RBOC

I have been unusually busy in the evenings this week so I haven't written any substantial posts. So, bullets.

• I sent my advisors the second draft of my paper. I wonder how long it will take them to read it. I expect it to be a while.
• I have a committee meeting coming up. I want to convince them that I should drop the last proposed chapter of my dissertation. I really hope they agree to it.
• If you are going to invite your lab to your home for an open house to entertain a guest scientist, tell people what day you want them to come. Tell them before the day you want them to come.
• If there is a lull in conversation at such an open house, play telephone. It's hilarious when your guests speak a variety languages and children are involved.
• It FINALLY feels like spring. There have been several days with highs above 70F. yay.
• Lost is back tomorrow!

A Note

Dear Former Self,

Thank you for taking good notes sometimes. Occasionally, I think you are a genius for remembering to record what you did in the lab, like the time you saved my ass by noting how you did that one step in the convoluted protocol.

That said, I wish you would do the dishes more often.

Take care,
Current Self

I'm a trained monkey

I'm off to the lab this afternoon to do some seriously mindless work. If I'm lucky I'll tick off 6 more samples from the counter at the sidebar. Even though this task is crummy, tedious, boring, and dirty, I enjoy it as long as I don't have to do it every day for weeks on end. Candid Engineer has a post about why big brain thinky types like to do repetitive lab work (actually, there are a bunch of great posts at Candid Engineer in Academia) that I think is pretty much spot-on. It feels good to see the work get done. Also, I like to get my hands dirty with the project so I develop a more intimate knowledge of it.


So you say, "EGF, you don't work on weekends! That violates your 40 hours rule." That's true, but I do want to graduate and the only way to do it to get things done. However, unless I have a huge and looming deadline, when I work on weekends I reserve the right to choose whatever I feel like doing rather than worrying about what has highest priority. I figure it's bonus work so whatever I get done is great. I don't want to be resentful of being there; I want to be pleased with myself for getting something extra accomplished.

Every thing I do today is one thing I don't have to do tomorrow.

Vacation Part 2 -or- Carrot

I went on vacation the day after I took my oral candidacy exam. I hadn't realized just how tense I had been while preparing for the exam; I've never felt such an obvious release of tension. Even though the trip was to Gatlinburg, TN with my whole 28-member family (including two infants), it was blissful.

When I told Academic Advisor about my July vacation plans, he half-joked that I better have my paper submitted before then. I thought about it a little and decided that it's a really good goal. By the time we go through a few more iterations, we probably will be entering summer. It would be positively glorious to lie on the beach with a beer knowing that the paper is off my desk.

Yes, that's the goal. That's a big juicy carrot dangling on a stick. I'm gonna kick that paper's ass.

Vacations

Several bloggers have discussed the dilemmas surrounding students’ requests for vacation time, like whether or not the advisor should be consulted, if the time must be "made up", etc. I have two week-long trips planned for this summer and felt compelled to run my plans by both advisors, though not necessarily ask for permission. Research Advisor didn’t seem especially interested and said fine. I must have had an apologetic look on my face when I talked to Academic Advisor today because he said, “why are making that face? Why do you feel bad about taking time off?” How great is that? He’s right, I shouldn’t feel bad.

That brings me to a thought I’ve had for a while: why do scientists feel like we need to justify their vacations? Why do we have to rationalize our fun?

I’ve noticed that people will say they need to take time off in order to be a better scientist. Vacations “recharge the batteries” so one can return to work in super production mode. Time off during evenings or weekends will “refresh creativity” and “clear one’s head”. These things are all true. But is the only reason we take vacations so that we can be better workers? Why don’t we take vacations just because it’s fun or to spend quality time with our families? I don’t feel like my whole point of living is to be a better scientist. There are lots of things that contribute to making me a good person and member of my community besides my work.

I get so sick of the notion that if I’m serious about my career, then the core of my identity should be as a scientist and that everything I do should be to fortify my worth as a worker. I think that’s bullshit. I’m glad that my advisors don’t seem to have that attitude.

I think I should be able to take a vacation just because I want to. If it happens to make me a better scientist, all the better.

Ecogeoman has an ouchie

Ecogeoman was walking to class today when he felt a snap in his calf. He could walk, but only on his tip-toes (I'm sure he looked very graceful walking down the street!). There is severe pain in the lower inside part of his calf muscle when he flexes his foot. I guess he pulled a muscle(?).

I had to pick him up and drive him home from work (he would have taken public, but it would have involved too much walking and too many stairs). So now he has ice on it after taking Excedrin Back and Body (acetaminophen + aspirin). Any other advice?

March NYR review

I’m overdue for a New Year’s Resolution update post. I’m sure these are boring, but they really do provide some accountability for me, so here goes.

• I’m doing fine on the money and cooking resolutions.
• Lab work is slowly but steadily progressing. I met a small milestone for Chapter 2 work this week. Chapter 3 work is not going as fast, but not entirely stalled.
• The paper is not going well. Well, it’s not going badly but this is April already and it’s still not done. I have no one to blame but myself. No excuses. I just haven’t done it. Progress has been creeping along, but I need to get my A into G and do it. Actually, that’s not really fair. I did do a fair bit of work on it in March. However, I can feel myself fake working during my writing time and that’s bad. Also, I put everything else first and that’s also bad.
• I still have the same old problem of being really effective in the lab and not so much at my desk. One of the resolutions I have let slide was to make tomorrow’s to-do list at the end of each day. I think I should try that again. Also, I think the goals should be more specific. Currently, I’ll say I’m going to “write” for 2 hours or whatever, but I think I need to say “I’ll work on paragraph X” or “I’ll find the appropriate references for these 3 arguments”. There’s currently some good advice about goal making and list writing at the Aphasic Grads Writing Group.

Sorry I complain about the same crap over and over, but it’s what I struggle with.