JTR: liability or comedian?

I should have known it was going to be a funny day when the undergrad that I'm working with this semester fell asleep at my desk this morning. (he's normally a really hard worker. also, he looks like Clark Kent.)

Jason has informed me that the title of this post should be

JTR: master of science or comedy?

but it's MY blog, and I don't think that title accurately describes what's going on here.

He's been a bit of a liability recently, and here's proof:

• He has now broken ALL 3 of the cheap plastic handles that turn on the shower. The cold faucet handle was fixable. The hot water faucet? Not looking like an easy fix. Instead, the shower has to be turned on with a wrench. (P.S. Eew. Why does our tub look so nasty in this picture? I swear I clean it. Maybe this is also evidence for why I should remodel the bathroom?)
  

Exhibit A: The tools needed to turn on the shower.

• He claims he broke his arm over the weekend. He's not sure exactly when it happened, but his arm hurts, so it MUST be broken.
  
• He actually didn't break his arm, according to x-rays taken this afternoon. Don't worry, the doctor still prescribed him Tylenol with Codiene.
• He wore shorts to work today. He was quickly informed by the characters in my previous post that shorts are not allowed in their lab, and since his desk space is in their lab, he may not wear shorts to work. Why? We've gotten several responses, from "we work with adenovirus vectors" (adenovirus vectors = fancy name for common cold virus, used in labs because it's a virus that doesn't cause much damage to lab personnel), to "Top Dog works in the lab, and that makes us worried for our safety" (because pants = safety, and shorts = danger?) to "we are in a real working lab" (as opposed to our fake working lab? I'm not clear on the distinction). In any case, the ladies in the lab are allowed to wear knee-length skirts or capri pants, so I'm not quite sure why J's below-the-knee-length shorts caused such a ruckus.
  

He was also super-hillarious today:

• I found the following note on my desk when I returned from a noon-time seminar. Of particular importance is the break in the stick figure's arm:

Exhibit B: Why is this so funny?

• He sent out an email re: the no shorts rule to the entire lab, and in the email, he suggested that JC (our student lab tech) wear his cross-dresser halloween costume if he wants to continue showing off his tan. Maybe it's funnier if you've seen the pictures.
• He had an in-depth discussion/rant re: what exactly would happen if some of the adenovirus happened to land on his bare leg, complete with mention of the skin being the body's largest organ.
• He explored the option of getting his Tylenol prescription filled - he's planning on breaking at least 1 limb on our upcoming ski trip, and he'd like to get some pain relief for that ASAP. Alternatively, if his drinking is indeed "hazardous" as was suggested in the seminar I attended today (the criterion for "hazardous drinking" were ridiculous), he might as well pick up an opioid addiction on top of it.

(In somewhat-related news, do they wonder why opioids are quickly becoming the most commonly abused drug class? JT essentially walked in with a bruise/bump on his arm, and was given a scheduled drug with a pretty decent abuse liability to make it feel better. He wasn't even asked about his drug use history before getting the prescription. I guess I shouldn't complain too much - if people keep abusing drugs, I keep getting paid to research them - but I think it should be a little harder to get a legitimate prescription for drugs that have such an abuse liability.)