Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I need, desperatedly need, to write another abstract today after work. The deadline is in two days, so I want to send it tomoroorw, just to be safe. How am I gonna do thisssss?!

I'm in the same boat! I was hoping for paired interviews, but so many people have pairs who cancel that I'm switching to singles. I wonder how I'll justify the mixed data set. That's a little weird. I'm surprised by how stressful organizing this is. The actual interviews are great (I love stories!). But the rest? Blarg.

It's Monday, 9:06am. I'm already behind schedule. crepe! Now it's 9:07.

Hah, I sent the abstract, and it's still only the 14th!!!! I did something on time! That hardly ever happens.
Now I'm decimating my BF's collection of single malt whiskies to calm my nerves.

Today I celebrated Valentines day by…. waking up and studying.

Ironically, you're not alone.

That is why I posted that here :) I knew you people would feel my pain!

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFRACK. Why does my upstairs neighbor insist on waking up and immediately (and loudly) putting on house music?!

On a lighter note, what grad school-esque web comics do y'alls read?

Bummer weekend. Had my first Clinical Pathology exam on Friday and there were 15 questions making up 75% and a full write-up case making up the other 25. I just hate it when I know that I've missed at least 2 and a chunk of my grade has just disappeared into the void.

camuscando, hopefully it's not as bad as it feels!

Back from first set of field work. Got my interviews done. Unfortunately I'm now swamped with work-work (versus dissertation work). I just want to transcribe and code dammit! I'm finally seeing what people mean about other projects distracting them from getting done. Somehow I thought I would just be able to power through this...

Synthetic organic chemistry. Just passed my oral exam to get my masters en route to PhD, but a lot of shiitake just went down in my group with people leaving, so I've got a question for the science types. Could you talk to your boss if you were getting frustrated with your research or had issues with things? I think lack of real communication was a problem with this situation. Grad school isn't supposed to be easy, but you need to power through it and stick it out, right?

Heh, I'm so broke that I just registered to take part in a study on stress and health.

When I was at the NIH, I had a PI that insisted we repeat tests over and over again, despite getting results that contradicted one of her hypotheses. My post-doc mentor supported me and my results, and repeated them, but the PI wouldn't budge. I ended up switching to a different project focus to accommodate her. In the end, I was glad that my research fellowship only lasted a year because I just couldn't deal with the bad science going on there. Hopefully, you can talk through your problems with your boss and maybe come out with a plan to address those issues. I really appreciated having weekly meetings discussing my progress with every lab PI I've worked under because we were able to set regular incremental goals. We also had group meetings with the other researchers in the lab to present our findings and sometimes the other folks would give good constructive criticism or suggestions for other avenues to pursue. Of course, my experience was in molecular biology studies, so I don't know if this advice applies to synthetic organic chemistry.

One of my classes is using the vegan package in R!

I already have an MA! Why the hell am I in school? I hate my classes, they are boring as hell, I feel like I'm failing them anyway, they are costing me a fortune, and I will be in so much debt, and I don't want to read this stupid chapter. I just want to watch Boy Meets World and snuggle with my kitty. I know I need 18 more hours of classes to get my dream job, but I don't care anymore!

Okay that's out of my system. I'll read the stupid chapter now.

I did some annoying study recently for the same reason. Even stayed on campus on a Frdaiy evening to do it. And then they gave me a receipt to take to the cashier's office that was already closed for the weekend. I was like, well... looks like box wine again this weekend. But at least I had something to look forward to on Monday.

I love this thread.


I've used this! Although for the life of me I can't remember why. I do social/information science. Maybe it was one of the taxonomy functions?

Just signed up for my last master's class, starting the 5th. Culminating in a comprehensive exam. Barf.

I just failed an assignment I worked really hard on. I promise I'm not an idiot, but my teacher makes me feel like one. All the time.

Aw AutumnLeaves, hang in there! I am sorry that your professor makes you feel like you aren't smart, I am sure that you are! Is there anyway to make up/rectify the failed assignment?

Does anyone else occasionally look for jobs when you feel tired of all this and then get even MORE depressed because there are no interesting jobs right now that you even qualify for? Worst!

Sometimes I think that's all I do. For me, it's depressing because there ARE jobs in my field, but they seem to come in two categories: jobs I can't have and jobs I don't want. And then I code the salient attributes of the jobs to build fuzzy sets, which makes me a little happier.

S/he is a dbag. Wasn't there any constructive comments on why the assignment received a failing grade?

The assignment was to create a lesson plan on based on the brain based model. I go all out and do research and get creative and create a lesson plan for an 8th grade reading class on the book A Wrinkle in Time. I have carts, notes, links, vocabulary lists, TEKS Standards and diagrams about how it will all work.
I included everything my professor's grading rubric said to include and then some. She fails me because my lesson plan was not arranged in the exact order indicated in the grading rubric. My lesson plan was in chronological order. It was a step by step plan that any idiot that can read can follow and successfully teach the lesson.
It would have been fine if she took off a few points for it being in a different order, but I got a 10 out of a possible 30! That was a bit excessive. I talked to her, and she said I can resubmit it for a late grade. I am still pissed, but I will do it.

This, but the jobs available that I'm qualified for are what I did before entering grad school.

On a higher note, just a couple more months, the bar exam, then I get to be a real person again! A potentially unemployed and indebted real person, but I'll actually be able to garden this year! And see friends! That I'm sure I have somewhere!

What are these gardens, and friend things you speak of? j/k. Congratulations! You will have to tell us what it is like on the outside when you get there!