The mildly insane thoughts of a mildly sane graduate student

Monday, January 28, 2008

Feeling crafty

Perhaps inspired by actually getting somewhere with the thesis (whew), I got a second wind with the crafty-creative stuff. I'm taking part in a 1ft square crochet block a month activity on Ravelry (the idea is that by December, you have at least enough blocks to make a small blanket (several more ambitious people in that group are aiming much higher). I finally got around to making my January block (whew! before the February one is announced:



The sand dollar sweater is also progressing:



That's the back AND the 2 upper front panels. I am wondering if the neckline will have more decoltage than my bussoms will handle but I figure I should be able to add a border if necessary once assembly is completed.

I also found this which sounds pretty awesome and will definately take part:

Project Spectrum

I am wondering if I can combine it with the blanket project and make extra blocks for each element theme (I'm thinking placing them as corners of the blanket). Thought I also want to do something with photography and perhaps try out some other creative outlets.

First up: Fire!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Thesis - hold gravy please

So, I pretend to be sometimes writing a knitting blog but really, as venting over research has cut off my knitting time (I may be finished piece 3 of Sand Dollar pullover, I just need to sit down with the measuring tape and other piece that needs to be the mirror image of this one as my quick knitting update - Amanda and I have a night of knitting planned for Friday so there should be more to come).

So I had the meeting with the supervisors regarding my need to revamp the thesis. We now have a new thesis plan sans gravy. It's the same project but instead of doing 4 arms, we're doing 2 and in arm number 2 I will have 4 subjects instead of 6. Meaning... I can start analysing my bloodwork (woohoo!) and writing (woohoo!).

Conversation that occured right at end of meeting:

Overambitious supervisor: Okay, that will be fine for your thesis. However, it would be really cool to look at lipids in (now non-existant). Are you sure you don't want to do extra 12 trials and lipid measurements for fun?

Me: Yes, it will be a cool project FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

Overambitious supervisor looks a little taken aback but as I do not think I've ever said no to more work from him and was looking rather desperate (were those real sparks shooting out of my eyes?), he didn't push.

Really to start the final push. Good thing I have Casey to help me out with some final research and fact checking.



In other news, I have a new haircut (okay, 2 weeks old now). I have been told I now have as much hair as a normal person does.



And now for my sad photo of the day, i found this at the lab yesterday:



That is right, good Christmas candies. And not just any good Christmas candy: overambitious prof's Christmas present from me. I left it for him a month ago. He never retrieved it (how can that survive in our lab where people eat Smarties out of pillboxes). I took it with me to our alternate lab where he spends more time and have been debating which note to leave on his office door:

Option 1:

"Dear over-ambitious prof,

I am concerned about the freshness of your Christmas present. Please retrieve it within the next 24 hours or my fellow lab monkeys and I will have to consume it for quality control reasons. DJ"

Option 2:

"Dear overambitious prof,

Your Christmas gift was getting lonely. It is currently hanging out with me in my cubicle. Please come retrieve it. DJ"

Number 2 is nicer, especially as I was nearly spitting sparks at his the other day but those candies sure do look tasty...

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The Case of the Missing Smarties Continues


So, upon return to lab, I interogated my suspects, to no avail:

Suspect #1: "I didn't do it but that is so awesome. I'd have totally confessed if I'd done it because that's just too funny."

Suspect #2: "What?? There were smarties???"

Suspect #3: "No, I didn't but I am hungry. Got any more?"

Monday, January 14, 2008

Help! I'm drowning...

I am exausted. I am on my last day of extended-vacation-which-was-not-really-extended-vacation-because-I-brought-work-which-I-have-been-disciplined-about-doing-even-if-I-only-manage-to-start-in-earnest-at-11pm-and-then-can-not-figure-out-why-I-am-exausted-the-next-morning. Whew... When can I go on vacation.

So what am I working on?

1-) I am trying to salvage my thesis. My trials are either not happening at all, getting cancelled last minute or getting sabotaged by suicidal data-acquisition systems. I have spent 7 months working on the gravy for my thesis that is probably not necessary but would be nice for publication and have gotten nowhere. Trouble is, I can't go nowhere. Funding runs out by summer and I'm applying for PhD programs for this fall. I am hence trying to re-plan my thesis, hold the gravy.

2-) Research article. This is key. If my thesis is non publishable without the gravy and I am holding the gravy, publications are required from other projects. Lucky for me, I have spread myself very thin and have lots of other projects in the works. I am currently slaving over the discussion of one we want to send out by the end of January. Trouble with discussions is when you do research for discussion and in every article you read, you find reference to 5 more articles that you really should read. It gets to be rather distressing.

Chemistry cat

chese-cheez.jpg
moar funny pictures

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Darn it!

I just made one of these. And I was silly enough to think it meant I might actually be getting somewhere (I... want... to... finish... this... semester...).

Though to be fair, I think my Chapter 5 is currently entitled "Why am I doing this to myself" and Chapter 6 is "This is ridiculous".

Am currently taking suggestions for catchier titles...

Friday, January 11, 2008

Of yarn and birds










I have been having fun playing with the zoom in my new camera around my dad's bird feeders (though perhaps I have not had as much viewing enjoyment as Casey has been having).



I'm starting off a new sweater (Sand Dollar Pullover from Knitting Nature). I have completed 2 of the 7 pieces (not looking forward to sewing it together). I have also begun a new baby gift and true to my word, it is non-pastel!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Funny Pictures
moar funny pictures
Funny Pictures
moar funny pictures

Meltdown!

So, our insanely high snowbanks are melting due to unseasonal conditions. As the snow is still covering the ground, guess where all the melt off is going? Yup, my parents' basement. And as the stand-in for my dad while he is in Mexico (sigh), guess who gets to bail the basement? Yup, me.

I figured I was heading for my own meltdown wth the bailing, my questioning what on earth I am doing with my thesis (grr... hit research frustration point...) and unexpectedly 2 day early PhD phone interviews (when the confirmation e-mail said the 9th, it really meant to say the 7th), I thought I was approaching my own meltdown.

I then got this e-mail from un-named student in un-named class of 200 that I am now TAing. I have come to conclusion that I am not melting down but have instead entered some strange universe:

I have a huge favor to ask. I am in blank class on Monday nights and we have a midterm scheduled for Monday the 25th of February. I already booked tickets for a concert that night. I was hoping I might be able to write it the week before reading week.(week of the 11th-15th) There will be no other material covered. If you want my schedule for that week I can send it to you as well. I really hope this is a possibility and will work out.

I sat there for awhile with my jaw dropped. Seriously? You even ask? This would require a whole second midterm exam to be written. This is a large class. If we reschedule a midterm for a concert, I really would not be fair to say no to any requests no matter what the reasoning behind them. My head began to spin, causing Casey to run and hide...

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Side effects of black licorice medication...

So, after buying that big bag of Goodies to vengefully fill my pillbox (hey! they work great! they're capsule shaped and I could color code them: white is AZT, green is Gravol, yellow is neurontin... I made a key with pill, color, dosage and what they are for to go with my demo), I took the remaining candy home with me in a good sized tupperware container. My mom and I emptied it over the course of 24 hours (when she gave me a list of groceries to pick up today, she added more licorice to the list... think I created a monster?).

I signed up for a read 50 books in 2008 challenge (started keeping track of my tally on the blog) via Ravelry. I'm hoping to get a little more sophisticated than Janet Evanovich (though I do love my Janet Evanovich). I'm currently reading Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez and am really having a hard time putting it down.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Dear Smartie thief,

I will have you know that I am not impressed with your antics. I had my Smartie-filled pillbox put together to demonstrate the number of pills an HIV patient is required to take as such:



You can understand my disgust and annoyance when I retrieved it from the lab today (while rushing to get my Lets Talk Science HIV presentation ready to roll on quite short notice).




Yes! That's right! Empty! Shocking...

I understand chocoholism and desperation (perhaps during MCAT preparation?) but you really have reached quite the low considering that the above pill box and the above Smarties have been handled by over 300 fifteen year olds.

I was required to go buy candy (oh woe is me!) and fill it today. Please note the candy I selected.



I have my short-list of suspects and as this must be an inside job and I am quite certain that I am the only person in the lab who likes black licorice (having gotten many a black jelly bean because of that), I am hoping that, even in times of great desperation, candy-covered licorice will be safe.



Next time you feel the need to eat a scientific teaching tool, would you please have the decency to refill it after your time of crisis has passed?

Sincerely,
The angry yet amused Doc Jock