(no subject)
I'm going to try to be better at journaling for my own purposes so I can look back and remember the little things. (Actually, I'm writing this because I won't remember later, heh.) Too long, don't read - it's basically one huge report of my first full day as a researcher in a neuroscience lab. Seriously. Way too long.
OH but I did get a NEW LENS FOR MY CAMERA! Mmm, take this (fake cut to new lens) to skip the babble. Heh.
Friday, June 15 2007:
7:58 AM:Met Javi (grad student) at Emily's (Dr. Grossman's) car so the three of us could drive over to the fMRI scanner.
8:02 AM: John (other grad student) comes in, shockingly on time. John is the kind of guy who routinely stays up til 4AM. John is not a morning person.
8:03 AM: John becomes considerably more cheerful when he is assured that he, not a technician, will be allowed to control the scanner protocols.
8:10 AM: Javi goes into the scanner. We run his experiment and then the one that Emily and I are doing. John soon masters the protocols with the help of Han, lead tech, hovering closeby.
8:15 AM:Emily shares a story about how she and some other scientists at a conference got trashed and decided that they wanted science to be cool to kids. For science to be cool to kids, they all needed rock star names. Emily becomes "Nash Ville." At the conference next year, no one can remember each others' real names - only their aliases.
8:30 AM: John and I discuss Antarctica, Ireland, the over-harvesting of the tequila plant, what all the stupid acronyms for the MRI protocols mean, and various topics while Emily speaks with Han about the scanner projector screen.
9:03 AM: I conclude that John knows everything.
9:10 AM: I get to use the microphone for the scanner. It takes all of my restraint to not say, "Javi - this is God. Please press the left button if you see people and the right button if you see dots. Thank you. Eat your vegetables."
9:58 AM: We depart the scanner after an incredible 2-hour performance by Javi. (Not that, you perverts.) We go back to the lab.
10:07 AM: Emily teaches me how to start the analysis on BrainVoyager. There are many button-presses and times of computer-thinking. We do a preliminary analysis, and it is looking amazingly good.
11:04 AM: While the computer does its thing, Emily, Javi, John and I have random talk about marriage (I won't do it), children (I won't do it), religion (I won't do it), and doing a postdoc after grad school (I may do it). John and I agree on all of the above for generally the same reasons. No kids because my money is for me. ....And I like alcohol.
12:21 PM: There are many more button presses to do. And Emily and I want food. We almost order Domino's but then decide we want food now, and just go to an on-campus grille.
12:40 PM: Freak out session at the lab. Our amazing data has a flaw, noticed by John - the protocol timings are messed up, which means that the clean data we have is fitting the wrong timecourse.
12:58 PM: John and Emily figure out the difference between what the program was doing and what the analysis was doing. We told the analysis the wrong timing for the program, so we need to re-do the timecourse. Thankfully we know how.
1:35 PM: I am still copying and pasting the condition orders into the timecourse-calculating program. It is oddly relaxing.
2:10 PM: I take a break to hang out with Javi and Pam (another grad student, not in our lab). Javi is extremely excited about a Battlestar Galactica convention in November. Pam has gone to Burning Man three times and highly recommends it, even though they expect 50,000 people this year.
4:15 PM: I'm finished and everything is saved. Emily calls and I let her know it's done. I decide to take off.
4:40 PM: I walk over to another lab on campus to purchase a lens from a chemistry grad student. The lens is beautiful. I give him $60 for his troubles.
5:35 PM: After walking over to Arroyo Vista where Sarah and Lisa live, and while they primp for the evening I watch some musical with Johnny Depp. It is strange, but amusing.
7:05 PM: We leave to meet up with about 10 other people at BJ's in Huntington.
9:02 PM: I haven't eaten since 1PM and their vegetable pizza is amazing. I have found nirvana.
10:33 PM: Dropped off at home, I check my e-mail. Emily has been analyzing the data from home with the new timecourse, and it looks even better than before. Coool.
1:35 AM: Time to sleep!
All in all, an awesome day!
The new lens - the EF 50/1.8 II, a 50mm prime (no zooming), f/1.8 lens that goes by the nickname "The Plastic Fantastic." Small, lightweight, excellent glass, best lens you can get for under $100. And it was mine for $60! My reward to myself for being done with sucking at finals.
flower....
100% crop no post-processing of the above, taken with the aperture wide open at 1.8! Mmmmmm this lens is so sharp.
Sarah
porno shot of Lisa after consuming a HUGE gob of ice cream in one go.
that's all folks!
OH but I did get a NEW LENS FOR MY CAMERA! Mmm, take this (fake cut to new lens) to skip the babble. Heh.
Friday, June 15 2007:
7:58 AM:Met Javi (grad student) at Emily's (Dr. Grossman's) car so the three of us could drive over to the fMRI scanner.
8:02 AM: John (other grad student) comes in, shockingly on time. John is the kind of guy who routinely stays up til 4AM. John is not a morning person.
8:03 AM: John becomes considerably more cheerful when he is assured that he, not a technician, will be allowed to control the scanner protocols.
8:10 AM: Javi goes into the scanner. We run his experiment and then the one that Emily and I are doing. John soon masters the protocols with the help of Han, lead tech, hovering closeby.
8:15 AM:Emily shares a story about how she and some other scientists at a conference got trashed and decided that they wanted science to be cool to kids. For science to be cool to kids, they all needed rock star names. Emily becomes "Nash Ville." At the conference next year, no one can remember each others' real names - only their aliases.
8:30 AM: John and I discuss Antarctica, Ireland, the over-harvesting of the tequila plant, what all the stupid acronyms for the MRI protocols mean, and various topics while Emily speaks with Han about the scanner projector screen.
9:03 AM: I conclude that John knows everything.
9:10 AM: I get to use the microphone for the scanner. It takes all of my restraint to not say, "Javi - this is God. Please press the left button if you see people and the right button if you see dots. Thank you. Eat your vegetables."
9:58 AM: We depart the scanner after an incredible 2-hour performance by Javi. (Not that, you perverts.) We go back to the lab.
10:07 AM: Emily teaches me how to start the analysis on BrainVoyager. There are many button-presses and times of computer-thinking. We do a preliminary analysis, and it is looking amazingly good.
11:04 AM: While the computer does its thing, Emily, Javi, John and I have random talk about marriage (I won't do it), children (I won't do it), religion (I won't do it), and doing a postdoc after grad school (I may do it). John and I agree on all of the above for generally the same reasons. No kids because my money is for me. ....And I like alcohol.
12:21 PM: There are many more button presses to do. And Emily and I want food. We almost order Domino's but then decide we want food now, and just go to an on-campus grille.
12:40 PM: Freak out session at the lab. Our amazing data has a flaw, noticed by John - the protocol timings are messed up, which means that the clean data we have is fitting the wrong timecourse.
12:58 PM: John and Emily figure out the difference between what the program was doing and what the analysis was doing. We told the analysis the wrong timing for the program, so we need to re-do the timecourse. Thankfully we know how.
1:35 PM: I am still copying and pasting the condition orders into the timecourse-calculating program. It is oddly relaxing.
2:10 PM: I take a break to hang out with Javi and Pam (another grad student, not in our lab). Javi is extremely excited about a Battlestar Galactica convention in November. Pam has gone to Burning Man three times and highly recommends it, even though they expect 50,000 people this year.
4:15 PM: I'm finished and everything is saved. Emily calls and I let her know it's done. I decide to take off.
4:40 PM: I walk over to another lab on campus to purchase a lens from a chemistry grad student. The lens is beautiful. I give him $60 for his troubles.
5:35 PM: After walking over to Arroyo Vista where Sarah and Lisa live, and while they primp for the evening I watch some musical with Johnny Depp. It is strange, but amusing.
7:05 PM: We leave to meet up with about 10 other people at BJ's in Huntington.
9:02 PM: I haven't eaten since 1PM and their vegetable pizza is amazing. I have found nirvana.
10:33 PM: Dropped off at home, I check my e-mail. Emily has been analyzing the data from home with the new timecourse, and it looks even better than before. Coool.
1:35 AM: Time to sleep!
All in all, an awesome day!
The new lens - the EF 50/1.8 II, a 50mm prime (no zooming), f/1.8 lens that goes by the nickname "The Plastic Fantastic." Small, lightweight, excellent glass, best lens you can get for under $100. And it was mine for $60! My reward to myself for being done with sucking at finals.
flower....
100% crop no post-processing of the above, taken with the aperture wide open at 1.8! Mmmmmm this lens is so sharp.
Sarah
porno shot of Lisa after consuming a HUGE gob of ice cream in one go.
that's all folks!