Police control

when from a country where police is usually absent, or only there to give you a ticket when you cross the red light on foot, or when your bike light just stopped working because of the rain, the police in the US, as mentioned before, can be rather frightening, yet at the same time ridiculous. this morning we left our perfect apartment and walked down the perfect path leading to the subway station (this path being especially constructed for our living community). arriving at the station, there were some policemen and a notice that people at random could be subject to "search" and that refusing this could lead to "arrest". the woman in front of me was picked, we luckily werent.
its good that i lunch with some real US citizens who explain me these kind of things. this is something the Transit Police can do, because as soon as you enter the railway station, you are on their property, and thus if they feel its necessary, they can force you to open your bag for example so that they can see whats in there. similarly, the harvard police can "search" everyone present in a Harvard building, if they feel to do so. but what if you then say: "ok, i do not want to be searched, i rather leave the building/subway station, this is ridiculous"? well, then you have a problem, because people who have nothing to hide, will not refuse such a thing, and they thus have a reason to arrest you.
i find that scary.... and not enhancing my safety. but maybe you will disagree with me on that...?

Post 100

yesterday should have been post number 100, and a reason to celebrate and/or contemplate... no? instead, the neighbouring lab convinced me that unplugging a freezer diminished in size by half due to ice was a good idea. at 5 in the afternoon. then i could let it defrost overnight and in the morning i would have a clean freezer! at least they were helpful. but when the thawing began, the water started to flow. and it was not a little bit of water..... in fact, i was the only one really worrying about that water; they all said: so what? then tomorrow there is a pool. doesnt matter, right?! but i thought it did matter, and around 7 i hammered away already quite some chunks of ice, finding in there loads of eppendorf tubes and other stuff i do not want to remember. tim came to help me (my 2 colleagues long gone) and an hour hammering later we went for dinner (Panera Bread: i love it! although it is a little too much, as usual), and then we continued. i felt like being on a gletcher expedition. but i didnt enjoy it and surely the view wasnt as nice.
after ten it was when we left, the freezer still not being entirely ice-free. but now its empty and i rearranged it all, and all the old stuff, scattered over the entire thing now easily fitted on one shelf; all the other shelves left for me! jeeeeejj! now i can finally do (more) experiments.... ;)