I've neglected my blog this week and I feel awful about it.  I really didn't mean to!  But before I start on any make up talk, I must rant and rave a bit about work.

My work situation is a bit funny now.  I think some of my (new) coworker's think I'm getting some sort of special treatment, but those in the know understand.  Basically since last October, I've been complaining about my back hurting, largely from the poor posture we're all in while we load our agarose gels, as well as a big problem with my grip.  We're lab monkeys, so gripping a pipette is really important.  Unfortunately, I can't load gels anymore.  I try to once in a while, but the last time I did, my injuries completely flared up.  A lot of things we do, non-pipetting wise, still involves us gripping something.

Anyhow, the supervisors decided that I will start working on various projects that's just been sitting there.  It's mostly paper/computer work, just a different type of work than what others do.  For one department, validations are dispersed amongst different people, but in another, it's basically not getting done at all.  Part of it is due to that department being filled with mostly new techs who are still training.  Half of the time, trainees (like myself when I started) get shipped off to other shifts.  So there's a lack of senior senior techs in that department to fill the void.

So I'm shipped back to day shift (with a 15% pay decrease since night shifts get paid more) to work on those various projects.  In the mean time, I'm still an operations tech!  I'm training in a new department, so I'm pretty much acting as a floater.  So I work on my reports in the down times I have, or when my direct supervisor tells the department supervisor that she needs the report finished.

Here's rant #1.  The new coworkers think I have it "easy."  Oh I get to be trained in hyb and other times I'm just sitting in front of a computer.  Ohh I don't have to load gels.  I've already told them that I got injured from loading, and besides, they'll never reach the stats I've reached in my days!  Besides, I still do work in all 3 departments every single day.

Now this next thing isn't really a rant, but just a whine.  Part of my report involves tons of screen captures.  I basically make sure the new form works fine, test it out, tests the warnings, and take screen captures of all of that.  At the end it's something around 50 screen captures.  I had pasted all the screen captures in one Word document, did the cropping and whatever else directly on that Word document.  It worked great, or so I thought, until I opened the file, and all except maybe 5 screen capture images had been corrupted.  In their places were giant big red Xs.  One guy who was consulted about ever encountering this problem before actually started giggling!  It was a major headache, as not only would I have to practically redo the entire execution test for the report, there were some major documentation issue I would have to deal with.  Luckily, I had saved the document in the company's server, rather than on the local computer, and the IT guy was able to locate files from weeks ahead, and I was able to save most of my work.  He's now my hero!!  I would givce him a cookie, but I don't know if I'm allowed to.

Lastly, I applied and had my preliminary interview for a QA position at my work.  I know I'm the only person from my lab to apply, but from what the IT hero has told me, it seems like everyone from the other lab applied as well.  He knew of two people who had their interviews already.  So while I'm confident that the QA manager at my lab, as well as the QA associate who interviewed me would give a good reference, I really don't know what else will happen.  I have no idea how the competition looks like, aside from that they've worked at the same company as me, and most likely has a 4 year degree from a top school, just like me.  My work likes to hire/promote from within the company to fill their QA positions, since it guarantees that whoever they hire already understands, to a degree, how quality is structured.  Now I think there are two things that go against me.  The first is my age.  While I'm one of the senior techs in my lab, I'm certainly considered one of the youngest.  The next is my friendliness.  Will I be too friendly to be stern?  Will I be too scared of going head to head against a department manager?  Will both my age AND my personality derail me from doing that job?  I feel like that's something they are considering.

So that's what's been going on with me.  The QA position has been keeping me up at night.  I really want the position!  it's definitely more career defining than my current position.  It'll hopefully act as some sort of guiding light or doorway into my career!

This post has been so long already, so I'll skip the makeup talk for another day.  I'll redo what I did for my interview, and you guys tell me what you think.  Oh yea, back to the interview.  I definitely feel that my interviewers appreciated me having my resume ready, and also taking the time to change into a suit.  They see me day in and day out in t-shirts, jeans, scrubs; with crazy makeup and crazy hair to no makeup and a ponytail.  So gals, no matter how familiar you are with your interviewers, always take the time out to polish your looks.  Heck, i eat lunch with the QA associate that interviewed me almost everyday, so she's seen me with meat stuck in my teeth countless times!

Time for me to go get ready to watch Coraline in 3D!