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-bombshelter'."
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.