Back to the lab

I finally went to back to some labwork today. Although I much prefer labwork to computer work it's always a moment of dread to me to go back to the bench after a prolonged absence. What if I have forgotten how to use a pipette? Or how to do simple concentration calculations in my head? And what if I've forgotten how to do experiments properly and my next one goes wrong through a stupid mistake of mine, sending a few hundred pounds (and lots of plasticware and chemicals) down the drain? But helped by Chrissie Hynde singing " I'll stand by you" on the radio, I managed to get through my first hour. And remembered another possible problem about labwork - it can get mind-numbingly boring with certain tasks, like labelling and diluting primers. Which was what I was doing today. As we're on a scientific note, I've written a text for a website on Portuguese science. In portuguese, as requested, I'm afraid, so only some of you can read it. In: www.contanatura.weblog.com.pt/