Surviving UCSF Lab Meetings

I don't know if I have explained it yet, how lab meetings work in my new lab. Yeah, so basically anywhere from 3 to 9 people present their most recent results, what those results mean, how they compare it to the papers in the field... Yeah. 1 person can go on for 2 hours and still the other 8 people will also present. In the mean time everyone asks questions, suggests other things to do... blah blah blah. In the mean time I sit there trying to keep up, and eating away all the cheese!

Many things have occurred since last time I posted, specially in lab.
First off, I got results. Things are really working here. But the bad side to that is that now I have to do a presentation. A presentation in this lab is extra extra scary. Everyone knows everything and everyone (except for me) has a million questions. So i know that it will not just be a regurgitating presentation. The good side to that is that if I survive the presentation my self esteem in the lab may actually increase.

Second off, since I never talk in lab meeting the PI has decided to start this trend of directing questions to lab people that are under 25 (He thought I was 22). There are only a handful of people under 30 in this lab. I haven't answered any of the questions he has asked so far. Last week he caught me off guard and I didn't know what he was even saying. Because also one thing you must realize is that he waits until very late in the meeting, like the last 30 (of a 3 hour meeting) minutes to ask. I usually hold for the first 2 hours but NOT for the third hour! Well now he is giving me a reason to stay awake. The only thing is that during the whole meeting I am sweating and stressing instead of just enjoying the presentations.

Third off, my Post Doc has pushed me into a specific project. The one that I wanted, she kind of doesn't want me working on. She says that it is too risky, and I agree but I didn't like being excluded out of it. This has pushed me to searching for a post doc/ project in the lab that I would work with instead, once I accept, if I accept, and IF the PI still wants me after this.

Most of the time whatever these people say sounds to me like Mongolian. I just dont understand 75% of what they say. :( I feel so lost and overwhelmed. I miss having Maria next to me so that I can ask her the stupid questions. She was my stupid question filter. I mean she would answer the stupid questions and then I could ask semi-smart questions. Yeap NO MORE. In the mean time I have forgotten all of my immunology and cell biology. I have even forgotten arithmetic... They say that if you fail the QUAL you get a masters... A masters is not so bad right? :/
My mind is SOOOO exhausted and classes begin in 3 weeks. Some one shoot me please!