Whining

[tarigwaemir]

Stanley Hall, on the Feast of St. John of Beverley

I think I've made every mistake I could possibly make today: mislabel tubes, contaminate one of my samples, load the wrong sample, run a gel in the wrong direction (...am rerunning it now in correct direction, on the off-chance that the bands can be saved). Oh, and after making a trip to West Berkeley to run an assay on an expensive and supposedly better fluorescence plate reader, I found that not only did my cells not respond--have no idea why, argh--but the plate reader may not be a good option after all. >_> What is it with me today? Most likely causes: lack of sleep and stress.

Best course of action: go home and get some rest. (Unless my gel turns out to be salvageable. ::hopes against hope::)

Yours &c.

Comments

[uminohikari.livejournal.com]

...how do you run a gel in the wrong direction?

D: *pets* Get some rest!

[troisroyaumes]

By hooking up the electrodes backwards. (I.e. I hooked up the side where I loaded the DNA to the positive terminal) What is immensely stupid though is that the cables and terminals are color-coded to prevent such mistakes, so you have to be really out of it to get them mixed up. >_<

Would also like to add that I did in fact salvage my bands but my ladder was screwed up so I couldn't tell if they were the right size. Have to repeat the whole day's work tomorrow. Ugh.

[uminohikari.livejournal.com]

*blink* Sleep is your friend? DDDX

I never knew that! I just...matched the colors up >>

[troisroyaumes]

Ahaha, yes, that's all you're supposed to do, match the colors up. I have no idea what I was thinking. >_<;;

Had a good night's sleep and am feeling much better this morning. ^_^

[love_archived]

*hugs*

[troisroyaumes]

Thanks, Ai! <3

[schwimmerin.livejournal.com]

Get some rest! (Although this comment is too belated to make any difference.) And don't worry. I mean, I know how frustrating those lab days can be where nothing goes right and you feel like you did everything wrong (welcome to my entire thesis experience), but someday you will be able to laugh about running the gel backwards, I am sure.

*huuuuuuuuuuugs*

[troisroyaumes]

Thanks! ;_; I am...well, not quite able to laugh about it, but much more able to keep it in perspective. It's just...ugh, that was the one mistake I've never made with a gel. Well, there must be a first time for everything right?

::hugs back:: <3

[starlighter.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Running gels backwards happens to the best of us! Best to just write the day off, laugh at it and then go right back in determined to do better than the day before - should be easy today, yes? :)

[troisroyaumes]

Am feeling much better after a good night's sleep, yes. Thanks Tuna~ <3

[serendip.livejournal.com]

*patpat* Rest up and take care of yourself. Oh 명석같이 지메일차팅했어요~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[troisroyaumes]

Well-rested now, after going to bed early. Have regained sense of perspective somewhat. ^_^

ㅎㅎ Have you two bonded? 어때요? 언니 의견이 궁금한데~

[serendip.livejournal.com]

Good XDDDDD

Hmmm. 좋은 사람같아요~ Tho his position on immigration policy is a little theoretical XDDD

[emblem.livejournal.com]

If you didn't run the gel too long, it's 100% salvageable *coughs*

And - I hear plate readers/plates are all susceptible to edge effects? If all your samples were on the border, perhaps something is weird there.

*hugs* Good luck! Take a half day, and worry later. Get some rest. <3

[troisroyaumes]

I caught it fairly quickly and was able to salvage the bands but realized I couldn't figure out their size. ;_; Oh well, I'll just repeat it today.

Oh really? This is useful information. My samples weren't all on the edge, but my controls were. Don't know if that can explain the lack of induction but it's good to keep in mind for the future. Thank you!

[shoujo22.livejournal.com]

That reminds me of the time that I screwed up the postdoc's buffers...and didn't realize it until the results of his experiment came out to be a complete and total mess -__-'. They never let me live that down either.

Well, good luck with your gel. I know, first hand, how much work the entire process can be.

[earliine3.livejournal.com]

I'm so excited.