The day I was grateful for my brother's forehead grease

Tonight I ran an assay with some umbilical blood vessel cells to see if the treatment I want to eventually use would kill the cells (not my intention). Basically you feed the cells a molecule, and if they are alive, they convert said molecule from colorless to brown. Then you use a machine to shine a light through the dish, and its level of darkness corresponds to how viable the cells are.

Well I finished the incubation time and ran the plate of cells through the reader, but my data was all wonky. I examined the plate (think 4x5 inches with 96 little wells in which the cells live) and saw that there were several bubbles in many of the wells. This wouldn't affect how alive the cells are, but when the light shines through the well, the bubbles could refract the light and lead to an incorrect reading.

So I took a pipet tip to the tiny lil bubbles, and had very little success popping them. Then I tried sharpening the plastic tip, and finally I poked with a needle, all to no avail. Whatever was in the juice that the cells feed on made for some sturdy bubbles. I had about as much success as if I were trying to pop a balloon with an wet noodle.

Then I remembered a trick that my older brother Travis showed me once upon a time: he poured a glass of soda pop and pointed to the persistant foam on the surface. He then wiped his forehead with his finger and swirled it on the foam surface. Like thermodynamic magic, the foam quickly dissipated and he was left with bubbling liquid. Though it was somewhat astonishing, once I realized that it was the grease on his forehead that was clearing the foam (the oils reduce the surface tension of the bubbles, causing them to collapse), I was disgusted. I mean, who wants forehead dirt and oil in their drink, let alone their teenage brother's?? (I won't admit that I've used this trick a few times in private.)

So I took the pipet tip, surreptitiously wiped my forehead, and then poked a bubble. Thermodynamics won again, and the bubbles were no more. Note: while this introduced all sorts of bacteria into the wells, I tested the cells right after the contamination and then threw them away, so there's no risk of detrimental effects to the cells (my forehead, on the other hand...).

My readings came back with much less variation and looked like what I'd expected, and for once I was glad for Travis' antics.



But just once.

A Hong Kong Holiday: Part 3; An Especial Temple

Temples are not a rarity in China. In fact, there are over 70 temples in Hong Kong alone dedicated to a local deity. That's not to say that the commonness of Buddhist Temples makes visiting them underwhelming; absorbing the culture while observing worshippers and admiring the architecture can be enlightening.

But in Hong Kong I had the opportunity to visit one of my Church's temples, which is a rarity in China. Although the government allows freedom of religious belief, it does not guarantee freedom of religious activity. Don't get me wrong- we don't have to conduct Sunday activities in secret, but certain limitations are imposed. However, as a Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong is exempt from these rules (as far as I know) and is home to an LDS Temple!

Visiting this was pretty high on my to-do list, and Tanu gracefully accompanied me while we traipsed across Hong Kong in search for the edifice. Finding it was actually somewhat difficult, as I couldn't get service from my cell phone provider and had to rely on hard copy maps instead of GPS (*gasp). But the sun was setting as we finally reached the temple, which allowed for some great outdoor shots.

It was Christmas Eve when these photos were taken, and even though I'd tried to convince myself that I wouldn't sulk too much because I wasn't spending the holidays with family, I have to admit that I did feel some lil lumps in my throat throughout the day.

However, of all the places to be on Christmas Eve without family, I suppose the temple ranks among the best. Of course, the buildings themselves are aesthetically pleasing and everyone can appreciate their beauty (much like, as an outsider, I enjoy some aspects of the Buddhist Temples). But for me, LDS Temples are especial buildings.

In addition to temples being places of worship where we learn more about God and ourselves, we believe that marriage ceremonies that take place there are eternally binding; that is, family relationships solemnized here can exist after this life, forever.

So on this penultimate day of Christmas festivities--a day when family togetherness is the root of so much holiday happiness--being at the temple allowed me to reflect on how much my family means to me. We are not perfect, but I am so grateful for the close relationships that I have with my parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews. If I am to spend eternity with anyone, I'm glad that it'll be with this bunch.