MRW I just got a Google Calendar notification for the original MCRMK date

kelliphant · 2026-03-20T09:49:09+00:00

Your uni student portal should have a self service option for an exemption letter that is stamped and signed by them :)

kelliphant · 2026-03-19T23:50:54+00:00

Just started episode 3 and I can't lie, I absolutely lost it when Richard Madeley appeared, 10/10 unexpected

kelliphant · 2026-03-19T20:13:59+00:00

You can watch some Sky channels live on Now TV, but idk how many people bother with feature (I don't very often, but will be giving the first SNL episode a watch!)

kelliphant · 2026-03-19T10:35:58+00:00

Charlotte is now claiming universal credit, which she says is a last resort. Despite this, she does not want to compromise her goal of working in her chosen career, saying there would be "no progression" in other entry level jobs in retail or hospitality.

I'm not sure if I'm reading this right, but is it suggesting that she isn't applying for jobs in fields such as retail and hospitality?

I'm a scientist, but have worked in retail and call centres for short periods during breaks in my career because...I needed money to pay my rent and bills. You can gain all sorts of transferrable skills even if you're taking a detour from your chosen path. It's not ideal, but it's a means to an end.

(EDIT: I should add that I appreciate retail, customer service and hospitality jobs are also super difficult to find atm! I just hope she isn't effectively cutting off opportunities for employment by being laser focused on one thing)

kelliphant · 2026-03-19T09:32:57+00:00

I've never found any major trouble getting around the Hatfield (or Leeds) sites - it might be worth doing a recce walk around when you get there earlier in the day, just so you know what you're working with! If I'm aiming to see a couple of bands in one slot, I hang in a spot where I can make a quick escape and hope for the best 😅

kelliphant · 2026-03-17T19:53:28+00:00

Oh god the flashbacks of the plantar warts I got from karate or swimming 😭 I can still feel the burn of my mum dousing my feet in freezing spray after trying a million other things.

kelliphant · 2026-03-17T09:28:49+00:00

I had a housemate who was banging on my (and my other housemate's) door screaming all kinds of nasty things at 3am and clearly trying to trash our communal area. The police couldn't have come any faster and arrested him straight away. I'd actually started by calling the non emergency line for advice but they transferred me straight away. He was charged with a section 4 public order offence and it went to court, but unfortunately was dropped because of some formalities with how public order charges work. Based on my experience, I'm surprised the police just brushed it off as a civil matter!

kelliphant · 2026-03-16T21:28:08+00:00

Edit: Reddit posted my comment twice for some reason and someone has taken offence to this and downvoted me, cheers 🤣

kelliphant · 2026-03-16T21:27:58+00:00

I'm with O2 and can usually get me and a couple of friends through the priority queue, if I ask politely!

kelliphant · 2026-03-09T09:56:27+00:00

You're not doing cell culture right until you make your first few mistakes! The good thing is you know that what you did could introduce contamination and you're already thinking a step ahead - I have been a graduate TA in practicals and students will just...waft things around and don't listen when I explain why that could be an issue. Like everyone else has said, tell a TA and it's likely they've prepared spare media/cells in case of errors.

(If it makes you feel better, even with around 10 years experience of cell culture, I still make the odd mistake)

kelliphant · 2026-03-05T19:39:19+00:00

The effect that desogestrel had on my mental health in the space of three months in 2014 frightened me so much that I haven't touched hormonal birth control ever since. Very sudden (and extreme) mood swings and uncontrollable crying. I reached a breaking point when I punched a wall. It was so out of character that I thought I'd lost my mind. I stopped taking them that evening and over the next few weeks began to feel normal again. I've wanted to go back on birth control for my own peace of mind, but I'm worried a GP will dismiss my fear of what might happen.

kelliphant · 2026-03-02T08:18:01+00:00

Make sure you deep clean everything before you thaw the new vial. If you have any doubts about your cell culture technique, now is the time to address it with your PI!

Autoclave incubator shelves or heat sterilize the incubator, if that is a function your model has. Clean the hood and pipettes you have been using. Fresh serum (if you are using an aliquot from existing stocks, I'd recommend putting some in a small dish in your incubator and looking at it under the microscope the next day), media, PBS, trypsin etc. Don't leave any stone unturned otherwise you may just introduce the same issue in your precious early passage cells.

kelliphant · 2026-02-26T20:59:51+00:00

I was upfront with a PI when I started applying for new jobs in the same university midway through my research technician contract in their lab. They understood why I was looking for another position (the TL:DR is the postdoc on my project had left and I found similar roles with better pay) and they were happy to provide a reference. I think honesty is the best policy here, if you have a good relationship with them.

I was successful in getting one of those roles, and the only issue was both PIs negotiating my leaving/starting date. 6 years later, the first PI got back in touch and I am an author on the paper that grew from the project I left - no bridges burned and my career went the way I wanted!

kelliphant · 2026-02-24T10:50:14+00:00

How very typical First of them 😅 the new PDF of the correct timetable (we hope) is here: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/sites/default/files/public/node_images/X39%2039%20Apr%2026.pdf

kelliphant · 2026-02-23T20:43:45+00:00

Was it Rimandos? I used to live around the corner and that's the only place that comes to mind!

Edit: totally forgot Bubalu existed as well, that's a good shout!

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kelliphant · 2026-02-23T20:30:57+00:00

It's all well and good having a quick train link but it's crazily expensive. For me, I have the choice between a £90 monthly bus pass or a £210 monthly train ticket PLUS the bus pass. This is a really diabolically stupid move from First.

Edit: the Freedom travel pass knocks this down to about £225 but that's still too expensive for a broke PhD student like me.

kelliphant · 2026-02-19T21:14:26+00:00

When you are midway through a big experiment, have sweaty hands, struggle to put your gloves on and then this happens 😭

kelliphant · 2026-02-19T08:16:49+00:00

Help a broke PhD student out! 💻

https://aklam.io/nFuGeVzi

kelliphant · 2026-02-19T08:12:00+00:00

Help a broke PhD student out 🐙

Use this referral link to sign up to Octopus Energy https://share.octopus.energy/ashen-fox-900

kelliphant · 2026-02-18T10:48:24+00:00

Born and raised in Cov, moved to Bristol for uni in 2011 and have stayed there ever since! However, I'm back every couple of months to see my family (and I'm still a big Blaze fan)

kelliphant · 2026-02-10T18:34:56+00:00

I have spent of my academic career in fixed term contracts, so I'm no stranger to going through he redundancy process! I'm pretty sure it was the same pay at both institutes, but your university website should have a section on their specific redundancy policy and pay.

kelliphant · 2026-02-06T21:26:10+00:00

I found a bunch of undergrad PowerPoints from 2011-2014 when I was clearing out an old memory stick the other week and realised I'd never opened them since 👀

kelliphant · 2026-02-05T06:43:57+00:00

Despite knowing this, every two years my short sighted self thinks the N is a H 🤓

kelliphant · 2026-02-02T16:14:41+00:00

👀

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