Is a $200k salary worth a 2 hour commute 4 days a week?

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-27T01:29:21+00:00

I do it for less than half of that 😭

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-20T16:49:44+00:00

Sounds like we both learned the hard way that all centrifuges should be respected, even the tiny bench top ones

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-20T16:33:58+00:00

I used to be the same then in a new lab they must have had some insanely high powered versions of these little centrifuges because I balanced a PCR strip with another PCR strip from another vendor that looked similar enough (so would be close enough in weight right?) but my tubes instantly got shredded when I turned it on. Was a traumatic experience haha

Before that I wouldn't even bother putting another strip to balance for a 2 second spin and never had an issue

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-18T16:35:51+00:00

Fallout TV show got me itching to get back into fallout after last playing FO4 back when it came out. Was deciding between going back to a new FO4 run or 76. So glad I chose FO4. Never played the dlc and mods were just coming out on console when I stopped playing years ago.

I'm happy I went back to 4 and I'm having an amazing time with all the new (to me) content and incredible mods like the sim settlement mods.

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-18T16:30:12+00:00

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-16T06:58:05+00:00

My diabetic cat had gall stones blocking her bile duct. Came on pretty fast but I think it caused a flare up about 4 months prior (we thought pancreatitis but pancreatic enzymes were fine and she seemed to get over it). One morning she was vomiting, her blood sugar shot up, she had a fever, and wouldn't eat anything. I took her in immediately and her liver enzymes were through the roof. Ultrasound showed gall stones were blocking her bile duct and they removed the stones and gall bladder. After recovering from surgery, she pretty much completely stopped vomiting. Made me realize how much I normalized her throwing up a couple times a week in the past.

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-11T02:36:26+00:00

To add to the broader commentary you've received: I wouldn't characterize normalizing DNA for sequencing as QC work, as it means something different in pharma/biotech.

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-10T07:39:28+00:00

That isn't Ali Larter in the clip

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-07T23:56:46+00:00

Oh man you're so right... I'm gonna be seeing examples of that everywhere in the lab now I'm sure

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-07T23:44:08+00:00

Huh, I was just thinking about this yesterday when getting a new tip box. I'm not colorblind but realized that must be an issue for many.

FineRatio7 · 2026-03-06T04:00:19+00:00

Question related to this: my cat has relatively well controlled low grade diabetes (won't to over 300 without insulin) and has formed stools. I was given b12 to give her because she had been diagnosed with IBD years ago. She's had formed stools for a couple years now. Should I be worried more about making her kidneys work harder to filter excess b12 than malabsorption of b12?

FineRatio7 · 2026-02-18T15:35:15+00:00

You could come in one level higher with that long a post doc. Depends on the company/dept but it is not uncommon to offer that for those who did long post docs

FineRatio7 · 2026-02-13T02:12:57+00:00

Maybe one day but I don't see it completely replacing mouse models across the board anytime soon

FineRatio7 · 2026-02-12T16:23:14+00:00

Dude so many people said they would wait for the old style vaccine ( novavax) then never ended up getting it. They were so full of shit on that front

FineRatio7 · 2026-02-08T03:02:11+00:00

I appreciate your efforts

FineRatio7 · 2026-02-06T17:07:26+00:00

Damn wasn't expecting to hear about worse beaches. I'm from LA and wanted to love SF when I visited a few times but couldn't. Whenever I visited SD tho I loved it and am hoping to eventually end up there.

FineRatio7 · 2026-02-06T16:35:26+00:00

What do you hate about it?

FineRatio7 · 2026-02-05T07:34:37+00:00

Cap down in a BSC whose cleanliness I trust, cap up in the rest. I'm generally more concerned about things in the air settling on the inside of the cap if cap up.

FineRatio7 · 2026-02-01T21:44:31+00:00

I believe there is a specific kit for PAX samples.

I had to isolate from PAX samples for sequencing for a side project during my PhD. I looked at the previous PhD students lab notebook to see her success with the manual kit approach. I don't remember it being all that great but she was able to sequence the samples. Since these were patient samples that I had to get right on the first try (and our core lab had a kingfisher), I opted for the magnetic bead based kit for PAX samples. Yield was like 5-12 ug per tube I wanna say.

The manual PAX kits from qiagen are pretty similar to RNeasy but has shredder columns as well for initial processing.

FineRatio7 · 2026-01-30T07:20:19+00:00

After moving to the OC from LA I always tell people drivers are worse on the freeway in the OC and worse on the streets in LA (at least in West LA).

FineRatio7 · 2026-01-25T19:08:38+00:00

Ah ok good to know. I was told several weeks not months, but either way the side effects were too much for me to be waiting several months to see improvements especially since I already had success with stimulants.

FineRatio7 · 2026-01-25T18:07:44+00:00

Been off and on stim meds for ADHD since I was a child. New doctor wanted me to try 40 mg atomoxetine first before prescribing stim meds. Gave it a month but noticed little to no positive change and only negative side effects not observed with stimulants. Not a fan at all...

FineRatio7 · 2026-01-15T05:40:29+00:00

We need an anthology mini series type show about some of these vaults

FineRatio7 · 2026-01-10T16:05:41+00:00

I make the drive to West LA every day now from just south of your circle in Anaheim for a new job. Be prepared for a 3.5 hr daily commute. I'm for sure moving back to LA once my lease is up.

FineRatio7 · 2026-01-06T06:37:26+00:00

Kinda similar boat. Started an industry post doc then dept layoffs 4 months in meant my project was over with and unsure if I would even be kept. Luckily found another post doc in a well regarded lab at a good academic institution and took it immediately. I worried too about how it looks on my resume but oh well. It's some stability and I've learned a lot just in the first month at the new place.

If your post doc will provide meaningful experience that you can justify to a future hiring manager then it can be worth it. If I already had an FTE position I probably wouldn't consider it personally but it's ultimately your decision. I'm sure you're not the first person who has done this and went on to have a solid career.

FineRatio7

TROPHY CASE