This week I found myself in the organic laboratory for the first time. I went into it quite excited at the opportunity...the lab and I have always had a strong attraction to one another. On top of my love for running chemical experiments, we get to wear white coats. I can't be dishonest and say I didn't scope myself out in the mirror a bit before leaving home, checking to see exactly how physicianesque I look at this stage in the game. It was a pretty good match, especially after swapping my contacts for glasses. A little extra glee on top never hurt anything.
Things did not stay onboard the lovely little makeshift raft of unadulterated happiness as I'd sensed they would.
Apparently, I missed the local forecast that called for turbulent weather. My poor raft stood not a solitary chance.
The lab was a complete disaster.
My glassware was filthy thanks to whomever came before me, so I had to spend a bunch of time cleaning that. My GTA and I later determined that there were two possibilities for my failure to produce the desired product: 1) Remnants of a past experiment still in the glassware and 2) Contamination of reagents by everyone else in the class who'd gotten them before me.
Probably a bit of both. Disappointing turn-out, for sure...but there's always next week, and then 8 more after that. On the bright side, I have something to laugh about as I transfer the memory to text. Perhaps these are the kinds of things I'll be fondly looking back upon at my graduation from medical school. Might even tell the grandkids.
In other news, I've taken out an MCAT prep book from the library and have set aside an hour or so each evening to reading through the review material. My goal is to finish a section each week and then spend inordinate amounts of time with practice questions and exams. Still have a year to go until I sit for the blasted thing, but I'm of the mind to never, ever let it be said that I drag my heels... err, sometimes...about certain particulars...
Coffee ice cream sounds like an absolute dream at the moment, if you'll excuse the abrupt transition. If I can finish about 50 problems relating to benzene and aromaticity, get a good start on my lab report, and ram my way through a chapter in my pharmacology book, I'll treat myself to a wee bit of this stuff...
May the grace of He keep you always,
J.O. Morris
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