Today at work, someone's water broke. So crazy.
I took a break from playing with my cubicle phone, scuttling over to find a crowd of labcoats ringing around what could only be a calamity. Peering through the legs, I could only get glimpses, but stuff was visibly gushing. Again, nuts.
They took her to the hospital -- though the labs are quite sterile, would've been alright to deliver here -- leaving us with quite a vibrant lunchtime conversation. The women employees were the most vocal: "Sometimes it pours, sometimes it doesn't." "Willis, you know the turbid solution you tried getting from the vial? Mine trickled just like that." We guys just gave hesitant looks to each other and nervously laughed at what we thought was a more sensitive topic. "I'm double-layering my gloves next time I work with a vial."
Life is a different game when you're older. Breakups and new relationships are as easy as dropping a Dunkin Donut and getting complimentary compensation coffee. Bachelor party locations swing between New Orleans and Las Vegas, whichever has more lax open-container laws for that season.
How crazy is this adulthood. Verily, I say! When I was younger, I thought adults spoke quite formally amongst themselves, conversations akin to, "Lordship, surely thine syringe speaks naught of long-term protein solubility." "Speaketh in weak hams, thou shalt be eviscerated, stern o'er to chops!" OK, maybe not. But I'm always uneasy when I address "Dr. Mercaldi" as simply "Tim." However, conversation itself is a lot less awkward than I imagined, insofar as flowing naturally versus the dialogue I have with many of my same-aged peers. Unlike the fashion of high school borne discussion, my corny humor and Standard English work here. The off-color remarks of my peers won't get them far, so I wish them all the best.
Think about it! Soon enough, the very nature of our conversations will change. "Hi, I would like you to meet my friend Albert and his... ... wife, Alina." Introducing our friends' spouses, chaperoning my kids' fieldtrips (only to be helplessly ignored by mere embarassment-potential), the list of evolving propriety perpetually grows.
As an acute observer, the real world is pretty exciting right now. And, in more ways than one, a little overwhelming. I can definitely wait a few more years!
mardi 9 juin 2009
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lab conversations remind me that people still appreciate corny jokes. and simple english is best, especially if you're communicating with non-native speakers in the scientific world!
RépondreSupprimerthe real world will only be more and more interesting. hopefully we never tire of its novelties.
LOLOL@ beginning of 4th paragraph. indeed. :]]
dear willis,
RépondreSupprimeri like the way you write. it is quite humorous.
that is all. :)
I agree with Sarah R.
RépondreSupprimerI'm so glad you keep a blog. =)
Great post. Some interesting topics you bring up there.
RépondreSupprimerThe first I'd like to disagree with. That being that relationships and breakups get easier as you get older. I think that it's the opposite. Most of the people in your lab are probably out of school by now and when that happens, many things change, namely the amount of people you are exposed to on a daily basis. This drops significantly and I heard the effects firsthand all year long as the female lab techs in my lab had their girltalk in the mornings.
I agree with the welcoming of adults though. I thought they were quite honorary beings (and still do) and sometimes I find it hard to come to grips with the fact that they are real people too. (You mean our elementary school teachers DON'T live at school?!)
I look forward to those days of dual introductions as well. It's a bit scary to think how we're going to get there and how it could be so soon, but in the end, hopefully everything works out :)
haha yeah i always find it weird to call "adults" by their first names and to think about taking my future kids to their various extraneous activities & introducing people to my family. heck, i even find it strange to introduce people to my boyfriend haha.
RépondreSupprimeroh yeah, do u work at j craig venter?
RépondreSupprimerAhh! People talk about that stuff over lunch? o.O
RépondreSupprimerGuess the world is really only so big. :)