I am INCREDIBLY proud to share our lab’s first preprint, after 22 months of work! A result of Dr. Anna Schreiber @annaschreiber.bsky.social and Dr. Anamika Gupta’s fantastic work, we focus on an ultra rare developmental disease, YWHAG syndrome. (1/?) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

This week we: 1) submitted our first preprint 2) had multiple posters at an institute retreat 3) had a PI talk with the PI (me) awkwardly making awkward jokes. 4) got a TON of new data. Gonna sleep until Monday. Bye bye.

The twins slept the whole night!!!

No, this, this is fine. We have a 15k workstation that decided R studio needed to be in “efficiency mode” and crashed an eight hour analysis. WT… Microsoft??

Preprint submitted!

This.

- Ok, let’s listen to some songs so you can fall back asleep, ok? (Stares) - Wanna here this one? It has a picture! - Desert! - What? How do you know it’s a desert? (Smirks)

We spent Saturday morning in the ER. (Just a scare). Twins, girl, from 2:30 in the morning until 6AM. At one point I brought the girls to wait at the rooftop of the garage. 7yo: I told about our Saturday in music, but could only use five words. I said: We saw the sunrise.

“Your first song played on Spotify was “unchain my heart” by Joe Cocker.

Bedtime routine with the girls: easy and organized. Bedtime routine with toddler boys:

All is well.

In the ER stressing out. Everything is probably fine. Still. In the ER. Stressing out.

In the ER stressing out. Everything is probably fine. Still. In the ER. Stressing out.

How well do my children know me? “Happy daddy filled with food Daddy in a happy mood.” Quite well, actually.

Lab’s first preprint incoming next week!! Exciting times!!

“… there are only two genders!” Me: “Let me show you these squiggly things: chromosomes. That pair can tell if you’re a boy or a girl. Except it’s complicated and there are layers and layers. You could have one. X0. Or more. XXY. So just be kind. Because life..” “Finds a way?” “Clever girl.”

I would like to announce that I was very, very cheeky today. That is all.

“Life does not construct or deconstruct, it transforms.” 9yo, channeling some French dude.

You can’t win. There is no win condition. ChatGPT when asked about our lab’s output in less than two years:

The ballad of the wind fish (Link’s Awakening) plays in the background. We’re all talking. Baby 2: Belts out IN TUNE the whole song, vocalizing it so I couldn’t tell what was him singing or the song playing. Our jaws drop. He giggles, and continues eating the pasta. … I…

You know those moments where everyone just stops? Actually freezes? Like, movie moments? Well, we were just playing “The ballad of the wind fish” from Link’s awakening. It has vocals, operatic-like. Baby #2 - hold my Lego Duplo: sings the whole thing, INDISTINGUISHABLE from the phone.

We just got CRISPRi to work in the lab! It’s a milestone @annaschreiber.bsky.social !

“I try my very best not to react to provocation. Mostly, I succeed, and control myself. And everything’s fine. Occasionally, I am reminded that, as much as I try not to be, I am my mother’s son. And share her inclinations towards scorched earth. That’s what you get with dragons, after all.”

At which point is it acceptable to beg for money to do research? Cause I’m there, I think, and I would just like to expedite proceedings. Can I haz funding plz?

Nothing destroys high energy excitement like lack thereof.

Oh wow I’m surprised at how tired I am.

“It’s ok to have faith. Always respect it. You just need to be careful. People will try to make your faith a weapon. A sword to drive between yourself and others. But your faith isn’t a weapon. It’s a shield. But it’s not meant to protect you. It’s meant to protect everyone else.”

“Daddy’s hair is..” “Black!!” “Yes! Good job! And mommy’s?” “Brown!!” “Excellent! A your sister’s?” “Brown!!” “Great! How about yours? And your brother’s?” “Black!” “No, yours is golden, see?” (Extremely offended): “Black!” “No, mine is black” (Touching their head, then mine): “black!”

I wanna go watch Project Hail Mary but the girls are three years younger than they should be and I can’t go with the spouse because all four kids would be alone. Sigh. Should I go alone?

The babies are taking a bath while singing purple rain. Cause that’s just how we roll in this household.

One of the girls is on a first date and I’m more nervous than when I proposed. Emotional support welcomed.

“Daddy?” “Yes?” “I’m going to do it.” “You are?? That is so brave! … you know your heart is a muscle right?” “Yes! We learned it last month!” “And you know what makes muscle stronger?” “Exercise! And they break!” “Yes. Putting your heart out there is important. Worst case, it gets stronger!”

“Ok, but why run the longest event? Why not 100 meters, 200, 400? Why run 800m?” “Because I am the youngest in my class. And the smallest. And some people think I’m still in third grade. But third graders couldn’t compete in that one. So I did it. To show everyone. And myself. I can do it.” 9yo

Me: well this is just a normal day.. Awesome people in the lab: here’s data. (Brb readjusting world view)

“It’s at 4PM, and we’ll meet?” “At the high school track, and she’ll be doing a couple of different events”. “Ok, I’ll be there. I have a bunch of stuff to do today so it’s gonna be” Both babies: “Golden!”

Sometimes I’m awake because they have a sore throat, or a nightmare, or it’s, you know, a weekday. Today I’m awake, typing while siting next to the couch with a freshly asleep baby that just spent the last 45 minutes Telling His Sisters And brother He loves Them Over. And over. Again.

The bad thing about the classics is.. well.. everyone knows them. But you, really? Examples: -Little red riding hood, or the dangers of body shaming. - Jack and the beanstalk, or how for-profit growth of plants that allow you to reach new heights is not a victimless crime. 1/2

And as the story goes, Beware not wolves where you dare. Those announce themselves And may be avoided with proper care No, instead beware the time When you notice fangs in your grandma’s smile.

And as the story goes, Beware not wolves where you dare. Those announce themselves And may be avoided with proper care No, instead beware the time When you notice fangs in your grandma’s smile.

“Little Hood!” Hood turned. “Be weary. There are wolves everywhere. And the worst kind aren’t the ones with snarling teeth and mashing jaws. No, the worst are the ones with smiling faces. I’m not saying not to trust anyone. That’s no way to live. But. Keep. To. The. Path.”

I do NOT have the patience for someone mistreating students and will go scorched earth, no matter who that is. Luckily haven’t seen it yet at UAB (odds are it exists, I just haven’t seen it).

There was an album, by an awesome Portuguese band (what? There are some!) called “The monster needs friends.” We all do monster, we all do.

Just pointing out (observation, not complaint): this job is really, really lonely. I know folks, I know there’s loads of us trying to get AP positions. It’s not bad on the other side, at all. Just… lonely.

“In that place all wishes came true. Good, or bad, the clouds don’t care.” 7yo, who only rarely writes, making her writer sister smile intensely.

“Ok, so what do you boys love more about the park?” Baby A: ducks! Baby B: girl!

Headed out to watch Kiki’s Delivery service on IMAX with the girls! Excited for their first time with IMAX!

No one:… Baby A, pointing at a his sister’s signature: “here says sister’s name.” What followed is the only time I think I ever experienced a pregnant pause. Like, “diluvian waters incoming” pregnant pause. Me: What… what did you … what does it say here? Baby A: “sister’s name.” Everyone:

I’m head to work and blow the twins some kisses. Twin A: More. Me: More what love? Twin A: Kisses. Yeah, you go to work now. Devilishly adorable cuties.

I’ll be in Boston in early May for Target ALS, let me know if you want to talk science, organoids, or just nonsense!

“Oh yeah, I just need gas this morning…. What do you mean the whole system is down? What could possibly be happening that..”