Grubbiness: the 8th deadly sin?

The girly post is brought to you by the letters s and the number 42...


Part of what I like in my job is that because I work in a laboratory with all manner of things that may stain me or infect me, I can wear very casual things to work. Sure, no open toe shoes or shorts or even mid calf hobbit pants or skirts, but I can wear jeans and t-shirts, only having to snazz up a bit for the odd departmental meeting where I'm forced to speak in front of the doctors. Usually I'm covered in a lab coat, and if I wear nicer things they inevitably get ruined, so I don't make a habit of it. For shoes I wear comfy expensive running shoes, my one concession, because I stand all day and work in 4 labs in 2 different buildings so I do a lot of stairs and my feet thank me for it. Heels and uncomfortable shoes would be agony. As a result, after having lost weight and not really replaced my clothes afterwards, I don't have many nice things. I tend to spend $$ on entertainment, food or music before me. And usually I'm OK with it.
I only lament this rarely when I want to look more girly or dressy. It doesn't happen often, but I have occasional fits of girlishness (I'm in the midst of one right now) where I want to look pretty and take the time to look very nice...and much to my annoyance I find that other than a few outfits suitable for say a church service or wedding, I've got NOTHING to wear. I kid you not- I'm not being melodramatic female here - my husband has more shoes and nice clothes for his job than I do. Lots more. He's the opposite - when we go camping he doesn't really have anything to dress *down* in and often will wear khakis and a nice shirt camping, while I'm in shorts or a t-shirt. He doesn't mind though, as I don't think he'd wear a pear of jeans or sandals now unless I paid him - he was raised british and in the end he just likes dressing that way. It makes him feel more confident. I don't think he's worn jeans since we dated. I like it too...he always looks nice :). And comparatively, I end up looking a bit scruffy on his arm.

In an attempt to remedy my grubbiness, I'm trying to put together nicer things and it's been a challenge. I've started feeling as though I'm not being taken seriously because of how I look at work, and I think if I put a bit more effort into things, over the next few months I could really evolve here from a slob into a rather swanky goddess of charm. I'll never be posh or super high style (you can't wash out the tomboy that easily), but I am in the mood to get in touch with my feminine side and see what comes up. I think what brought this on is our upcoming anniversary. In preparation for our trip, I'd like to actually dress a bit up and not wander in running shoes and ratty jeans.
I've found a nice pear of Clarks Unstructured mary jane style black walking shoes which fit like a glove and are incredibly comfortable...I don't even have to break them in and they look better than a pair of white and pink trainers. I've also picked up a nice sundress to wear on holiday (here's hoping for some sun!), and found a few things in the closet that are a step up from slightly too big t-shirts and old jeans. I do have a few new pairs of jeans that fit and are remotely in style (just have to get around to hemming them), and I think, as long as the weather isn't too warm, I may not look completely scruffy. I'm not going too crazy or girly here, here...just trying to rise above what's become the norm around here. I feel more confident at work this way.

We shall see. Tomorrow this may be all out the window.
But for now, I've got AWESOME shoes :)

I made you a nuclear protein extraction, but I broked it.

image source

Caution: science ahead!

It's been the week of breaking equipment in the lab:

Refrigerated centrifuge? ...rotor broke. No worky...may not be fixable either...

Sonication cell disruptor? Looked like just the fuse went at first but when I replaced it and found it still didn't work I took the cover off to have a look and the power cell and connected wires had actually MELTED. To be fair to it it was as old as I am...

UV transilluminator gel box? Only lights up when it feels like it....and only part of it. Now have to move my gels around to see the DNA bands I've amplified.

Last week the algorithm analysis software I use for my MSc project was upgraded and promptly stopped working for a few days too. Grrr.

The simplest solution yet to any of these issues so far has been to put a regular centrifuge in a 4 degree cold room for the odd periods of time when I need a refrigerated centrifuge -a disturbingly simple solution isn't it? I admit I didn't think of it...

For the others? Well, I get to to practice my suck-up-so-i can-borrow skills... It's making me paranoid about touching things - what else will go next?

A fun part of my job is to try and fix/repair lab equipment when it cacks out. Sometimes I can. Sometimes I have to send it away or offer it it's last rights. I may be digging a few holes here...

I'm trying to do a bunch of work so when I take off for a glorious holiday with J for our anniversary I have nothing to worry about...this is making it complicated...
At least my MSc is coming along well. And now that my algorithms can be run again, I can catch up on all the stuff I need to. I have to take 2 classes in the fall on top of all the rest of this insanity, so I'm trying to do as much as I can now to keep my head from exploding...much...
At least the cancer cells and stains have been doing lately have been cooperative...keeping my fingers crossed.

And on a completely unrelated point:

This shirt?

WANT!

I love bacon...periodically. Tee hee...

Well goodness gracious me!

This old song gets stuck in my head every once in a while, and it always makes me smile.



I often thought if I had had a dance at my wedding I'd play this song...it's so cute.
It's promotion from The Millionairess, 1960.

Boom baddy boom baddy boom... :)

giggle

Segs in the city

Apparently you can take a seguey tour of most large cities of the world.
Personally? I think this would be hilarious.
I admit I'm not good with long groups of guided tours as I tend to want to go my own pace, but I like the information you learn from tours. And for a seguey tour I would most likely end up looking at J after 5 minutes and raising and eyebrow and we'd both just crack up and head screaming off away from the tour group on our own and meet up with them at the end...maybe.

What's that over there? *zoom*

Hee hee...

Meow Meow Meow Meow Meow Meow... Meow Meow

This song has been in my head all morning for some reason.

We just returned from a week long super muddy camping trip. Lots of fun...glad we had 4 wheel drive incredible moon buggy goodness. We would not have made it out without it. It rained every day...so much mud. We were prepared and happily toasty dry and could go anywhere. As it was we drove through and around the impassable roads at the site 3 times on our way oput...because we could :)

Mee hee.

Must do many things now...so much work to catch up on.
When I have a moment I'll be back.
Promise :)

Behind hedge #1

Today, having a whole day at home alone I took the time to attack our yard which has gotten quite jungle like of late, what with all the summer of rain and me being terribly busy (and not wanting to do anything about it!). So there was trimming of trees and hedges and mowing of grass and whippersnipping of stuff. After 4 hours the yard looks much better. It still needs work but it's not quite so comical.
I had to trim the front hedge because it was getting rediculous looking. I don't have a hedge trimmer and didn't think to borrow one, so I trimmed the hedge in the front with my hand trimmers...took AGES but it was a lovely day out, and I'm glad I did, because when I trimmed I heard some tiny little noises and lo and behold I came across this just under the surface of the hedge:

How cute is that?
I was wearing gloves most of the time and hope I did not leave much scent near them or trim too close to them. Hopefully mommabird doesn't mind me trimming the hedge and will not neglect her little ones on my account. By the time I noticed them I'd been around there for a while so there was no point in stopping or leaving a bulbous hedge section to leave them alone. They're beautiful - their eyes aren't even open yet. I've never seen a baby bird so close...I'm trying to guess what kind of bird it is. We have sparrows and robins and chickadees in the area so it could be any of those. There was a very vocal chickadee peeping at me for part of my hedge trimming time...perhaps that is what it is. Anyone have any clues?

Ah, Sometimes life gives you little doses of great cuteness.
Now I plan on having a little dose of Stella and perhaps grill some eggplant and some taters.
Mmm...taters...
Hope you're all having a lovely weekend :)

Do what now?

I can tell I'm tired...because I'm fending off sleep by randomly flipping thru obscure YouTube videos, looking for things I recall from the past to see if they actually existed. like this:

Learning Italian with Brak:



And this...




And still my favourite sketch from Python:



What I couldn't find was the erotic cakes sketch with Patrick Stewart in it from Saturday Night Live...pity...

Geo sleep now.
Zzzzzz....

Moon buggy!

As promised...the moonbuggy.

Who is driving car?
Bear is driving car!
How can that be?

Mee hee...this thing is so much fun...