Entertaining myself

It's been a great day in science. After several runs in low calcium and perplexed acceptance of a heck of a lot of nerve failures, it appeared that the strange Japanese suction electrode was missing a buffer connection way back up in the tubing. No fear, super Janel is on task. I managed to break a very expensive looking glass syringe and therefore have a great morning confession to look forward to. I have already gone through two microscope lightbulbs, one my fault for turning the intensity up too high, the other one died due to unknown cause. But with that great finale I went home for dinner and had to force-feed myself some sushi as it was getting old. I lost patience and pulled the raw fish out of the last two and then had a chopsticks malfunction and splattered soy sauce all over myself. Seriously everywhere, it was dripping from my hair. Last pair of pants destroyed, I then had to do laundry and remembered that there is no laundry soap at this apartment, so I had to go buy some. Unfortunately in my mad escape from the lab I left my purse and the building key in the lab. Sigh. There was still a light on in the lab, so I sat outside in the rain and watched Japanese lightning for an hour until Jiamei came out and let me in. So here I am, laughing that I am over here in a foreign country to study maggots and I'm having a crummy day but I am left to my own devices because there is nobody here and I can't go anywhere and I can't talk to anybody and I can't read and I can't understand what's on television and I will not do any more recordings tonight because that would be dangerous. I suppose at home I would buy a beer and hug an adorable and understanding dog named Max, but in Japan I can buy a beer and hug a beetle and that has comical merit. Science builds character. Or maybe crazy people. How exactly do crazy people get crazy? Does it start with talking to yourself?

Anyway, lunch was a HIGHLIGHT! Sloppy-joes and popcorn... thanks Jim and Laurie!