When Lab Colleagues Leave

A colleague from the lab left this week. He'd accumulated quite a lot of kit over the years and as he was tidying up on Thursday the rest of us began circling like vultures trying to find the prime pieces of meat for when he left. I actually cheated and asked him if I could have some of the boxes.
He officially left on Thursday and I think if there had been a time-lapse from 6pm Thursday to 11am Friday it would have looked a little bit like this (don't watch if you find decaying animals upsetting).

On one hand it feels a little disrespectful removing a person's stamp on the lab but on the other it's good that we recycle equipment and don't waste money buying new stuff all the time. The other perk is that there is a little more room for me to use now as I can use his bench to do stuff when mine is cluttered. The only downside is that the only other person in the bay area will also be leaving in a few more months and then I'll be all alone in my domain. Unless someone else joins the lab and then I'll have to start scent marking centrifuges, fridges and freezers.

Good luck to Colin, with whom I was able to share many silly scientific flights of fancy. I will remember him whenever I use his scissors, large Gilson and stopwatch.