Halloween Fairy

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

-L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

What a beautiful, polished sentence! Less eloquently, but just as fervently conveyed, whenever I think of October it is likely expressed as "I can't even." 

So why write a post today? Because October is the start of my new year. The weather becomes intoxicating. The colors and smells richly captivate the senses. Pumpkin cookies, cinnamon sticks, candy, Canadian Thanksgiving, Halloween...I CAN'T EVEN. There is too much to love. 

But why write today? Because the Halloween Fairy visited the Kong Lab in Duarte, CA. She spruced up the lab space with classic glitter pumpkins and a refilled pumpkin basket of candy. 

Keeping it classy.

She would have been stripped of her title if this was left empty. 

But of course she didn't stop there. This fairy obviously has a bias in favor of witches (probably influenced by her reading the Throne of Glass series...in particular with certain characters in books three and four- Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows).

I doubt I will ever meet a nicer witch than the person who sits at this desk. Her first name starts with an X! She's so cool. 

Perfection

Since I am well acquainted with the Halloween Fairy (we share the same birthday). I can reveal that she struggled with how to bestow her charms on the Kong lab. Should the decor be scary with cobwebs, spiders, black rats, and hanging bats? Or should she be sensible and go with tacky (i.e. cheap)? The answer is evident from the pictures below. 

Ever practical, the Halloween Fairy knew the Kong lab members are not scary, but rather quite inviting individuals. 

I take it back. This is perfection. 

Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

We really need to get the windows cleaned. 

So why I am writing this post? Because I made the goal to write more entries than last year. Today marks the change to honor my goals and begin writing. 

And finally, today was too beautiful of a day to remain silent.

:)

#distractinglysexy

“Let me tell you about my trouble with girls…Three things happen when they are in the lab: You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticize them they cry.” –Tim Hunt (2001 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine) , June 2015

What an idiot. 

 

The best part of this story does not come from him. Rather, they come from the voices of dissent-- the #distractinglysexy women of science. The fury, the wit, the sarcasm-- all perfect reactions to his arcane sentiment. Joined by two of my colleagues in the mouse room, we added strength to the Twitter storm with our own pictures. 

Very much like the dress codes of a trendy New York club, we COH scientists have to adhere to the "distractingly sexy" attire requirements of the animal facility... or else... we get bounced.

 

Keep in mind this is only to enter the building. In order to visit the animals, we have to step it up a notch five freakier notches by donning classy booties, a see-through baby blue gown, a hair cover, face mask, and gloves.  

An ideal level of perfection

So far you probably want me to tone down the sexiness. I cannot. It's the reality of our job as cancer researchers. So without further ado, I present the #distractinglysexy images of Dr.'s Hernandez-Davies, Min Pan, and Lowman.  

Dr. Hernandez-Davies and Dr. Min Pan dressed to the nines to check on the mice. 

Unknowingly channeling the distractingly good-looking Jude Law and Jason Statham in Spy. However, these doctors "guns" are hidden beneath layers of sophistication.

"Pose sexy" was the directive from Dr. Hernandez-Davies. A bemused Dr. Lowman asked, "How do I do that?" This led to Dr. H-D suggesting a variety of poses that ranged from kicking one foot back (see next image), bending one knee (above), and doing something with one arm that was suspiciously reminiscent of a fishy dance move of the eighties.

Obviously, a swooning Dr. Hernandez-Davies, returning a cage.

  
And for the astute readers who may point out that the location (mouse room) is the cause of the distractingly sexy pictures, allow me the pleasure to point out that the appeal cannot be turned off. In early 2014, a forest fire near campus caused the scientists in the building to choose an earlier expiration date on life by NOT wearing a mask or choose the #distractinglysexy option that supposedly would prevent an uptake of pollutants in the air. 

Dr. Hernandez-Davies was appropriately referred to as Bane and Dr. Lowman inappropriately called a ninja turtle.

I want to end this post on a serious note. The sentiment expressed by Hunt is frustrating, his logic ridiculous, and his words infuriating. While working in the tissue culture room, Dr. Min Pan brought up the glaring point, "I don't understand why he [Hunt] is blaming women for being too distracting. Why can't men just control themselves?"
 

To which the token male of the lab quipped (and I give my assent), "Men are dogs."