Tuesday, April 17, 2007

I still haven't reached X yet

Someone told me about three years ago now, that you have to do an experiment X times before it will work. I am currently onto attempt 15? of the same experiment. The one with the HeLa cells? Not sure if I've mentioned them. They have been (to borrow from Kath and Kim) the bain marie of my life for the last couple of months. I have to do a positive control experiment. That's one where you show that something works to prove that the experiment itself isn't flawed, just whatever you were using it on didn't work. So anyway, I got it to work a while ago, but the cells were unhappy and blobby. So the supes wanted me to just do it again and get happy cells, so the pictures would be nice.
I have been trying to get those nice pictures ever since. Every day is another disappointment with regards to this experiment. It's driving me nuts! I thought I had the solution to the problem on Friday. So Saturday, I looked at the cells. They were on a plastic slide that you can't see through!!! Fark. So then I chucked the little bastards on a glass slide, you can see through those, or so I thought. Turns out that the glass slide is too thick to focus through. So after many tears and frustrations yesterday I hit on the next plan to get it to work, thin coverslips! Today and tomorrow will tell me whether this works. If it doesn't I don't know how I'm going to cope. I think it'll be so ridiculous by then that I'll end up laughing. Then tearing my hair out and going a little more crazy.
Anyway, one day things will work I'm sure. Law of averages etc. But I still haven't reached X yet on this experiment. Cross your fingers and press your thumbs for me.

3 comments:

poke said...

nuke em all and let God sort em out!!!

Oh wait... you don't believe in God! hmmm, well nuke em anyway and come dancing!!!!!!!

:)

Anonymous said...

Bonne Chance

Anonymous said...

Tell the supes to get rooted and get onto something that is productive. A nice picture?! Unless it will affect publication quality, F it.

Yes, a great day down on the 1st floor too :)