Quarter Century of Meg!
I got a new dishwasher for my birthday! Sort of. A couple weeks ago I called the office about the dishwasher because it had gone from leaving a few cups that had milk in them (but were rinsed) a little dirty to leaving about half the cups and plates dirty or with soap caked on them. They determined that I needed a new dishwasher and ordered one. I thought perhaps some pipes were clogged after years of use and it wouldn't need to be replaced but, as you can see, it wasn't the newest appliance ever.



Monday I came home to this view from my door. It very much explained the note on the outside of the door saying someone was there (they crossed out is) and that the dishwasher would be installed the next day.



Yesterday I received the day-early gift of a new, installed dishwasher. I haven't dirtied enough dishes to run it yet but I'm looking forward to not have to rewash "clean" dishes. Huzzah!


- posted by meg @ 6:25 PM

 
So American
Sellouts.
- posted by meg @ 3:26 PM

 
Electromegnetic force
Since the bulbs have been replaced on the outdoor lights on my building the one on the end of the building (not the one near the door) insists on going out whenever I get within 50 feet of it. Like motion detection, only backwards.

Come to think of it, another building does it too on my way home from work. They're clearly trying to mug me. The buildings. Clearly.
- posted by meg @ 2:32 AM

 
Better than smelling like cabbages I suppose
I got a new deodorant the other day. Well, new as in another but I've used this brand and probably this scent before (I generally get the most unscented scent possible for these things). For some reason though it makes me smell like a cabbage patch kid.

I'm not sure if it's weirder for me to smell like a doll or for a doll to have a specific smell.
- posted by meg @ 1:07 PM

 
Alternate Realities
Sometimes I think about other career options I have/would have if I had made different decisions about college. Originally I wanted to be an MD and, for a while when I was a kid, a DVM. I am happy with the decision I've made, especially since the only other science option in the list below is the only other one I think I'd be completely happy with. Still, here are some jobs I sometimes think I could enjoy.

1. Astronaut
2. Op/Ed Reporter
3. Photographer
4. Chef
5. Supreme Court Justice
6. City planner*, but not an architect. That's thinking too small.

*OK, that's mostly just a Seinfeld reference.
- posted by meg @ 11:06 PM

 
Top loading or front loading?
Every time I do laundry I'm reminded of how nice it'll be to be a post doc with an apartment* that allows a washer and dryer in each apartment. No sharing. No quarters. Constant availability.

*No, I don't think I can buy a house on a post doc's salary. But I can buy a washer and dryer.
- posted by meg @ 9:25 AM

 
Impastry
Yesterday I went to a product showing in the conference room and after I took some information and schmoozed the vendors a bit I grabbed a fruit punch and donut and went back to work.

I chose the donut in question because it was on a tray of boston creme donuts but was not leaking creme. More creme for me, right? Nope. Even though the outside of the donut and the dimensions of the donut were identical to the boston creme donuts surrounding it it was not a boston creme donut. It had frosting inside. Yes, frosting.

I mean, it was tasty and all, but don't go impersonating a boston creme donut as if another type of donut could do the job. It's like putting the engine from a grand prix in a corvette.
- posted by meg @ 1:02 PM

 
Recentering required
It is possible that I am too hard on other people, despite knowing on just how little information and logic such a large population of people seem to be able to thrive. The problem is that I use myself as a benchmark. (Can I make that? It's not art.) For the most part I keep those judgements limited to things that most people should be able to do/are doing. For example, driving and not cancer research.

So my problem is that I expect basic courtesy out of people and that's just too much to ask for a lot of individuals. Last Friday our lab had a little ice cream party for some of the birthdays in October. We were going to have another one this Friday when more people could make it (there were only 5 of us) so we left the ice cream in the break room freezer clearly labeled. Yesterday we realized it was gone. Two, nearly full, gallons of ice cream gone over the weekend. This is why my food does not go into the fridge if I can possibly help it.

While talking with one of my labmates we honestly asked if it was too much to ask for other adults, adults with at least a college degree, to know the difference between something they owned and something they did not own. (Peeing with the door open, peeing with the door closed.) I think that's something that most cultures distinguish.

It looks like I'll have to take my driving strategy (this person is a dick, they will turn into me/not signal/brake hard) and apply it to every situation now. This person will push me out of the way of the bus door even though it's clear this is also my stop. This person will ignore the sign up sheet for equipment if it suits them. It's just such a bummer. On the other hand it really brightens up my day when someone is friendly and courteous.

- posted by meg @ 9:44 AM