My second week was far busier and generally harder than my first week here. My day to day schedule this week usually went like this. Wake up at 8 and bike to my lab (usually takes 20 minutes) while trying not to get hit by car in LA traffic or take the bus (it takes a lot longer). After arriving at my lab, I would ask my post-doc whether there were any little jobs she needed done. These tasks ranged from cleaning the mouse droppings out of the operant chambers (the special chambers used in experiments that have levers which the mice press for drugs) to helping sort data on the computer. I then would take a short lunch break to enjoy my yummy homemade pb&j sandwich before helping my PI setup for an outreach program she is running for a short time which provides high schoolers an exposure to neuroscience. Helping out this past week with the program has been really helpful with refreshing my memory about all the various lab techniques we learned in biotech and with preparing me to do more in depth work in my lab. During the program (which ran from 1-4 pm) we reviewed pcr, qPCR, and other techniques while analyzing mouse brain tissue with massive amounts of CAG repeats (an indicator of Huntington's disease). Following the end of this program I would then take the bus home or bike back and then figure out what to do about dinner which Danny, Ian, and I have been taking turns handling.
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| Santa Monica Pier |
There was definitely an increase in work during my second week however it was still quite enjoyable working in the lab. I have also become good friends with my post-doc, an Armenian woman named Ani, who graduated from UCLA a few years ago. On the weekend, Danny, Ian, and I went to the beach which was really nice and rode a few rides at the Santa Monica pier. The funnel cake I bought there was a huge highlight as was winning my first carnival game ever!
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| Eating Lunch at the local In-n-Out |
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