I’m a red-head biologist living with my husband and our kid in NE Ohio. This blog is a celebration of all my geeky interests. I love scrapbooking, Mara Jade, cats, my husband who got me started on this blog, board games, books, video games, K-pop, anime, and induced stem cell therapies for cardiac heart disease.
I consider myself a part of many fandoms, but obviously my first love is Star Wars.
I chose my pen name “Mei-Mei” when writing fan fiction in high school; it’s an homage to Meiling Li of the anime Cardcaptor Sakura. I am nothing like Meiling, personality-wise, but for some reason I really connected with her position as an outsider, her unrequited love, and just her general “un-special-ness.” Plus she kicks butt and has a cool outfit and hair.
I’m also told “meimei” means “little sister” in Mandarin, so it’s doubly appropriate for me. You can hear Simon call River “meimei” in Firefly several times.
Blog Awards
Jedi by Knight 
So you decided to join the small clan of Uncle Spike followers…. That makes me a happy blogger now – I really appreciate you making that special mouse click.
Hope you like my upcoming posts and if you get bored one day, maybe you’ll enjoy trawling through some of my older stuff too.
If you have any likes, dislikes or suggestions about my blog, just let me know, either through ‘comments’ or via email. Always welcome reader input 🙂
Have a great old day…
UNCLE SPIKE
uncle.spikes.adventures1@gmail.com
LikeLike
Hi, Im a painter living in Orlando. Mr Rayford was my mentor and I managed to acquire several Original works of Mr. Rayford and was wondering if you have an interest in purchasing either of the four that Im selling for a very low price. Please feel free to email me( everettspruill@bellsouth.net) or call 407-754-6133 and I’ll be happy to send you images and discuss the details. Thanks in advance for your response.
LikeLike
“induced stem cell therapies for cardiac heart disease” is a very specific and very unique interest. Do you ever use that as an ice breaker? :p
LikeLike
Haha, only in that it’s my job. I do medical research and sometimes I don’t know how much to tell the average stranger about it. Maybe I should just start with that line and see if their eyes glaze over? 😉
LikeLike
Just had come and look at your about page and see if I have ever left a comment here. I have not. Silly me. And i have nothing else to say, really. Just hi 🙂
LikeLike
Haha hello! Welcome to the about page!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I gave it a like a while ago, I think. Just did not comment. I just see you around so much, I had to come and look again, and also say that I see you around a bit, lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi there! Thanks for the follow. You have a wonderful blog. I look forward reading more from a nerdy girl for I am one too 🙂 Are you by any chance an iPSC researcher?
LikeLike
Thanks, I’m glad I came across your blog! 🙂
Good guess on the iPSC 🙂 My lab uses several kinds of cells, including iPS and also vascular progenitor cells my boss reprograms. I mostly stay out of cell culture though; I work more with the animal models of heart disease.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I worked on cancer stem cells, rather on the premise that cancer cells could at times develop stem cell-like characteristics. I was also involved in an iPS project – reprogramming cancer cells. Your work sounds very cool All the best and I look forward to reading more from you.
PS: I also worked on animal models of cancer. Looks like we have a lot in common 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just browsing by and saying hi from another “nerdy girl”. Although I think you win the contest with the casual mention of the induced stem cell therapies for cardiac heart disease ‘hobby’; that made me literally laugh out loud. Also, I love your banner. Keep going! 🙂
LikeLike
Hello and welcome! I love meeting other nerdy girls! Glad you like the blog–I’ll have to check out yours, too 🙂
LikeLike
I endorse this blog. However, in the name of impartiality, I will also have to endorse a Sith blog just to keep things equal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a serious question and not to offend you but out of curiosity. Does your lab use cells from aborted fetus?
LikeLike
I will give you a serious answer, but if you are in earnest let me recommend avoiding terms like “aborted fetus” which may be viewed as inflammatory. My lab does not use embryonic stem cells, which are sourced from in vitro fertilization (if we did, they would be rat embryonic stem cells because we use pre-clinical animal models).
My lab uses induced stem cells, which are created by reprogramming somatic (“regular”) cells back to a stem-like state.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for responding and satisfying my curiosity. The term I used did sound negative. My apologies. I must confessed that I am still under the influence of what I came acrossed recently in one of blogs in WP about planned parenthood. Sorry to bother you. Perpetua
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not a bother! Scientists should be accountable for what we do. Otherwise we’d be like Tony Stark in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Thank you for encouraging communication/information with your question.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are a true Jedi! I will call you Obi Wan :}
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for following me. Love the pen name. My daughter calls her blanket mei-mei.
LikeLike
Thanks for stopping by. That’s so cute about your daughter! 🙂
LikeLike
Mei Mei…I want to email you but no longer have it in my gmail files for some reason. Can you fill out the contact form on my page so I can shoot you a note?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for stopping by on my WPC Admiration post. Interesting blog here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
quite some pretty pictures on your blog Jedi!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 😀 thanks for stopping by!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome! 🙂
LikeLike
Take a bow you vaudevillian entertainer and accept the Entertainer Award!
https://thewellredmage.wordpress.com/2016/08/26/the-entertainer-award/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Versatile Blogger Award
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! 🙂
LikeLike
Congrats on winning NaNoWriMo!
btw, we’ve just created this beautiful graphic for Rogue One. Hoping you can share with your readers! Cheers
https://www.healthplans.org/guide-star-wars-rogue-one-health-plans/
LikeLike
Hi Mei-Mei
My name is Shaun and I’m an author, just wondering if you consider reviewing books, in exchange for a free ebook copy?
Here is a link to my book (Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith) on amazon, so you can have a look and decide if it may or may not be something you would be interested in reading – http://amzn.eu/6FjYTA3
Thanks for taking the time to consider my enquiry, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Shaun
LikeLike
Hi Shaun! Thanks for asking so politely 🙂 I can’t promise a specific time frame for a review, but if that’s ok with you I’d be happy to do an honest review in exchange for an ebook. Your book definitely seems like my genre. You can drop me a line at jedi.jolee@gmail.com
LikeLike