im-only-passionately-curious

[im-only-passionately-curious]

I passed my defense!

It’s been a long couple of weeks, but last Thursday I successfully defended my master’s thesis. I have extremely minor corrections to my thesis - a few words need changed here and there for clarity - but I made it! I have 5 experiments to finish over this summer before I graduate, but other than that, my obligations are done and I’m focusing on finding a job!

[im-only-passionately-curious]

Hello friends~

I have a killer headache, my thesis is due to my committe this thursday, my defense is next thursday, and I am still in the lab running experiments

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[im-only-passionately-curious]

Bill Nye for most of his career: Imma do science for kids. Science without politics. Nice, tame science for the kiddos.

Bill Nye now:

[im-only-passionately-curious]

April 16, 2019

Its been a while, friends!

I’ve been so so busy the past few weeks. The last time I posted was a few days before my birthday, so I’m older now lol

On my birthday I woke up and started packing for the conference. Lo and behold, my boyfriend wakes up in terrible pain and I have to take him to the ER. We were there for hours, and they really don’t know what happened. They determined that he wasn’t going to die and basically said to go to a pcp for further treatment. So I was already super stressed before the drive down to Florida even began.

Somehow I was assigned the first driving shift, which would have been fine, but about an hour into the drive the rain started to change to snow, and cars were sliding off the road left and right. Somehow I managed to get through the cold section without any problems, but my anxiety was through the roof.

The conference itself was a lot of fun. I went to so many talks and poster sessions and got a lot of ideas for my project. My poster session went well, even if the only question I ever got was “But doesn’t this stuff smell?” I had a lot of fun at SciMix, and enjoyed getting to spend some time away from school. The grad students got together and went mini-golfing which was a nice break too :)

When I got back, I slept for the first time in a long time without my sleep medicine. I think my body is starting to get back to normal, but I’m afraid that as I get closer and closer to June I’m gonna revert back to not being able to sleep. 

After the conference, my university had a symposium that we all presented at as well. I was one of the award winners somehow, which was an exciting and unexpected thing. After that, I had papers due so I’m really now just getting back into my normal routine.

Goals for today:

Go to class

Grade labs

Update spreadsheet

Update blackboard

Email lab coordinator

Prep polymer solutions

Prep metal acetate solutions

Clean up GPC area

Prep experiment for tomorrow

Book UV time for tomorrow

[im-only-passionately-curious]

Hi friends. I promise I’m alive. I’m just super busy today and tomorrow and I really didn’t have time to tumblr this morning.

I’ll probably manage a post tomorrow, but then you won’t hear from me probably for a week! I’ll be at ACS until thursday afternoon next week and I have to make up an exam as soon as I get back.

[im-only-passionately-curious]

March 27, 2019

Yesterday I felt like I was running around with my head cut off, and it was all of my own doing.

So backstory: Last weekend I went home because my parents wanted to take me and my boyfriend out for my birthday (a week early because I’m leaving for ACS on my birthday). When I got home, they gave me an early graduation gift - a custom built (by my brother!) gaming pc sporting all orange LEDs and fans and it is amazing! Anyway, I set it up in my apartment immediately and have been using it for everything but gaming since I’ve been so busy.

 So Monday night I was making some last minute adjustments to my poster before I sent it to the printers. I saved it on my new pc and forgot to save it on my flashdrive also.  I needed it with me on Tuesday so I could print a baby version to make sure nothing was oversized so of course I didn’t have it. I figured this out around noon, and had to run home and grab it just to come right back to campus to attend a defense.

On the bright side, Slade’s defense gave me some ideas for my experiments that have been failing. His research has nothing to do with mine, but some of the procedures he used may help me out. I’ve got to write down my ideas before I forget since I won’t have time to try them before ACS.

Goals for today:

Grade labs

Update gradebook

Update blackboard

Email grades to lab coordinator

Work on environmental paper

Work on thesis corrections

Packing list for Florida

Shopping list

[im-only-passionately-curious]

March 26, 2019

While February seemed to drag on forever, March is absolutely flying by as fast as it can. I need it to slow down! I have so much to do before April!

My poster is 99.99% done. I want to print it on normal paper and make sure that everything is lined up. My eyes were playing tricks on me last night and I’m not confident I didn’t mess it all up. Then it’s off to the printers and that frantic mess will be behind me!

The next mess I have to sort out is my environmental paper. I started the semester off with great intentions. I wanted to be on my 3rd draft of this by now. Instead I’m on my 3rd paragraph. Whoops. The draft is due to our professor by this Sunday, so I’ve got some time but not a whole lot.

We leave for ACS in the evening on Saturday. Which also happens to be my birthday, so this makes like the third year in a row that I can’t do anything fun at night to celebrate. Thankfully I’ll be in Orlando the next day, so surely I can find something to do!

Goals for today:

Double check poster

Send poster to printers

Print new papers for environmental

Grade labs

Update gradebook

Update blackboard

Email lab coordinator

Remind Sean about covering for me next week

Start a packing list

Update spending log

Work on Environmental paper

Study for Environmental exam

Work on thesis corrections

Go to Slade’s defense

[im-only-passionately-curious]

Good news advisor agrees that the electrodes are being too finicky for me to deal with before ACS! So back to the UV-Vis I go!

[im-only-passionately-curious]

These electrodes are driving me nuts! Checking the operation of the electrode went fine, but when I try to make the calibration curve it is so wonky and I have no idea what to do about it. I might try the cadmium one to see if it works any better, but I don’t see anything exciting with the cadmium on my UV-Vis studies so I’m not sure its binding so there may not even be a point.

Gah.

[im-only-passionately-curious]

March 20, 2019

I got a lot done yesterday, if you count starting but not finishing all of my UV-Vis trials. I was so close, I have just one more polymer to test. But it was late and I spilled the aliquot I was testing so I went to get dinner and then sleep.

Bad news, with the Zn I think I was just salting out my polymer. Good news, with Pb I see a new peak growing in so that’s made me cautiously optimistic! Hopefully today I can fiddle with the ion-selective electrodes more and get them to work. Otherwise I need to do a massive amount of reading on AA sample prep because I’ll have to figure out an experiment to quantify my metal binding.

Goals for today:

Finish grading labs

Update spreadsheet

Update blackboard

Email lab coordinator

Start environmental paper

Finish M55 cal curve

Finish Pb trials

Finish Cd trials

Make ISA

Try Pb calibration for electrodes

Try Cd calibration for electrodes

Write up recent experiments

Plot UV-Vis data

Print plots for notebook

[im-only-passionately-curious]

March 19, 2019

So it is hitting me that I leave for florida sooner than I think, which is scary because a) I don’t have all the data I want and b) my poster is sad

Yay

Last night I came back to the lab and I got a lot of things done. Alas, my to do list for today still is larger than it was yesterday. I also realized a draft of a paper I was supposed to be writing for the past month is due before I leave, so I’ve gotta start work on that.

Goals for today:

Go to class

Find more papers for Environmental paper

Finish M55 cal curve for UV-Vis

Redo Zn trials UV-Vis

Finish Pb trials UV-Vis

Start Cd trials UV-Vis

Make ISA for electrodes

Redo Pb calibration curve

Start Cd calibration curve

Grade labs

Update spreadsheet

Update blackboard

Email lab coordinator

Thesis revisions

[im-only-passionately-curious]

March 18, 2019

Today has been long and its only half over! I’ve been running around (literally) for the entire day with a brief pause for lunch. I /think/ I have everything I need to run my experiments tonight but I’m not sure, which is why I’m even stopping to write this. Time to reign in my brain lol

UV-Vis

Make concentrated Zn solution

Filter concentrated polymer solutions

Finish calibration curves

Try with lead and cadmium

Ion-selective electrodes

Make 5M NaNO3 solution

Redo lead calibration

Attempt cadmium calibration

Poster

Cite background and put in references

Send rough draft to advisor

Get better TLC image

Find a good NMR

Ask if I need to have monomer and polymer NMR on same image

[im-only-passionately-curious]

March 15, 2019

I might get to eat lunch with my parents which is awesome! They’re going to be passing by the university on there way out of town and are planning it for when I’m free :)

Yesterday I didn’t get a lot done. I was really anxious about the storms, and that really made me unproductive. I was going to come in this weekend anyway, but now I really have to. Which is fine, honestly. I like working on the weekends, I get to play music without fear of judgement.

My poster is coming along nicely but I need more data in order to really get close to a final draft. Hopefully I’ll find that the ion selective electrodes work today! If not, I’ll have to desperately try to get trained on the AA and design a working experiment next week. Woo.

Goals for today:

Proctor exam

Go to class

Go to office hours

Lunch with parents

Work on poster draft

Work on environmental paper

Work on analytical paper

Work on thesis corrections

Study for Environmental exam

Check ion selective electrodes

[im-only-passionately-curious]

March 14, 2019

Storms make me extremely nervous. I was like this when I was little, and I had started to grow out of it. When I was in middle school my grandparent’s house was destroyed by a tornado and ever since then I get really anxious about storms. Not that I’m personally going to be hit by one, but that my parent’s house where my cats are will get hit. Or that my apartment will get hit while I’m not there. It is really hard to describe.

Anyway I bring this up because it is supposed to storm pretty bad here this afternoon. I knew about it yesterday and I dreamed about it so much that I woke up in a panic and wasn’t able to get back to sleep. I mean, if it has to storm this badly I’d rather be in the science building than my apartment. But it doesn’t make my nervousness decrease.

So hopefully I can focus enough to get something done today.

Goals:

Another poster draft (I’m on like 5 now I think)

Finish calibration curves for MAC37

Calculate molarity of my zinc solution

Test old ion selective electrodes after overnight conditioning

Talk to jon about trying to change connector on lead electrode

Finish environmental abstract

Print seminar worksheet

Go to class

Go to seminar

Finish seminar worksheet

[im-only-passionately-curious]

We’re all still growing cats! We need water and love and time. 🌸

Loading Penguin Hugs | Instagram | Patreon

[im-only-passionately-curious]

March 13, 2019

I finished grading yesterday, but that was about it. I did lay out my poster, but everything is too big. I’ve never made a poster before so I’m struggling with the dimensions! Hopefully I can make some progress today.

I also need to crack down on my environmental paper. I have an abstract but its sad, so it needs some work, and a complete draft is due the week I’m at ACS so I’ve got to get it done before.

Last night I told myself I was going to be productive when I got home, but I was so tired. I haven’t been sleeping well the past few days (thanks daylight savings) and I was completely wiped yesterday. I ended up grinding some blocks I need for my minecraft server that I have with my boyfriend instead of being productive. I needed the time. The sad thing is is that I didn’t sleep well last night either so today is going to probably be just as bad.

Also I just stood up and got really really dizzy... I have no idea why. That’s fun.

Goals for today:

Not be dizzy anymore?

Prep metal solutions for ion selective electrode training

Work on poster draft

Work on environmental paper

Finish UV Calibration curves

Make a calendar of due dates

[im-only-passionately-curious]

March 12, 2019

I always overestimate how much free time I have on Monday’s to work. Lo and behold, I got basically nothing done. Figures. I was super motivated so I could have probably come back to campus after dinner to work, but my boyfriend and I made a date night of going to see Captain Marvel and getting dinner. BTW I loved the movie and honestly I need a movie about Maria and Monica. Also Goose.

Today I need to get a draft of my poster done. I need to prep some experiments and hopefully find out if we have the right ion-selective electrodes to do my experiments. Yay.

Goals for today:

Finish grading labs

Update gradebook

Update blackboard

Email grades to lab coordinator

Go to class

Poster draft!

Work on Environmental Paper

Work on thesis corrections

Prep solutions for more UV-Vis work