So, I've been trying to learn how to do this surgical procedure at work over the past few weeks. It's not an especially difficult procedure, but it does require a little finesse. Basically, I have to locate a specific blood vessel in a mouse (left common carotid artery, labeled lcc in the diagram below), scrape off the smooth muscle layers without puncturing it, and transplant a tissue graft on top of it.
Well, up until this morning, it wasn't going so well. And then, all of a sudden, this morning I was able to do it like I've been doing it for 20 years. I love it when that happens. Actually, that kind of thing happens to me a lot. One day I can't do something and then the next day I can. It's happened with musical ability - one day I can't play something, I sleep on it, and the next day I can. It's happened with physical tasks like being able to ski or cast a fly fishing rod. It's also happened with the ability to understand information - one day I won't get something, the next day I will. The interesting part is that I never put much effort into the equation. It's not like I go to bed willing myself to acquire a new skill while I'm asleep. Maybe my brain needs time to process the new information. Maybe in the heat of the moment, I over-think the task. I don't understand how it works or why it works, I'm just glad that it does.
