Simple Question…Yet, No Answer
I suppose in life, misunderstandings occur and therefore questions asked appear to be stupid or so simple to others while making complete sense to ask to the asker.
Being just an undergrad working in the lab where most my training of procedures didn’t come from my actual (very busy) adviser but rather others in the lab. It probably didn’t occur to her, that I don’t know whatever tricks or trades that she knows, seeing as how I’m still learning, and I hardly ask her to go over the details of most experiments I do, with me, I thought asking a simple question would get a direct answer.
I simply asked about how long to wait after the degradation process to do analysis on samples. This coming after a few days ago when she suggested something opposite of what the procedure said, which made me think that the procedure was being way more conservative in the allotted time for degradation than what was necessary.
Again, seeing as how I have the procedure outlined and rarely had to ask her questions, it should probably be assumed that I’ve read the procedure 5 times, looked up other procedures, read the EPA standard procedure, even read articles doing experiments comparing if it was necessary to wait for the degradation process to complete overnight versus a few hours.
Upon doing all that research (which all had conflicting results), I attempted to finally email her to just see what she would actually do. At last, I get a response to “re-read the procedure, and I’ll see you tomorrow”. After that I did in fact re-read the procedure another 3 times.
Yet, there it is, a simple response that not only suggest I can’t read a procedure and do what it says. It also suggests, I haven’t looked into this before asking said question. I suppose if I had mentioned that I’ve researched this before asking then I might have gotten a different response.
However, I think it’s worth noting that what if she thinks I just ask her things to get a simple answer instead of first trying to figure out things on my own. I think it’s interesting, because my whole life I have always preferred to find things out on my own rather than asking anyone that can simply tell me the answer. This is mainly because I’ve also spent most of my life preferring not to talk to anyone to begin with! In this case, I’ve done the research, there’s conflicting answers, and she suggested the opposite of the procedure she is now telling me to re-read. Not only is it annoying, and it’s not that she’s annoying, because she is not, it’s just annoying that I let myself be perceived as something I’m clearly not.
But, who knows! I could have asked the question in way she misunderstood…maybe she was busy with something else (which really isn’t my problem…)….or maybe she doesn’t remember what she told me (and another girl in lab). I don’t know, I just know that if I don’t get an answer by tomorrow then the person I’m training to do analysis of her samples will have it done the way I have always learned how to do it, which is keeping the samples in the refrigerator overnight 
I have too many experiments to do this summer, I work two jobs, and am taking one class. I don’t think I should waste my time on continuing to research something like this.
There’s an old saw, which I’m probably going to butcher now, that says: Always assume a simple mistake before you assume stupidity, and always assume stupidity before you assume conspiracy or malevolence.
Maybe she was frazzled when she read your message. Maybe she has a sick parent, or she’s going through a divorce, or her credit card was stolen over the weekend, or her pet was just diagnosed with cancer. Maybe she just had a bad hair day.
You’re really smart and industrious and self-reliant. I bet she knows that! And maybe when you talk to her, she’ll realize she missed a step or two, and feel a little silly.
My money’s on you!
I know, I know, I figured she could just be having a bad day. Though what I ask only requires a simple answer in the form of two words tops. I suppose I’ll assume it was just a misunderstanding first.