Waste

Blocked out all day today and tomorrow for a lab clean and tidy, it's one that people leave in a state so I am hoping that by getting the place spotless they might have a bit more respect for it. This is a glass waste bin that I filled with all the old unlabelled samples bottles that had been left about the place. I have closed the lab to make it a bit more serious (and managed to get hold of a key for a couple of days to enforce it). It seems I have inspired the research group that I am fairly sure make most of the mess to have a big lab tidy themselves. They are lovely lads but unfortunately their boss is a bit of a tosser, and attitude is contagious.

Caught a colleague in the corridor who I have been meaning to catch up with for a while, and it turned into an hour long very useful conversation (for us both I hope). He's a quiet guy and probably quite stuck in one research group, but I think is being under-utilised and seems keen to do more and establish himself. One of several things that seem to be coming together at the moment, an opportunity to morph my job into something more focused.

Said goodbye to one of our 'old timers' at youth group this evening; it's hard to stick to our age limits and tell him he can't come any longer, but it wouldn't be fair to the younger ones otherwise. In the past he has said that he always looked forward to Thursdays because it's our group night, and he came early once when I was the only one there, in tears because one of his best friends (and ex I think) had taken his life. I felt massively out of my depth, and we spent quite a bit of time just sitting there in silence, me remembering the only non-grandparent bereavement I have experienced, and trying to make some connection.