Yesterday was a BIG day! I got my MatLab code that takes my CT images, lines them up, crops then and converts them to something read-able to work. Yay! Also, they produce read-able images. Double Yay! Either way, I should be well on my way to collecting and interpreting data.
All systems go.
Engage.
Yeah, pretty stoked.
Although the success is something worth celebrating, I actually have to get some "real work" done. I'll actually have to read the biostatistics book that I've been putting off. I'll actually have to build another program to make this all come together. I'll actually have to do an analysis.....and write a paper. Well, shit.
At least things are moving forward. That's a good thing. I get a little excited.
Over the weekend I went on a pubcrawl for Laura and Dave's Stag and Doe. It was EPIC! I brought along my Rocket Scientist Steve (because everyone needs a Rocket Scientist in their life) and my Partner-In-Crime Amanda. I hope they had fun, because I sure did. I was EVERYWHERE....too many good friends packed in one little package. Their wedding reception is going to be EPIC, I can taste it.
Otherwise, life is fairly normal.
Project moving forward - finally...CHECK.
Still awesome - CHECK.
Still slightly crazy - CHECK.
Still rooting for the underdog - CHECK.
Enjoying the single life - well, mostly check.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Jekyll and Hyde?? Sure, why not!
I got my Student/Teaching Evaluations back today. Wait....I'll start at the beginning....well, sorta with the pre-amble.
Those who know me very will know that I kind of have a Jekyll and Hyde kind of personality. I'm a person of extremes. When I'm pleased, I'm really pleased; also a pleasure to be around. When I'm pissed off....boy, watch out! I'm typically quite pissed off and it takes a little bit of time for the fuse to burn. When the wick does run out, stand back. Ms. Hyde doesn't come out very often, but when she does....boy....back off. I guess my Water Management class needed more warning, or I didn't do a very good job in containing her. I'm guessing it's the latter. My RCM class on the other hand got to deal with Dr. Jekyll.
I actually enjoyed reading my RCM class review. Although it wasn't outstanding, I wasn't expecting outstanding, it was my first time teaching and I didn't design the course. It was however really good, one student took the time to draw a "Nova-Saur" in the comment space...I'm not exactly sure exactly what that is but the comment read "Drawing of a Super Nova or Dinosaur....or something." Overall the reviews were good, not great, but good. I'll take it.
The Water Management evaluations were really rough. I'm not going to let it get to me, mostly because I was really rough on them. I don't regret it. I didn't spoon-feed them when they were expecting as much. It's University for Pete's sake, I asked them to grow up. Apparently they didn't want to rise to the challenge (There were a few students that accepted the challenge. I wish I would have known who they were, but I have a good idea who they are. I hope they got the grades they deserved.) My favorite comment from then was something to the effect of: "She introduced the concept and then left us to fend for ourselves." Um....isn't that the point of University? To "think" and "fend" for yourself? I'm not going to think for you. That part is up to you. Sure, I'll admit that there were days where I was kind of a bitch, and they picked up on it and called me on it. Point for them. But there were other days where I seriously wondered if there was actual neuro-function between their ears. I guess the standards between Engineering and Agriculture are quite different.
I wasn't afraid to challenge them and keep them to a very high standard. I may have challenged them too much. Other comments were to the effect of the assignments being too demanding or too long. Although they're not in the "Real World" yet, I'm sure they'll thank me someday when they're given an actual taste of "too demanding". I may not have been the most professional teacher. I'll admit it. I was cranky when I should have kept my cool. They knew exactly how to press my buttons....sadly I let them. I'm still wondering if I just got a class of "duds" that were able to make life very difficult.
I'm going to take the last term for what it was. I was teaching one class within the scope of my expertise and did very well. I was teaching one class that was beyond my scope of expertise and struggled to keep ahead. My flaws showed and I'll lick my wounds and move on. I can't say that I'll teach another class with AgBio engineering again, at least not in the near future. Given the situation I was in and the review that I got, I honestly don't think that they'll hire me back, at least not to teach anything outside of my scope. The class was a train wreck to start with, and I'm still picking up pieces.
I guess you win some, you lose some. This one I lost. I maybe didn't deal with it in the best way either, mostly by venting on this very public form of expression, but it was still a life experience and this is how I wanted to document it. I figure that someone might be able to learn from my experience. Maybe even me.
Those who know me very will know that I kind of have a Jekyll and Hyde kind of personality. I'm a person of extremes. When I'm pleased, I'm really pleased; also a pleasure to be around. When I'm pissed off....boy, watch out! I'm typically quite pissed off and it takes a little bit of time for the fuse to burn. When the wick does run out, stand back. Ms. Hyde doesn't come out very often, but when she does....boy....back off. I guess my Water Management class needed more warning, or I didn't do a very good job in containing her. I'm guessing it's the latter. My RCM class on the other hand got to deal with Dr. Jekyll.
I actually enjoyed reading my RCM class review. Although it wasn't outstanding, I wasn't expecting outstanding, it was my first time teaching and I didn't design the course. It was however really good, one student took the time to draw a "Nova-Saur" in the comment space...I'm not exactly sure exactly what that is but the comment read "Drawing of a Super Nova or Dinosaur....or something." Overall the reviews were good, not great, but good. I'll take it.
The Water Management evaluations were really rough. I'm not going to let it get to me, mostly because I was really rough on them. I don't regret it. I didn't spoon-feed them when they were expecting as much. It's University for Pete's sake, I asked them to grow up. Apparently they didn't want to rise to the challenge (There were a few students that accepted the challenge. I wish I would have known who they were, but I have a good idea who they are. I hope they got the grades they deserved.) My favorite comment from then was something to the effect of: "She introduced the concept and then left us to fend for ourselves." Um....isn't that the point of University? To "think" and "fend" for yourself? I'm not going to think for you. That part is up to you. Sure, I'll admit that there were days where I was kind of a bitch, and they picked up on it and called me on it. Point for them. But there were other days where I seriously wondered if there was actual neuro-function between their ears. I guess the standards between Engineering and Agriculture are quite different.
I wasn't afraid to challenge them and keep them to a very high standard. I may have challenged them too much. Other comments were to the effect of the assignments being too demanding or too long. Although they're not in the "Real World" yet, I'm sure they'll thank me someday when they're given an actual taste of "too demanding". I may not have been the most professional teacher. I'll admit it. I was cranky when I should have kept my cool. They knew exactly how to press my buttons....sadly I let them. I'm still wondering if I just got a class of "duds" that were able to make life very difficult.
I'm going to take the last term for what it was. I was teaching one class within the scope of my expertise and did very well. I was teaching one class that was beyond my scope of expertise and struggled to keep ahead. My flaws showed and I'll lick my wounds and move on. I can't say that I'll teach another class with AgBio engineering again, at least not in the near future. Given the situation I was in and the review that I got, I honestly don't think that they'll hire me back, at least not to teach anything outside of my scope. The class was a train wreck to start with, and I'm still picking up pieces.
I guess you win some, you lose some. This one I lost. I maybe didn't deal with it in the best way either, mostly by venting on this very public form of expression, but it was still a life experience and this is how I wanted to document it. I figure that someone might be able to learn from my experience. Maybe even me.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Ho Hum...
It's funny how little it seems that I have going on in my life when I don't have undergrads to bitch about.
Interesting.
You know how they say that engineers aren't boring, they just get excited about boring things. Well, I guess that's a half-truth. I also get excited about exciting things. Sadly, I haven't had too much exciting in a while.
Saturday was the Raptor....err....Rapture. I saw no Rapture or Raptors, to my disappointment, and it looks like I'll be going to Hell anyways. See you there! Raptor Day was also the Grilled Cheese Festival - Saskatoon Edition. Physicshaus had us all over for an afternoon of drinking, Nerf-gun executions and glorious grilled cheese. If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be steak. If I had to opt to a Plan B, it would be grilled cheese. The deal was that we were supposed to show up with a loaf of bread and some cheeses and we'd experiment. It was delicious. Berry-coated goat cheese in raisin bread is CHEESE-GASM!! Aside from the grilled cheese, I was dubbed "Pretty fucking awesome" at Penny Arcade Nerf Battles. I had 2 complete rounds shot out (pretty accurately) - and reloaded - before John (the guy who actually owns the Nerf revolvers) could get his first round in and ready. WINNER! Eamon couldn't believe how much pent up anger I had and Steve wondered if I had an "Off" button. Turns out I don't.
Moral of the story: Grilled cheese coupled with Nerf Battles makes for a very awesome evening and afternoon. I need to find a roommate who I can have Nerf Battles with......
I went to the farm Sunday morning and stayed for the weekend + a day. Nothing too interesting. Chaos was happy to run around and get really muddy. She's exhausted now. WIN!
Interesting.
You know how they say that engineers aren't boring, they just get excited about boring things. Well, I guess that's a half-truth. I also get excited about exciting things. Sadly, I haven't had too much exciting in a while.
Saturday was the Raptor....err....Rapture. I saw no Rapture or Raptors, to my disappointment, and it looks like I'll be going to Hell anyways. See you there! Raptor Day was also the Grilled Cheese Festival - Saskatoon Edition. Physicshaus had us all over for an afternoon of drinking, Nerf-gun executions and glorious grilled cheese. If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be steak. If I had to opt to a Plan B, it would be grilled cheese. The deal was that we were supposed to show up with a loaf of bread and some cheeses and we'd experiment. It was delicious. Berry-coated goat cheese in raisin bread is CHEESE-GASM!! Aside from the grilled cheese, I was dubbed "Pretty fucking awesome" at Penny Arcade Nerf Battles. I had 2 complete rounds shot out (pretty accurately) - and reloaded - before John (the guy who actually owns the Nerf revolvers) could get his first round in and ready. WINNER! Eamon couldn't believe how much pent up anger I had and Steve wondered if I had an "Off" button. Turns out I don't.
Moral of the story: Grilled cheese coupled with Nerf Battles makes for a very awesome evening and afternoon. I need to find a roommate who I can have Nerf Battles with......
I went to the farm Sunday morning and stayed for the weekend + a day. Nothing too interesting. Chaos was happy to run around and get really muddy. She's exhausted now. WIN!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
RIP Desk Fort
Yesterday, the summer student and I dismantled my fort. The office is getting shuffled around and my desk is being moved....within the same room thankfully....but we had to move the mini-bomb-shelter beneath my desk so that my desk could actually be moved. Now, if the Rapture (not Raptor, but that would be pretty cool too) does actually happen this Saturday, I won't be able to crawl under my desk for protection as I had planned :( ...not that I was actually believing in such non-sense, but I thought that at least I'd have a cool hidey-hole.....
Either way, the fort came down and I got an amazing workout.
As far as "Project" goes, I'm not ready to bang my head against the wall yet, but frustration is setting in. I'm a smasher and a grapher, not a coder. I've been coding in MatLab for the last 2 weeks, and my brain is slowly turning to mush. It's no big deal, I'll climb the steep learning curve eventually. It's just a tough climb. All part of the process, I just hope that Supervisor understands that I'm taking the process in stride. I may not have a lot to show for the last couple of weeks, but my brain hurts. To me, that counts as something to show. It's just a little tougher to materialize, that's all.
Honestly, life's fairly mundane. Funny how idiot undergrads made my life interesting. Damn them idiot undergrads. I'm not the only one who feels that way...good thing. I've been chilling with the Physics and EP grad students lately. They share my disdain for idiot undergrads too. At least we have that much in common. Well, that and a little more. We're also all very brilliant people.
Either way, the fort came down and I got an amazing workout.
As far as "Project" goes, I'm not ready to bang my head against the wall yet, but frustration is setting in. I'm a smasher and a grapher, not a coder. I've been coding in MatLab for the last 2 weeks, and my brain is slowly turning to mush. It's no big deal, I'll climb the steep learning curve eventually. It's just a tough climb. All part of the process, I just hope that Supervisor understands that I'm taking the process in stride. I may not have a lot to show for the last couple of weeks, but my brain hurts. To me, that counts as something to show. It's just a little tougher to materialize, that's all.
Honestly, life's fairly mundane. Funny how idiot undergrads made my life interesting. Damn them idiot undergrads. I'm not the only one who feels that way...good thing. I've been chilling with the Physics and EP grad students lately. They share my disdain for idiot undergrads too. At least we have that much in common. Well, that and a little more. We're also all very brilliant people.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Title goes here.
This is more an update for the sake of updating I guess.
Nothing has really changed. Work is work, steak is still delicious and my sanity is still intact.
I'm re-learning MatLab. It's been 7 years since I've used it, and I didn't use it that well either. At least all my codes are already written, but I have yet to be able to get them to work. Hopefully by the end of this week. Hopefully. I'm sure I'll be able to find a manual or a book or something. I got the online manuals, but they're a total of 3000+ pages. I need to find a shorter version. :D I'm sure I'll figure it out. I'm a smart cookie and miles ahead of where I should be. No worries.
Either way, not much is new. Life is still awesome.
Nothing has really changed. Work is work, steak is still delicious and my sanity is still intact.
I'm re-learning MatLab. It's been 7 years since I've used it, and I didn't use it that well either. At least all my codes are already written, but I have yet to be able to get them to work. Hopefully by the end of this week. Hopefully. I'm sure I'll be able to find a manual or a book or something. I got the online manuals, but they're a total of 3000+ pages. I need to find a shorter version. :D I'm sure I'll figure it out. I'm a smart cookie and miles ahead of where I should be. No worries.
Either way, not much is new. Life is still awesome.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Vortex.....GO!
Today I got sucked into the vortex. Sadly for you all, I was distracted by 2 different projects I have on the go, but I can't post about them on the infowebs because they're both top secret. Ha Ha!
Either way, I got little to nothing complete this morning while I was working on secret endeavor #1, a 2-hour lunch in the Physics basement (I'm having a long hot shower tonight) and then about an hour of actual work before I got distracted with secret endeavor #2. Whatever. I guess it happens. I'll have to make up for it tomorrow I guess. No big deal.
I guess it didn't take too long to get sucked in. I knew it was going to happen eventually, but this may have been too soon. Whatever, I figure as long as I get to work at around 9:30 each morning and stick around until 4/4:30. So far, I'm on time and "on budget". I'll take it. No use in working too hard, simply because I'm getting paid way below minimum wage. I'll get it done when I get it done.
Meh. I guess the best way to describe where I'm sitting right now is "It is what it is".
Either way, I got little to nothing complete this morning while I was working on secret endeavor #1, a 2-hour lunch in the Physics basement (I'm having a long hot shower tonight) and then about an hour of actual work before I got distracted with secret endeavor #2. Whatever. I guess it happens. I'll have to make up for it tomorrow I guess. No big deal.
I guess it didn't take too long to get sucked in. I knew it was going to happen eventually, but this may have been too soon. Whatever, I figure as long as I get to work at around 9:30 each morning and stick around until 4/4:30. So far, I'm on time and "on budget". I'll take it. No use in working too hard, simply because I'm getting paid way below minimum wage. I'll get it done when I get it done.
Meh. I guess the best way to describe where I'm sitting right now is "It is what it is".
Friday, May 6, 2011
Weekend with the Fossils.
I've been having a lot of sleepless nights lately. I'm not sure what the cause is though. It's not like I have a whole lot on my mind right now, (Yes, there's a guy, but there's always a guy. Always.) I'm done classes, marking, exams, undergrads, etc, etc., so I'm really having a tough time trying to figure out what's keeping me up at night. Meh. I'll figure it out when I'm ready I guess (maybe it is the guy....well, shit).
I know what kept me up last night, it was "not looking forward to APEGS AGM this weekend". I despise AGM weekend, mostly because I really don't have the choice to bitch out, because I'm on Council, and in all honesty it's kind of boring. Meetings....they're boring. Also, I'm stuck in a room with the "Fossils". I know I've mentioned my disdain for these events before, so I'll spare you the details.
The problem with the AGM....Past Presidents Meeting. You can only imagine how much I'm going to dislike this. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't an "old boys club" and my first experience didn't leave a sour, bitter, shitty taste in my mouth.
The year I was elected to Council, I sat at the banquet with my Mom and 3 Past Presidents and their wives. I think their average age was 70...or so it seemed. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge advocate of "respect your elders". Hell, most of the time I am an "elder", so I do get that they should receive a certain amount of respect....but in order for me to give you respect, you have to reciprocate. These three Old Boys didn't reciprocate.
They would start talking "technical stuff", I would jump in, and I would be ignored. I ended up talking with their wives about shopping and shoes. The only thing they seemed interested in discussing with me was about being a girl in engineering. Honestly, I think this issue is overplayed, overused and no longer relevant. Apparently, it's still an issue. I didn't get the memo. I don't want the memo. I'll est the memo in protest.
Yeah....bitter taste. I'm not looking forward to today...at all.
I kind of want to bitch out.
At least this time around, I'm not a "typical engineer". I don't do bridges, steel, concrete, power, motors, consulting, environment, rocks, circuits or robots. I do bones, tissues, blood, guts, modeling and algorithms. Whatever, it's only 3 days. Monday it will all be over and I can go back to research. (I'm at the point where no matter what I'm doing, my research is running in the back of my mind. It's an awesome feeling. I'm at a constant state of distraction....and this time, it's the good kind.)
I know what kept me up last night, it was "not looking forward to APEGS AGM this weekend". I despise AGM weekend, mostly because I really don't have the choice to bitch out, because I'm on Council, and in all honesty it's kind of boring. Meetings....they're boring. Also, I'm stuck in a room with the "Fossils". I know I've mentioned my disdain for these events before, so I'll spare you the details.
The problem with the AGM....Past Presidents Meeting. You can only imagine how much I'm going to dislike this. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't an "old boys club" and my first experience didn't leave a sour, bitter, shitty taste in my mouth.
The year I was elected to Council, I sat at the banquet with my Mom and 3 Past Presidents and their wives. I think their average age was 70...or so it seemed. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge advocate of "respect your elders". Hell, most of the time I am an "elder", so I do get that they should receive a certain amount of respect....but in order for me to give you respect, you have to reciprocate. These three Old Boys didn't reciprocate.
They would start talking "technical stuff", I would jump in, and I would be ignored. I ended up talking with their wives about shopping and shoes. The only thing they seemed interested in discussing with me was about being a girl in engineering. Honestly, I think this issue is overplayed, overused and no longer relevant. Apparently, it's still an issue. I didn't get the memo. I don't want the memo. I'll est the memo in protest.
Yeah....bitter taste. I'm not looking forward to today...at all.
I kind of want to bitch out.
At least this time around, I'm not a "typical engineer". I don't do bridges, steel, concrete, power, motors, consulting, environment, rocks, circuits or robots. I do bones, tissues, blood, guts, modeling and algorithms. Whatever, it's only 3 days. Monday it will all be over and I can go back to research. (I'm at the point where no matter what I'm doing, my research is running in the back of my mind. It's an awesome feeling. I'm at a constant state of distraction....and this time, it's the good kind.)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Trying to stay out of the Vortex
Well, now I understand how you can get stuck in the Vortex known as "Grad Studies". It's taken me a week to make a proposal outline. A week!! An outline!! Fuck!!
This document will be a little under 10 pages when I'm all done...in mid-June! I used to be able to pump out 10 pages in a week, not just the outline for the 10 pages. Funny thing is, I was told today that I'm waaay more productive than most other grad students. I was also told "At least we have eachother" and "It's better than the Real World". Although I agree, I'm a little disappointed with how much, or how little I've been able to get done this week.
I'm so used to "Hurry up and do this. Do it right or you could get fired."...not "Well, you have lots of time, you get it done when you get it done". It's a very weird feeling. Very weird.
Whatever, I guess I'll just roll with it. Worst case I get stuck in the vortex, right?
This document will be a little under 10 pages when I'm all done...in mid-June! I used to be able to pump out 10 pages in a week, not just the outline for the 10 pages. Funny thing is, I was told today that I'm waaay more productive than most other grad students. I was also told "At least we have eachother" and "It's better than the Real World". Although I agree, I'm a little disappointed with how much, or how little I've been able to get done this week.
I'm so used to "Hurry up and do this. Do it right or you could get fired."...not "Well, you have lots of time, you get it done when you get it done". It's a very weird feeling. Very weird.
Whatever, I guess I'll just roll with it. Worst case I get stuck in the vortex, right?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Another day at the office.
Today was a momentous day: the day I started writing my thesis proposal (which coincidentally is also the first day that I started writing the actual thesis....cool). Today was also a momentous day because I got a new office. I'm no longer nomadic.
I have a "home base"; it feels pretty good. After being between offices for 3 months, it feels kind of nice to have a place called home.
The first office arrangement wasn't too bad, but we had tiny desks, so I wasn't there very often.
Then we got bigger desks, but were bumping into each other, so I wasn't there very often....neither was anyone else.
After I realized that I could have the room to myself, someone started failure testing in the back, so there were hydraulics and 3-phase motors running 24/7, so I wasn't there very often.
I was able to use an office in the back of the Ag Bio wing while I was teaching the dreaded "Water Management" class, but I don't feel right using it (even if it does have a window) because I'm finished teaching with the Ag Bio department. Also, I want to repress all the dreaded memories of ABE 309....
Either way, I spent the last 2 weeks as a "Grad Student Nomad"....able to work anywhere she wanted, but only as long as her bladder held out.....
It feels good to have a home, even if it is in the darkest corner that's been forgotten about.
I didn't take any pictures today, although I should have. Some of the equipment is pretty ancient. I know for sure that it pre-dates the banning of asbestos....simply because there's big signs on them that say "ASBESTOS DO NOT SMASH"...or something to that effect.
The hilight, I have a bunch of random testing weights hiding under my desk. I figured that if I have asbestos-based equipment in my corner, I should have a bomb shelter/fort under my desk. The Physics Boys made fun of me last week when I mentioned making a fort in Sarah's office. Little do they realize that I'm turning dreams into reality.
Here's the point of the story.....
There I was, at about 4:00, post-Gantt chart, mid-fort building and my adviser poked into the lab for a bit, to see if I'd settled in and if I needed anything for the next week because he was going to be gone.
He then looked under the desk and said, "Can't find an outlet?"
I popped my head out from under my desk while heaving weights and replied, "No, I decided to spruce up the place. I figured that these random weights would make good walls for an 'under-desk-fort-slash-bom
He stood up straight and said, "Well, it's good to see that the new space isn't stifling your creativity. I'm gone for the week, we'll talk about your Gantt chart and Proposal Outline when I get back. Have fun."
I'm pretty sure I saw him shake his head (or maybe even face-palm) as he turned around. I'm not sure if he thinks I'm crazy, awesome, crazy-awesome, or if he's seriously wondering where his grant money is going. I think what saved the day is that my Gantt chart was still open on my desktop and my logbook and calendar were wide open with scribbles all over them. Also, it was "coffee-time" and I was due for an afternoon break.
Deep-down, I know he wanted to dive under there and build the fort with me. This is the same guy that I had comic book talk with for a solid 20 minutes in the hallway, also the same guy that put "Baby Making" in his calendar......Man, I love working for my adviser. He's so pillow vs. pillow.
(I picked a pretty awesome guy to work for. I'm pretty sure Uncle Terry would have told me to get my ass back to work. Uncle Terry also told me to cover up the tattoos and start looking more "grown-up". Supervisor thought my butterfly and bolt was "Pretty frickin' sweet". Supervisor FTW!!)
Now that I've raved about this fort, I guess I'll have to post pictures. If I remember, they'll be up tomorrow....or maybe later this week. I need to bring in a telescoping broomstick or pole and a blanket.
I have a "home base"; it feels pretty good. After being between offices for 3 months, it feels kind of nice to have a place called home.
The first office arrangement wasn't too bad, but we had tiny desks, so I wasn't there very often.
Then we got bigger desks, but were bumping into each other, so I wasn't there very often....neither was anyone else.
After I realized that I could have the room to myself, someone started failure testing in the back, so there were hydraulics and 3-phase motors running 24/7, so I wasn't there very often.
I was able to use an office in the back of the Ag Bio wing while I was teaching the dreaded "Water Management" class, but I don't feel right using it (even if it does have a window) because I'm finished teaching with the Ag Bio department. Also, I want to repress all the dreaded memories of ABE 309....
Either way, I spent the last 2 weeks as a "Grad Student Nomad"....able to work anywhere she wanted, but only as long as her bladder held out.....
It feels good to have a home, even if it is in the darkest corner that's been forgotten about.
I didn't take any pictures today, although I should have. Some of the equipment is pretty ancient. I know for sure that it pre-dates the banning of asbestos....simply because there's big signs on them that say "ASBESTOS DO NOT SMASH"...or something to that effect.
The hilight, I have a bunch of random testing weights hiding under my desk. I figured that if I have asbestos-based equipment in my corner, I should have a bomb shelter/fort under my desk. The Physics Boys made fun of me last week when I mentioned making a fort in Sarah's office. Little do they realize that I'm turning dreams into reality.
Here's the point of the story.....
There I was, at about 4:00, post-Gantt chart, mid-fort building and my adviser poked into the lab for a bit, to see if I'd settled in and if I needed anything for the next week because he was going to be gone.
He then looked under the desk and said, "Can't find an outlet?"
I popped my head out from under my desk while heaving weights and replied, "No, I decided to spruce up the place. I figured that these random weights would make good walls for an 'under-desk-fort-slash-bom
He stood up straight and said, "Well, it's good to see that the new space isn't stifling your creativity. I'm gone for the week, we'll talk about your Gantt chart and Proposal Outline when I get back. Have fun."
I'm pretty sure I saw him shake his head (or maybe even face-palm) as he turned around. I'm not sure if he thinks I'm crazy, awesome, crazy-awesome, or if he's seriously wondering where his grant money is going. I think what saved the day is that my Gantt chart was still open on my desktop and my logbook and calendar were wide open with scribbles all over them. Also, it was "coffee-time" and I was due for an afternoon break.
Deep-down, I know he wanted to dive under there and build the fort with me. This is the same guy that I had comic book talk with for a solid 20 minutes in the hallway, also the same guy that put "Baby Making" in his calendar......Man, I love working for my adviser. He's so pillow vs. pillow.
(I picked a pretty awesome guy to work for. I'm pretty sure Uncle Terry would have told me to get my ass back to work. Uncle Terry also told me to cover up the tattoos and start looking more "grown-up". Supervisor thought my butterfly and bolt was "Pretty frickin' sweet". Supervisor FTW!!)
Now that I've raved about this fort, I guess I'll have to post pictures. If I remember, they'll be up tomorrow....or maybe later this week. I need to bring in a telescoping broomstick or pole and a blanket.
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