The bridge between pathology and technology

People that know me, know me to be a little on the stingy side and I've realized that occasionally, I pay the price literally for being that way, ie Sony Viao versus the MacBook (yes, I'm STILL trying to get over it).

So I was pretty excited to realize 2 minutes after taking it out of the box, that this would NOT be the case with my new iPad, or should I say "our" iPad since I have as many images of the group Mindless Behavior on it as path images, thanks to my teenaged daughter. And while it won't replace my love for my Laptop (even though it IS a Viao), I really do LOVE it too and find the images to be VERY high quality (the image above is taken from my iPad). That's kinda cool, right? And the images are as sharp as those I'd see looking under a microscope, so my "dream" of reading slides from the beaches of South Beach Florida could one day come true, LOL!!!

Otherwise, I don't have anything new in my life to talk about as it relates to me, but I'm pretty happy that my 10th daughter is starting to get letters of interest from Universities across the US, I'm assuming based on her PSAT scores/high school grades. And while I think there's room from improvement and obvious remnant from having finally beat the MCAT down, it's a blessing to realize that if she keeps up the good work, student loans won't need to be a part of her financial aid package.

Speaking of that, I’ve pretty much decided to apply to med school in the summer of 2013 or next summer since that will mean I’d start AFTER my kid finishes high school. Sure I know there are mothers that manage to balance the two, but I’ve made the very conscious decision NOT to for HER. IMHO, when you’re in med school you simply can NOT be there for your kid the way you could if you weren’t, and I’m choosing to be there, 100%, for my kid. Plus when you’re 45, one year just doesn’t make that much difference but for a kid in high school, it could make all the difference in the world!

So what will I do in the meantime? Ideally, I’d like to make some progress toward my PhD and what would really be cool is if I could start med school needing only to finish a dissertation project (or be a MD1/PhD3 student). That’s means that my coursework and cumulative exams would ALL be completed AND passed, leaving me to research, write, and defend my dissertation. That of course, is going to take some special finesse because that’s not traditionally how it’s done to which I respond that not much in my academic life has followed a “traditional” path anyway. So it’s just a matter of me lining up support for something like this, beyond my old advisor for my MS Pharmacology program.

And that’s what I’ll focus on over the next 3-4 months, lining up that support!!

Path's top 5 What da' ????? moments of late, Spring 2012 edition

There's a LOT going on these days that has me going "what da' ??????

1) Newt G won the South Carolina primary and managed to successfully deflect questions about his marital infidelity by placing blame on the main stream media for the discourse in American politics during a CNN debate last week. What da' ???, I like Romney!

2) A Republican member of congress had to apologize for publicly criticizing the size of the first ladies butt. What da ???? First off, black men like her HUSBAND, LOVE women with big butts, second WTH is he doing LOOKING at her butt in the first place and third, HIS butt is FAR larger than hers!!!! No wonder congress can't get anything done!

3) Gas is almost 4$ a gallon, what da' ????? We MUST find US created means of energy ASAP!!!!

4) Word is that while the number of residency slots remains the same, the number of applicants for those slots is going to exceed the number of slots available by 2015. What da' ?????? I guess I'm lucky I'm targeting residecy with the federal gov't and a career in clinical/academic research. Or am I????

5) I've got a full-time, reasonably stressful gig, 2 computer based classes, 1 kid, and a personal statement for both med school AND grad school to complete by May 2012. What da' ?????, ain't life grand, LOL?????

A VERY looooooonnnnnggggg week!

Despite this being a "short" work week, it felt VERY long! I managed to get "thrown under the bus" 3 times by the cow I work with which was a record! Everything from not being told about a meeting held by the insecure PhD that our group was supposed to attend (that she told me earlier I didn't need to attend), to her asking me in front of our boss a question she knew I didn't know the answer to. Even my Supv commented afterwards that he thought what she was doing was obvious to which I said to myself, if that's the case then why in the hell won't you do something about this 'ish?!?! Thankfully, my arse was saved at the meeting because one of the other Scientists I work with texted me that EVERYONE in my group was there BUT me (I was neck deep in 3 IHC experiments and barely paid attention to what was going on around me). And when I say I cursed that cow I work with all the way to the meeting under my breath please believe I did! Woooooooo-Saaaaaaaaaaa, just practice for Residency!

Moving on, my classes are going well and I've decided NOT to take on a second job which I think was the right thing to do. I've also been conditionally admitted to an MS program in Bioinformatics, the same one that admitted me last year, and I've opted for the part-time program in case I need to keep a regular 9-5 at the same time. Of course, that will mean leaving my current position because the hours are no longer flexible and given how "Bovine" my current gig is, that would be fine with me! I'm also still waiting to hear back about a formal NIH fellowship which would be ideal for too many reasons to name, not the least of which is tuition remission.

On a sadder note, I don't know how many of my readers are Jazz fans and/or have seen the movie Cadillac Records, but today a legend in music passed away from cancer, Ms. Etta James. People who've seen the movie may recall that Beyonce' played her in the movie and I think she did a pretty good job. What I was far less fond of was Beyonce' singing Etta James' signature song at President Obama's inauguration. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this tribute to Ms. James by Beyonce':

The shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line

Yeah, yeah, I KNOW that, but for some reason (me), it's never really worked out that way, LOL!!!

I was warned earlier today by a friend that I was in danger of having too much on my plate. Again, like I really need that in my life these days. But the fact is that the changes at the job I thought I would have until I was ready to start med school, have discombobulated (Ebonics word) my "plans". Starting with 2 of the 3 part-time gigs I was considering, one tutoring minority/disadvantaged kids after school and 2) teaching at a local CC, it's quite obvious NEITHER of those are going to work because I no longer have a flexible work schedule. Luckily for me I plan to the nth degree, so it looks like my plan #3 to work PRN in a hospital Path lab on weekends is the new plan "A" for a second gig.

But when put together with my plan to come out of the "research" lab I currently work in, which is now becoming more like mindless work on a factor floor assembly line (Dr. Insecure's idea unfortunately), it makes perfect sense.

Meanwhile, my Perl and R-stats classes are getting easier and more interesting and every day, I understand the articles published in my new favorite publication, the Journal of Cancer Informatics, better than I did the day before. The down side, my butt hurts from sitting so much so I'm thinking about investing in one of those standing desks. Interestingly but not ironically, the fact that I'm pretty tired when I get home, yet manage to get on my school work rather quickly and easily, working until 10 or 11 at night, means we're eating a LOT of leftovers these days! And that seeing other people get arbitrarily laid off, has lit a fire under my arse!

Pearls of wisdom

So earlier this week, I started a new programming course called Perl even though I haven't finished the Java programming course I started last summer. Why? Because I don't need no freakin' Java! Okay, so it's going to help a little that I'm "familiar" with Java but Bioinformaticians (which I'm not so sure I want to be), usually use Perl or Python to analyze data from databases like Entrez Gene or OMIM. Of course, the very first problem I realized is that Mac OS already comes with Perl, but because I was being CHEAP and got a Sony Viao instead, I had to "suffer" through figuring out how to get my PC to run the software (and yeah, I barely understand what I just said too, LOL!!). Luckily, it only took me 3 days to upload the right software and run my first script, "hello world".

I also feel like I've come to the permanent realization that I'd prefer to spend the time between now and medical school doing Bioinformatics and NOT in a lab. More than that, I realize that the reason is primarily because I'm sick and tired of the political BS games people, especially those in big pharma, like to play. But then anyone reading this probably isn't surprised to hear that since I've consistently complained about the "politics" of corporate employment for years! But it's not just politics, it seems many companies are taking advantage of their employees during these hard times because they know so many people need jobs! For example, the insecure Vice prez/PhD that accused me of being defensive when I defended my poster and who was responsible for my Supv's Supv getting laid off, has now implemented mandatory work hours for folks who largely do in vivo work. Now how STUPID is that? So if you have to dose an animal at 4 AM, you must STILL leave work no earlier than 4 PM, even if you're already on target to get your 40 hours in for the week. In other words, we want your a** to work for free!!! WTH, welcome to the world of working in a depression! So, I easily recognize that I may not survive the next round of layoffs which I heard are coming in March which is review time, so I've started preparing accordingly which included applying to a few positions last week.

And along those same lines, I'm specifically targeting a number of government sponsored fellowships in the hopes of finding one that will allow me to throw my deuces sign up by early summer and give me that hands on Bioinformatics experience I so desperately want. I'm also looking at internships with local companies that do bioinformatics, but those for whatever reason, are a little harder to come by. So I’ve decided that it's time for me to leverage being an Alumnus of numerous schools to see what I can find, since being a G'town alum in particular, seems to open a LOT of doors especially in Metro DC. Ultimately, I'd like to telecommute/work from home a few days per week just to get myself out of the "play politics" rule that seems to run local jobs. But if that doesn't happen, I'd be perfectly happy working around a lot of smart, educated, SECURE, individuals who's interest in their jobs go well beyond getting a paycheck every 2 weeks.

What goes up, must come down, and down, and down, and down

So yesterday was the "survivor's meeting" at my company where the CEO gave a speech intended to keep us all from immediately applying to other jobs, LOL!!! And I guess time will tell if it actually works or not.

But what I find increasingly interesting as I consider on a deeper level how drugs come to market, is how proper preparation on the front end of it could often prevent complicated and irrecoverable (is that a word?) problems in the future. All that said, at the end of my thought process, I realize that alturism is rarely a motive for bringing a new drug to market which may make a HUGE difference in the "Karma" that gets "created" when the process is started. And as much as I'd like to elaborate more, in the interest of keeping my job until I'm ready to leave and with the realization that the Internet ain't all that anonymous, that's all I'm going to say about it that at this point. What I will say is that I'm thrilled to be one of the few people in the world who is truly driven by altruism when it comes to my career (or I'd be using one or more of those degrees I have to make MUCH more money working somewhere else, LOL!).

This week was also a challenge from the "Mom" perspective which I suspect will be the case until my now 15 year old female kid becomes an adult (and perhpas beyond that). And like most of our "challenges", they pretty much amount to her either a) forgetting that I'm an adult (BAD idea!) or b) forgetting that all the excuses/tricks kids use to get out of doing their school work, I'm already quite familiar with!!! Needless to say, it couldn't have come at a worse time but as always, we made it through, though she's gonna be on punishment until the summer!!!

Winning!

Brief post, Path201X is STILL working in Pharma......................And STILL needs to work on her on line editing skills too, LOL!!!

Is my "slip" showing?

So according to rumors, the dreaded pink slips go out tomorrow ahead of the "survivors meeting" my company is holding on Friday. And if there were EVER a time I was longing to be in the "uncertain" world of grant applications and academia it's now because at least in academia, you often get a few months leeway before the financial bottom drops out. What I can say is that IF I survive this round of layoffs, I won't stick around to experience the next set which is supposed to happen in March, performance review time. Honestly, I don't see how ANYONE works like this but I guess millions of people like it and do it everyday! And the idea that all this is related to stock prices makes me want to throw up. Yeah, lets just throw a couple hundred peoples financial situation into a hell hole to keep our investors happy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it, the world is all about the bottom line/the almighty dollar these days!!! Still, it seems a rather callous process at the end of the day!

So at this point I think it's safe to say that I've learned all the professional lessons I feel I needed to learn at this company to the point where I just want to get the hell out ASAP, even if it does involve a drop in pay. Peace of mind will NEVER have a price and it's a sentiment I haven't experienced since I finished my Master's thesis 4 years ago. And 4 years is a hellva' long time to go without having professional peace of mind!

Happy New Year!!

Welcome to my 2012 blog!!! Yeah!

I spent New Year's Day at my new favorite hangout spot Wegman's, working on my Bioinformatics stuff. Yep, back on track with that again after getting word from a few Pathologists I know of in Pathology Informatics that having this training is going to put me way ahead of the curve in terms of where the field of Pathology is headed. That is unless Paths loose billing control of all the new laboratory methods evolving in the field (and the realization that money really is at the heart of damn near everything in the world is a little disconcerting). It's also going to open up new employment opportunities for me which I'd really like to add along side my work in histology/pathology. But finding a position like that may not be as easy as I'd like though I am aware of 1 opening at a local university which just so happens to also be recruiting me to apply their med school so yes, this is a no brainer, I plan to submit my app later today.

I've also started working on my list of schools to apply to and have some up with 5, with no DO schools on the list. Why you ask? Because having DO behind my name in Academia/Research is a disadvantage. Of course, having the letters "DO" is FAR better than NO doctoral level clinical training at all which is why if I'm not accepted the first year I apply, I'll include at least one DO school the following year. I'm also working on my personal statement which is a lot harder than I imagined it would be because I've got so much to say about how I came to be interested in a medical career.

In other more frivolous news, I'm going back and forth between purchasing another iTouch with more memory or getting an iPad. On the one hand, I wear bifocals (with OUT the lines thank you, LOL) so I can use a bigger screen to read from when I'm in the bed surfing the net. But the iPAd I want is $600 bucks and given all the other things I'm going to be investing in this year ( hellooooo med school apps, ordering 100 transcripts, ect), that I should probably go with the cheaper iTouch and call it a day. Plus I just spent almost a grand last summer on a laptop for my bioinformatics program (And yeah, I should have paid the additional $200 and gotten the Mac book, and no I don't think I'm going to EVER get over it!). So we'll see!

Let's see what else, Christmas vacation was pretty much a disaster as my Mother couldn't resist the temptation to make me feel like an idiot in front of family like she always does. So to those of you with great, respectful, positive relationships with your Mom's, cherish that because not everyone has it. Needless to say, I cut my vacation in half and came home to Maryland. I am planning a more fun, stress free visit to my relatives in NC either this month or next when my Mother will NOT be there. Shame it's that way, but it is what it is. Times like these I just wish my Dad was around because he and I were thick as thieves!

And on that "Mommy dearest" note, I'll end this post! Have a great week! :)