image sourceCaution: 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:
WANT!
I love bacon...periodically. Tee hee...
2 comments:
Oh, dear - it sounds like you're having a miserable time of it, and I can relate.
Hubby bought a brand-new tractor this year so that he wouldn't have to worry about break-downs during haying season.
It broke.
It had to be sent away to be repaired. (under warranty, thank heavens!)
He pulled out the old tractor in order to bale hay.
It broke.
He hired a retired neighbour to finish the haying.
His swather had a flat tire.
The chains on his baler broke.
All these things were eventually repaired (except the old tractor), and the hay is now all cut and baled, thanks in large part to the generosity of other neighbours and relatives, and the new tractor arrived home (after two weeks!) apparently all fixed and ready to go..... now that the hay is all put up!
Sometimes you just can't win.
I felt paranoid just reading this. :-)
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