Finally, Science is working again

I had been complaining time and time again about how nothing I touched would work.

It appears that my luck has changed.

Nearly every experiment I performed last week worked miraculously.  My PI and I have decided to expand a manuscript that we recently submitted, and she is all for me cranking out the data.  Surprisingly, my cells and antibodies have decided to cooperate with the endeavor, and my numbers look fantastic.

Just yesterday, however, I realized how crazy busy this week has been.  I've been trying to finish up the data for this paper (which is going to take a couple more weeks...), continue working on my core thesis proposal data, figure out what the heck is going on with the mice we just received from another lab, optimize some new reagents, and help and out the new graduate student.  And then my PI suggests I start another project with the new student.  Another project.  On a topic that I have never even thought about.

I've got my core thesis project, which is rolling along nicely.  In the last week, I've finally started working on all three aims in tandem, meaning that things are starting to come together at least a little bit, but it's overwhelming sometimes.  Additionally, I've got another project that involves figuring out what this unknown protein does (fun but overwhelming sometimes).  Add that on top of the collaboration we have with another lab, the data for which I am solely responsible.

And now another project.

I am starting to realize that I'm only one person and that there simply are not enough hours in the day and there is not enough caffeine in the coffee for me to accomplish all of this.  I simply don't have the hands to perform seven different experiments at once.  Over the last year, I have mastered the art of multitasking in the lab.  On any given day, I will, without a doubt, be performing at least five different experiments with five different sets of equipment.  But at the same time, it's hard to just throw some more projects on top of the pile.

Ugh.  I talked to the new student about it, and she said that my PI wouldn't have given me all of this to do if she didn't think I could do it.  A little part of me wants to believe that...

Or maybe I should just stop complaining (and typing this blog post) and get my butt back to work... :)