Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to really get to know your true self. When someone turned around to me and said, “You complain a lot don’t you.” It made me realize, yes I really do. I brashly brushed it off by playing up the Englishman stereotype but it really struck a nerve. I do complain to much, far too much and so I think it’s time to reflect on the good instead.
Once again I’m very busy with work, I’ve spent the weekend working and it’s only going to get worse till mid February but there are a few positives to come out of it as well. List time.
1. I’m finally getting back into the wet labs. I’ve been sent a plasmid construct from Liverpool to do some recombinant protein work. A what to do who with a whatnow? A plasmid is a small circular piece of DNA that contains a site where the DNA sequence can be readily manipulated. These plasmids are readily taken up by bacteria, which will then express whatever genes are encoded by the DNA sequence on the plasmid.
In this case we have combined a protein gene with a sequence from a virus that leads to the gene being over expressed so we get bucketloads of the stuff. The protein itself has been tweaked slightly so that specific sites can be labeled, in this case with heavy metals. My hope is that this will improve their scattering power when I run experiments with Josie.
In this case we have combined a protein gene with a sequence from a virus that leads to the gene being over expressed so we get bucketloads of the stuff. The protein itself has been tweaked slightly so that specific sites can be labeled, in this case with heavy metals. My hope is that this will improve their scattering power when I run experiments with Josie.
2. My labeling studies are also going well. I’ve found the equipment I need, gathered the components and just need to do the final few reactions. Hopefully this will produce some really exciting results in the upcoming experiments.
3. The two guys who came out from Liverpool when I started here are back. It’s great to see them again and it’s also great to not have to wrestle with Josie by myself. Not only can I focus on other things but it's dropped my stress levels down a notch. In just one day we’ve managed to pin down a potential fault in Josie’s circuitry, one of them is an electronic engineer so what was a nightmare map of circuits to me was a doddle for him. Also they brought mushy peas and granola. I’m eternally grateful.
4. I’ve come to appreciate that I have met some really sound people out here. Even if I can’t see them all the time I do get is fantastic so I should just enjoy it and not worry about afterwards.
5. All that energy wasted moaning has been put to good use and I have found meaningful outlets, work arounds to blocks to my enjoyment and so on.
All in all it’s been a decent week and I’m going to try and maintain my positive attitude in the coming month. A short but indulgent post I’m sorry but I think it’s good to get these things in writing. In light of this new exploration into the self I produced a Johari and Nohari window that you can fill in if you have the time. I love learning new things and I’m a bit of a narcissist so please indulge me.
http://kevan.org/johari?view=marcusct
http://kevan.org/nohari?view=MarcusCT
http://kevan.org/johari?view=marcusct
http://kevan.org/nohari?view=MarcusCT
Ja mata kondo ne.
Ja mata kondo ne.
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