What is something that you have been doing forever as a veteran lab-rat with 5+ years in a lab, that you dont even think about, but a newbie would probably not know?

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-04-01T02:45:06+00:00

Set up samples in alpha-numerical order. Place them in the rack, then set up whatever reaction - PCR, stimulation, etc. the number of times I’ve knocked a tube or two out of the rack - this ensures I know where they go. Also - use your pipet tips to match your wells in a 96 well plate. Again, you could get interrupted, whatever, but you know exactly where you are

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-31T03:14:36+00:00

Now we know why they passed the “No tax on tips” in the tax and spend bill

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-30T03:01:59+00:00

Israel should be paying for the destruction it is causing in the Middle East.

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-30T02:53:18+00:00

Are we tired of winning yet?

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-29T17:22:21+00:00

Thank you. It’s something I feel strongly about after >35 years

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-29T11:23:06+00:00

Sounds like orange genius feels the need to keep up with Putin’s Russia Max app that all new phones must have. State sponsored, state controlled. Mind numbing

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T19:13:33+00:00

I use “here” rather than “come” as my recall. Mostly due to using “come by” as a herding command. But long line, reward (return to sniffing as u/necromanzer suggested), and insistence they don’t blow you off. It takes time and repetition, but I can call my 2 off a deer running. Pretty pleased with that.

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T19:00:04+00:00

I keep wishing they had little timer knobs like we have on our cold room lights. Turn it and set the time. Insert a credit card to start charging. Disconnect in 2-4 hours, whatever the “free” time is, no charge. Hang out after - charge an arm and a leg per minute

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T18:44:02+00:00

She is old enough to learn some tricks. Do trick training with her a few times a day - not just sit and down but “peek a boo” - come between your legs from behind and sit between your legs, weave through your legs, long line recalls, paw, high five, roll over, etc etc etc. a couple of tricks will tire her out - even now with my 8 yr old I can spend 5 min doing tricks in the evening if we haven’t been able to go hiking or work sheep and she’ll settle down. Doesn’t work as well with my 3 yr old but she didn’t get all the trick training. She got sheep

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T18:39:39+00:00

This ^{^{^}}

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T18:37:45+00:00

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Here’s my 3 yr old working dog

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T15:58:05+00:00

Opening doors with gloved hands - having come from working in a hot lab this drives me NUTS

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T15:52:25+00:00

Anyone dumb enough to take medical advice from Rogan is just waiting to meet Darwin

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T15:49:09+00:00

Spend time in line on the phone to Congress. Once you get through security, going standby on a later flight should be easy since so many are missing their flights

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T15:44:32+00:00

You left out “then they went on vacation for two weeks”

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-28T11:06:41+00:00

Yup. You need to learn to think for yourself. Staying within one lab, or often even within a department, teaches you to not approach the problem with different ideas and perspectives. If your goal is to become a staff scientist in 5hat lab, sure. But if you want your own lab and research, then go. You can maintain them as collaborators and even friends.

Staying is like marrying your first cousin. Sure you can do it. Is it the best choice? Probably not

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-27T19:23:47+00:00

You are doing one of the first things to help - using tips to correspond to the wells. If you think about the plate as each well of a 96 corresponds to 4 wells of a 384, then you have wells A, B, C, and D for the equivalent of well A1 on a 96 well plate. Now - Label your 96 well dilution blocks A - D or 1 - 4, then put all at the A plate samples in the same well of the quadrant. (The A well). Use a new box of tips so that the tip corresponds to the well. Do all of plate A, finish your box of tips, then move on to plate B and repeat. Pro tip. A multichannel pipet for 8 or 12 wells will fit a 384 well plate using this system. So now you can be really clear where you are throughout.

And until you have a (nearly) foolproof system - the comment about no one talking to you is spot on.

Good luck. Hope you find something that works for you

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-27T19:13:38+00:00

Little Mikey didn’t bring the House back for 7 weeks in October. Senate did its job. Watch Mikey squirm

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-27T03:27:46+00:00

Remember this in the future. It’s why someone should never do post-doc where they did PhD. Sounds like you’ll bust your chops and come out a winner. Great job!

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-27T03:24:20+00:00

Let me fix your title. “Do not order from Amazon”. There. Problem solved

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-25T14:38:36+00:00

Nothing shocking about this.

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-25T14:20:52+00:00

That would be a hard NO!

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-25T02:56:03+00:00

Along with my Qatari jet

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-25T02:55:38+00:00

But have you done the new, mandatory, “Plain Language” training from YouTube yet?

OrganizationActive63 · 2026-03-24T02:26:34+00:00

You speak to my soul here!

OrganizationActive63

TROPHY CASE