yay for transformants!!

my gap repair transformation actually worked!! i'm soooooo very very happy. that means that some of the mutated gene insert may have been incorporated into my gapped dna plasmid, and then the plasmid was taken up by the cells. the plasmid has a gene for an amino acid that the cells can't live without unless that amino acid is in the media they are growing in. so i plate them on media without that amino acid and they die unless they pick up the plasmid. there were lots of colonies growing on my plates, so lots of possible mutants to sort through and test. i spent a good amount of time today streaking out 60 of the transformants. crazy!

tonight is a cake concert at point park, which is also very good and exciting. if i leave work early i will be able to make some good food like cookies or chocolate covered strawberries to bring with me. yum yum!

yesterday i went on a photographic expedition through schenley park. i took one roll of film and then dropped the second one into a stream and destroyed it. so sad. now i have to figure out if i can get access to a darkroom this summer so i can develop the pictures. if not i will just have to wait until the fall. and my collection of undeveloped film will grow larger and larger. hooray!!

i am rather excited about whirley ball and the fourth of july fireworks and party this weekend. next week is going to be the best week of work ever. i have monday off for the holiday and thursday is the surp trip to kennywood. hopefully i can get cheap tickets somewhere. any suggestions anyone??

i started reading mirror mirror by gregory maguire (author of wicked and confessions of an ugly stepsister) at the beginning of the week, and now i am more than halfway finished with the book. it's really good. i like fairy tale stories and fantasy. fun stuff.

i also like fluffies.

and chocolate things.

but chocolate fluffies would be weird so don't even go there.

i have to go pour plates soon. and check on my site directed mutagenesis transformants. if they grew then this will be the best day of work ever!!