A last day of a life

One lived in pursuit of the secrets of life, the truth and to know ourselves. One lived in microlitres, at the mercy of mice, and with 95% certainty.

And it's one that'll be difficult to leave behind. And it's been a very depressing few days.

One last experiment to finish off. A million goodbyes to deliver. I have all the standard responses down. "I'm not sure where I'm going yet". "I'm gonna be a bum for a while". "I'm not doing a post-doc, so I'm looking for a job". I want to stay in science, but just off the bench". "I'll be back lots to visit". It's amazing how much stuff is accumulated over six years. And it's equally amazing how much of it can be simply discarded. The hardest part was emptying the cart full of various solutions. With each, I relive the experiments of days gone by. Round and round, down the drain.

And how things change. New faces and new names on the doors. Rocky road ice cream of yesteryear is no longer available in the cafeteria. The new building sprouting out at our feet has now obstructed the public's view of my "J" from the street. How will it look the next time I look out these windows?

I will miss everyone. I will miss the life.