I didn't burn down the lab!

This calls for cake!

I did a new protocol, starting on Sunday, a Kluver-Barrera stain in postmortem human striatum sections.  This involved placing tissue sections on slides and incubating them at 56 C overnight in Luxol Fast Blue (not important).  Then a bunch of other stuff (differentiation, counterstain, etc) the next day. We have an oven in our lab, but since LFB is like almost 100% alcohol, I was seized by a paralyzing fear that there would be a spark in the dry oven and the entire building would burn down.  Yes, this is silly, because I know the ethanol would just evaporate and that would be it.  But, I was terrified.  No one wants to be "that person" that burns down a lab. Although, I did learn today that someone in our department (a grad student) deleted 4 years of data off the lab computers.  Was it backed up?  I don't know.  Seems like a multi-fail to me.

ANYWAY:  I found a 56 C water bath and incubated the slides in that overnight, thinking that if there was a fire, at least there was water nearby.  Success!

The Kluver Barrera stain turned out beautiful as well.  Just like the pictures on the internets:

And since today is Lesley's birthday (grad student), Joy made her a tiny cake.  And I got a tiny cake too!

Thanks Joy, and Happy 24th Birthday Lesley!!