rats and neuroscience

i had a dream that mac was a rat-sized rat. i was on a bicycle and he was on leash. he was running along with me, keeping up effortlessly. i could hear the clack of his toenails on the ground. i reached down and held him up by the back to see if he would stop running, but he still reached down to the ground and kept running along. i think this dream is stimulated by the conversations i’ve had with people about using rats in experiments. i have a picture of one of kj’s rats on my wall. i don’t think i’d get a rat for myself, but i am fond of them. there’s something i need to do in the near future that would probably make more sense to do with a rat, but i might use multiple mice instead.

i’m at the last day of the society for neuroscience conference. it’s been a great conference, as was the one i attended immediately before it. both were in san diego. i can’t wait to get home and be alone with my dog. so much time with other people profoundly wears me out.

i’m about to transcribe my notes into the computer in an effort to consolidate my memories of the talks. no, of course this isn’t procrastination. i don’t know why you’d say that.

i'm so irritable that i am feeling murderous toward the guy sharing the table with me who bounces the table as he types. i took my laptop off the table and left my notebook that i'm transcribing from on it. now my paper notebook is bouncing around as he types. wow, i really need to spend time alone.

roberta got me the most fantastic birthday present: tickets to see dolly parton. now, no one i know (besides roberta) is a dolly fan, so i'll have to take someone basically against their will. but i love dolly parton! it's a brilliant present, because i would be unlikely to buy tickets for myself. thank you roberta!