OMG, have you seen The 5 Most Horrifying Bugs in the World? I can’t decide if I should recommend it or warn you about it. I guess you can make that choice for yourself.
Seriously, I don’t know which is worse, the pictures or the videos…

[I chose to display the most tame of the bugs out [...]

My first day as their new Lab Assistant was today and it went well. They’re starting me out working in the fume hoods, using a separatory funnel to do a liquid separation (some portions of the sample sink while others float). Lots of cleaning things with acetone = numb hands.

I was steering for the plate of Christmas treats tonight when it struck me that the weak intermolecular forces of the LDPE wrapped tightly around it were the smooothest-feeling things ever!

Welcome to Daylight Saving Time. The first time we’ve done this time change so early, in March. It’s an interesting choice but it does make it feel like spring a little sooner to have it stay light longer. The sun hadn’t quite set yet when I was walking home tonight just after seven.

But do you [...]

Three years ago, or so, I went online and bought a $13 digital camera (the shipping was as much as the camera). The pictures it took were crap, right from the beginning…

Fig. 1
So I gave up on it and decided to just stash it away. My hope was to take it apart for parts but [...]

You might remember this note from the inside of my co-worker Grant’s locker. Today I discovered what exactly happened to his health. I had known previously that it had something to do with his lungs and painting (what he used to do at Heidt) but it turns out it was isocyanates.
Isocyanates are the evil, dangerous [...]

Laura and I went to EinsteinFest this afternoon at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. The ‘fest itself was pretty lame but the PI itself was fucking cool. The architecture, the atmosphere, the many small lounge areas with chalkboards, the lunchroom with snooker and foosball and the offices with a floor to ceiling wall-chalkboard. All [...]

Woke up this morning and called in sick. I gave a weak excuse relating to an earache but whatever. The goal was to have the day to finish off this blasted assignment.

It was supposed to be the symbol of A Perfect Circle but my drawing skills are lacking and it really just looked like a [...]

Went to the local multicultural festival today. All kinds of food, Russian circus performers, an African glass dancer and the local children’s dancers. My niece, Olivia, was among them so we were there primarily to watch her. It was all pretty cool, but I was especially impressed with the Russian circus family. Oh, I also [...]