Confessions of a wild scientist through email

Written Sept 1 2004 to an esteemed colleague at an ivy league school on the east coast:

My co-worker has stopped wearing clothes to work. First the fast, now no clothes - what's next? It's frightening us all but we'll get used to it. I think it's part of her master plan to take over the world. The plan is: shock everyone blind, then begin the reign of terror.

Written June 24, 2004 (same colleague):

I hated the new harry potter movie. As a movie by itself it was ok, but it didn't follow the mood of the other movies at all (and the other two books didn't have that significantly different of a mood - the mood doesn't get that dark until the fifth book really). I liked the new set (did you notice everything was new, the castle, the grounds, Hagrid's cabin), but I didn't think it was appropriate to change sets in the middle of a series. I did like the sexual tension between Ron and Hermione though. That was excellent. And Hermione's getting really hot, and Harry too. Ron is turning into an ugly bastard though. Poor Ron. I have no idea which book is my favorite.

Back to my research! That crazy TX5128 bacterial strain did battle with me last night. It unleashed it's kanamycin resistant terror on me and almost got my co-worker too. I resisted however, fought it off and protected the newbies in the lab from its terror. Good thing I've been taking yoga.


April 16, 2004:

I gave lab meeting today. I realized as I was talking that four slides I had made had disappeared from my talk when my computer crashed because I was copying a CD while I was listening to it while I was scanning pictures. So, I distracted everyone by tap-dancing on the table. Everyone was very impressed.

April 19, 2004:


It was 88 degrees out yesterday in Minneapolis! I wore shorts for the first time. I'm really antsy to get out and go bike riding. All I've done so far this spring is go to Iowa and ride my horse, which I hadn't done since before the wedding, and that was fantastic-awesome. We figured out that the horses had plowed through one of the back fences and journeyed out on this several hundred acre plot of land that doesn't seem to be farmed or lived on. My horse is a momma's boy and led them all back home afterwards. When we discovered it, instead of fixing the fence we tore it back and rode out there. It was awesome-supreme. I think we're going to try to get a gate hung. Hopefully nobody will ever find out.

So! They've finally proven that girls learn faster than boys! Good thing I'm a girl. http://www.nature.com/nsu/040412/040412-6.html

I've been sunbathing neud on the roof at work all winter!! That's how I keep my (*censored*) so nice. Speaking of! Star Tribune had a picture of someone jumping into Lake Superior in the middle of winter with a thin layer of ice on top of it. They were part of the "Polar Bear Club" that skinny-dips in the dead of winter. Fascinating!! I think you should try it and let us know how it is.

4/16/04

Remember my advice... keep your pants on, your snot in your nose and your wild language to yourself until told otherwise, then give them all you've got until the bitter end.

1/26/2004

My husband got a subscription to Bon Apetit magazine for Christmas and has been making all these cakes (ginger, german chocolate and two different kinds of cheesecake) and cookies (orange coconut and lemon sugar) and an oatmeal pie, which he served with peppermint AND cinnamon ice cream. I have had to increase my gym time by 500% and I think I'm still gaining some weight (all in the boobies). I'm going to have to run home
(literally) and steal the magazine out of the mail and burn it.