maximilln's Journal: Tell-tale signs

A funny thing happened in lab today...

We had ordered a number of compounds which have a high "stink" factor due to their chemical nature. They were still in boxes this morning and I was walking in to open the boxes, inventory the compounds, and prepare the paperwork to have them checked into lab. As I'm opening the boxes the senior chemist in lab is engaging me in mild conversation about the nature of the project which will make use of the compounds. As we're chatting I vent a little from the backside. I notice the odor immediately.

A few seconds later the senior member of lab says,"Wow! I can smell those chemicals already. The other guy at the other facility warned me not to even open the boxes outside of the hood."

I reply flatly,"I think that's just the morning coffee."

And he comes back indignantly,"No, I think it's the chemicals because so-and-so said that they were pretty stinky."

So wait. I know the smell of my own butt. I got a good example of it waiting for the bus to work this morning. This guy is telling me that the power of his PhD, his social connections, and his years of experience are more reliable than me knowing when my own body has passed gas?

It's a funny story but this is just an example. In the past six years, even when I know I'm right, I'm second guessed by the guy above me. For lab gas it's no big deal but it becomes an issue when it starts to involve the actual job and I have to suffer because he's chasing reagents to catch the smell of my rear end.