I only say it 'cause I'm truly genuine
Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem
Baby girl, respect is just a minimum
Niggas fucked up and you still defending them
Now Lauryn is only human
Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament
Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn.
It's silly when girls sell their soul because it's in
Look at where you be in hair weaves like Europeans
Fake nails done by Koreans
Come again

never thought this song would take on new meaning and significance to me. much i have to learn.

a 5-letter word starting with w and ending with e. and i return to my folly.

F2 house shots!

May. 01, 2006, 10:27 am

photo entry! had a beach party at derwent on saturday but we didnt get in because we hadnt bought tickets earlier, so we ended up having a semi-drunk beach party in the kitchen. yes the party mostly involved loads of alcohol, music from the beach boys, and loads of stupid posing with sunglasses. ahem. but still. it was good fun. heh heh heh.

with steph and jan. not drunk yet. steph's on her way, though. hurhur. trying to act cool with the big sunglasses. not succeeding very much. george's suggestion was to act posh with the wine, but it really looks more like tiger beer girls trying to promote cheap wine on a trashy game show. oh, the bottle of wine i'm holding was my belated birthday present from jan! ah. personal favourite. finally a shot that turned out as it was planned... the chav shot! who knew we could look this convincingly chavvy? for the uninitiated, 'chav' is the english equivalent of a beng or lian. am very proud of how chavvy we look. there're actually nicer photos, but they're in jan's camera and i can't get them off him! meant to post photos of last sunday's cookout as well, but can't be arsed to upload the images. but yes, more shenanigans of the F2 house to follow soon!

nuanced at 11:43 pm

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