2021 Week 3

Monday: Today was successful; I started the penultimate assessment of the maths course, imaged another region of the hippocampus in my slices from last week, and rearranged this week's surgery slots to better fit my schedule. In case my next antibody arrives during the first half of this week, I'll write my email request for slices so that I can hit send as soon as I know it's arrived. In general, I was pleased to have put a wash on before 9am, and making my bed and washing my hair this evening between episodes of The West Wing wasn't too taxing. 

On Tuesday morning I had another successful surgery practice, but couldn't help feeling disappointed that I wasn't trying it for real. I made a little more maths progress and started working through the figures from the journal club article, which I finished reading today (Wednesday). I also finalised the plans for next week's surgery attempts and found the second week of the Programming for Biologists course very straightforward. This broccoli pasta dish I made for dinner will definitely be added to my rotations, it was the perfect way to use up the broccoli I had leftover from Sunday lunch!

The rest of the week was pleasantly productive, and over the weekend I made good progress on the final element of the maths course, as well as attending some fun online events.

2021 Week 2

When I began writing this post on Thursday, I was very pleased with my progress this week; my double staining protocol to identify pathological markers in brain tissue was going well, I had submitted my first of two conference abstracts, and I felt confident enough to retry recovery surgery for my EEG recording project next week. Two thirds of those things were resolved successfully, but I found out on Friday that the latter is effectively on hold until the current lockdown ends. I have been exceedingly grateful to be able to continue working during the tier 4 and lockdown restrictions, but the circumstances are not ideal for PhD projects that require lots of training like mine does. 

Outside of the lab, I baked this delicious marzipan loaf cake for the third time, which was even more moreish warmed along with poached plums.

I bought some reduced kale during my weekly shop, which motivated me to finally make this sausage and kale hash; it was so good I made it twice! I also made the most of a bunch of spring onions by making tasty Chinese and Greek-inspired recipes. I watched a few more films, including Castaway and La La Land right now, and concluded season 4 of The West Wing. 

I'll use next week to consolidate my surgery practice and notes, making sure I can get up and running as soon as possible after lockdown, and make a push towards completing the mathematics course. Onwards and upwards!

Just like that, it's 2021!

It's a new year and I'm feeling refreshed after using my student privileges to spend the festive period across the border. I'd been back in my uni city barely an hour when another round of national lockdowns were announced, but thankfully the labs are continuing to operate as they did in tier 4. After a negative lateral flow test result on Wednesday, I popped into the lab to check on my antibodies and transfer some piping to the animal unit. Today was very email heavy, but speaking to two of my supervisors was useful, and my plans for the next few weeks are taking shape nicely. 

I'm also trying hard to to improve my work-life balance from last year. Paradoxically, a lack of TV in the flat has made it easier to switch off in the evenings, because I now use my work laptop to watch TV and films. So far this week I've watched Point Break, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the first two episodes of Pretty Little Liars. Relaxation has also taken the form of making new recipes, including delicious spinach and ricotta gnudi and a healthier beef chilli recipe. This weekend I have my second test, and so long as it's negative, I'll pop into the lab to make a buffer ready for next week.