Traveling fool

I've been off gallivanting again. This time? The big apple.

Oh hello there Brooklyn Philharmonic in Bryant Park!

Science sucks/NYC here I come!

From http://newyorkphotos.co.uk/index.html.

The past couple weeks have not been good science weeks. One word: optimization. That's a nice way of saying 'I have no idea what I'm doing, but it needs to magically work.' This happens often in science, but right now it's holding up a paper.

So I'm bailing! I'm going to the city that never sleeps. Friday can't come fast enough.

Grocery bags are genius

I just finished the grocery shopping for a four day getaway with the guy I knit for. Despite a cart full of goodies, no plastic bags used. I'm not a super-hippie tree-hugger, but for a dollar's worth of cotton yarn and a few hours of tv watching/knitting, it's kind of nice to be rid of a few plastic bags.



I have two types, those knit with one strand of yarn and those with two. The two strander is more durable and can hold jars and jugs and such. I followed the everlasting bagstopper pattern from knitty, with a few modifications. No drawstring, knit handles reinforced with canvas.

The one strand bags are super stretchy (and I often regret putting such long handles on them) and are similar to this string bag, but not quite the same. I also really like the Saturday Market Bag by Jodie Danenberg and might try it also (free on ravelry). This one from the now deceased MagKnits looks really neat, too. I like the one handle look (the pattern is up on ravelry for free.)



Yay for grocery bags. Bonus if you love mindless knitting by the tv.

Good ligations (oh that's tacky)

Today is supposed to be my last day in lab. Will it? Probably not. Cupcakes seemed to go over well at least. I am hoping to successfully ligate (and thus complete construction) of one of my plasmids that had a single bp mutation in it before. That would be a nice way to end my time here.

T4 ligase, please work.

Then I can unabashedly sleep in, knit, and generally ignore science for two weeks with no guilt.