UPDATE
My last post was all about what I absolutely had to do this week in order to stay on top of things. I accomplished all but 2 of those things (prelim stuff just didn't get done) but I've still got all weekend to do those!! :-D
None of the experiments I did in lab this week came out, but surprisingly I'm ok with that. I think I'm just going to let this week slide as a fluke and get back to some real work next week. I think I know the problem that I'm having, so I'll just switch to a fresh (and hopefully still active) aliquot of a compound and should be all set!
Met with Drs Traynor and Mosberg on Friday to share the results of a compound screen that I did with my peptides and we're somewhat certain that I have a lead compound, which is really fortunate and kinda fell out of the sky at me. Lucky for me, they are both pretty excited about it and have told me the exact direction I should go for experiments in order to have some of my own data for my seminar which is quickly approaching in about 5 weeks. Since I actually have some data to present, that changed the whole direction of my seminar, so I spent yesterday evening (before we went to Remy's party) working on background and introduction slides, of which I did about 20. I'm shooting for 35-40 slides total, so I have a pretty good start.
I'm plugging away at my grant-writing course, which I'm also going to use as an application for a training grant through UMSARC (U of M Substance Abuse Research Committee). However, the application for UMSARC is due March 1, while the grant isn't due for my course until April 2. So I'm going to have to work really hard to get it all done a month ahead of time and then use all of March to prepare for my seminar and all of April to prepare for preliminary examinations.
I don't think I'll see much of Jake or our home during these next 3 months.
Things are looking more positive since I had the low point during the beginning of January. I'm going to chalk those feelings to 1/3 SAD affecting me and being in the dark all the time making me depressed, 1/3 to frustration and anger over not getting an assay to work for something that wasn't even my project and I hated doing, and 1/3 to personality conflicts between myself and Traynor. We're keeping lines of communication open and we've agreed to work on everything at least through the end of prelims (although I was given a suggestion to keep trying through the end of summer). I'm feeling better about my project now that I'm writing a grant that is basically mapping out the next 3 years of my life for me, I'm feeling better about my first Pharmacology seminar now that I'm going to have something marginally exciting to show, and I'm feeling better because when I drive into work in the mornings I can watch the sun rise and that's always been something that makes me feel happy and calm.
In Nana news, we called on Tuesday to talk with her, but my mom didn't let us because Nana was still feeling nauseous from the after-effects of anesthesia and pain. Poor Nana. We called again on Thursday and she was feeling better, so we talked with her for about 15 minutes. She's doing all right as far as pain, she's able to use the rolling walker that my dad was using back in October (see picture here) and is basically using all the things that my dad used when he got out of the hospital until he was strong enough to walk/shower on his own. So the family already had all the tools that Nana needed to get around and take care of herself and Dad was already finished with them, so in a very odd way, it's fortunate.
She's already bored of being home all the time and is hoping that Dad is just about ready to transition to driving a standard so that Nana and Dad can switch cars and she can be mobile and get out of the house. I think she's hoping to go back to work long before her three month healing time is over.
Right now, she's not in a cast but has splints to keep her leg from moving while the surgery incision heals. She's not allowed to put any sort of weight on the left leg, but after the incision heals they're going to put her into a boot/air cast sort of thing and allow her to 'walk' on it to facilitate bone regrowth and healing. At that point she should be ready to go back to work (hopefully in a few weeks).
So I'm going to work on my seminar slides and my grant writing assignments today, as well as do about 4 loads of laundry, showering, walking the Olive-Monster, and getting groceries. It's going to be a wonderful Saturday!
None of the experiments I did in lab this week came out, but surprisingly I'm ok with that. I think I'm just going to let this week slide as a fluke and get back to some real work next week. I think I know the problem that I'm having, so I'll just switch to a fresh (and hopefully still active) aliquot of a compound and should be all set!
Met with Drs Traynor and Mosberg on Friday to share the results of a compound screen that I did with my peptides and we're somewhat certain that I have a lead compound, which is really fortunate and kinda fell out of the sky at me. Lucky for me, they are both pretty excited about it and have told me the exact direction I should go for experiments in order to have some of my own data for my seminar which is quickly approaching in about 5 weeks. Since I actually have some data to present, that changed the whole direction of my seminar, so I spent yesterday evening (before we went to Remy's party) working on background and introduction slides, of which I did about 20. I'm shooting for 35-40 slides total, so I have a pretty good start.
I'm plugging away at my grant-writing course, which I'm also going to use as an application for a training grant through UMSARC (U of M Substance Abuse Research Committee). However, the application for UMSARC is due March 1, while the grant isn't due for my course until April 2. So I'm going to have to work really hard to get it all done a month ahead of time and then use all of March to prepare for my seminar and all of April to prepare for preliminary examinations.
I don't think I'll see much of Jake or our home during these next 3 months.
Things are looking more positive since I had the low point during the beginning of January. I'm going to chalk those feelings to 1/3 SAD affecting me and being in the dark all the time making me depressed, 1/3 to frustration and anger over not getting an assay to work for something that wasn't even my project and I hated doing, and 1/3 to personality conflicts between myself and Traynor. We're keeping lines of communication open and we've agreed to work on everything at least through the end of prelims (although I was given a suggestion to keep trying through the end of summer). I'm feeling better about my project now that I'm writing a grant that is basically mapping out the next 3 years of my life for me, I'm feeling better about my first Pharmacology seminar now that I'm going to have something marginally exciting to show, and I'm feeling better because when I drive into work in the mornings I can watch the sun rise and that's always been something that makes me feel happy and calm.
In Nana news, we called on Tuesday to talk with her, but my mom didn't let us because Nana was still feeling nauseous from the after-effects of anesthesia and pain. Poor Nana. We called again on Thursday and she was feeling better, so we talked with her for about 15 minutes. She's doing all right as far as pain, she's able to use the rolling walker that my dad was using back in October (see picture here) and is basically using all the things that my dad used when he got out of the hospital until he was strong enough to walk/shower on his own. So the family already had all the tools that Nana needed to get around and take care of herself and Dad was already finished with them, so in a very odd way, it's fortunate.
She's already bored of being home all the time and is hoping that Dad is just about ready to transition to driving a standard so that Nana and Dad can switch cars and she can be mobile and get out of the house. I think she's hoping to go back to work long before her three month healing time is over.
Right now, she's not in a cast but has splints to keep her leg from moving while the surgery incision heals. She's not allowed to put any sort of weight on the left leg, but after the incision heals they're going to put her into a boot/air cast sort of thing and allow her to 'walk' on it to facilitate bone regrowth and healing. At that point she should be ready to go back to work (hopefully in a few weeks).
So I'm going to work on my seminar slides and my grant writing assignments today, as well as do about 4 loads of laundry, showering, walking the Olive-Monster, and getting groceries. It's going to be a wonderful Saturday!