My minion days are over

It's not that I don't like my job, because I do. There is lots to like about deadly, icky, weirdly strange microbes but there is NOT lots to love about doing malaria smears at 2 am on Monday morning. I have been told that there are at least 5 more years of working like a donkey in my future, but hey, at least I can dump some things on the next generation of minions!

Picture of the bacteriology lab staff at Mayo Clinic

This is a picture of one of my favorite bugs.  It is a species of Chaetomium, a fungus that looks remarkably like a pineapple. Judging by its spiky appearance you might think that it's a dangerous organism, but it's actually harmless. 

This bacterium is Pseudomonas aeruginosa.  It smells like grapes (or Fritos, depending on the person),  looks like pure silver when grown on blood agar and is super deadly. 

This is a special kind of media that helps differentiate bacteria.  It turns bugs different colors depending on the nutrients they can metabolize. Here the bright yellow colonies are normal enteric bugs, or coliforms.  The black ones are the problem - if these show up in your culture, you likely have Salmonella, a bug that can cause anything from a mild tummy upset to raging fevers. 

A brochure to convince more people to go into microbiology!

The Belly Laugh

Fact Finding Trip to NY

After taking a half day off work to get there in time, our flight got canceled from RST at the last minute.  That meant that our best laid plans for day care tours, apartment visits, meeting the new boss, lounging at our beautiful hotel, and roaming around in our pre-paid car were completely off-kilter.  After scrambling a little we did manage to get going at 2 am the next morning for a flight out of MSP.  Mina was an absolute gem and handled the whole thing with extraordinary patience. 

Unfortunately there were no major catastrophes on the way back home to keep Mina occupied so she screamed for a good part of it.  She did appear to enjoy the brief period of panic when we almost missed our connecting flight, and cooed contentedly while we ran through the airport.  Made it safely home though, so all's well that ends well.

Keeping Mina entertained at the Rochester airport before learning that the flight was canceled. 

Round two.  Going up to MSP by shuttle because our car starting wobbling in a very strange way. 

Absolutely no issues with ear popping on the way there. 

Hanging with Masi and Mausa

Making an obligatory trip to Blue Bottle Cafe for the perfect cup of coffee

No Saturday is complete without brunch, whether it is in Rochester or in Manhattan. Mina meeting Whitney, Jan and baby Willem

A Willem photo bomb