Celebration!

Tonight I'm in such a good mood! For all intents and purposes I've finished my first project in my new lab as a post-doc. I've never actually had a project that was just finished. There was always something else that had to be done, a slew of experiments that could/should be done. None of that. A few minor holes to be plugged, and I've already done those experiments and sent them off, just waiting for results. There is nothing left to do but write the paper.

Did I mention how much I like my boss? He's *the* best. Really. He gave me an easy project and nothing but great feedback. He is always encouraging to everyone in the lab. He's wonderful!

I'm so happy and relaxed right now. A couple of glasses of red wine certainly didn't hurt, but I was already feeling like this on my way home from work. Did I mention that I absolutely loooove being a post-doc? If I had known how much fun it would be, I would have graduated ages ago.

I wish I had a babysitter, so I could grab P-1 and go have fun somewhere downtown. And get him drunk, take him home and ..... you don't want to know the rest. I haven't felt this good in a long time. Just wanted to share.

Science project

I only had a little input in F1-1's choice for a science project this year. He is going to do a project on photomorphogenesis. Because I have very little to do with the actual performing of the experiments, you probably shouldn't expect too much advanced biology here, but it's the principle of the matter that counts. He will take some boxes and grown plants with different colors of lights and assess their effect on plant development. It should at the very least result in some pretty cool pictures. Although I doubt he will end up in plant sciences, a solid founding in experimental design and the scientific approach will do him some good. As it would any other kid.

More talking

In an update on "talking", if we say to F1-3 "ma-ma-ma," which he is supposed to repeat back to us, he now consistently responds "eh-me-me." This is fantastic progress in two ways. He is actually trying to say "ma-ma," which is not trivial for him to do on command, but he the mimicry is something he has not been capable of before. We're so pleased. Just in time for his 7th birthday too! Woohoo!

Science Friday

Ok, I know I'm a week behind on this one. Nothing unusual, if you've read my posts from earlier today. Life is crazy. But apparently, science is crazier. From last week's ScienceFriday on NPR. How cool is this?

Planting Science

The first was sent to us by our lab manager. It's a video. The first part demonstrates how we do science in our lab. Not!

The second is called plantingscience.org, and it allows graduate students, post-doc, professor, and other plant scientists to help kids from Kindergarten to high school with science projects involving plants. If you are involved in plant science consider signing up as a mentor and/or joining the Master Plant Science Team. It is a great way to help kids get excited about science, and improve science education in general.

Update

In the good news department, I'm love being a post-doc. It's really nice to do research and not have to worry about classes and such. More good news: A paper I submitted in December was accepted with some minor modifications. Not half bad. But wait! There's more! I'm submitting another paper today, and hopefully wrapping up the modifications to the first this weekend. And it doesn't stop there either. I'm also finishing up my first post-doc project and I'll be writing that paper in the next little while. I simply cannot be stopped.

On the not so good news department, The dementor (father of F1-1) served me with legal documents, asserting that whatever problems F1-1 is facing are entirely my fault, and therefore it would be in F1-1's best interest to go live with his father. In addition, his father ought to be the only person to make decisions about F1-1's medical care, education, and religion.

Yep, you read that right, he should decide the kid's religion. It's pretty clear he does not think F1-1 (who is 13 by the way), ought to have any say in the matter. It's not going to be pretty, and it will drag out for many moons. But such is life. I refuse to have my life turned upside down by the dementor. He can't possibly have any evidence to substantiate his allegations, because they're simply not true, but that does not make it a happy situation.

However, knowing me, I'll focus on the good stuff. Remember all those publications? And that I like my job.. a lot? That is determining my current state of mind, and I am positively jubilant!

Talking

Question: Ah-ah-ah?
Answer: Oh

It may seem silly to most people. Even parents. For the past few weeks, if I say to my 6-year old "ah-ah-ah" he consistently looks me in the eye and responds with "oh." That may not seem like much, but for my baby who is a week and a half short of 7 years old, it's huge. It's humongous. It's the closest thing to a miracle I've ever seen.

So when his speech therapist told me to switch to "ooh-ooh-ooh" and wait for a response of "eeee" (of course, after demonstrating this to him), I was sceptical but hopeful, considering that after months of practice he did latch on to the ah-ah-ah and oh sequence. But lo and behold, 2 days later, and every day since, he is consistently responding with "eeeee" if I "ask" him "oh-oh-oh." I'm left speechless. And I can assure you this doesn't happen very often. Being speechless that is. Not one of my problems.

A week after we started that sequence, the therapist is so pleased with his progress, that we're going for big now. I will say "ma-ma-ma" and I should teach him to say "da-da-da." The reverse will also be acceptable, which I prefer. We can't have F1-2 say "da-da" before he learns to say "ma-ma," right? He's got to be kidding me.

Think of the possibilities. If he can learn to say mama or dada, there are not enough words to describe how I would feel about that. I'm trying really, really hard not to get my hopes up too high, but I can hardly imagine a world in which F1-2 could really talk.

Ok, I've got to stop writing now. I'm at work, and it would be unacceptable for me to start bawling in the lab, and I feel the burning of tears behind my eyelids. There is real hope.