Alex Keyes, PhD

@neuropharmnerd

neuro nerd. aspiring artist. UIowa PhD - Pharmacology. Interested in neuro-immune interactions in the spinal cord. my opinions are my own. they/them

793 Siguiendo1851 Seguidores477 Publicaciones

Bluesky

¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y neuropharmnerd.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· 28d

Frazz comic, rainbow in the background, conversation between Caulfield and Frazz: Whoa! See? Science doesn't replace wonder. It just tells you how to find it.

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· 28d

as much as i enjoy a nice salad, i'm gonna be cooking all my veg for a good long while

spongebob time card title meme with the words "ten months later..." on it

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Jun 9

and then sometimes i wander into doing various ink doodles or whatnot and i'm debating working in more abstract ways because i really like these

abstract ink doodles on artist trading cards, featuring lots of swirls

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Apr 25

oh jeez it's been almost a solid year since i posted about this but i'm very slow and therefore still working on the coat.

photo of a heavily patched grey coat. it is patched with many multi-colored pieces of wool felt. it's still a work in progress

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Apr 6

went hiking in Palisades-Kepler State park yesterday and came across this combo of signs (unfortunately a little too early for wildflowers, but good birdwatching otherwise)

Photo of the Cedar River in Iowa, with two signs: the closer is a trail sign with an arrow pointing to the river, reading "River". The further reads "Danger! Recirculating currents below dam trap and drown victims". There's a little dirt trail going towards the river.

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Feb 18

this is unsurprising to me. i have turned down anything, and i do mean anything, that would risk my health insurance. i can't afford that precarity in my healthcare, even if it means that my career gets held back.

Screenshot from the article, reading: Deeper within academia, the needs of disabled university faculty, temporary instructors, and non-teaching staff are largely invisible: employees—including tenured professors—are petrified of losing their jobs if they’re outed as disabled. Benefits, insurance, and pensions are on the line, and in the rare academic departments with open positions, tenure-track faculty are typically appointed just once a year. (The poverty rate among people with disabilities is almost twice that of the rest of the population.)

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Feb 16

a two-for-one because i have two cats and they are the most recent photos on my phone. my little tuxedo kitty is a flannel thief and steals them off the coat hook so she can snuggle on them

a little grey cat staring down and out to the distance in a box of her tower

a black and white cat laying on blue-green flannel that she took down from the coat hook it was on

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Nov 28

a close up of grey furbie staring at a candle with text that reads "i am but a conduit for nonsense"

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Nov 12

more #NorthernLights posting!

a roof with red and green northern lights above it

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Sep 11

a selection, since i've had a tumblr for ~13 years:

anon ask on tumblr, reading: how can you eat the fried hearts of something that once was alive and had a beating heart? do you feel any guilt? i hope you do. tumblr user folk-punk answered: please google what an artichoke is

tumblr user jaclcfrost: "you'll understand when you're older" i am older and i understand absolutely nothing

tumblr user brucespringsteendotcom: Public transit be like your bus is due...now!.........now!....any second now....okay now! Just kidding uhhh.......now! Okay itll be 17 minutes hope that helps. Aw shit we sent the invisible bus again

youve heard of alphabet soup now get ready for times new ramen.
comment from squeeful: I sent this to my mom and she got so mad at me she sent an audio recording of her yelling

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Sep 11

i've been getting really into doing complex decorating of Yuumei Arts' koi lanterns!

head of a white paper koi lantern, decorated with floral motifs in blue ink, like porcelain. the blue eye of the head faces the camera

head of a white paper koi lantern with the mouth facing up. the head is decorated with floral motifs in blue ink, like porcelain

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Aug 27

a brown cow standing in the surf of the ocean with the text "I am cringe But I am free"

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Jun 29

💤😻💤

image of a little grey cat in a box part of a cat tree, sound asleep

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· May 21

finished another of Yuumei's beautiful koi lanterns (www.yuumeiart.com/koi-lanterns)

Photo of the full koi paper lantern - it is a copper butterfly fin koi, painted to look like the copper is oxidising

Detail photo of the head of the koi paper lantern - a copper butterfly fin, with a lotus headpiece decorating the forehead. Parts have been painted to look like the copper is oxidising

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· May 13

A grainy image in a 1950s laundry ad style that reads - Philanthroy exists to launder the reputations of the rich! And serves to replace public institutions with private ones!
So you've "made" billions exploiting workers, nature, and public resources.
And you've bought off the entire government to make sure you won't be taxed.
But for some strange reason people seem to think you're evil.
Try giving a tiny portion of your stolen wealth to a cause that's hot right now.
Or start your own non-profit to hoard your wealth The Right Way (TM).
Now your reputation is clean AND you've saved even more on taxes!

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Apr 29

Show me a picture on your phone that has your energy that isn‘t a selfie.

Photo of Oscar the Grouch with the text "everyone shut up i'm experiencing childlike wonder"

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Apr 27

just going to wander with a floral design up the front edge of the coat. no real plans on that beyond patching the major holes

grey coat edge with lots of repair work and embroidery in yellow, green, white, and dark blue.

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Apr 26

stitch stitch stitch away

grey coat with various patchwork embroidery in red (hem, buttonhole stitch), green (pocket, long-armed cross stitch), and a floral lace motif in gold, white, and dark blue under the green

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Apr 25

using a floral lace blackwork pattern to fully anchor the stabilizing grey wool suiting fabric that i have stitched to the interior. tricky to freehand this, hard to get the stitch length perfect and i hesitate using a hoop on fragile wool, so i'm approximating appropriate thread tension

close up of the grey wool, showing the long-armed cross stitch in green and the floral lace pattern in gold/white/dark blue.

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Apr 25

start of the mending, the very very start. gonna do a little garden of flowers above the long-armed cross stitch on the pocket

section of a grey coat with visible mending on the hems in red and sage green, and on the bottom of the pocket with a long-armed cross

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Apr 20

this coat got really, really moth eaten, but it's well-made and wool. some of these holes are so extensive that i'm using a thin wool suiting fabric just to stabilize some of this

a very very moth-eaten cuff of a grey coat

a very moth eaten upper section of the coat, with a lot of damage at the hood and a cute little embroidery near the 3 button holes. there are nice silver buttons, but the moths have destroyed the binding near them

the full coat, it is grey with black binding on the edges and a small embroidery near the upper buttonholes

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Apr 7

relatedly:

tumblr post from user tsarina-anadyomene: Cocaine was a stimulant used by a priestly caste of the middle period United States called businessmen in order to commune with The Market. [1]

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Mar 8

i love my sweet but dumb cats very very much. the grey one is devoted to laps and the tuxedo loves to play fetch

up close photo of a grey cat, looking pleased at the camera, in a loaf position. there is a bookcase in the background

a black and white cat mid yawn, showing off her canines, seated on a sofa in front of window blinds

a black and white cat, seated upright, looking out the window. there is an assortment of tea behind her and a bookcase behind that

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Feb 12

heavy snow and winter warnings mean designing experiments and reading lit at home...and maybe a few snow angels

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Feb 3

We 💜 USASP Alt text truncated the end -

Dear USASP Community,
In light of recent actions by the U.S. government executive branch to dismantle federal programs related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), our collective efforts to advance Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) within the USASP face new and significant challenges. These changes may leave many of you feeling uncertain, anxious, or even vulnerable about the future of our professional community and the values we hold dear.
Now, more than ever, it is vital for us to reaffirm our commitment to IDEA principles and demonstrate that our society remains committed in its mission to foster an inclusive, diverse, and supportive professional environment. The leadership of the USASP remains determined in ensuring that our organization continues to be a space where all individuals feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute.
We firmly believe that promoting IDEA is not only a moral responsibility but also a fundamental necessity for advancing pain research and care. Diverse perspectives enrich scientific inquiry, broaden the scope of understanding, and lead to more innovative and effective solutions for the complex challenges faced by individuals living with pain. An inclusive professional community strengthens the foundation of our work and ensures that all voices are heard and represented.
We want to emphasize that our commitment to these principles is unwavering and that your voice matters. Your contributions to this effort are vital, and we invite you to share your thoughts and engage with us as we navigate these challenges together.

As an organization, we remain resilient, unified, and dedicated in our pursuit of a more equitable and inclusive professional community. By standing together, we can overcome challenges, uplift one another, and ensure that IDEA principles remain central to everything we do.

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Jan 4

iris, water lily, sunflower. i appreciate the speed that watercolor is teaching me, each of these is about 30-60min to do

watercolor and ink drawing of a blue-purple iris on a white background.

watercolor and ink drawing of a pink water lily with multiple lily pads on a white background.

watercolor and ink drawing of a sunflower on a white background.

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Jan 4

had good watercolor + ink floral practice recently - peonies, fuchsia, dahlia, tulip

watercolor and ink drawing of two pink peonies on a white background.

watercolor and ink drawing of a pink and purple fuchsia on a white background.

watercolor and ink drawing of a red-orange dahlia on a white background.

watercolor and ink drawing of a red tulip on a white background.

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Dec 1

ohhhhhhh Neva is just as beautiful a game as i would have hoped for from Nomada studios. it has both a story mode and an adventure (combat) mode, story mode still has some combat, but you can't die.

Screenshot from the intro of Neva, showing the main character hugging Neva against a beautiful watercolor backdrop of mountains, with wisteria blossoms in the foreground

Screenshot from Summer part 1 of Neva, showing a watercolor-esque bright green foliage, with the main character and Neva sitting in the hollow of a tree, resting.

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Nov 29

oh heck yeah i can finally upload this GIF this microglia just had this exquisite calcium event, delightful to watch and capture. love that it had all those beautiful little processes too

Alex Keyes, PhD@neuropharmnerd· Nov 23

i have a collection of these guys: the 1991 del monte ornaments. the googly eyes adds to the weird.