A FULL BLADDER AND CONVERSATION

Am sure many guys have been in this situation, with a full bladder and an interesting girl in the conversation!

It was after the welcome dinner at the FEBS crystallization course in Czech Republic. It was the first international congress I was attending after starting my PhD and I was highly excited to be encircled by PhD’s from around the world. All the twenty four participants were having a good time after dinner. After a game of pool with friends and beer, I felt the need to take a leak to get more comfortable and started walking towards the rest room. I had to cross the big hall where we had dinner and groups of students were discussing science and politics and religion.

Just half way through the hall, this female researcher intercepted me. She introduced herself and shook my hand and asked mine and my research status. I told her in brief about my project and my need of crystals. Crystallographers usually need good diffracting crystals and when I told her that I am ok with crystals that just diffract, she was shocked! According to her, it was blasphemy! Then I explained in detail and she was impressed. The fact that she got impressed, made me more excited and the purpose of my walk through was forgotten for the moment.

Minutes rolled by and I felt nature calling me loudly, but I fought it back. I did not want to break the great scientific rapport that was building on and that too with a beautiful female researcher! She started into the details of her project and the difficulties she was facing. My mind was half concentrating on her words and half working on to avoid spillage. Nobel laureate Peter Agre’s words got reminded “If you fight back the sensation, then it has to get back inside after sometime. This cycle is most important and is responsible for the fact that many of you are sitting here and listening to me without running off to take a leak!.” But I think he forgot to mention the time frame of the get back inside for it felt like an over flooded dam ready to break any second. I crossed my legs and now I could not hear her words at all. Still she kept talking and talking and I was rooted just for the fact that she was talking. My responses became routine. A nod, smile, yes ofcourse and aahan’s became programmed for auto intervals.

I could have just told her that I needed to take a leak and go off, but also there was the fact the when I came back from the rest room, I will not be able to continue this great conversation and I knew that other guys were ready to pounce on her the moment I left the scene. But then finally, after an hour of fight back and conversation, she wanted to get some beer and I used this opportunity to tell her that I need to remove the excess beer accumulated in me and ran off towards bliss!