im having more and more troubles of basic movements. getting out of bed, holding a metal fork in val, etc etc.
per dan's suggestions i will order some supplements, and start fixing my sleep schedule. it is now very sure that the LOA is inevitable since my situation hasn't improved, only worsened or maintained at this state. this is concerning on a health level.
project wise, im putting aside manual sectioning even amy and beatriz said i have "mastered" sectioning. skill level doesn't mean consistency. i need both. and the second one will be hindered by stress and physical fatigue. im delegating this externally to HistoSpring and everything is moving according to plan.
to avoid lab political problems for sun, im running a trial run for block 21 (G2, G3, G4) independently/externally using my own money. when that one block is shipped back (not as a block but a superfrost slide box), and they are stained, we shall know if this batch is even viable. if so (and i believe so otherwise this project is shit), sun will cover the remaining 24 blocks.
25 blocks, 75 organoids (previously misremembered as 73), 3 blocks per organoid. i cover the trial run, if good sun covers the remaining run. 2 runs. 2 round trips.
- block 21 with 3 other blocks housed within a centrifuge tube and further stored in a dry ice box has been shipped by sallie and transferred into a freezer at -81C.
- a call with Jen (lead technician at histospring) about which blocks contains what organoids (list sent by beatriz) and the general workflow (12 µm per section, 2 sections per slide from left to right assuming right is the matt handler for labeling, rough side away from chuck - flat side toward chuck, the labling [block number, slide number for that block, from left to right order of organoid ID, cell line being H1, day of freezing being D49], using superfrost pluys white tab, OCT block frozen for 10 min after glueing more OCT between it and chuck, block needs to be colder than -18C, orientation matters [must be landscape, and the left side should be marked by a sharpie to indicate location], being handled in a warmer, shipped back and stored w/ -20C, and before sectioning have a blade separate the four smaller area sides of the block to slightly disconnect it from the cryomold before pushing/squeezing it out in a gentle fasion, collect every relevant section through the productive zone, blah blah blah). you see why i cannot do this at my current state, with a cruder machine in LSL vs. HistoSpring with a more experienced, and less spiraling technician.
- i will pay them thru Becky (not the becky hartman in sun lab, Becky greene).
- sosv app submitted (what a surprise) because this is becoming a secondary channel of comms since reaching out to ned desmond (ex-COO of techcrunch, now marketing advisor to SOSV, amherst alum... see where ts is going?) and soon Mohan (a GP). the application is no longer the official, big ass gate but a logistical gate for an informal amount of formality. ned told me to chill when i called him today for roughly 30 min. said that college apps are too formal compared to this. and i have advantage over all the other applications because of him, ned. if i get in sometime ts year or soon, thank him so much. and... amherst? he did say im unusual as a college freshman at amherst doing this with so much focus, and said that perhaps two or four years from now im in sosv... but im assuming he doesnt know what timeline i ideally want to operate on, but that is highlighted in the app and will be seen by mohan, who ned is bridging me to.
- the LOA is still in progress and might take another week. im fine by that. one meeting happening tmr about that, and more follow ups with nicole, or someone in student care.
- sent baylor adams from z a mid-april update. no response yet.
from a few days ago, a msg sent to claude:
i genuinly feel so directionless right now. like i genuinly dont know what direction im in right now. where is the destination? what is going on with all of this fucking fog? how thick is this fog?
i wrote ts when i was sitting near the first year quad, looking at the trees and mountains in this quiet, desolate place.