I've been meaning to shift over from Bloglines to Reader for ages, and I finally did it today. I started out using Bloglines, and tried Reader some time after but I never really liked it. The sort-of-annoying way that Bloglines has you add feeds made me decide to finally switch. This also means I finally updated the feeds of all the blogs that moved this summer, so I can get up-to-date on all my blog-friends I've been missing. I added some new-to-me blogs too, and I might add some more soon; I've been noticing lots of new folks around in the comments of other blogs very consistently but I haven't added any blogs to my list in a long time. It was time to freshen things up, especially since the posting frequency of many of my old favorites has dropped off in the last 6-12 months. I need to update my blogroll too, and maybe change my template.
Blogging hasn't been as much fun lately as it was when I started, so maybe some changes will help get me back into it. It's never something I want to feel like I have to do, or guilty about. However, I did find it to be a great source of camaraderie and reassurance as well as a nice way to practice regular, low-pressure writing so I think it's worth it to renew my interest in it, for now.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
One of many things I took for granted about my old advisor was how attentive she was in emails. She always answered my emails and always actually responded to what I wrote. I'm finding that is relatively rare.
It is so fucking annoying to send emails that I think are important (like when someone specifically asks for an email with certain information) and have them ignored or under-answered. Example: "do you want me to do A or B?" response: "yes". Or a message comprised of several items gets the reply "go ahead". Go ahead and charge your account? Go ahead and take the day off? Go ahead with the experiment? WTF!?
I get the feeling that people get annoyed with me for sending emails that are too long ("I can't read that much on my iphone" - gimme a break!). But I also feel like people don't have time to talk to me, so I send emails because that seems more efficient, especially when several people need to get the information simultaneously. I try to make them as streamlined as possible, with bullet points or numbered lists. Sometimes they get answered well and it's awesome, but plenty of times I get some kind of confusing bullshit. And then people complain when they feel left "out of the loop". I've also noticed that other people send the biggest piles of steaming nonsense in their emails to me, so I guess they do think I'm overdoing it. But when I can't even figure out what the point of your message is, as though you are continuing an in-person conversation that I didn't hear, I think you're doing the shitty job, not me.
End of rant, thank you.
P.S. Comments telling me that senior people get so many emails that they might just die if they have to reply to my (solicited) message are not welcome.
It is so fucking annoying to send emails that I think are important (like when someone specifically asks for an email with certain information) and have them ignored or under-answered. Example: "do you want me to do A or B?" response: "yes". Or a message comprised of several items gets the reply "go ahead". Go ahead and charge your account? Go ahead and take the day off? Go ahead with the experiment? WTF!?
I get the feeling that people get annoyed with me for sending emails that are too long ("I can't read that much on my iphone" - gimme a break!). But I also feel like people don't have time to talk to me, so I send emails because that seems more efficient, especially when several people need to get the information simultaneously. I try to make them as streamlined as possible, with bullet points or numbered lists. Sometimes they get answered well and it's awesome, but plenty of times I get some kind of confusing bullshit. And then people complain when they feel left "out of the loop". I've also noticed that other people send the biggest piles of steaming nonsense in their emails to me, so I guess they do think I'm overdoing it. But when I can't even figure out what the point of your message is, as though you are continuing an in-person conversation that I didn't hear, I think you're doing the shitty job, not me.
End of rant, thank you.
P.S. Comments telling me that senior people get so many emails that they might just die if they have to reply to my (solicited) message are not welcome.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Want
For this month's Scientiae carnival, Karina asks what sorts of supplies we crave for back to school. I'm not much of a school supplies kind of person. I don't need highlighters and special pens and fancy scissors and tape dispensers. I have some of those things on my desk as I need them, but when I think of back to school shopping I think of clothes.
When I was a kid, I always got new clothes at the start of the new school year. My family never had much money, so new things mostly came at birthdays, Christmas, and back to school time. My mom would take me out, sometimes via the city bus to the downtown shopping area (so exciting!), and I would always want to accumulate as many bags as possible (how un-eco!). Even now when the weather cools, I fantasize about new jeans and sweaters. I try to restrain myself these days, due both to my budget and my ideals, but I do indulge a little.
On another supplies-related note, I'm finding my new lab is missing so many basic things! They aren't basic to my new PI, of course, as the lab is outfitted quite nicely for the kind of lab that it is as far as I can tell. But I keep coming up empty handed when I open drawers looking for the things I expect to be in a lab. Fortunately, a new PI just joined our department and will be pooling resources somewhat with our lab. This new person might do some things in my old discipline, so I might get to recommend some items for the start up. Methinks this is a good opportunity to get some of the things I need while forging collaboration with the new person.
When I was a kid, I always got new clothes at the start of the new school year. My family never had much money, so new things mostly came at birthdays, Christmas, and back to school time. My mom would take me out, sometimes via the city bus to the downtown shopping area (so exciting!), and I would always want to accumulate as many bags as possible (how un-eco!). Even now when the weather cools, I fantasize about new jeans and sweaters. I try to restrain myself these days, due both to my budget and my ideals, but I do indulge a little.
On another supplies-related note, I'm finding my new lab is missing so many basic things! They aren't basic to my new PI, of course, as the lab is outfitted quite nicely for the kind of lab that it is as far as I can tell. But I keep coming up empty handed when I open drawers looking for the things I expect to be in a lab. Fortunately, a new PI just joined our department and will be pooling resources somewhat with our lab. This new person might do some things in my old discipline, so I might get to recommend some items for the start up. Methinks this is a good opportunity to get some of the things I need while forging collaboration with the new person.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Anticipation
I'm going to a conference soon. It will be my first time attending a major meeting without presenting anything, and my first meeting in my new field. I'm super excited.
There is a reasonably large group from my institution going to this conference, so I feel like I'll have lots of opportunities to tag along and get introduced to new people without following one person around like a puppy. Also, there are a number of familiar names in the program (others like me that cross this particular disciplinary boundary) so I think I'll have a place to start with networking. The session are quite varied, so I think that there will be slugs of people going to the same sessions on similar topics together. Or not, if the meeting is really huge. I'm not sure what to expect.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to expanding my network, getting to know the people at my institution better, and most of all, learning a shit-ton from the talks. I've always learned easiest by listening, so I think I'm going to come away having made significant personal progress.
There is a reasonably large group from my institution going to this conference, so I feel like I'll have lots of opportunities to tag along and get introduced to new people without following one person around like a puppy. Also, there are a number of familiar names in the program (others like me that cross this particular disciplinary boundary) so I think I'll have a place to start with networking. The session are quite varied, so I think that there will be slugs of people going to the same sessions on similar topics together. Or not, if the meeting is really huge. I'm not sure what to expect.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to expanding my network, getting to know the people at my institution better, and most of all, learning a shit-ton from the talks. I've always learned easiest by listening, so I think I'm going to come away having made significant personal progress.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
On organizing a meeting
I'm organizing a small conference. Sweet Jesus is it a lot of work. And anxiety.
One of my first tasks when I started my postdoc was to organize this thing. What an intimidating, enticing challenge.
In addition to managing all the logistical decisions (what space will we use? what is the budget? how much will the registration fee be? will we have a poster session? how will we solicit and review abstracts? how will we determine the invited:contributed speaker ratio? how long will the talks be? and on and on), I had to develop the themes for each session and the meeting overall, invite the invited speakers, solicit industry sponsors, and write proposals for funding. It's weird and hard to assemble the right mix of speakers in a field that you have only just entered. Oh, and trying to stick to my principles and make sure there is good representation by women when I don't know enough players in the field to suggest any. Boo!
Of course I'm not doing this totally on my own. I've had lots of input from my colleagues, and critically, other people have laid the groundwork for invited speakers, or funding, or lent clout to my emails with their names in the cc line. Still, on the whole, I've been the lead on this thing. My influence has probably shifted the focus toward my old field a little bit, so I'm curious to see how that will play out in the quality and cohesion of the program.
In sum, I wish I hadn't had to spend so much of my precious postdoc time on a service task, but I'm glad to have tried something new and to gain so much visibility in this new field.
One of my first tasks when I started my postdoc was to organize this thing. What an intimidating, enticing challenge.
In addition to managing all the logistical decisions (what space will we use? what is the budget? how much will the registration fee be? will we have a poster session? how will we solicit and review abstracts? how will we determine the invited:contributed speaker ratio? how long will the talks be? and on and on), I had to develop the themes for each session and the meeting overall, invite the invited speakers, solicit industry sponsors, and write proposals for funding. It's weird and hard to assemble the right mix of speakers in a field that you have only just entered. Oh, and trying to stick to my principles and make sure there is good representation by women when I don't know enough players in the field to suggest any. Boo!
Of course I'm not doing this totally on my own. I've had lots of input from my colleagues, and critically, other people have laid the groundwork for invited speakers, or funding, or lent clout to my emails with their names in the cc line. Still, on the whole, I've been the lead on this thing. My influence has probably shifted the focus toward my old field a little bit, so I'm curious to see how that will play out in the quality and cohesion of the program.
In sum, I wish I hadn't had to spend so much of my precious postdoc time on a service task, but I'm glad to have tried something new and to gain so much visibility in this new field.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Flocculating
I feel equal parts curious, irritated, and bored by the dissolution of ScienceBlogs and creation of the new blogging collectives. Apart from Zuska and the occasional lateral click, I didn't read anything on ScienceBlogs that I hadn't already been following before the blog joined the collective.
The internet is a dynamic thing; I'm looking forward to innovation that might come from the change in the science blogosphere culture. On the other hand, the situation smacks of cliquishness that I find unbecoming.
The internet is a dynamic thing; I'm looking forward to innovation that might come from the change in the science blogosphere culture. On the other hand, the situation smacks of cliquishness that I find unbecoming.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Vacay
I'm going on vacation next week!
My parents' 50th wedding anniversary is coming up and they are having a big party. Everyone is coming. It's going to be a full chaotic week of family, family, family. It will be intense, but I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't been to visit since New Year's, which is the longest I've ever gone without a trip home. I'm especially looking forward to seeing my nieces and nephews who live far away and I rarely see.
Extra fun: we're going wedding/bridesmaids' dress shopping! It's going to be so fun. We've gone shopping together for each of my sisters' weddings so it's something of a tradition. Except the family has grown, so this time there will be at least 10 of us. Can you say cluster fuck?
Bonus: I get to spend the weekend with my BFF. Maybe we'll go to the pool. :)
My parents' 50th wedding anniversary is coming up and they are having a big party. Everyone is coming. It's going to be a full chaotic week of family, family, family. It will be intense, but I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't been to visit since New Year's, which is the longest I've ever gone without a trip home. I'm especially looking forward to seeing my nieces and nephews who live far away and I rarely see.
Extra fun: we're going wedding/bridesmaids' dress shopping! It's going to be so fun. We've gone shopping together for each of my sisters' weddings so it's something of a tradition. Except the family has grown, so this time there will be at least 10 of us. Can you say cluster fuck?
Bonus: I get to spend the weekend with my BFF. Maybe we'll go to the pool. :)
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