A busy cannibal

Hooray hooray I can collect data at last. All other possibilities excluded and a laboratory full of confused people later, I discovered the incalculable importance of the intracellular electrode angle. Once again I reject the rubber chicken.

Long lab meeting today as four people practiced for the upcoming Japanese neuroscience meeting. Four hours of rearranging sentences and listening to poster presentations and subsequent discussion in Japanese. The posters are written in English but presented in Japanese, nevertheless my brain stayed plenty busy trying to figure out strontium vs. calcium transmission. Strange syt oligomerization theories being resurrected from the cobwebs of my mind... it gives me severe brain pain. My knowledge of the English language is being taxed over here -- I don't know why we use "the" sometimes and not others, and keeping present and past tenses consistent in research presentations has never been my strong point. I don't know how to pronouce La on the periodic table. I do wonder sometimes what kind of American impression I am leaving.

I have found a Star Wars kindred spirit in Dr. Kakizaki. He made his own lightsaber when he was a kid! I had lunch with him and Atsuko today, and even through a language barrier we could share amazement that the Japanese version of Return of the Jedi has the new Anakin in the last scene of the dead Jedi! Who did that? When? My state-side Star Wars geek friends must comment on this. It is interesting to hear Vader say "Kare wa lightsaber desu." Return of the Jedi is a useful language learning tool because I do have that one pretty well memorized. Language-learning has been fun lately -- my conversational CDs have now enabled me to ask people out for drinks, beer or sake, set up dinner dates, and ask people why they won't have a drink with me and when would be a better time? 8 pm? 9 pm? Hehe. Dr. Kuromi finds it entertaining that this is considered some of the most useful conversations to learn according to the study guide. Today's great accomplishment was constructing my own sentences proclaiming that I did not bring lunch to work today, therefore may I go with you (Atsuko) for lunch? Did okay on the first part, but Atsuko had a good laugh on the second part as I apparently asked if I could eat her for lunch.

I have to move tomorrow, hence I need to go home and pack up. I have eaten many frosted mini-wheats, there should be ample room in the suitcases. Hopefully I will still be up for the midnight sumo tournaments on T.V. I don't get to see that at home...