Want

For this month's Scientiae carnival, Karina asks what sorts of supplies we crave for back to school.  I'm not much of a school supplies kind of person.  I don't need highlighters and special pens and fancy scissors and tape dispensers.  I have some of those things on my desk as I need them, but when I think of back to school shopping I think of clothes.

When I was a kid, I always got new clothes at the start of the new school year.  My family never had much money, so new things mostly came at birthdays, Christmas, and back to school time.  My mom would take me out, sometimes via the city bus to the downtown shopping area (so exciting!), and I would always want to accumulate as many bags as possible (how un-eco!).  Even now when the weather cools, I fantasize about new jeans and sweaters.  I try to restrain myself these days, due both to my budget and my ideals, but I do indulge a little.

On another supplies-related note, I'm finding my new lab is missing so many basic things!  They aren't basic to my new PI, of course, as the lab is outfitted quite nicely for the kind of lab that it is as far as I can tell.  But I keep coming up empty handed when I open drawers looking for the things I expect to be in a lab.  Fortunately, a new PI just joined our department and will be pooling resources somewhat with our lab.  This new person might do some things in my old discipline, so I might get to recommend some items for the start up.  Methinks this is a good opportunity to get some of the things I need while forging collaboration with the new person.