Now For A Little Chemistry...

At school yesterday one of the researchers snapped a picture of me doing some actual chemistry!

Oversized lab coat? Check. Bright blue gloves? Check.  Real pipetting action? Check.

If you're curious about what I was doing, I was filling a pipet to inject some cell extract into a protein gel to separate out the different protein bands by size.  Are you curious how I did it?  Go here for a chemistry lesson on gel electrophoresis.

On a chemistry related note, I saw this post on J.Crew Aficionada showing J.Crew's incorrect periodic table.

Do you notice what's missing?  They eliminated groups 14 and 15 entirely.  I think it's really awesome that J.Crew incorporated some science into a store display.  It would have been cooler if they were more accurate.   Although, it's not like carbon and nitrogen are important anyways ;)

I always enjoy when science things are used in the fashion and beauty industry.  Here are some examples:

A Clinique magazine ad:

PS: Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 is awesome.  I use it every night.

The use of beakers at MAC Cosmetics:

Aveeno's ad campaign with their own "elements":

I know for myself I stored my makeup in beakers for ages.  I haven't done so in awhile since my beaker is sitting in a box at my parents place.  I just think that chemistry is everywhere, and definitely has a place outside of the lab.

On a random note, if you're bored, go to the Black Acre Brewing Co. website and say you're under 21.  My boyfriend showed me this tonight and it made me laugh.

Goodbye Vacation, Hello Graduate School

Yesterday I started the next stage of my career: graduate school.  I was unbelievably nervous before my first day.  I believe I mentioned this in a previous blog post, but I switched from analytical chemistry to a biochemistry lab where I'll be doing more synthesis and product characterization.  This is completely out of my chemistry comfort zone, but it's something I want to do.  I feel it's a much better fit, at least in terms of my interest and future career goals.  I was mostly worried that I would be completely lost in the lab and have zero idea what was going on.

Luckily for me, my lab group is super nice.  I know all of the theory behind the lab techniques, but I've never done any biology or biochemistry labs.  I'm not really sure why I was so worried.  They don't expect me to know how to do everything.  They are also happy to explain a lot of things, which is good because I'm full of questions.  I know I'm only a few days in, but I can confidently say that I chose the right lab group.

That being said, in terms of my Mini Happiness Project I'm failing.  I missed 3 days of Yelp Reviews, 5 days of blog posts, and 6 days of contacting people I haven't spoken to in awhile.  I've managed to get some things off of my to-do list, but it's mostly cleaning.  The one place where I'm succeeding is getting off the internet quickly in the morning.  I've only been on my computer for 30 minutes twice in the morning this month so far.  The rest of the days I'm able to walk away after 10 or 15 min. 

The best part about this is that I was actually able to fit in Level 3 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred this morning before I went to work.  This never would have happened before.  It felt good to knock out the workout in the morning since I've been slacking the past few days.  On that note, Level 3 is vastly superior to Level 2.  It's much easier on the knees and you really feel the workout afterwards.  I'm especially a fan of all of the jumping.

Okay, enough text.  Let's end on a fashion note.  I'm hooked on these Talula Bustier's from Aritzia.  I now own it in 4 colors: black, white, purple, and bright pink.  They're excellent for wearing when I go out at night, and for $30 the price is definitely right.