Keystrokes

 

Today seems to be a day focused only on my finger tips tapping against the keys of my keyboard.  I am going through a lot of grading, imputing of grades, and writing out electronically a number of lists for our Department's Lab Tech so materials can be ordered and delivered at appropriate times for the laboratory classes I am teaching next semester.  

Yesterday, I had a big "research meeting" for a handful of new prospective research students.  They each have expressed interest in my research, but it has been a bit of a slow go getting back up to snuff with things for a novice researcher to do because of the restrictions that had occurred due to the pandemic.  With some of those restrictions being lifted due to vaccination, I am now happy to give this cadre of folks a chance to test their mettle.  I began yesterday with a discussion of basic rodent handling procedures.... describing and illustrating proper techniques for picking up and handling rats and the slightly different procedures for picking up and handling mice.  I also demonstrated proper technique for administering  subcutaneous injection and also an inter-muscular injection in both rats and in mice. As is typical for me as well, since I seem to elicit a feeling of calmness in my rodents, I let those so inclined, to climb out of my hand and up my labcoat sleeve up to my shoulder.  Several of the rodents like to perch on  my shoulder as I walk around in the colony room tending to various tasks.  The students find this somewhat amusing and entertaining.  

None of the "prospects" is capable of attempting any sort of injection yet (and likely not for a considerable length of time), but I wanted to show them the basic techniques.  And, I wanted to demonstrate how, with care and calmness, the rodents are wonderfully docile, friendly, and a joy to work with.  After the demonstration, I then very purposefully tightly closed each and all doors in the colony room for the next step.   I gave the "prospects" the opportunity to pet, handle, and pick up the rodents.  

As usual, these prospective research kids run the gambit.  All are smart, of course, but their ability to work with animals is all over the map.  Even though I carefully talk them through the process a few different times before letting them near an open cage.... inevitably, at least one (and often several) students are hesitant and "squeamish" in their initial attempts to pet, pickup, and otherwise handle the rodents.  Also, as is very often the case, there were several "escapees"..... critters who were not interested in interacting with the "newbies" and their fumbling, chaotic actions.    However, with EVERY damn door shut and sealed tightly, it was not too arduous for me to collect and return the escapees to their proper homes.  

* * * * *

Although this is not the usual time of year for me to have these introduction of newbies to the rodents.... it did bring back to my mind, a fairly regular tradition I had for a lot of years.  

I had very frequently scheduled the "Prospects" meeting I would have with newbies, three specific, different times in the year..... once in the early Fall, once in the early Winter, and once in the early Summer.  And, for many, many of those years, my friend and colleague (the one who passed away this Summer) would head to the local watering hole after the meeting was finished, and we would have a beer or two and we would talk and I would regale various stories of how my new "prospects" fared.  Even though my friend was in a very different discipline of biology, and we had no overlap of research interests, we both had a very fond appreciation for working with students and both had a lot of fun talking about the various trials and travails we each encountered in working with them.  

Back when I was actively indulging in my beautiful pipes and pipe tobaccos, I would typically step out of the bar to smoke my pipe after my first or second drink. Usually at that time, my friend would put in an order for some sort of bar food he especially enjoyed.  Often it was something like batter dipped and fried jalapenos or batter dipped and fried mozzarella sticks.  Since most bar food is not something I am fond of, I tended to refrain from eating anything.  

The above had been a consistent pattern for a lot of years.  It deeply saddens me that my friend is gone.  I miss him, and I miss his friendship.  Things feel so different now in many ways.

Back to grading, I suppose.

PipeTobacco