Haiii Kuuuuu

in sorrow we live
a joy that is a friend
makes it worthwhile

It's been a trying few weeks, on many fronts. A one line update - I am now officially a postdoctoral fellow at the nutrition and neurocognition lab at the HNRCA (home to previous rat experiences!). i carry a burden of responsibility that i have created for myself. My mentor Irv is all about stream of consciousness, and inquisitive learning, and i seem to be failing at that. I haven't lived up to my expectations on some fronts, but I am lucky to be surrounded by like-minded people, who have been supportive and encouraging in spite of my stumbling and mumbling efforts ("ya, you are hard on yourself, ya?" - Marge Gundersen). But in the timeless words of Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive".
enough about me; what's happening in your neck of the woods?

Its 9 O clock on a friday...

...and I am still in the lab...

Existential Questions no 1: Why?
Existential Questions no 2: What is the learning curve for someone my age?
Existential Questions no 3: Why dont I get on with the powderin' of rat livers instead of posting on my blog?

Partial answer: I aim to be lab work free by midnight tonight.... weekend plans include a trip to Vermont... Bob left his Infiniti with me, for safekeeping! (Hahahaha... ) I am going to let 'er rip on Route 2 on the way to Vermont on Sunday... If you read my obit sometime next week, be assured I went out in a blaze of glory with a smile on my face! (j/k - but i will still put the Infiniti through its paces... on a short drive it handles like a luxury car should...)

Adventures of a Lab Rat. Subtitled: Why me?

"Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake of this creeping malaise
If I don’t stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this maze? "

- Pink Floyd
Dogs (Waters, Gilmour) from "Animals"

For the last month, I have been working in the Neurocognition Laboratory of the Human Nutrition Research Center on Ageing at Tufts University (And no wisecracks, please, about me discovering cognition,finally, or "coming to my senses"). Ergo, the lack of posts. I am trying to refine my hypothesis; let me rephrase that - I am trying to figure out what my hypothesis will be; i am immersing myself in the lab to get oriented with, and learn more about, lab techniques, pick up skills in hitherto unheard of (atleast in ordinary everyday science lives) tests like genotyping, and generally bring some hilarity into the lab atmosphere. I have also been a not-so-proud active participant in the "sacrifice' of 60 rats in two batches of 30 each. The experiment involved seeing the effect of various diets on membrane lipids in various organs, and blood. I remember the rat experiments in school, and the heart and nerve physiology experiments in the torture chamber called "Medical Physiology Lab", and these experiments, which details I will not divulge as I have blocked them out from active memory, fall in the same category. These noble souls have given their lives for scientific progress. They, and their species, will not be forgotten. Here's looking at you, Rainy!
On a cheerful note, when I am not lab-ratting (yes, that is a verb!), I hang out with a cool group of people, enjoying their company, as I hope they enjoy mine.
~Still Alive and Kickin' Lab Rat
PS: I am assuming that the smart readership of mine (all 10 of you; Yay! up from my last census count of 6) must have already discovered the obvious link between my post title ("rat") and the line from Dogs ("maze")... hahaha... but it goes deeper than that... i am talking about a metaphysical maze, and my path forward...if you figure that one out, do send me a telephatic message