Day: July 9, 2004

Ingredients:
– 3 ripe bananas
– 2 eggs
– 3/4 cup sugar
– 2 cups flour
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1 teaspoon baking soda

Prep:

– Mush up banananananas and add eggs. Mix well
– Add to dry ingredients with wooden spoon.
– Add to greased bread mould
– Bake 1h at 350F

You know the contract bid for the Canadian Space Agency I was talking about on monday? Our bid was summarily returned to us, unopened, because the FMBs got lost on the way to deliver it and handed it in late.

Sweet.

Got this by email from eniran

Wow, I really didn't expect that one :)

Gather round young'uns, I'm going to tell you a little story. It begins on a typical workday for yours truly. I went to McGill to do some work for a client, a really nice lady in the Breast Cancer Functional Genomics department. She was out first big client, and we've had a vere good relationship since (we sent flowers when she had her first baby). As I'm working, I inform her that I'm looking for a new job and that I'd like to use her as a reference. She says that's not a problem, she'd be happy to, and we start talking about opportunities at McGill. I talk about the one for Genome Quebec, and she mentions something I didn't know.

McGill is investing a few million bucks to build a new biochemistry/life sciences building and one of my old profs from undergrad – who I also worked for for one summer – is spearheading that. He's also negotiating a deal with IBM life sciences and they'll need people on the McGill side of the deal. My ears perk up.

I finish up the last of the work in her lab and head off to see the guy at Genome. In a nutshell, genome just finished a funding period and they're waiting until the next wave of funds come in. When that happens, they're going to sit down and figure out what resources they need/want. Right now, they're not hiring. That's fine, as long as they keep me in the list of candidates :)

Before going back to the office, I decide – spur of the moment thing – to head to the McIntyre building (the biochem department) to go see my old boss, who is now the head of the McGill cancer department. He wasn't there, but I left him a CV in his mailbox and I'll call him tomorrow. Now my thesis supervisor for my masters, who incidentally is now the head for the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR-Cancer), works just two doors over. By a complete fluke, he's there (he's never there. The guy has airmiles coming out of the wazoo!). We talk a bit, catch up, and I talk about what brings me to McGill this fine summer day. He also talks about the new building, and says I should go talk to the head of the Biochem department, and just mention that I studied in his lab.

Finally, and this is where it gets really interesting, I go see the head of the department. He has one look at my CV and basically gets a huge hard-on :) He says that he's really interested in my qualifications and that he'd like me to meet some people about the projects that are starting up. Now I'm trying to keep a clear head, as this is just the beginning of the game and I'm a long way from first base, much less a home run. Still, I'm really interested and I'll be curious to see how things pan out :)

I can see myself dedicating a few years to a project of this scope, which is something I can't do about contracts to design websites for Industrie Canada or l'Ordre des Professionels du Quebec. The only thing that could sour this deal – besides them not wanting to hire me – would be salary. I'm not really willing to take a pay cut – I'm being paid below my worth as it is now – but this is academia… We'll see. One step at a time :)