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Flotsam / Jetsam

Parting Shots

Top quotes from my labmates from the previous week prior to my departure:

“Hey, get us some free stuff!”

Said in all seriousness. This was from one of our post-docs upon hearing I will be working for a biotech distribution company.

“Most of all, I want to thank Rockford for planning our lab retreat.”

Apparently I wasted my time at the bench. I should have just been party-planning. This one was from my boss on the topic of what he was proud of me accomplishing in the last year at my send-off lunch.

Sidenote: I didn’t even attend the retreat, which was at the beach, because we needed to pack for the move.

On a scientific note, this next one takes the cake. The setting is lab meeting last Wednesday. I am presenting my last data sets. Really, this was some of the best data I was able to generate and will hopefully become a part of a publication soon. One of the proteins I am introducing/discussing is called Ferritin, a protein involved in sequestering iron. I am presenting some work I did to knockdown the protein and then look at certain innate immune responsive gene targets upon stimulation when the protein is absent. About ten slides into the presentation, after having introduced the protein and having already gone over two or three results slides, a certain post-doc turns to me and says:

“So what is Ferritin?”

Not all the quotes were like these. I can say that some of the best friends I have made in the scientific realm have been from the last year in this lab. Example? Here’s the last thing Kent said to me before I left the lab for the last time:

“You are my first American friend.”

These friends have been very kind and supportive through the last week, and I am grateful for that. Here is a list of things I will miss:

  • Discussing baseball with my friend Kent every morning. I think I converted him to a Cubs fan.
  • Ying asking me if I have any new Poppy pictures to look at at least three times a week.
  • Lunchtime in the breakroom, sitting around a tiny coffee table and discussing any number of topics (usually involving me trying to explain something like how life insurance works or why some people are offended at burping in public.)
  • Penggao asking me to order something for him that he needs on Friday at 4:55 on a Thursday.
  • Kent asking me for my opinion on a range of topics, from what car should he buy to how to cook greens.
  • The genuinely happy demeanor of my friends

    I learned a lot over the last year. Most of what I learned was not from the bench but rather from interactions with my labmates. I wish them all good luck in the future.

    • Family matters

    Ch-Ch-Changes

    10 Comments

    I am leaving the bench.

    As of October 1st, I will no longer be a post-doc, academic, lab rat, etc. I will be a [job title] for [CorporationInc.]

    I am leaving the world of tattered jeans and flip-flops (which as far as OSHA is concerned I never wore in lab) and I’m heading for the office. Golf shirts and Khakis. Belts and shoes that match. Blackberries. Clip-on cell phones. Headsets. Breakrooms and Folgers from a machine. Carpooling.

    And the truth is, I couldn’t be happier.

    Now don’t get me wrong, I have definitely thought a couple times about leaving this comfort zone in academics. This insulated environment. This fraternity of higher education. But truthfully, the choice was easy. And it’s not like I’m selling my soul. Check under the hood and you’ll still find the same Rockford. I’ll still be wearing my Simples (because they go with almost anything!) and listening to Neil Young. I’ll still think about my favorite snack cakes and ponder the fate of the Dillon Panthers.

    It’s just time for a change, a shake-up in the order. I have been unhappy at the bench for a long time and this is my new chance. My opportunity to do something with my education that I thought was impossible.

    Now I’ll be taking all that bench experience and using it to help other people. I like the sound of that.

    So here goes. I’m taking a leap into the unknown. I’m stepping out on faith. It’s exciting and a little scary but I have this feeling that this is good, that this is right. That this is what we need.

    So next week we head to a new place and a new job. This little family is set on a new adventure.

    I can’t wait.

    Eating

    Donuts

    I really love donuts.

    Crullers, jelly-filled, long johns, cake, yeast, etc. I love ’em all.

    I also have a weak spot for hip-hop, but usually the underground stuff (Madlib, J. Dilla, etc.). I find most mainstream Hip-hop to be little more than a bunch of muck that I’d rather not support. What is the connection between hip-hop and donuts? I will explain.

    Recently, I have been listening to the album “Donuts” by the afore mentioned J. Dilla. It’s a really amazing collection of 1-2 minutes songs and interludes that found a home in my iPod. When we were members of Emusic a while back I downloaded the album. I had heard that J. Dilla was pretty good but had never really listened to any of his music. Then, after he died last year of lupus and his albums were momentarily in the spotlight (a sad commentary on how we treat good artists), Nichole found “Donuts” and was nice enough to download it for me from the service.
    jdilla.jpg

    Dilla was considered by many to be one of the best producers in hip-hop. A generally shy person, J. Dilla grew up in Detroit and stayed clean when those around him were not. “Donuts” was released on his 32nd birthday, just three days before J. Dilla died of complications due to Lupus and a rare blood disorder, in February of 2006. He died in his mother’s arms. It’s a sad ending, someone taken at such a young age. If interested, you can help support the family of J. Dilla by purchasing a shirt from http://www.stonesthrow.com/news/dilla-ts/index.html.

    I can say without reservation that I haven’t enjoyed an album of this style as much since “Madvillainy” back in 2004 and before that maybe The Beastie Boys “Ill Communication” from 1994. If you like good, mostly instrumental compositions with expert sampling, I highly recommend “Donuts”–you won’t be disappointed you tried these confections.

    And the best thing? These might be the only donuts that won’t go straight to your waist line.