PSA: Blog change could prove fatal.
Making some changes that will probably lead to even less posting than this minimal amount...

izzy's playlists!
Fai_Ryy
Misplaced Lens Cap

oozey mess
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH

bliss lane
NASA
🩵 avery cochrane 🩵
occasionally subtle
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her

Love Begins
official daine visual archive
𓃗

PR's Tumblrdome
No title available

@theartofmadeline
No title available
sheepfilms
No title available
Claire Keane

seen from Türkiye
seen from Bangladesh
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from India

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from France

seen from United Kingdom

seen from Malaysia

seen from Türkiye

seen from Malaysia

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
@sadgrad-blog
PSA: Blog change could prove fatal.
Making some changes that will probably lead to even less posting than this minimal amount...
HOW SCIENCE MAKES ME FEEL
IN HIGH SCHOOL:
IN GRAD SCHOOL:
What's interesting about this fake slow-down in protest for net neutrality is that it still loads faster than it does on my home internet normally...
"I love science, and it pains me to think that so many are terrified of the subject or feel that choosing science means you cannot also choose compassion, or the arts, or be awed by nature. Science is not meant to cure us of mystery, but to reinvent and reinvigorate it."
Robert M. Sapolsky (via pridejoyetc)
First day in the new lab-my own lab desk and bench. Plus a rocking playlist in the background. Things are looking up :)
Looking through my past posts...I can't believe that was ~9 months ago!
/Year One
I'm starting Year Two this week. I can't believe it. I'm so scared. I have a feeling that this is going to be the worst year of grad school.
But Year One was a pretty successful year, I guess.
I didn't fail my first year classes.
I found AND joined a lab.
I think the reason I'm hesitant to say that is just they way that I'm feeling right now. I gave a talk in lab last week, and even though my PI was slightly positive about it, the comments she gave me made me feel like I did a terrible job. And the way I was (un)able to answer questions made me feel like it was a failure. I know she has confidence in me, which is all that I could ever ask for in a mentor, and a huge reason why I want her as my mentor, but I just don't feel like giving talks will ever go well for me. It's definitely my weakest point, and even though I thought a lot about it, prepared for it for a while, and practiced it, it didn't go that well. I don't know, it's still stressing me out even though it's over.
In other news, we did a huge lab clean-out day this past week. We scrubbed everything from top to bottom. I felt like I had a layer of dust mixed with sweat on me for the rest of the day. I dumped out at least 10 buckets of dirty water, and so did everyone else. We cleaned out the microcentrifuge with q-tips. I helped wipe down the chemical bench and actually alphabetize it. It felt so good. I highly recommend it. And if you do it once a year, it really isn't so bad. And it makes the lab feel so much nicer. We have more space for new things, we got rid of things that have been sitting around for decades, and we're not breathing in dust and chemicals that have been lying around forever. It feels good.
Now we just need to defrost the freezers, wipe down the shelves outside the lab, and clean the cell culture room. But I might be the only one who's still on the cleaning kick...
1. push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise. 2. push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable. 3. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else. 4. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything. 5. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice. 6. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small. 7. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full. 8. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle. 9. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck. 10. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog. 11. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through. 13. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything. 14. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends. 15. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you.
(via elauxe)
A self care list. I’ve been working on this. I promise it’s worth it.
(via sweetbloodsomalia)
Solar energy that doesn’t block the view
A team of researchers at Michigan State University has developed a new type of solar concentrator that when placed over a window creates solar energy while allowing people to actually see through the window. It is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a clear surface. And, according to Richard Lunt of MSU’s College of Engineering, the key word is “transparent.”
[read more at MSU] [paper] [picture credit: Yimu Zhao]
NOT HAVING ANY PUBLICATIONS IN GRAD SCHOOL
The world never ceases to terrify me.
Academic writing MadLib from PhD Comics.
note to self: print, post on office door
I'm having a particularly unmotivated week in the lab...
ugh.
WHEN SOMEONE PRESENTS QUESTIONABLE RESULTS
I don't really know how to wrap my head around the idea that I'm a 23 year-old, 3rd year PhD student.
Damn you, late birthday.
Great life ahead of you, mate! I’m 24 and starting mine in September
Me too! 23rd birthday is on Thursday...
Quick Update...
I didn't fail my Neuroscience exam! Phew. I actually did alright, especially on my PI's section (thank god). I think there was some serious grade inflation going on in that class, but I'm not going to complain.
Basically, it means I passed my first year!!
I'm 1 week into the writing course I'm taking this summer (unfortunately). At least it's only 6 weeks long or so.
I finally was able to drop my dead-end rotation project last week, so this week I'm starting my real project, which is really exciting! And my flies have started to come in, so I'll be able to work with them soon (though it'll be a few months down the line, but still, I wasn't quite sure it was really ever going to happen at all).
My journal club last week for lab wasn't so bad, but we ended up criticizing the paper a lot. Hopefully that doesn't 100% reflect on my ability to choose a paper (considering my PI knows a bunch of the authors).
The MD/PhD student rotating right now is pretty great. I don't know if she'll choose our lab, and if she does, she won't be starting until next summer anyways. But I like her, I'm actually going to a concert with her in July.
Our new post doc is starting in July and the next rotation student will be as well. It's a busy summer, and I definitely won't get as much done as I want, but hopefully I'll get to enjoy it as well!