7:00am: Wake up. Wear clothes that can be layered (in case of thunderstorms), not too warm or constrictive (95% humidity here), not too short (animal handling safety practices), not too casual (in case of clinic call). So...basically a blouse and leggings.
8:00am: Bus to school.
8:20am: Arrive at school, inhale the smell of the new animal facility they just put on the ground floor. The smell reminds me of a super yeasty and spoiled loaf of bread.
8:25am: Put on my lab coat, clip on my ID badge, and grab my cell phone. We're headed to the tunnel dungeon.
8:30am: Scan my hand to go to the animal facility. The biggest stressor of my first few weeks was not getting the hand scan to work properly. I had to scan my hand over a dozen times before the access would unlock.
8:35am: Say hello to my mice in the red room. They are the cutest little things. My undergrad nicknamed me the mouse whisperer because I speak soothingly and the mice never bite or jump when I handle them. Oh yeah, the red room is what I call it, since the lights emit red light that mice can't detect. Thus to them, it's completely dark. To me, it's a Stephen King horror film waiting to happen.
8:40am: Treat my mice. Drugs, yo. I speak in Chinese with my mice just for practice.
8:55am: Treat my other mice. These are very fat and I've nicknamed them Chubs 1-7.
9:30am: Return to the lab. Check my email. Attempt to write my paper. Drink coffee that I brought from home since I'm trying not to spend any more money on coffee this summer. I already purchase lunch from the cafeteria daily so...
11:30am: Think about lunch. Facebook. Snapchat my lab friends (I always said I was too old for this but yeah, that happened...I'm not proud to admit it). Snapchat my friends about lunch.
12:00pm: LUNCH! We rotate between the hospital cafeteria, school cafe, and the nice atrium dining room (if we're feeling fancy). Keeps the mundane (and overpriced) hospital food tolerable.
1:00pm: Scurry back to lab. By this time, the undergrads will have arrived, ready for their afternoon assignments. Sometimes I tag along and practice on their experiments. Sometimes I give them work to do. Sometimes they teach me stuff. Sometimes I just sit and analyze my own data.
3:00pm: Semi-doze off at my desk. Listen to people talk about the World Cup (well, I guess that's over now).
4:00pm: Back to the animal facility for my second round of treatments!
5:00pm: HOME. Kick off my shoes. Faceplant on the couch. Think about how many mouse allergens are stuck to my skin and clothing. Eat a snack. Cucumbers have been my staple lately. Go figure.
5:30pm: Haul my unwilling body to the gym for High Intensity Training (HIT). Find street parking at the gym, which is easy because people don't know how to parallel park here. Spots galore.
6:00pm: Sweat. Sweat. Sweat.
7:00pm: DINNER! My second favorite time of the day. The first is right after HIT ends. It is one of the best feelings to be able to chat with friends and eat regular meals. I don't get to do that ever during the school year. It feels like learning how to be normal all over again.
8:30pm: Shower and sit down to do some work. Analyze data. Write stuff. Plan my next experiment. Read Journals. On Wednesdays I go to a prayer meeting or lead it. Sometimes I bake things.
11:00pm: Go to bed. Read a book. I have several I'm currently reading. I'll tell you about them sometime soon.
7:00am: Repeat gladly.
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