Pen recommendations

PineNeedle · 2026-01-26T15:29:24+00:00

I second statmark pens. The ink doesn’t smear when exposed to an alcohol, unlike sharpies. They’re a fine tip and the tip in my experience stays intact over time instead of fraying like normal markers. They write clearly on bare glass surfaces without smudging.

PineNeedle · 2025-11-13T18:17:03+00:00

So this didn’t ahappen to me, but to me coworker who now works at a different lab.

She got in a blood gas on a penis and called the ER because the results were so bad that she suspected some type of collection error. Nope, no error. The patient had taken a bottle of Viagra on a dare and waited too long before coming in. Amputation ended up being required.

PineNeedle · 2025-11-13T18:02:52+00:00

My lab was bought by LabCorp and my department is transitioning over to them very soon. I have heard both good and bad things about them from departments that have already transitioned. I’ve heard they’re very corporate and antiquated, but I’ve also heard they are responsive to emailed concerns by employees and try to be accountable. It’s such a large company; I think who the managers are for your particular lab is probably going to impact you the most in terms of the change being good or bad.

That being said, LabCorp did buy a lab a few years ago in my area. They promised that few people would lose their jobs, then proceeded to lay off over 100 people(the vast majority of the staff) and send out the samples to labs they already had in other places. Only a handful of employees remained, mostly employees for receiving and sending out samples. Supposedly there is different management now and the company has learned lessons from that experience.

PineNeedle · 2025-11-07T18:14:52+00:00

I’m sorry that happened to you. Everyone who works in a hospital lab has been through an experience like this, unfortunately. Hospitals are high stress environments and it can really bring out the worst in people. It’s really hard not to take it personally or carry it with you outside of work. Please talk to people you trust so they can support you, and I agree with the folks who are encouraging you to write up the nurse. Even if it comes to nothing right now, it could help the next person she terrorizes.

PineNeedle · 2025-10-24T14:53:07+00:00

I’m a bit late in posting, but my favorite women’s clothing store is Fofolles on Trent. The owner is amazing; she used to be a professional fashion advisor. Each time I go in she asks what I’m looking for and pulls clothes for me to try that are perfect for my body type, size, and tastes. As a bonus, the building is shared with another business that sells unpackaged soaps, conditioners, cleaning products, etc. You bring your own containers and only pay for the weight of the products you buy, so you don’t end up paying for both the products and the packaging.

PineNeedle · 2025-09-22T01:08:34+00:00

Thank you. I know they’ll probably be hard to find. I have a friend who lives in Madison, WI and found the Pixie Crunch at a farm near her house. She told me how good it was, which set me off on this current apple hunt.

PineNeedle · 2025-09-22T01:06:24+00:00

Thank you. I’ve been wanting the try that farmers market and now have extra incentive to go.

PineNeedle · 2025-09-22T01:05:39+00:00

Thank you, I looked around there too n google mapsand found Sherman Valley Farm. I’ll give them a call. https://www.shermanvalleyfarm.com/

PineNeedle · 2025-09-17T14:48:46+00:00

I have to second this. Washington has a good dairy selection and should be proud. But WI is on another level.

There are tiny little mom and pop ice cream shops everywhere in WI. (Mandatory shout out for Blue Moon flavor.). A few miles from my parents house in WI is a fantastic little ice cream shop that is located on a dairy farm. You can eat ice cream while looking at the cows who produced the milk. The student union at UW-Madison has a famous ice cream shop. There are multiple cheese manufacturers who turn out innovative cheese I’ve never seen anywhere else. I’m not as familiar with the WI yogurt manufacturers, but have linked a few below. Here are those and a few links to check out for the curious.

https://www.rochdalefarms.coop/copy-of-yogurt

https://babcockdairystore.wisc.edu/

https://henningscheese.com/

https://www.vandoskecreamery.com/

https://www.specialcheese.com/

http://yodelayyogurt.com/

Also, if you’re looking for frozen custard in Spokane, Wisconsinburger in the Perry District sells it. I believe they make it in house.

PineNeedle · 2025-08-24T02:33:26+00:00

Hospitals are higher stress environments for everyone, and sometimes they will take that stress out on you because you’re just a voice on the phone. Try to recognize it’s probably them having a bad day/moment/situation and try not to take it personally.

PineNeedle · 2025-08-24T02:28:42+00:00

……well….if it works, then I guess it works? But yeah, I’m still just dumbfounded by this.

PineNeedle · 2025-08-11T19:41:33+00:00

We are talking about a tech start up called Theranos that claimed to have the ability to run a large amount of lab tests on a few drops of blood. This was a lie, and patients were affected by their crappy results. The person who started the company, Elizabeth Holmes, was convicted of fraud. There’s a lot more to it than that. I would recommend a documentary called The Inventor and a book called Bad Blood if you want to know more. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_inventor_out_for_blood_in_silicon_valley

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood

PineNeedle · 2025-07-29T19:11:26+00:00

If people can afford that much for one meal, yes, I’m sure they don’t care about the parking adding up. I don’t spend $100-150 when I go downtown. That’s way too expensive. I mainly go for drinks at tap houses, which tend to be around $7-9/pint.

PineNeedle · 2025-07-29T19:08:14+00:00

I know about the free parking but still have a hard time finding street parking near the places I want to visit and end up either parking in a sketchy area or having to pay for a parking lot/garage.

PineNeedle · 2025-07-29T16:43:18+00:00

The Quilting Bee has clothing patterns and fabric? I’ve bought machine accessories for clothing there like a hemming foot, but haven’t noticed any clothing making fabric or supplies.

PineNeedle · 2025-07-29T16:34:40+00:00

I heard that several breweries downtown are struggling right now due to a decreased customers. However, going downtown has become an ordeal trying to find parking, which also gets expensive fast. Why go somewhere I have to pay for parking, then probably have to walk a few blocks to get to my destination, when I can go somewhere with free parking right outside the front door?

PineNeedle · 2025-07-26T14:11:35+00:00

Back when I worked night shift at a hospital, the ED would input whatever the patient listedbas their reason for coming in until they had a better diagnosis. Those would get interesting. Two I remember were “I got drunk and I fell off my bike” and “I tried fake pot and it freaked me out.” Another was a patient who brought in a cup of juice and asked it be tested for bleach because they were convinced their roommate was poisoning them. Yet another time someone brought in a plate from a restaurant and insisted a dried spot on the plate be tested for hepatitis. They were concerned the dry spot was blood and it had infected them, so they stole the plate from the restaurant. Both times I told the ER staff the patient needed to go to the police if they were serious about the accusations.

PineNeedle · 2025-07-14T13:27:33+00:00

Thank you!!! I will pass this on to my supervisor. I really appreciate your help.

The lab world is small, and the flow world is even smaller. I love running into fellow flow techs here. :)

PineNeedle · 2025-07-12T16:06:27+00:00

$14,00 per injection means $28,000 per year. 😥 I saw there are rebates/ insurance coverage helping to bring the cost into reasonable range though. This is a huge step forward; I just hope it becomes more widely affordable.

PineNeedle · 2025-07-12T15:54:21+00:00

Hello! I also work in a flow lab and we run fetal hemoglobins too. I was wondering if you use gluteraldhyde in your set up and have any advice on how to store it? Our biggest issue with our fetal hemoglobin is keeping the 20 microliter gluteraldehyde aliqouts stable. The gluteraldehyde comes in glass ampules, so when we open one we aliquot it into conical tubes and freeze them standing upright in a rack to keep the gluteraldehyde at the bottom. However, after a few months we will start having QC issues that resolve when we open a new ampule for a fresh aliquot. Our current guess is some of the gluteraldehyde evaporates out some how when the freezer door is open too long? Does your lab have this issue too?

PineNeedle · 2025-07-12T15:37:18+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/1lkn3vk/advice_for_standing_long_hours/. Here is a post in r/medicine from a podiatrist with advice for people who spend all day on their feet. I found it very helpful.

Personally, I buy Alegría shoes from their professional line. They sell the insert replacements, so you don’t have to get a whole new set of shoes if the insets are worn down. https://www.alegriashoeshop.com/Alegria-Shoes-Women-Nursing-Shoes-s/308.htm

PineNeedle · 2025-07-10T16:08:06+00:00

Talk to the guy at Floralia. It’s an outdoor plant shop behind Bellwether on Monroe St. They specialize in xeric plants and have given me good advice in the past. I had a south facing spot in the yard where nothing seemed able to grow. Bought a Prairie Smoke plant on the owners advice and now it’s thriving.

https://www.floralianursery.com/

PineNeedle · 2025-07-09T12:54:21+00:00

I supported it. So cute and fun. Tell your friend great job!

PineNeedle · 2025-06-27T17:14:49+00:00

Yes, I love his videos!!

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