Another Day in the Roach Lab

Well...the respirometer still doesn't work. We've been trying for a couple of weeks now and the RQ is still over 1. We've tried calibrating the CO2, the O2, running roaches, running flies, new plumbing....nothing. I have two weeks before I have to present some sort of results and I think I'm not going to make it. Hopefully they will be satisfied with: "umm.....well.....I learned how to turn on the respirometer (point at picture) and how to get into the acquisition/analyzing programs (point at picture).....and I got some...umm.....readings for...umm....flies (point at picture) and hissing roaches (point at picture).... insert joke....smile."

He had suggested on writing an abstract so I could present at SICB this year.....but the deadline is Sept 5. Damn! Sept. 5th! I was planning on presenting the rest of my thesis results. That gives me less than two weeks to write an abstract, have it corrected, and sending it in. Why do I always procrastinate? Last year we were up to 2 a.m. putting my poster together the night before we were leaving for the meeting. Is this the way its supposed to work? Everyone I talk to is always working at the very last minute. Well....it seems like I am going to pull all nighters once again.