Growing up

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I know I must be an adult now, because I can no longer go to the library, check out 14 books due in 14 days, and read them all without renewing. This makes me sad.

The library was this wondrous place when I was growing up. I could check out all the books I wanted and just read. But now there are things like work and sleep that conspire to keep me from reading all that I want to. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve read 90 books this year (yes, some of them are short, or graphic novels, but they’re still books) and I’ll try to read many more before December 31, but I could be reading so much more. I once estimated that I read 600 books in five years. I’m below that estimate now, but this year I seem to be reading faster, so go fig.

Of course, part of the problem is that I also do other things with my free time, like, say, eat, or play softball, or, you know, write…and obviously I can’t do all of them at the same time. I can read and have dinner all at once, and I’ve even been known to read while knitting, though that’s rare.

What’s the point of all this? Well, I restrained myself and only checked out two books at the library on Tuesday. See, I’m growing up.

How scientists see each other

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Surprisingly accurate. (Yes, I am a technician.)
Originally shared by Freida A. Custodio
How scientists see each other:

Denton Froese:I’m a technician, too — and if anyone asks, I’ll totally vouch for your Norris Factor. ; )

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Sometimes I just feel like turning a cartwheel.

Faith Roeseler

That makes me happy! 🙂

Carol Asher

Y’know, it still crosses my mind, too. (and then I think of the ensuing trip to the hospital and it passes)

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It’s really quiet in the lab hallway after most folks have gone home. Then I go back into our lab and it’s loud again, thanks to the speedvac and the ultracentrifuge. It’s just like the rest of the day…

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+Julie Butcher Hopefully I will be a little less mad at your brother after I pick up GHOST STORY tonight 🙂 Can’t wait to talk to you about it!

Julie Butcher

Oh well, let me read it! I wait like everyone else otherwise I can’t remember what is a secret and what isn’t 😀

Jennifer Shew

Just got home with GS, impressed with the size of it 🙂 gotta read the last few chapters of Changes and I’ll dive right in.

Julie Butcher

I’ll run and get mine tomorrow. IF it isn’t over 100 outside 😀

Work day, in two parts

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+Freida A. Custodio Sorry to bother you with a work question, but I just wanted to make sure: for the saturated saline/heptane mix, after you spin, you save the top layer, right?

Freida A. Custodio

Yes you transfer the top heptane layer and discard the water layer

LATER THAT DAY:

+Freida A. Custodio You are SO LUCKY you’re not here right now. Walk-in freezer down until Monday. +Ioana gruchevska and I got to move the CHO samples to the -10 in the lab…

Peter Smalley

Aw, snap. I cringe to think of what would happen if even ONE of our -80C big boy freezers went down. And it’s not even HOT here in Westcoastia!

Freida A. Custodio

oh man! that is horrible! 🙁 was there enough room in the -10?

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Does anyone else out there think they should just raise taxes and be done with it? I’d rather that than send the country’s rating down the tubes.

Alison Hawke

only if they also cut spending and make an effort to get the debt under control. Not just the deficit from this budget, but the overall debt. Also, government having to actually balance a budget would be nice.

Higher taxes seem inevitable.

Robert Guthrie

We HAD a budget surplus in the late 90’s, but those were immediately turned into tax cuts and deficit spending in the previous administration. Until the economy started to tank, we could have been paying down the debt with that money.

Now the best we can hope for is that the people agreeing to deep cuts in spending get some taxes rolled back to the 90’s level, rather than those who just want cuts and nothing else. Paying down the debt isn’t even on the radar for anyone in Washington.

Alison Hawke

I didn’t know there had been a surplus at all. Britain had one for a while and DID pay down the debt with it. I believe governments should not spend more than they earn, whoever is in charge. I don’t like either the more taxes option or the lower spending option if they do not go together.

Robert Guthrie

I sometimes worry that the political discourse is so degraded these days that no reasonable solution can ever be reached or sustained. As soon as one politician says something that falls in the middle of the road, they get attacked by their own base and the opposition. I’m frustrated and depressed by the current state of affairs.

I wish there were a viable, powerful 3rd party that emphasized social justice, equality for everyone, and fiscal responsibility (pay down debt, reduce spending, THEN cut taxes). Alas, no such party exists.

Jennifer Shew

Yeah, Clinton’s big thing was that there was a huge surplus during his tenure (was it the biggest? I don’t remember) and then Bush let it all go.

Jennifer Shew

Also, I don’t LIKE the idea of higher taxes, but if it’s a choice between that and another recession, I’ll take the taxes. I live in this country, I drive on the roads, I love national parks, I get paid from grants from the government. Why wouldn’t I want to help my country?

Robert, I know what you mean about the political environment. It seems like no one out there knows what ‘compromise’ means, or realizes how stupid they look to the folks outside the Beltway.

Robert Guthrie

I doubt it was the biggest (percentage-wise), but it was significant. I have no idea how long it would have lasted as the housing bubble began to deflate and the burst, but at least for a time we could have started to do the responsible thing.

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Hi MLs! If you’re seeing this, I’ve got you in my ML circle. I’m the co-ML of the St. Louis region along with +Jen Sights.

So…who’s doing Camp NaNoWriMo? I’m excited about it, but I found myself with a dearth of new ideas (I don’t even have a November idea yet, gasp!). I might try to figure something out for August, or just be a rebel and try to finish something off my rather lengthy unfinished-writings list. How about you?

Denton Froese

Hello! Aquadeo, a.k.a. the ML of Alberta::Elsewhere over here, and Camp NaNoWriMo is killing me. There’s hardly been a day yet when I’ve managed 1,667… but in a way, it’s a good thing. I know I’ll have a few empathetic stories for my November pep talks, at least!

Denton Froese

I figure it’ll be a lot more fun in August, though, once the entire site is operational, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how it complements NaNo Prime. (By the way, good luck!)

Robin Stambaugh-Ashworth

I couldn’t do it this month. I had to study for the GRE. I had an idea and I might see what I can get out if what’s left of the month, but I’m largely holding out for August.

Catherine Sharp

Hey Jennifer! Farfalla here, from Northern Ireland. I did plan on short notice to do Camp NaNoWriMo in July, but didn’t manage to get started and had no real idea of what to write. Going go tackle it in August though, and promote it a bit more to my Wrimos as well.

Misty Lynn (Maige)

Hi!! I’m the co-ML for the Harrisburg, PA area (West Shore specifically). I’m doing this month’s Camp NaNoWriMo… but it’s kicking my tush all over the place. lol I don’t think I’ll be “winning” this time around… summer is too distracting to be indoors writing — and having the laptop by the pool is just too dangerous. lol I’ll have to try again in August when it’s just too hot to be outside anyway! *grin*

Cylithria Dubois

HI!! I am the eensybeensyspider, aka Cylithria and I am an ML for USA::Missouri::Kansas City and a CO-Moderator at Camp NaNoWriMo forum and The Military Lounge Forum. Yep yep yep totally doing Camp NaNoWriMo here, both months, +Jennifer Shew I am hoping I’ll be able to shut off July’s and shift to August’s with no serious issues. LOL Good luck to all of us Camping.

Caitlin Cunningham

Hi, MidnightC3, the ML for Ithaca, NY. I sent out an email to all my folks to see who was interested in Camp Nano, and all I heard is crickets. We’re a small region, but still! I thought someone was interested. But I’m doing it. I’m finishing a novel I started when trying to avoid wedding planning in May, and wrote furiously for a few days just to come to a complete standstill this week. Still, this is typical – I’ll be writing the 50,000th word at 11:59 on July 31st.

Elise VanCise

*Waves 🙂 I’m flsandcastle on the NaNo boards and Lake County Florida ML. I started this month but haven’t made much progress I think I’ve stalled with all the stress and insanity in my house at the moment. It’s killing me because I have a Sept deadline ACK! Is it cheating to write on the same project two months in a row? LOLOL