Missing Family

I went to visit my sister and her family this past weekend. I made the long drive with my father. It was the birthday of my youngest nephew on Wednesday and the oldest on Friday, nevertheless a good weekend to visit. The last time I saw my nephews was nearly a year ago, right before Halloween. Kids grow so quickly. My oldest nephew who used to be about the same size as me is now about 6-7 inches taller than me and is considerably thinner and more athletic. I can no longer keep up with my youngest nephew who decided we should play tag and run around their entire building! I gave up I just couldn't catch the little bugger. My middle nephew is so sensitive, wise, and helpful. He too has grown. My niece, 2 years old now, has learned so many words including my name! She dances, runs, rides her bike, and has recently discovered her shadow whom she likes to talk to and dance with. My sister has probably lost 20 pounds...all of which I have gained (don't know how that one happened). I miss them all so much. Well until next time.

4 years to get what?

My fellow labmates have started writing their thesis. This act in itself makes me extremely jealous, even though I know they have been here longer and have more data (well some have more others I am not quite sure how they are graduating or what exactly they are going to defend ...another blog another day). Hearing about the few pages they have typed I get motivated to start analyzing my data. I may have over a year left, but when they tell me I can go I want o be ready. I have done one particular assay over and over for the past four years I have been here, not all successfully, but needless to say repeated many many times. I decided I could pick a hand ful and analyze them and do some statistics on them. I included tests I know didn't work , but I thought ..it should all balance out in the end. NOPE. I have spent four years of my life doing an assay just to get overlapping error bars. How sad. I knew I wasn't saving the world and finding cures for cancer, but all this hard work for overlapping error bars. hmph. Just will please someone bring some meaning to me. I would like a menu where I can order meaning on a silver platter. WHY am I still here? I guess it is for hopes that one day I can do an assay and get error bars with some space in between them! Sad life I live .