The Perils of Penelope Pink-shiny-stuff

She sets the timer for 15 minutes. The gel has to be ready to pour in 5. She quickly, efficiently weighs out the agarose and adds it to the TBE. She swirls the solution around in the glass bottle twice and places it in the microwave. She sets the microwave energy level and timer and presses the Start button. The light flickers on glumly behind the dark glass, and the bottle begins revolving. She keeps a watchful eye on the hazy silhouette of the liquid in the bottle. Once it starts bubbling, she has to stop the microwave, remove the bottle and give it another shake before resuming the heating. Otherwise it will spill over and the insides of the microwave will be a gloppy mess of fast-solidifying gelatin. She has done this so many times that it's easier than breathing. As she stares through the grimy glass of the microwave door she notices a Bling. And another. Something sparkly. Silver. Faintly pink. The reflection of her freshly painted nails. She smiles, enchanted by the twinkle of the little glittery scintilla. The quicksilver change in the planes of shimmer as she moves her hand just that fraction of an inch. Her eyes move from the reflection to the reality. She normally doesn't paint her nails but yesterday boredom and the presence of a bottle of Blush on the living room rug had conspired. A background bubbling noise tries, but fails dismally to register through the glitter-haze. But even through her rapt contemplation of her nails she does hear the fatal thump. Without looking up she knows the plastic lid of the glass bottle has just hit the roof of the microwave. She confronts with firm resignation the sticky agarose coat that the microwave-inside is now gaily wearing .


Damn all sparkly things to hell!