#so many people would have the exact opposite opinion on instruments which is hilarious to me

[hylianengineer]

What's the most evil lab equipment in your opinion 😂

In my very subjective opinion? Ion chromatographs are on my shit list. It's not really their fault - the one I have to work with is old, hasn't been maintained properly, and no one else knows how to use it so I have to figure out everything myself, which is NOT FUN! It's finicky, frustrating, and it requires working with sulfuric acid, which I do not enjoy. It's very very sensitive and if you accidentally contaminate it with ions, you will be troubleshooting for weeks trying to figure out what happened. Ions are everywhere, in everything. In dust, in tap water (and nearly all filtered water, we have a special machine that makes Ultra Pure water with no ions or anything in it), on your skin, on virtually every surface that hasn't been specially cleaned. So if you have extra ions that shouldn't be there, it's a guessing game - are they from the sample? The eluent? Sample vials? Glassware? Is the water filter malfunctioning? Are the ions even there at all or is the detector messed up? You just have to keep trying stuff until it sorts itself out. The one I work with has NOT sorted itself out yet and I've been at this for over two weeks. I'm at my wit's end here.

And bonus answer for non-instrument equipment: drying tins. They're these little aluminum trays to put soil or whatever in when you stick them in the drying oven but they make Bad Noises when they scrape together. Also they bend easily, so if you stack them and then they get knocked around, sometimes it becomes very very difficult to get them apart.

In contrast, the best instrument is the Gas Chromatograph and the best other equipment is micropippettes. The GC is straightforward, easy to use, really hard to contaminate, and rarely has technical problems (plus when it does, they're not my problem - I am not the designated GC expert). Micropippettes are just fun because it's satisfying to click the button to release the pipette tip and launch it into the trash can.

[daemadness]

1, 7, 9, 12, 16

Thanks!!! :D I’ll also put the rest under a cut because one just does not simply write short texts.

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DIE ÄRZTE ASK GAME (click to the ask game!):

1. Wie & wann bist du auf DÄ gekommen?

It was in April 2009. My dad was on a German course and the book had “Männer sind Schweine”. The teacher (who was also later my German teacher!) liked dä so she played the song to them and my dad who’s very much into music, liked what he heard and at home of course searched for more. He then asked me (and my siblings) to come downstairs to his room because he wanted to showe us something - and it was the music video of Junge because he found it hilarious and the music really great.

At first I wasn’t sure what to think but said I could try listening to them, so then my dad started downloading and bringing me music on USB sticks all day every day until he got everything downloaded, and I just added stuff to my mp3 player whenever I got more songs. I did not speak German at all so at first I was pronouncing the name very much incorrectly (you know, “die” as in English), and sometimes I kinda miss it how I just saw a bunch of gibberish on my mp3 player screen. I still remember being in a work training at a horse stable and shoveling hay to a wheelbarrow, and my strongest memory is about the album Geräusch and I will always associate Anti-Zombie with this one horse box I was cleaning and it’s possible that I got obsessed with this album so that I started the day with it and was always cleaning the horse boxes in the same order. But I only remember Anti-Zombie and how I just suddenly realized that this song is one of the best I have EVER heard. (It still is! And Geräusch was my favorite album for a very long time and it’s still my favorite 2000s album.)

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7. Lieblings-Bandmitglied?

I don’t really have a favorite? Like, musically I like Farin’s songs the most but some of my ultimate favorite songs come from Rod, too, like Anti-Zombie, T-Error, Geisterhaus (I think the best Rod songs are on Geräusch and those are some of the best dä songs overall as well), Mondo Bondage, Morgens Pauken, Sohn der Leere, Bang Bang (Instrumental)... I bet there’s also great 90s songs but I just forgot about everything again. Anyhow, I’ve never been that much into Bela’s songs. He has many really great ones too, but usually my favorite Bela songs are those that Rod has written with him. Which also explains why I’ve never been that fond of Bela’s solo music (I own the first two albums) and why I like FU/FURT the most from these two. I can’t say anything about Rod’s solo stuff or other bands as I have never listened to those, but I’m very much into movie scores and kinda interested in hearing what his movie scores sound like but I’m lazy and have memory issues and motivation issues so I don’t know more than that. (But I wish he did more songs for dä, I miss the times when he still had more than just 1-2 songs on an album. Although, I never witnessed the release of those albums but still :D)

But if this question is about them as people, then I guess it’s Bela and because I’ve just always been so amazed by his open-mindedness, you know? Like, he seems so genuine and caring and that he has had his feet on the ground at all times? (Or if he didn’t when he was younger, then he has learnt from that and can see that now, at least from what I have read from the books.) A while back I had an ask (to an ask game) on my mainblog, to choose between Bela and Farin and that post got a bit longer and you can find a deeper answer to this from that one. But let’s just say I tend to get super protective over Bela if anyone dares to claim he hasn’t always been as open-minded as what he now seems to be :D

Farin is way too similar to me and even tho he’s very relatable, especially what comes to the sense of humour, I still don’t agree on everything he says or does. And too much is too much. About Rod I don’t know enough because he doesn’t speak much and when he does, I usually don’t understand what he says because he (and Bela) is sometimes really bad at articulating and as a German learner it’s very difficult to make sense of anything he (or they) say sometimes. AN ex-friend once claimed I don’t know anything about Rod because I simply just don’t care about him and like..... no??? Also I don’t control it what my brain finds interesting, but I swear that one day I’m gonna read both dä books from cover to cover and I’m not gonna skip anything and then I’ll know more about Rod too.

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9. Ein Lied, mit dem du viel verbindest?

“Allein”, definitely. Do you know that feeling when you listen to music, an album or song you have listened to so many times before, and then suddenly something just... hits and you hear a song the way you have never heard it before and you’re overwhelmed and mindblown? Yeah, that’s what happened to me with Allein. I don’t remember the exact year when that happened but I remember I was sitting in my car at a grocery store’s parking lot, listening to music and waiting for someone from my family to come out of the store.

Wait I actually found a post from my old Finnish blog from April 2010 about this song and the moment when it hit me!!! The post says the song became my favorite from Jazz ist anders! when I heard it for the first time, and this moment^ was the first time I read it lyrics and the first time ever I felt that lyrics also meant something to me. I was not able to translate anything myself yet but I found the song with English subtitles form youtube (now deleted) and that’s how I understood the story in the song.

So, I was almost 19 and relating to “Allein” a lot. Now it’s almost 11 years later and I’m (still) 29 and I STILL relate to this song so much and now also to the career part because I literally have been working with horses for over 10 years and have been studying them and I’m not sure why and now I don’t know if I even want to do this for the rest of my life or not. Idk, maybe it’s a bit sad too that for the past 10 years I have related to this song this much when it’s about loneliness... but it just doesn’t seem to end, idk if it will ever end, to be honest.

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12. Findest du die Musik von vor oder nach der Reunion besser?

I would say the music after the reunion, but I’m also really fond of their 80s music, especially the self-titled album. I was lucky enough to find the original -86 release on vinyl, in perfect condition even, and you don’t understand how much that record means to me. I hate the song Geschwisterliebe and I will always skip that (especially now as I am able to follow lyrics from audio somewhat) but I still refuse to own a version of the album without that song. So that record really is very dear to my and my treasure and I sometimes take it out just to look at it and to be happy about the fact it’s MINE.

But anyway, to answer this question, I think I have to answer that I like the post-reunion music more because the 90s is my favorite dä time of all times. Planet Punk is still my fave dä album EVER, 13 is also a favorite, and I love Die Bestie, and all the interview and live and other video material from the 90s is also something I never get tired of watching. Maybe it’s because I was born in 1991 and 90s was my childhood so it feels familiar and safe? I don’t know. But I tend to be drawn to 90s music with all bands I like and if those bands have had a 90s phase. I guess there’s something about the 90s punk rock that I just like that also dä has.

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16. Was macht Die Ärzte besonders?

Does this mean “what makes dä special”? Well, I’m gonna answer to that anyway even if it doesn’t mean that :D So I would say it’s the variety they have in their songs. They have loads of songs and albums and I still haven’t heard one song that would sound like some other song of theirs. (Apart from Hell, it has several songs that remind me of their older songs and I haven’t decided yet if that’s good or bad.)

There’s also pretty much something for everyone - which might also backfire because I actually knew someone who likes dä too but somehow we happened to like the opposite songs only. Like, you both can be fans and still not agree on favorite songs or even favorite albums or eras. It’s weird. So it feels like “yay we like the same band!!!” but in the end you don’t have anything in common because you don’t like the same things even within one band’s music...

For me dä is special because when I found about them, I was no longer actively searching for new music to listen to. And still they did and somehow all that diversity in their music was insane. Like, the singer’s voice is super important for me and I have turned down so many bands just because I don’t like the singer’s voice or singing style, and somehow this band has three singers and I like ALL OF THEM. Like, what are the odds??? So after getting used to their songs and learning song and album names and other stuff, I literally felt that I had actually found the music that has everything I need from music. I didn’t need to look for the best band ever because I already found it, no other band can top them, a band that would make better music than die ärzte just simply does not exist. And I’m totally happy with that which is why it took me years to even start listening to new music and new bands because I just didn’t need them anymore, I already had dä, you know. I was told (by the same ex-friend who said I just don’t care about Rod) that no band is superior than others but this person refused to understand when I tried to explain that they are superior to ME. And they are superior to me and I don’t give a fuck if others think I’m wrong, it’s my opinion and my favorite band and I have a right to say that they are the best band ever if they are the best band ever for me.

[alicedoessurveys]

60 Questions

Are you currently learning from anyone how to play any instruments? Not learning from anyone, but I'm teaching myself to play ukelele

Are you one of those people who always tend to think critically in issues? i dont 100% understand the question, but i am someone who is constantly thinking critically of myself. I'm not so critical of other people

Do you know anyone who is overly flirty with people? Girl or a boy? Yeah, I've known a few boys over the years who seem incapable of having a girl as just a friend without being flirty

When was the last time you had any kind of pork? What kind was it? Had sausage the other day, but i cant remember what day it was my brain isn't working

Are you someone who normally eats a full breakfast every single morning? i usually eat cereal, unless I'm not hungry or when i have to wake up early for something cause i tend to feel really sick

Do you believe vampires are real? Not the stereotypical Twilight kind. surely not, but then there are some strange people in the world

Is there anyone out there who can give you butterflies in your stomach? Yup

Are you someone who has to hide the things you like around friends? not really, me and my friends tend to like the same things

Have you ever been to a porn website? Were you addicted to it afterword? i have, i used to be friends with someone who while we were on Skype would find it hilarious to send me random links and wait to see my reaction when i click it and end up on some horrid porn site.

What is the most disgusting thing you think the opposite sex can do? Idk, i find it gross when i see guys out in public with their hands down their pants :’) and spitting, i hate seeing anyone walking down the road spitting theres no need and its disgusting

Would you rather be able to teleport or freeze time? Which one seems best? Teleport. never have to drive again 👍🏻

Have you seen the movie Twister? Did the tornadoes look real to you? i have not seen it

Have you actually been through a devastating natural disaster before? Thankfully nope. we don't really have anything that bad in england. we did have a bad hurricane once like over 10 years ago that cause quite a bit of destruction. i was actually in the exact area it hit like 5 minutes before it hit which freaked me out a bit

Did your mom ever fix your eggs and bacon into a smiley face as a kid? i didn't have bacon and eggs as a kid

What fast food place, in your opinion, has the best french fries? i really like burger king’s fries or mcdonalds

Do you believe one day aliens might take over the planet Earth? Nope

Are you someone who always looks for sales when you go shopping somewhere? not really, i have to be in the right mood. i do look when I'm online though

Are you constantly re-arranging your bedroom? Or do you not like change? i used to be someone who rearranged my room a lot (i get it from my mother) but since i moved into my current bedroom 2 years ago its stayed the same way with slight changes to what furniture is in there or the way i arrange my books/ornaments etc

Who would you consider the best teen actor or actress out there now? ones that people will know i think are the actors from stranger things, especially the girl who plays eleven. Also the main two out of the netflix version of ‘a series of unfortunate events’ are brilliant

When did you last cuddle up next to someone and watch a movie? not for ages

Where would people most likely find you out on the weekends? at home :’) i don't really go out

Do you like the school you attend or is it just pretty bland to you? im not in school anymore, but when i was i hated it. its was an absolute dive

Do you remember when they used to actually throw candy out at parades? I've never been to a parade that throws candy.

What is your favorite childhood memory? Who did you share this with? going to my nan and grandads house 3 days a week every summer holiday

Are there any windows open in your house right now? Which ones, if so? nope its cold

Is it currently your favorite season? If not what is your favorite? its just past my favourite season, i like autumn and the part of winter where its christmas

Do you like soda pop? If so, which is your favorite and least favorite? what is soda pop?

Does it bother you when people burp around you or do you do it too? Nope, doesn't bother me at all. I've been bought up in a family that isn't

Do you have any siblings you’re embarrassed about being related to? nope Im proud of my sister

Which noises do you currently hear right now? Can you control those? The telly which i could turn off if i wanted to but i dont. also, cause I'm ill I've got tinatus in my ears

What is one thing you’ve never understood throughout your life? a lot of things

When you see an old person do you think ‘sweet’ or ‘creepy?’ Sweet

What is it that makes old women want so many cats in their life? cats are good company and fluffy and low maintenance

What is one kind of music you’d do anything to not listen to in the car? Scream

When was the last time you babysat, if ever? Did anything bad happen? last time i babysat was last year sometime. nothing bad happened. ill be babysitting a lot more when this foster child comes along

How many times a day do you wash your face? Do you wash it really good? I dont wash it as much as i should. i tend to use face scrub/wash when I'm in the shower

Would you consider yourself to have a boring life or a really exciting one? currently very boring

Do you ever talk to people you met online through webcam? Or is that weird? No, thats weird haha

Who was the last person you kissed and why did you kiss this person? Ugh, I've kinda explained this in previous surveys. he was someone i got very close to and nearly dated but then i freaked out and decided i didn't want a boyfriend. then we didn't talk for a while and he found himself a girlfriend but when we worked on the same theatre production together we got close again. one night he was driving me home from rehearsals and he pulled over into a carpark and was like i want to kiss you and i let him kiss me then he drove me home.. the worse part was he gave me his cold too :’)

How many fish have you owned in your lifetime, so far? Did they all die? we used to have nearly 100 fish in the pond in the garden but one day they all died except one so we called him lucky and took him to live in my grandad’s garden pond. I'm guessing he's dead now cause that was like 15 years ago

When do you think it’s the right age to pass away? when you're ready and when its your time to go

If you were to get drunk right now, how would you most likely act? i dont drink so i wouldn't get drunk

How many people have you kissed in your lifetime, so far? Who were they? just one, read answer to earlier question.

Are you going to post this on a social networking site after you take it? Tumblr

Is there something people in general do that bothers you a lot? Just existing

Has anything supernatural ever happened to you? What were these events? Nope

How many concerts have you seen so far in life? Were they good ones? a lot

Do you like doing anything your friends wouldn’t expect you to do? Yup

Can you sing very well or are you considerably tone deaf? im don't think I'm awful.. i can hold a tune i just don't have a voice that i like

When did you last make a survey? How many people took it so far? i dont make surveys

Would you ever consider becoming a scientist? Why would you or why not? Nope im not smart enough & science was my worst subject at school

Where is your favorite place to go when you’re feeling sad and alone? Tumblr

Have you ever had to call poison control while you were babysitting? Nope…

Do you ever look back on the past years and wish you could go back? a bit, just health wise

When is the next time you’ll talk to the cousin you’re closest to? not sure, were on snapchat quite a bit

Does it bother you when people constantly sign in on MSN? Or not so much? nope i dont use msn anymore

When was the last time you saw a bird? What kind of bird was this? i was watching a robin in the garden earlier

Have you ever seen someone getting beat up by lots of people at one time? yeah I've witnessed a few fights cause i live opposite a pub so we get a lot of drunk people walk past late on weekends and occasionally they have fights

Are you really into vintage things? Have you ever been into that stuff? i like the look of some vintage stuff but I'm not super into it

When was the last time you bought new sheets for your bed? bought myself some new festive bedding in november, so like 2 months ago