Life of a Postdoc (Day 12)

Fell asleep on the couch with L, last night and woke up around 2:30. Then I headed upstairs to drop off L for her night time feeding. X had also wandered downstairs to the couch and was crashed on my legs. Went back to sleep until 5:30 or so. Headed downstairs with J and L, watched a little TV, you can guess what channels. Hey Matt is back, with his arm in a cast. He is talking to a Republican senator about the budget. I love how the Republicans have developed fiscal amnesia over the last two months. It is their policies that got us into this mess and they don't offer any alternatives except to say no. This is what happens when you get policy advice from Rush Limbaugh - who has hijacked the Republican party and let it down a path of ineptitude so steep it may never recover. OK get ready, shower, why is my ipod in a Barry White mood, hmm subliminal messaging. Pack the lunch and head downstairs. Here is today's list. Must write paper is my mantra for today. Also, have a staff meeting, like they would let me forget it. I've gotten six e-mail about it.

1. Results (mtDNA)

• HVS-I Sequencing
  
• Population Statistics
• Phylogenetic Analysis
• Population Structure
  

2. Discussion and Conclusion (mtDNA)
3. References (mtDNA)
4. Trim the Hedge
5. Find Bindery for dissertation in S.A.
6. Chrm 9 Hrt Rate

• Run SNP covar (All)
• Run SNP QTLD (All)
• Run QTLD (DK, AZ, OK, All)

7. MAPP data

• Run polygenic screen on remaining sixteen variables
• Run bivariate on remaining sixteen variables

8. Genetics Staff meeting
9. Milk and apple

Spend the morning getting the first two parts of number six done. I moved them over on to a bigger machine and got them to run. Also, worked on getting the HVS-I section done on the results section. OK everything is running and I head over to check out the proof for the poster next week and to go to the staff meeting. The proof looks good and I head to the staff meeting. First up reprint exchange, then business, then something about maintenance contracts - doesn't impact me, so I tune out. They talk a little about stimulus grants and possible expanding the GCC (Genomics Computing Center) wait that is the building I'm in. Then non factulty staff is excused and we head out. I walk back to the office, discuss a paper idea on the fraility index then get in the office.

It's lunch time so I eat the delicious meal prepared for by wife (she reads the blog). I chat with officemate for a bit about various things including KU Basketball, eumemetcs, statistical tests, association studies, anthropology, no-drama Obama, etc. Then I get back to work. I start finishing off the HVS-I seqeuncing part but I don't like so I do a little background research on mtDNA haplogroup H in European populations for this paper. This leads me down a slippery slope of WTF - this doesn't make any sense but it is the accepted terminology. I tone down a little of what I'm writing and think perhaps I should do this a little differently, we'll see how I feel tomorrow about it. I remember that there is a genetic talks on aging so I go check that out. It's on beta-adrenergic receptors and aging. Interesting plus there is wine and cheese afterwards. This time is five so I head back to get ready to head home. I need to do my mid-week milk run and based on the e-mail J it is not pretty at home. OK prepare myself for complete chaos. Off I go.

Take off and head to the grocery store. Get milk and an apple. Head home, getting out of the grocery store parking lot is a pain and requires some creative Texas driving - this usually involves u-turns. Get out and head home where I'm greeted by the frothing horde. Sit down for dinner, split pea curry soup with apples and crackers - yumm. Anyway, C is tired and on her nightly rampage and J is exhausted. J decided she needs a break and heads out for a while to some shopping while I get the girls to sleep. Ah, the sweet sixteen, Xavier loses in the last minute to Pitt, bummer, UConn rolls over Purdue - corrupt bastards, Missouri beats Memphis, there goes the bracker, well at least Villanova won. The real game comes tonigh when KU plays Michigan State, also UNC vs Gonzaga, Arizona vs. Louiville, and Syracuse vs. Oklahoma. Can the Big 12 get three teams into the elite 8. We'll see. I fall asleep with L on my chest watching the Phoenix game (they lost).