Lab tales part 3

One of my less pleasant chores in the lab is taking shots of yeast cells that we stain with certain fluorescent dyes. By staining the cells with certain dyes over a period of several weeks we can make certain conclusions about their metabolism, data which we use to make outrageous claims about longevity. But that is neither here nor there. You see, as interesting as the research is, what happens is we get a huge backlog of these microscopic samples and every now and then we have to spend hours and hours taking pictures of these fluorescent slides.

Doesn't sound too unpleasant, but when the day does come it is usually met with a great deal of reluctance. Basically I spend a day in a dark room looking into a microscope at some glowing little dots. It's very tedious. And after a while it starts to take a toll on my already waning sanity. Try looking at this for many hours at a time.



I try to pass the time by listenning to music but that resulted in some embarassment when one of the PHD's walked in to see me bobbing my head all gangsta like alone in the dark. "THE SAGA CONTINUES!!! WU TANG WU TANG!!!" Amazing how people can always walk in on you at the most awkward times. Other people come in periodically... Friends and foes alike. Wormtongue's visit was especially unwelcome, "Who knows what you spoke to the darkness, alone in the bitter watches of the night, when all your life seemed shrinking. When the walls of your microscopy room close in around you... A hutch to trammel some wild thing in." What a creep!

Inevitably I wonder to myself what Vrej, Neil and Derek are doing at work and inevitably I picture them all fast asleep in their respective cubicles with smiles on their faces. Then I wonder how much the world will have changed when I actually emerge from the microscopy room. It would be like some creepy science fiction movie. I would go back to my apartment and find people living there. And the father would yell at me, "What are you doing in our apartment?"

Me: "I live here!"
Angry father: "We've lived here for the last 3 years!"
Me: "That's impossible. My name is Chris Gregg, I just went to work."
Angry father: "What? This is ridiculous.... Chris Gregg died 17 years ago in a sky diving accident!"

Da Da DAaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Then in an attempt to unravel the mystery I would have to find people I know and ask them what's going one. I would discover it is the year 2085. And all of my friends and family have passed away. Then I would come across a somewhat familiar name. "Milen is still alive? Maybe he could help."

And I'd find his adress, go to his place.

Milen: "Who are you?"
Me: "I'm Chris Gregg..."
Milen: "That's ridiculous... I don't have time for this..."
Me: "Oh... But don't you? IceManPwnsU????"
Milen: "Mmm... IceManPwnsU? Now there's a name I haven't heard in quite some time..."
Me: "Yes... It's coming back to you isn't it? Back in the days when we would fight side by side on the crimson fields of Coagulation! You called me brother back then!!! Now I ask for your allegiance once more! Help me get back to my time!"
Milen: "Mmm... I'd rather not."

Then he'd probably slam the door in my face... And I'd wander the streets and in some bizarre turn of events save his youngest daughter from muggers. And I'd become an unlikely member of the family... From the past. Or something like that.

Yeah... microscopy... I don't know how much more I can take!