Signs that you've been a grad student for too long
Labmate #1-"Did you know that you can copy stuff in power point just by holding down ctrl and dragging?"
Labmate #2-"Yeah, I actually just found that out this morning. Look, I click, and I hold control, and I drag, and it makes another one. It's like making babies."
I am...not entirely sure as to the logic behind that particular analogy...
So, anyway, I think I'm down to my last experiment, plus repeat a few older experiments to show the data is repeatable, and do a slightly better job of collecting it. Not sure whether I'll miss this lab or not. The people, sure. The adviser and random stupid stuff I have to deal with...dunno. Today I was the lucky one to notice the HPLC hazardous waste container completely over flowing (like, almost a whol liter overflow) so I had that fun task of cleaning up the toxic chemical spill. Fortunately, our lab has finally started using secondary containers for hazardous waste, so very little had to be cleaned up of the floor. I also discovered the hazardous waste tag was two weeks overdue...no one bothers to check these things. The though crossed my mind to call EHS the day I leave the lab and report all the safety and health violations...get the lab shut down for two months as a final farewell and thanks to my adviser...but I know I really shouldn't do that. It's tough continuing to smile and be friendly towards the guy, working hard despite the way I've been treated; half the time I just want to storm into his office and just...well, anyway, that's not the kind of person I am, I'm not going to stoop to his level.
My experience in this lab has taught me a lot though. What to look for in a lab, what to look for in an adviser, how to choose projects. So many things I might have done differently were I given a chance to do them over, but there's no point in having regrets. Sometimes I wonder if I could have done a few things faster, been better at collecting data, done the right experiments the first time around...but the reality is there's only so much you can do with what I was given. Compared to everyone else in the lab, I was moving faster and making better progress than anyone else did when they were my year, despite a lot of factors that slowed me down. I go back and forth between blaming myself and blaming the situation or Dr. Liao...eh, oh well. No point in being emo about it.
Good news is I'm really excited about switching labs; I have a much clearer idea now of what areas I'm interested in working in than I did when I first started 3 years ago, and 3 years for a Masters and a solid passion for research direction is pretty good. Can't wait for the next opportunities...but first I need to get this stupid data to look nice. Wasn't nearly as cool as I hoped it would be, but hopefully it'll be enough for publication :)