6/7/21 Relying On Repetitive Memory?

     I am not sure if I used the correct title, but after whining and complaining of having to go back to the imaging group and doing what I used to do for about a week, it was a pleasant surprise to be able to pick up and still be able to run the tool like I did about 3-4 years ago.  I have been a part of the chemistry group since at least 2018, but last week I was told that I would be needed in the imaging group to help support because the two ladies left running the group both scheduled vacations for next week.  It was like one of those silly episodes you see on TV where one person asked for vacation six months ago and then the other person not seeing it get written on the calendar, she also made plans by reserving a condo for a week off or something to that effect.

    The end result is that I was tasked with cleaning up the mess and providing support to the group in their absence.  I didn't mind the idea initially, but then it was pitched that I could continue doing this going forward and any time chemistry slows down, I can run over and provide support.  I don't see a gain for me in doing this, it's not like I've even seen a raise in the last ten years, so no, I am not just going to do it willy nilly.  I am a team player and can respect helping out for a week, but not just indefinitely to keep myself busy.  Well, helping out came sooner than I thought.  One of the ladies is already on vacation this week and going into next week, but the other one went to work but went home early because she felt sick.  I was then asked to go and try to help, even without the training I was hoping to get.

    After complaining that I didn't want to do it, I sat on the tool once I loaded a sample and just kind of ran it without thinking too much about it.  I found that if I didn't think about it, my fingers instinctively went to the right set of buttons to go to the next step.  It seemed weird because my thinking took a half second longer than my fingers going through the motion.  For example, the stage needs to be set to 52 degrees for both ion and e-beams to line up and work correctly.  I did this without even realizing.  Once that is done, it is also safe to bring in the Pt needle to protect the surface and it was fun to just know what to do, even after all this time.  I did have to call one of the ladies to make sure I was up to date, such as that they now use carbon to protect the area of interest instead of platinum, even though Pt is still used.

    Anyways, I guess I was just impressed with myself that after so long, I was able to sit on the tool and still run it.  I didn't actually have to make the samples all the way, the thinning can be very challenging, but that will come tomorrow, right now I was glad to do as much as I did.