It’s a scientist’s worst nightmare! Well… OK, maybe not worst nightmare… feared inconvenience might be more appropriate… I have f@$#%!d my hand up.
This is my daily nemesis, my friend, my lover, my worst enemy, my electrophysiology rig
”The Rig”, this morning
And you can see the little whojimawhotsit on the bottom right? The humjigger with the dials and coloured knobs? That’s the cunningly named micro manipulator.
It is operated by this, normally unadorned, object:
The Mummy Revisited, coming soon to a lab near you
To the endless despair of my loving parents, I am somewhat accident prone. I’ve broken most of the bones in my body at one point or another, through various nonsenses and foolishnesses. I have a new one.
As my avid fans readers know, I train in a delightfully brutal martial art called “Muay Thai”. Also known as Thai Boxing, it’s a variety of kickboxing that allows the use of elbow and knee strikes to maximise the infliction of horrid mayhem on one’s opponent. So far, in the last year, I have had a fractured-dislocation of one of my toes (that now looks like something your grandfather would have kept in his walking stick collection), two broken ribs, numerous black eyes and a mild concussion or two. And now this.
Remember kids, when going for the clinch, don’t relax your fist until you’re inside your opponent’s guard. In case s/he punches you on the hand.
Ho hum. I guess it’s time to catch up with some reading for a week or two…anybody need a manuscript or grant reviewed, drop me line. I’ve plenty of time on my hand.
Brooks, you are mental.
I love your kit, though.
Ooooh sorry, Ian. That is really rough luck. I was paralyzed by fear of hurting myself and not being able to work in lab. Scientists are physical laborers, in a lot of ways! I could imagine an injury messing up all sorts of graduation deadlines, among others. How long will you be out of circulation? Hope it doesn’t hurt too much! At least you have a good story to back up your injury. “Hurt myself practicing a Thai martial art” sounds way better than, “I tripped and fell for no reason whatsoever.”
Jenny: Thank you :) and Thank you :) I do have some really cool toys.
Anna: sounds way better than, “I tripped and fell for no reason whatsoever.
That’s how I broke my wrist once..the bastard broke in five (5) places. That really hurt Ho hum.
How long will you be out of circulation?
trying to find out a way to work around it… Worse was when I broke my tailbone in a mountain bike accident whilst trying to get a massive Drosophila mutagenesis going. I couldn’t sit down so I sorted flies on my knees in front of my microscope for a month :)
You broke your tailbone?? Oh sweet lord that sounds awful. I am sorry. Go drink some milk!
Your perseverance in lab is remarkable! I guess quitting and going to the beach for a month was not a viable option. Shame. Hope you’re left handed. Maybe you can still pipet?
Your perseverance in lab is remarkable
LOL Thanks. Funny I’m trying leave the bench too, huh?
I’m partially ambidextrous, so some pipetting is OK. Although the amount of coffee I drank today to get through the interminable wait in radiology means I have a parkinsonsesque tremor right now, so right or left hand, I’m makin’ a mess :D
Ouch! Bad luck. But maybe this will give you a chance to focus on some writing…? Get well soon!
Do you have any idea how laborious it is typing like this? One good left hand and a right index finger? :D
When I tyr and typa at nirmal speed there’s no accountying for where molst of teh letters turn up. Too frisyutrating! :D
No problem, as long as you get the first and last letters right, the order of the rest doesn’t matter so much.
Taht meme ceutltred my ibnox for mthnos
Worse was when I broke my tailbone in a mountain bike accident whilst trying to get a massive Drosophila mutagenesis going
Now, that’s multitasking.