Zoom, just one look...

Or: OMG I want a scanning electron microscope...

Practicals that involve being near very brilliant (and very expensive) equipment are awesome. I could have been totally happy without the practical on calibrating a light microscope, but the electron ones oooooh. Nice.

Reason number 300 to come to university: They have big toys. With buttons and gold plated ladybirds (not for decorative purposes, its for viewing through the scanning microscope). I got to see bacteria on a ladybird's mouthparts, which sounds vaguely like something you would do on date five, and the hairs on her very dead legs.*And a fly, which seemed to have died from having his head drop off, and someone in the class' hair, and a bullet.



*I have absolutely no idea what gender said bug was clearly but its a ladybird, so we'll assume its a lady-bug...

Actual Factual Practi-cual

Yes first practical.
Was it exciting? Not especially.
Was it new? Not particularly.
Do I still hate microscopes? Yes. Yes I do.
Do they still make me go cross eyed? Very much so.
Are lab coats still horribly uncomfortable? Indeed.
Did I see some metaphase bits of onion? For once yes.

Unexpected

Who'd have thunk it, the most boring sounding module turns out to be looking like it might be the most interesting. It's a mandatory one, and is called Essential Practical Skills or some such. Which pelts fear into my heart. That says to me microscopes, and preparing things and such.*

It probably will involve these things. However, the lecturer is so positive, and genuinely appears interested in all 79 of us that I think it might be okay. Okay he might be faking it, but I don't think he was, he seemed sincere. And enthusiastic, which must be quite hard when you've been given what must essentially be the most dull module to teach ("yeah so you'll get these first years and you have to teach them to write and use microscopes, and not kill themselves").

I am a little perturbed that our first essay is to be handwritten...

* Curiously the one practical skill I am bizarrely now quite happy with, dissection, they don't do much of because "students don't like it". WTF. Seriously this annoys me. Let me cut things up damn you.

Tuesday (and Wednesdayish)

Well Tuesday was the first lesson in an actual lab. Not doing any practical stuff though. It was however, a very warm lab, the same warm lab that contributed to my going a bit wrong when college visited the university open day. So my please open the windows plan can't come soon enough. Very traditional style lecturer, a proper actual professor too, but good. I don't mind if they're not especially warm people if they make sense, which he did.

I am, however, starting to feel like a grumpy old woman. Door slamming, persistently late, noisy, chattery people are starting to annoy me. Being 18 is not an excuse for not turning up on time, all the time. And note to the five boys behind me, you get upset because you maybe have to be parted from each other for a lesson and make a whole row of people change places? Seriously, what are you six?

Today is my first evening lesson...