You better shake your - HONEY BUNS!

[exsequar]

Look, a post that's NOT about Nicholas! \o/

So yesterday was a kind of insane day. I had class from 9 to 11 (and spent a lot of it Tweeting about how I hated the back of Nicholas's head and hoped he wouldn't talk to me after class - he didn't, but rather snuck away like a coward \o/), and then I went straight to lab... where I proceeded to do an experiment for over 10 hours. YEAH YOU HEARD ME! I didn't leave until ~9:30 PM! And I was working that WHOLE time. It was a little surreal - I forgot to bring lunch, so I had, like, an apple, but I couldn't leave the lab, so I didn't eat anything real until about 6 when my labmate forced a frozen meal on me! I was doing this big involved experiment that has, like, 7 steps, one of which ran over the night before, and the last few of which had to happen in the cold room, aka a refrigerator that I had to sit in and operate a pipet in for 20 minutes at a time. So freaking cold! At the end of all this, I basically got 96 data points for two different proteins with several conditions, and THEY LOOKED GREAT!! I was so relieved and thrilled and proud because no one in my lab had done anything like this before, so I was kind of flying on vague recommendations, a slightly related literature paper, and my own instincts (which are not terribly well honed after only 3 months in biochem!). But everything worked amazingly and this is a great starting point for an important set of experiments that I'm collaborating with a couple of my labmates on. It's all just very nerdily exciting and I am happy that my crazy day paid off!

Unfortunately, I have a test tomorrow, and yesterday was obviously totally lost to studying... so that's what I'm doing now. /o\ I'm getting a decent handle on this stuff though, and it's only 10 PM, so I'm gonna be fiiine! I caught a power nap around 9 PM when I just put my head down on my keyboard and slept for about 15 minutes, to the lilting tunes of Linkin Park blasting in my ear, ha. But now I have plenty of energy and I'm charging ahead! Woo!

I just started a paragraph about how I'm ~SO BEHIND~ on TV, but um, I'm only behind on two shows (Merlin and Castle) and tomorrow night I'll definitely have some time to catch up, SO. STFU, Anne! Ha. On that note though, I've seen a lot of people recommend that you get a hobby during grad school, some activity that takes your mind off your work and during which is decisively NOT science time. I think television/fandom is that hobby for me. And you all know I don't mean that in the potato-y way - I mean it in the watching shows with characters that thrill and amuse and sadden me, and discussing them with other lovely folks kind of way. You are my destresser! And I am so grateful to have you, and all this darling TV, to keep me sane. ♥

That said, this week's Big Bang Theory was not my favorite. Yay, let's manipulate Penny and try to make her into a more mild and tolerable person because WE ARE MEN AND WE GET EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT. >:( Sheldon, I know you fail all the time, but that was a particularly bad note to strike THIS WEEK of all weeks. And Howard and Raj's story was mildly funny (that was the most attractive Howard's ever been to me, I must say) but AGAIN WITH THE EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN! I'm glad they're presented as failing utterly (as always!) because otherwise... raaage. (That girl was totally hot, though. Ha.)

My favorite blog right now (which has entries back to SEVEN YEARS AGO, WHAT, so LOTS of backcatalog to go through) is Pipeline, which is hilariously a pharmaceutical chemist's blog. It's incredibly well-written and intelligent and informative, and I've learned a lot about the drug industry (namely, uh, I want no part of it?) and it's just been a great/terrible procrastination tool because I feel like I'm LEARNING while I'm reading it - just not things I can use on my test tomorrow! :P

Obviously this is a procrastination tool too, so I'm going to GO AWAY NOW!

Comments

[tiltingheartand]

That's not how it came off to me, personally; I feel like if Sheldon were a woman he would've done the same thing, and also that if Leonard were dating a man Sheldon would have done the same thing (wow, that sentence is worded terribly, but hopefully you get the gist). Then again, I found it hilarious mostly because we went over Skinner and his Thing that day in my psych class, so I was like OH HEY NOW HE'S GOING TO MENTION THAT DUDE. And then he did.

(Also, totally agreed with you re: Howard.)

Also squared: CONGRATULATIONS YOU ROCK. It's totally awesome that you're doing so well in your lab; I would tackleglomp you and then give you a giant pat on the back if we were in, um. Range to do that. Maybe pretend I did?

[pau494.livejournal.com]

Crazy day indeed! Wow, Anne! I'm so happy your experiment worked, it all sounds so interesting when you talk about it. YAY YOU. \o/

I am behind on all TV since last week! I'm thinking of catching up today. Seriously, the Dollhouse episode is just sitting there and I'm all *grabbyhands* Topherrr!!!

♥♥♥

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Well see, the thing is - Sheldon isn't a woman. Penny isn't a man. What happened on my TV is that a man tried to control a woman's behavior with chocolate. Regardless of the specific circumstances involved, it has to be placed in the cultural context in which the show exists - that is, a culture where the power differential between men and women is often large and deeply problematic. Also, the things he tried to "fix" about her were extremely "feminine" as our culture defines it - speaking on the phone, a high giggle, even her feminine voice. Basically, he tried to make her a boy, and therefore more "tolerable". That just comes with way, way too much baggage for me not to be unsettled.

Now, I'm not saying that the show is a misogynist and problematic piece of shit. Not in the slightest, actually! I'm just getting more practiced at not turning a blind eye to things that are problematic in and of themselves, not necessarily done with malicious intent. Everyone who creates that show was raised in this culture, so they are influenced by its norms, and that doesn't make them bad people. It just makes the norms really shitty. And I'm trying to be aware of and buck those norms, instead of just laughing along. I hope that makes sense!

Heee, thank you sweetie! Virtual tackleglomps are always appreciated. :D

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

THANKS DARLING! <333 It was pretty fucking awesome, if I do say so myself. ;)

TOPHERRRR! His role in that ep was much more season 1-esque, but as always, OM NOM TOPHER!