BBQ letdown

Spent memorial day working in the lab up until a BBQ at the department heads house. I was totally excited to get a taste of real Arkansas BBQ that people speak so highly of but was severely disappointed to realize that these people are all transplants from elsewhere and so BBQ remains just burgers and hotdogs like everywhere else. No ribs or pulled pork or brisket...just same old same old. Good food nonetheless, especially a tiramisu that was soaked in kahlua(sp?) and rum. Sat down next to the husbands of one of the faculty members and he began our conversation with , "So, from massachusetts? how about those redsox...lookin pretty good." At which point I jumped at the opportunity to talk baseball and especially redsox with someone. He probably thought I was crazy or at the very least in need of a hobby. Mostly on account of my zeal for speaking of such things as the redsox and their awesomely impressive lead over the fourth place NY Yankees. In other news, I got a parking ticket this morning for "failure to show a residential endorsement." Turns out I need a little sticker that says I live on campus so i can park in the lot near my apartment. Apparently the guy at parking services interpreted me telling him that I am going to be living on campus as, "I will be living at the lab and returning to my apartment only occasionally so i don't need a residential endorsement." Maybe that guy knows graduate student life a little better than I would have anticipated.

In lab news (all non science folk can tune out for the rest), I discovered that the lab here has a nanodrop spectrophotometer and also a nanodrop fluorimeter. Very handy little tools in deed. Also finally found someone that knew where the big centrifuges were, but upon finding them discovered that no one has bottles for the large rotors. Thus they have purchased expensive rotors for 250ml bottles and can not use them? I guess I will check downstairs tomorrow to try and find some so i can spin the 500 ml cultures I'm starting tomorrow. Also found some guy in another lab thats having a party at his place on friday...perhaps their is hope for the social scene in this place. Off to get my parking permit straightened out before I get another ticket. Patrick OUT