All is not well

Right now my biggest problem in the lab is loneliness.

It's tough to come in as an inexperienced undergraduate from another university. It's tougher because I'm also well over 5 years younger than all but one researcher in my lab (and he's a 5th year senior from ISU). I'm tired of feeling like a pesky younger sister all the time. If I may whine a bit more, I could really use someone to talk to at work.

Reflection: I've learned something about myself. I would hate a job that didn't include team dynamics, even though I've always hated group projects in school. I need to work with people and not by myself.

In other news, I had a work-related accident today. I was steering the 160 L LN2 tank on the dolly for the first time ever and the bottom end stuck out farther than I realized. I put cat-whisker like wrinkles in some sliding safety glass doors on a ground-level display case in the chem store. I fessed up immediately and asked how I would go about replacing them. And blinked back a lot of tears (though how successfully, I don't know). I will not have to pay anything.

Reflection: accidents stink - I'm still feeling upset about this one. However, I am proud that I tried to do the right thing to correct it. (Don't get too excited, though, because a group of people saw me do it...if I had wanted to hide, I couldn't have). I wasn't worth a lot afterwards...I blinked back tears all day. :(