Yesterday I went to Judo and had a really great class. I worked with one of the black belts all class and he kept saying how good I was to work with. He was training for a big tournament he was going to in Miami and so we practiced resisting throws and then did Shiai (sparring) for a half hour straight. Heck of a workout, but I just feel burned out today. I'm not sure I can blame it all on the exercise, but I've been tired and lacking focus all day. I even took a nap this afternoon after I got home from work. I never take naps!
We've been doing battle against the bugs in our yard for the past few weeks. I picked up some ant poison that seems to do pretty well, though in investigating my yard for red ants I stepped on a couple of nests while wearing flip-flops. No permanent damage or severe pain, but you do tend to hop pretty quickly when you discover you've made that mistake.
I've killed of a good half-dozen mounds, but now that Tyler is spending so much time on the floor playing, Jess is extra worried about keeping whatever bugs we can out of the house. I picked up some stuff that's supposed to get sprayed around the perimeter of the house and keep the bugs out, we'll see if it works. Jess gets spooked even more than usual when she sees bugs now.
Tyler has started to laugh! He likes it when you much on his belly, and he gets especially excited when mom and dad come home from work. We always get big, toothless, gummy smiles. He's still entranced by colors and faces, we went shopping today and he spent the the entire time just looking at all the stuff. Very well behaved, though. The best baby in the world.
Good news for Adventure Baby (He's #1 for adventure!) he has discovered that the white monkey has but one weakness...baby drool! He's getting increasingly good at using his hands to get stuff. Mostly it's just waving and grasping, but he's become exceptional at grabbing whatever cloth is on his chest, be it burp cloth or just shirt, with both hands and stuffing it into his mouth. We even spied him delicately reaching for Mr. Toucan today on his play yard. Progress!
He's doing great, also, at being baby-sat, behaving quite well with Grandma Swanson even though she complains all the time about how he spits up on her. I'm not sure why, though. I've had a much better track record by simply deciding that baby vomit isn't worth worrying about and just ignoring it when it gets on my shirt. Those with aversions to body fluids may want to think long and hard about this baby thing.
And finally, of course, a hearty congratulations to Dr. Seguin, the smartest new doctor in the country. Kudos and a hearty hurrah! Can't wait to catch you tomorrow on Skype!
-N
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Good Morning, Dr. Seguin...
Yesterday unfolded much as I hoped it would. We had arrived without drama and difficulty and ensconced ourselves in the uber-convinient Holiday Inn across the street from Sandlin's Lab and site of her defense. The Beer, Salmon, and Crab Dip had made their appearence at the baggage claim without incident after a hassle-free trip from Alaska. Grandmother's had been scooped up after similar clean connections. They were assigned to the penthouse floor with special keys that gave them access to the snooty peoples lounge and free food room which they shared with us during the critical "waiting for the decision" moments.
Sandlin's Talk was well attended, favorably received and scripted like the 5 year effort of preparation that it was. I have just enough Science to understand the elements of what she was talking about but not a clue how the work was done. In that respect, it was most intimidating. We practioners sort of understand why things work biologically but how those fundamental insights are achieved are just a big mystery to us, too.
Nana gave the new PhD her Dr Suess book, "The Places You Go", after we all signed it. I inscribed the following story which I could not resist also giving as a toast at the beer and salmon fest that followed:
Amy Tan, the author of best-selling books like the Bonesetter's Daughter, tells of giving a speech to a large audience with her mother in attendance. Afterward, she asked her mother what she thought of the talk. She replied that she didn't really remember much about what was said. Aggravated, Amy asked "What were you thinking about?" She replied, "I was just looking at all those people watching the speech and thinking: That's my daughter up there, that's my daughter up there...." Sandlin told me after the toast that this had brought some of her labmates to near tears. I have to say while in her Talk, that is exactly what was going though my head and bringing tears to my own eyes: that was my daughter up there, my daughter.
Sandlin's Talk was well attended, favorably received and scripted like the 5 year effort of preparation that it was. I have just enough Science to understand the elements of what she was talking about but not a clue how the work was done. In that respect, it was most intimidating. We practioners sort of understand why things work biologically but how those fundamental insights are achieved are just a big mystery to us, too.
Nana gave the new PhD her Dr Suess book, "The Places You Go", after we all signed it. I inscribed the following story which I could not resist also giving as a toast at the beer and salmon fest that followed:
Amy Tan, the author of best-selling books like the Bonesetter's Daughter, tells of giving a speech to a large audience with her mother in attendance. Afterward, she asked her mother what she thought of the talk. She replied that she didn't really remember much about what was said. Aggravated, Amy asked "What were you thinking about?" She replied, "I was just looking at all those people watching the speech and thinking: That's my daughter up there, that's my daughter up there...." Sandlin told me after the toast that this had brought some of her labmates to near tears. I have to say while in her Talk, that is exactly what was going though my head and bringing tears to my own eyes: that was my daughter up there, my daughter.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
T minus 4 days
I started applying for jobs saying I was a Ph.D. today. All systems go...
Can't wait for my family to be here and for the party to start.
Can't wait for my family to be here and for the party to start.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
A little Journal about Tyler
It's nice to write about some of the smaller moments if only to have a catalog of all the things that happened back when we were new parents. This all seems clear and eternal now, but I'm sure I'll forget it all inside a year.
"Baby Cakes" (no, I don't know why I call him that) is developing new skills slowly, but with confidence and flair. His latest escapades involve squealing. He gets really excited about something and you can see it working up from his toes up through his legs and then his body and arms and then..."EEEE!" Either that or nothing. He's still figuring out how to engage the system sometime. But you can always tell when he *wants* to make the noise. Just sometimes you get a "aaaaoooh" or "pffffft" or just silence instead. All are cute.
I think the discussion is over, Tyler is definitely a Florida baby. He loves hanging around outside. One of the most surefire ways to calm him down is just to walk around outdoors. I'm not sure if it's the warmth, or the sun, or the fresh air or all the bright green grass, but he calms down very quickly. This means we've gotten a lot of use out of the hammock in the front (and, consequentially, I'm getting much better at getting into and out of hammocks). I like to put him up on my lap and then lean back and swing in the hammock. He just stares at whatever happens to be in front of his face, be it either the grass or the light playing off of Daddy’s shirt. We got a patio swing for the backyard and assembled it yesterday. And, of course, it rained for the first time in months, last night, so it’s all soaked.
He’s also starting to move around, though I’m not sure he realizes it yet. He’s definitely doing a back-arch thing when he’s on his back that gets him moving around on his play matt, and when we put him on his belly he will put his arms out and occasionally drag himself along an inch or two. That’s nothing, though, nothing compared to Tyler’s sleep time. We swaddle his lower half so his default motion is just to lift up his legs and bring them kicking down. You can get a lot of distance out of that as evidenced by the fact that the position we find him in in the morning is entirely unrelated to the position we put him down in at night. This morning he was kicking the monitor.
Grandma Swanson is here, and this is our first day with both of us at work and someone else in charge of the little one. I suspect he’s not having a great time, but I give it about two days before the whole thing is routine and normal and he’s totally back into the swing of things. Also, G-ma Swanson is very patient. She has been a mother before, and did a fantastic job of it. Jess is worried that between his ever-increasingly-early bedtime and the fact that he spends most of his waking time while we are at work, we won’t get to see him anymore. I have my doubts.
Oh, and I had a great father’s day weekend. Jess let me play a lot of video games and made me a little collage of Tyler pictures for my desk at work. I like the ones with the bottom lip best.
Tyler is discovering his thumb, which I attribute greatly to his ability to put himself back to sleep several times at night. He is rapidly approaching 12 hours a night. He is also starting to grab cloth and shove it into his mouth. Unless he has something specific in mind, this usually involves chewing on his shirt.
-N
"Baby Cakes" (no, I don't know why I call him that) is developing new skills slowly, but with confidence and flair. His latest escapades involve squealing. He gets really excited about something and you can see it working up from his toes up through his legs and then his body and arms and then..."EEEE!" Either that or nothing. He's still figuring out how to engage the system sometime. But you can always tell when he *wants* to make the noise. Just sometimes you get a "aaaaoooh" or "pffffft" or just silence instead. All are cute.
I think the discussion is over, Tyler is definitely a Florida baby. He loves hanging around outside. One of the most surefire ways to calm him down is just to walk around outdoors. I'm not sure if it's the warmth, or the sun, or the fresh air or all the bright green grass, but he calms down very quickly. This means we've gotten a lot of use out of the hammock in the front (and, consequentially, I'm getting much better at getting into and out of hammocks). I like to put him up on my lap and then lean back and swing in the hammock. He just stares at whatever happens to be in front of his face, be it either the grass or the light playing off of Daddy’s shirt. We got a patio swing for the backyard and assembled it yesterday. And, of course, it rained for the first time in months, last night, so it’s all soaked.
He’s also starting to move around, though I’m not sure he realizes it yet. He’s definitely doing a back-arch thing when he’s on his back that gets him moving around on his play matt, and when we put him on his belly he will put his arms out and occasionally drag himself along an inch or two. That’s nothing, though, nothing compared to Tyler’s sleep time. We swaddle his lower half so his default motion is just to lift up his legs and bring them kicking down. You can get a lot of distance out of that as evidenced by the fact that the position we find him in in the morning is entirely unrelated to the position we put him down in at night. This morning he was kicking the monitor.
Grandma Swanson is here, and this is our first day with both of us at work and someone else in charge of the little one. I suspect he’s not having a great time, but I give it about two days before the whole thing is routine and normal and he’s totally back into the swing of things. Also, G-ma Swanson is very patient. She has been a mother before, and did a fantastic job of it. Jess is worried that between his ever-increasingly-early bedtime and the fact that he spends most of his waking time while we are at work, we won’t get to see him anymore. I have my doubts.
Oh, and I had a great father’s day weekend. Jess let me play a lot of video games and made me a little collage of Tyler pictures for my desk at work. I like the ones with the bottom lip best.
Tyler is discovering his thumb, which I attribute greatly to his ability to put himself back to sleep several times at night. He is rapidly approaching 12 hours a night. He is also starting to grab cloth and shove it into his mouth. Unless he has something specific in mind, this usually involves chewing on his shirt.
-N
Matt won!
Since Matt doesn't really talk about it anywhere else, I wanted to brag on him a little here. Matt won the Criterium last night! That's his first ever first place- the prize is your entrance fee back PLUS $5.
He also happened to mention that while his team has long been leading the Allegheny Cycling Association for Team points, someone told him that he was the individual leader for points too. And that was before he won last night's race!
So yes, Matt is the best of all the C racers in the whole Allegheny Cycling Association, and he doesn't even shave his legs. Point made.
He also happened to mention that while his team has long been leading the Allegheny Cycling Association for Team points, someone told him that he was the individual leader for points too. And that was before he won last night's race!
So yes, Matt is the best of all the C racers in the whole Allegheny Cycling Association, and he doesn't even shave his legs. Point made.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Dissertation, Done! and a seminar primer
I turned in my dissertation today! Hand delivered to each of my committee members (except for the one who left for Atlanta this morning, but he doesn't mind), who each recieved it with varying degrees of ambivalence and dread. I realize that this milestone for me is actually the starter's gun for them. I finished writing 200 pages! Now you have to read it! Needless to say, this drained the excitement out of the moment like a whistling slow leak on a bike tire. In fact, while hanging around waiting for various committee members to be available, I ended up chatting with enough of my peers to acknowlege that Yes, I am graduating in 9 days and No, I don't know what I'll do next, but Yes, Dr. Boss won't be paying me in September. What should have been excitement about a writing break, quickly turned into acute panic about my employment status. Ugh.
In the next nine days, I am hoping to find some jobs to apply for and prepare my seminar. I've had the privilege of going to some other defenses lately, which reminded me that people who don't do this often might like a primer on The Seminar.
I'll be giving my seminar in a lecture hall, which will hopefully feel well attended. The only people required to be there are my committee members- you'll recognize them by having a 200 page document they bring with them. They might flip through it while I talk- this is not rude. Those of you in attendance will get to see me sweating about projector set ups as early as 12:30. At 1pm sharp- or whenever all my committee members have assembled, Dr. Boss will stand up and give a brief introduction. Some faculty like to tell embarrassing stories or get choked up. Fortunately Dr. Boss will say something fairly flattering and professional, but don't expect a well rehearsed speech. The last time he introduced me he admitted my project was "something of a mid-life crisis that turned into a really great opportunity to work with Dr. Rockstar. Here's Sandlin!" "...?" I guess I am saying, don't read to much into whatever he says.
Then I will talk for about an hour. For those not already familiar with my work, I would hope you can understand the first slide or two, and you can be awakened for the slide titled Conclusions. I've decided to keep my acknowledgments strictly professional (people sometimes take the opportunity to publicly thanks their family and friends. I don't think I can do that with dry eyes, and I need my professional dignity for the committee meeting), so I'll probably go through three slides of collaborators and people who've taught me techniques, and then I'll say "and with that, I'll take any questions." Everyone will clap- but it's not over yet! Now is not a good time to take phone calls! Dr. Boss will jump up to moderate any questions, and everyone will stay in their seats to hear what is asked and how I respond. Anyone is welcome to ask questions, but please keep in mind the above regarding my professional dignity. I've seen a spouse ask a devastatingly prescient question the graduate had no response for, and everyone felt awkward about it. Hopefully this won't drag on more than 15 minutes. After that, Dr. Boss will say something about reconvening the committee, and everyone will clap again, and leave. I'll break down my computer while everyone else shuffles out, and then race upstairs to the conference room for my committee meeting. I know it may seem tempting to do otherwise, but this is the peak of my professional career, so no matter how flustered, or blubbery or astoundingly brilliant I seem, please don't come give me kisses, yet! Just brave smiles and I am off to The Defense. This is the end of the part you'll see.
After that, I'll have a meeting with my committee. I actually have no idea what will happen in there, but I expect it will be an hour or two. Eventually, I will be on the receiving end of 1,000 pages of comments and some congratulatory handshakes. Those in attendance are welcome to retire to their hotel, or hang out at my desk and harass my coworkers- they love funny stories! - since this is probably where I will head first to deposit 1000 pages. Those in absentia can expect texts before 5pm EST. Once Dr. Boss is out of sight, pile on the hugs and kisses, my professional obligations for the day are over! I promise I'll come hunting for family to hug no matter where you are, so go ahead and enjoy a nap or a lemonade or something else to kill the time.
In the next nine days, I am hoping to find some jobs to apply for and prepare my seminar. I've had the privilege of going to some other defenses lately, which reminded me that people who don't do this often might like a primer on The Seminar.
I'll be giving my seminar in a lecture hall, which will hopefully feel well attended. The only people required to be there are my committee members- you'll recognize them by having a 200 page document they bring with them. They might flip through it while I talk- this is not rude. Those of you in attendance will get to see me sweating about projector set ups as early as 12:30. At 1pm sharp- or whenever all my committee members have assembled, Dr. Boss will stand up and give a brief introduction. Some faculty like to tell embarrassing stories or get choked up. Fortunately Dr. Boss will say something fairly flattering and professional, but don't expect a well rehearsed speech. The last time he introduced me he admitted my project was "something of a mid-life crisis that turned into a really great opportunity to work with Dr. Rockstar. Here's Sandlin!" "...?" I guess I am saying, don't read to much into whatever he says.
Then I will talk for about an hour. For those not already familiar with my work, I would hope you can understand the first slide or two, and you can be awakened for the slide titled Conclusions. I've decided to keep my acknowledgments strictly professional (people sometimes take the opportunity to publicly thanks their family and friends. I don't think I can do that with dry eyes, and I need my professional dignity for the committee meeting), so I'll probably go through three slides of collaborators and people who've taught me techniques, and then I'll say "and with that, I'll take any questions." Everyone will clap- but it's not over yet! Now is not a good time to take phone calls! Dr. Boss will jump up to moderate any questions, and everyone will stay in their seats to hear what is asked and how I respond. Anyone is welcome to ask questions, but please keep in mind the above regarding my professional dignity. I've seen a spouse ask a devastatingly prescient question the graduate had no response for, and everyone felt awkward about it. Hopefully this won't drag on more than 15 minutes. After that, Dr. Boss will say something about reconvening the committee, and everyone will clap again, and leave. I'll break down my computer while everyone else shuffles out, and then race upstairs to the conference room for my committee meeting. I know it may seem tempting to do otherwise, but this is the peak of my professional career, so no matter how flustered, or blubbery or astoundingly brilliant I seem, please don't come give me kisses, yet! Just brave smiles and I am off to The Defense. This is the end of the part you'll see.
After that, I'll have a meeting with my committee. I actually have no idea what will happen in there, but I expect it will be an hour or two. Eventually, I will be on the receiving end of 1,000 pages of comments and some congratulatory handshakes. Those in attendance are welcome to retire to their hotel, or hang out at my desk and harass my coworkers- they love funny stories! - since this is probably where I will head first to deposit 1000 pages. Those in absentia can expect texts before 5pm EST. Once Dr. Boss is out of sight, pile on the hugs and kisses, my professional obligations for the day are over! I promise I'll come hunting for family to hug no matter where you are, so go ahead and enjoy a nap or a lemonade or something else to kill the time.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Father's Day Thoughts
The material, mundane component of my present to Dad will have to wait for while before it arrives and it deposited in Dad's hands. (Is he 'grandad' now? Do we all just have to shift up by one generation?) But I wanted to take a moment to muse upon the aspects of fatherhood which are the most important but, for some reason, the least often discussed.
Being a parent is not a responsibility, it is the responsibility. It's the thing that everyone points to when you talk about being a grown-up. Are you ready to be in charge of another human being that can't feed, dress, change, or even fall asleep on it's own? All the time? Well then you're responsible now. High fives all around.
And as a task it's really hard to quantify. Being a dad is easy in the same way that knitting is easy. There's really only a few maneuvers you have to know. Few key differences, though, obviously. Primarily, it's okay if you're not very good at knitting. No one wants to be a bad father. Everyone wants to be great at it, it's demanded of us by these little bundles of needs and crying we are presented with every moment of the day. But you can't be great, because you're being measured against your own dad. And he was a full fledged dad. You're just you. For every new generation the task is impossible.
The only secret, as it turns out, is that you fake it. You go with your gut or book-learning, or try to adapt some half-remembered scrap from your own childhood. If you can keep up the facade up long enough, eventually they move out of the house, none the wiser that you never really had any idea what you were doing. Until, of course they have kids of their own, at which point it's too late to go back.
And the sacrifices. Let me tell you, it seems endless. Even just standing on the tip of the iceberg I have to eventually melt, I get a size of the vastness and weight of the things I won't be doing now that I'm a dad. Endless sleepings-in and fast cars sacrificed just so that someone else can have food and diapers so that they will grow past a point of their life that they won't even remember in a few years. And they'll never appreciate everything Dad could be doing with his time and money instead because hey, I didn't. Dad's are expected to toss those things away stoically and without second thoughts because after all, your dad did. Didn't he?
Oh.
So thanks for everything, dad. The more I understand about what you've already given me, the more glad I am to have had it so well.
-N
Being a parent is not a responsibility, it is the responsibility. It's the thing that everyone points to when you talk about being a grown-up. Are you ready to be in charge of another human being that can't feed, dress, change, or even fall asleep on it's own? All the time? Well then you're responsible now. High fives all around.
And as a task it's really hard to quantify. Being a dad is easy in the same way that knitting is easy. There's really only a few maneuvers you have to know. Few key differences, though, obviously. Primarily, it's okay if you're not very good at knitting. No one wants to be a bad father. Everyone wants to be great at it, it's demanded of us by these little bundles of needs and crying we are presented with every moment of the day. But you can't be great, because you're being measured against your own dad. And he was a full fledged dad. You're just you. For every new generation the task is impossible.
The only secret, as it turns out, is that you fake it. You go with your gut or book-learning, or try to adapt some half-remembered scrap from your own childhood. If you can keep up the facade up long enough, eventually they move out of the house, none the wiser that you never really had any idea what you were doing. Until, of course they have kids of their own, at which point it's too late to go back.
And the sacrifices. Let me tell you, it seems endless. Even just standing on the tip of the iceberg I have to eventually melt, I get a size of the vastness and weight of the things I won't be doing now that I'm a dad. Endless sleepings-in and fast cars sacrificed just so that someone else can have food and diapers so that they will grow past a point of their life that they won't even remember in a few years. And they'll never appreciate everything Dad could be doing with his time and money instead because hey, I didn't. Dad's are expected to toss those things away stoically and without second thoughts because after all, your dad did. Didn't he?
Oh.
So thanks for everything, dad. The more I understand about what you've already given me, the more glad I am to have had it so well.
-N
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Insert Title Here
I apologize for being a bit negligent of the blog of late- I think by next week I will be resigned to my fate, but for now it still seems like I can vastly improve (change?) my dissertation, and I am compelled to do so. This means the few things I've been doing that weren't writing have slipped by the way side, as has my regular sleep schedule alongside the balanced part of my diet. Good thing you can't OD on yogurt! I promise- for the sake of the blog- to do lots of fun, blog-worthy things over the summer to make up for the boring-ness of the springs blog posts. Y'know, for the blog.
But I am here today, because I need your help. I have been in a kind of "don't jinx it" denial about getting a Ph.D. for a long time. Yesterday, the announcement of my seminar was sent around my department and to other departments on campus, and something about seeing my name on the formal announcement made it seem real. Really, stomach clenching, blood freezing real. And Shaoshu reminded me of one of the many aspects that I am totally unprepared for- How am I going to use the title?
I know some people who feel they worked hard to earn that title and are gonna use it- dang it!, but I think I am little embarrassed about it. Maybe because I have spend the last several weeks working on revisions, this process hasn't left me feeling profoundly smart. My plan is to get through the remainder of my adult life without people knowing immediately that I have a Ph.D. I mean, I don't want to be the Central Casting type for the next episode of Big Bang Theory. And I REALLY don't want people turning to me in case of a medical emergency; "I thought you were a Doctor!?" I am hoping to get to use it in other less important places- signing petitions or writing checks or getting a home loan. Maybe I'll finally get my married name on all my magazines and catalogues with the upgrade. Any thoughts on where and when a person should use the title ? (which you'll notice, I couldn't bring myself to append to my own name in a blog post. It's gonna take some getting used to.)
But I am here today, because I need your help. I have been in a kind of "don't jinx it" denial about getting a Ph.D. for a long time. Yesterday, the announcement of my seminar was sent around my department and to other departments on campus, and something about seeing my name on the formal announcement made it seem real. Really, stomach clenching, blood freezing real. And Shaoshu reminded me of one of the many aspects that I am totally unprepared for- How am I going to use the title?
I know some people who feel they worked hard to earn that title and are gonna use it- dang it!, but I think I am little embarrassed about it. Maybe because I have spend the last several weeks working on revisions, this process hasn't left me feeling profoundly smart. My plan is to get through the remainder of my adult life without people knowing immediately that I have a Ph.D. I mean, I don't want to be the Central Casting type for the next episode of Big Bang Theory. And I REALLY don't want people turning to me in case of a medical emergency; "I thought you were a Doctor!?" I am hoping to get to use it in other less important places- signing petitions or writing checks or getting a home loan. Maybe I'll finally get my married name on all my magazines and catalogues with the upgrade. Any thoughts on where and when a person should use the title ? (which you'll notice, I couldn't bring myself to append to my own name in a blog post. It's gonna take some getting used to.)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Interview update
I mentioned to several of you by phone that I got a call back last week for a job I applied for in January. Besides the obvious shock factor of waiting 6mos for an interview, I am trying not to get to worked up about this. I mean, yeah, it would be my dream job and open the door for me to do the kind of work I really want to do long term, but.... well, it seems to good to be true.
Actually, I should clarify. I am trying not to get too worked up about this. It isn't particularly working. They were supposed to call at 10 on Tuesday, so here is a quick run-down of my Tuesday schedule.
7:04 Wake up with butterflies. Make coffee, eat breakfast and review my notes.
9:10 Arrive at work. Get set up in the conference room I have checked out for the occasion. Continue to review notes, make up fake answers to fake interview questions and wonder what they'll ask.
9:40 Heart in Throat. Decide I may be over prepared and go to talk to coworkers a bit.
9:50 Staring at my cell phone in the conference room. Willing it to ring.
10:00 Sipping water, clearing vocal chords, practicing how I'll answer the phone "Hello?" "Hello!" "Hello."
10:01 Ok, they are late- it's fine. I bet they had other interviews.
10:02 I bet those other interviews went really well
10:03 They like the 9:00 interview so much they are still chatting??
10:04 They've already given the job away. I start making a list of other places I should apply to.
10:05 Maybe they lost my number? I call the lab and ask them to forward anyone calling for me to my cell phone- as if everyone didn't already know I was sweating bullets at the end of the hall waiting for this call.
10:06 Mentally composing cover letters for the other jobs I am applying to- trying to retain some element of dignity.
10:07 *Ringring* At this point I let it ring twice to be sure it wasn't my ears playing tricks on me. "Oh, you need to reschedule? That's FINE, fine... as long as you aren't punking me, we can talk whenever."
10:08 Dismount emotional roller coaster to help my undergrad. Spend the next hour revisiting activities from 9:10 to 10am.
11:30 *Ringring* There are two interviewers, both women, I can't tell them apart. One is an HR person, the other is likely to be my supervisor. They give me a vague rundown of the job- it still sounds awesome- and ask why I am interested in it. I'm glad I just spent 3 hours reviewing the letter I sent them, I tick off the highlights to show why I am interested and well prepared. They ask about how much writing I've done, I'm tempted to mention the blog but think better of it (in case they actually want to read it), and then can't remember where else I've been published. Arg. They ask how I stay organized, what experience I have in organizing workshops ("Oh, workshops? Oh, I do that a lot...") and what my long term goals are. Then they ask when exactly I will be graduating, and when I might be available to start. It's impossible to read them though- they sound dispassionate at best, possibly slightly disappointed, by everything I say except in my last ditch effort- when they ask if I am pursuing other opportunities, I say this is my dream job, and I would jump at the chance to have it. They like that.
They promised to get back to me by the end of the week- there is another round of interviews to get through, so I am just waiting to make the next round, not get an offer. I am not sure what that means I should do- contact them or no? Thanks for the interview, or is that too forward?
In related news, I still haven't heard anything about the local postdoc job. Neither has my potential boss; we are succeeding at being patient at that one.
Also, I defend my dissertation in 14 days. I will perform another experiment tomorrow that may or may not go in it, print it in 4 days, hand it out in 5 days, give a practice talk in 7 days and get really studied up for the next week. Also, find something smart looking to wear for the seminar. And hopefully a job interview.
Actually, I should clarify. I am trying not to get too worked up about this. It isn't particularly working. They were supposed to call at 10 on Tuesday, so here is a quick run-down of my Tuesday schedule.
7:04 Wake up with butterflies. Make coffee, eat breakfast and review my notes.
9:10 Arrive at work. Get set up in the conference room I have checked out for the occasion. Continue to review notes, make up fake answers to fake interview questions and wonder what they'll ask.
9:40 Heart in Throat. Decide I may be over prepared and go to talk to coworkers a bit.
9:50 Staring at my cell phone in the conference room. Willing it to ring.
10:00 Sipping water, clearing vocal chords, practicing how I'll answer the phone "Hello?" "Hello!" "Hello."
10:01 Ok, they are late- it's fine. I bet they had other interviews.
10:02 I bet those other interviews went really well
10:03 They like the 9:00 interview so much they are still chatting??
10:04 They've already given the job away. I start making a list of other places I should apply to.
10:05 Maybe they lost my number? I call the lab and ask them to forward anyone calling for me to my cell phone- as if everyone didn't already know I was sweating bullets at the end of the hall waiting for this call.
10:06 Mentally composing cover letters for the other jobs I am applying to- trying to retain some element of dignity.
10:07 *Ringring* At this point I let it ring twice to be sure it wasn't my ears playing tricks on me. "Oh, you need to reschedule? That's FINE, fine... as long as you aren't punking me, we can talk whenever."
10:08 Dismount emotional roller coaster to help my undergrad. Spend the next hour revisiting activities from 9:10 to 10am.
11:30 *Ringring* There are two interviewers, both women, I can't tell them apart. One is an HR person, the other is likely to be my supervisor. They give me a vague rundown of the job- it still sounds awesome- and ask why I am interested in it. I'm glad I just spent 3 hours reviewing the letter I sent them, I tick off the highlights to show why I am interested and well prepared. They ask about how much writing I've done, I'm tempted to mention the blog but think better of it (in case they actually want to read it), and then can't remember where else I've been published. Arg. They ask how I stay organized, what experience I have in organizing workshops ("Oh, workshops? Oh, I do that a lot...") and what my long term goals are. Then they ask when exactly I will be graduating, and when I might be available to start. It's impossible to read them though- they sound dispassionate at best, possibly slightly disappointed, by everything I say except in my last ditch effort- when they ask if I am pursuing other opportunities, I say this is my dream job, and I would jump at the chance to have it. They like that.
They promised to get back to me by the end of the week- there is another round of interviews to get through, so I am just waiting to make the next round, not get an offer. I am not sure what that means I should do- contact them or no? Thanks for the interview, or is that too forward?
In related news, I still haven't heard anything about the local postdoc job. Neither has my potential boss; we are succeeding at being patient at that one.
Also, I defend my dissertation in 14 days. I will perform another experiment tomorrow that may or may not go in it, print it in 4 days, hand it out in 5 days, give a practice talk in 7 days and get really studied up for the next week. Also, find something smart looking to wear for the seminar. And hopefully a job interview.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
I am a Stay at Home Dad...
If only for a little while. Jess has started her transition back into 'working' status, and we're taking our time and letting her get back into the swing of things while also letting me get some at home time with Tyler. This past week I stayed at home for two days and Jess stayed at home for three, the other of us going off to work at the time. Next week will see Jessie at work for three days and me at work for two. The week after that Grandma Swanson comes for a month and we both go back to work...*leaving Tyler with someone else.* Dun dun dun! I'm guessing Jessie will be calling for hourly updates.
As for my part, pretty good, all told. I've been in charge of Tyler before, so I do know what I'm doing, but doing it for 8 or 9 hours requires a slightly different mindset. You do have to pace yourself. Also, the first day I was in charge of Tyler I had to deal with a mountain of vomit, and not all of it from the baby. Tyler was having some stomach problems, a bummer, but then Nagano spit up the largest volume of cat vomit I have ever seen in my life. I don't even know what he was eating, but he ate a lot of it and then decided he didn't want it anymore. Cleaning up cat vomit while holding a baby is a tricky maneuver. Well, doing anything with a baby in your arms is pretty tricky, actually.
Today Jess is off at Derby ('Her day.' Mine is either Monday or Wednesday when I get to go to Judo.) and is all excited to finish getting back into shape post-baby. Everyone wish her luck! Tyler is down for the count after a long session of playing and then a good amount of time relaxing on the front hammock with daddy, so I'm taking the time to write this while I copy all of my everything from my old laptop (mac) to my new one. Once I figured out how to do it through the LAN, everything went much smoother.
Tyler is discovering new sounds, as well. He's come up with 'the squeal', 'the raspberry' and a million variations on 'sounds to make while sucking on a pinkie.' He's made us laugh several times while contentedly groaning and falling asleep only to have his voice box completely get away from him on occasion.
Nana got to visit with our down-the-street neighbors and their baby. I figure it will be good for her to have an image of Grant in her mind, because we're sure to bring him up all the time. He's like our prototype baby. We watch him to get a sense of what we should be aiming for or attempting to avoid. He's a really neat little guy, especially as he is now in full control of his hands and capable of grabbing things and flinging them off the table. We got some take-n-bake pizza for dinner (easy and delicious!) and had to be very careful not to let any get within grant's reach.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo happened this week, which is very exciting if you like video games. Nothing terribly *shocking* happened, except that Nintendo announced their next console, the Wii U (pronounced We You). Once again the video game astounds us with it's ability to come up with some of the most ridiculous names in the known universe. And I'll bet some marketing firm got a trillion dollars for coming up with that. Anyway, the Wii U is a pretty big departure from the Wii. It's got a more traditional-looking controller, with buttons and knobs, as well as a 6 inch touch screen IN THE CONTROLLER. Totally bonkers, I know, but Nintendo seems to do well when it goes out on a limb and does something ridiculous, so I'm willing to suspend disgust until further information is available. But you know those controllers are going to be so expensive. Seriously. Oh, also, it's not coming out until 2012, so no rush or anything. Just now when you hear people talking about the Wii U you'll know what they're talking about. I provide useful services.
It's official, everyone in the house but me is asleep. Two kittens, one great-grandmother and the baby. Freedom!
-N
As for my part, pretty good, all told. I've been in charge of Tyler before, so I do know what I'm doing, but doing it for 8 or 9 hours requires a slightly different mindset. You do have to pace yourself. Also, the first day I was in charge of Tyler I had to deal with a mountain of vomit, and not all of it from the baby. Tyler was having some stomach problems, a bummer, but then Nagano spit up the largest volume of cat vomit I have ever seen in my life. I don't even know what he was eating, but he ate a lot of it and then decided he didn't want it anymore. Cleaning up cat vomit while holding a baby is a tricky maneuver. Well, doing anything with a baby in your arms is pretty tricky, actually.
Today Jess is off at Derby ('Her day.' Mine is either Monday or Wednesday when I get to go to Judo.) and is all excited to finish getting back into shape post-baby. Everyone wish her luck! Tyler is down for the count after a long session of playing and then a good amount of time relaxing on the front hammock with daddy, so I'm taking the time to write this while I copy all of my everything from my old laptop (mac) to my new one. Once I figured out how to do it through the LAN, everything went much smoother.
Tyler is discovering new sounds, as well. He's come up with 'the squeal', 'the raspberry' and a million variations on 'sounds to make while sucking on a pinkie.' He's made us laugh several times while contentedly groaning and falling asleep only to have his voice box completely get away from him on occasion.
Nana got to visit with our down-the-street neighbors and their baby. I figure it will be good for her to have an image of Grant in her mind, because we're sure to bring him up all the time. He's like our prototype baby. We watch him to get a sense of what we should be aiming for or attempting to avoid. He's a really neat little guy, especially as he is now in full control of his hands and capable of grabbing things and flinging them off the table. We got some take-n-bake pizza for dinner (easy and delicious!) and had to be very careful not to let any get within grant's reach.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo happened this week, which is very exciting if you like video games. Nothing terribly *shocking* happened, except that Nintendo announced their next console, the Wii U (pronounced We You). Once again the video game astounds us with it's ability to come up with some of the most ridiculous names in the known universe. And I'll bet some marketing firm got a trillion dollars for coming up with that. Anyway, the Wii U is a pretty big departure from the Wii. It's got a more traditional-looking controller, with buttons and knobs, as well as a 6 inch touch screen IN THE CONTROLLER. Totally bonkers, I know, but Nintendo seems to do well when it goes out on a limb and does something ridiculous, so I'm willing to suspend disgust until further information is available. But you know those controllers are going to be so expensive. Seriously. Oh, also, it's not coming out until 2012, so no rush or anything. Just now when you hear people talking about the Wii U you'll know what they're talking about. I provide useful services.
It's official, everyone in the house but me is asleep. Two kittens, one great-grandmother and the baby. Freedom!
-N
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Alliquipa criterium
Matt is taking his cycling a lot more seriously these days, and has been enjoying opportunities to race in a competitive field. Like I said, he has been doing these Criterium races weekly. In his category of racers, he should be able to win, or at least come out towards the front, depending on his strategy and a bit of chance. It makes him train hard, and gives him some metric to work on.
This weekend there was another event in Alliquipa, 30 min from our house, that he wanted to enter. I decided to go with, since I am still not fully understanding the strategy and etiquette of this style race. In this race, the pack (today, almost 30 riders including amateur men and juniors) sets a couple "pace laps" and then the official tells them how many total laps they'll do. They pack generally stays all together for aerodynamics until the last lap- or even the last corner of the last lap. I am told you burn a lot of energy being out front, so they take advantage of the group to conserve energy. The winner is never the fastest overall rider- they actually have another designation for that at some races, the Most Aggressive Rider (MAR) who leads the most laps- just the guy who was placed strategically for the sprint finish.
Today's race was in an industrial park, so I could only watch the racers on the long straight between the start finish. The lap was 1.6 miles, and the official decided to give the Category 5 racers 10 total laps (about 45 minutes of riding). Every time the guys came around Matt was in the back half. I can't lie, it makes me worried. He wanted to come to this race because he thought he could do well- what is he doing back there? Is something wrong? But at the start of the last lap, he was suddenly in the upper quartile. The final sprint started a long ways back, but Matt was making a quick charge with another guy right up to the line. It was SO close, they actually run a camera to collect finish times. Neither guy knew who won, but both were very gracious. When the results were posted, the camera declared Matt the winner by a tire
! Hooray!
I hadn't realized (since we showed up for the first heat at 7:30am with the other Cat 5 and junior racers), that this was a big event. The Master's race launched after Matt's, and the women's and Cat 4 racers were milling around in the lot waiting for their turn. Unlike the weekly Tuesday races, this is an annual event that counts as a USA cycling event (if you are collecting points to level up or go pro or some such. I don't think Matt is, particularly, but it is another metric). So this was a cool event to get his first trophy! One of his teammates/coworkers, who opted to race with the Masters (who are, for the record, much faster than the younger guys) was there to see him. It was a pretty cool way to start the day, I know Matt is feeling good about finally getting a win. We went to a Bob Evans for breakfast on the way home by way of celebration.
This weekend there was another event in Alliquipa, 30 min from our house, that he wanted to enter. I decided to go with, since I am still not fully understanding the strategy and etiquette of this style race. In this race, the pack (today, almost 30 riders including amateur men and juniors) sets a couple "pace laps" and then the official tells them how many total laps they'll do. They pack generally stays all together for aerodynamics until the last lap- or even the last corner of the last lap. I am told you burn a lot of energy being out front, so they take advantage of the group to conserve energy. The winner is never the fastest overall rider- they actually have another designation for that at some races, the Most Aggressive Rider (MAR) who leads the most laps- just the guy who was placed strategically for the sprint finish.
Today's race was in an industrial park, so I could only watch the racers on the long straight between the start finish. The lap was 1.6 miles, and the official decided to give the Category 5 racers 10 total laps (about 45 minutes of riding). Every time the guys came around Matt was in the back half. I can't lie, it makes me worried. He wanted to come to this race because he thought he could do well- what is he doing back there? Is something wrong? But at the start of the last lap, he was suddenly in the upper quartile. The final sprint started a long ways back, but Matt was making a quick charge with another guy right up to the line. It was SO close, they actually run a camera to collect finish times. Neither guy knew who won, but both were very gracious. When the results were posted, the camera declared Matt the winner by a tire
! Hooray!I hadn't realized (since we showed up for the first heat at 7:30am with the other Cat 5 and junior racers), that this was a big event. The Master's race launched after Matt's, and the women's and Cat 4 racers were milling around in the lot waiting for their turn. Unlike the weekly Tuesday races, this is an annual event that counts as a USA cycling event (if you are collecting points to level up or go pro or some such. I don't think Matt is, particularly, but it is another metric). So this was a cool event to get his first trophy! One of his teammates/coworkers, who opted to race with the Masters (who are, for the record, much faster than the younger guys) was there to see him. It was a pretty cool way to start the day, I know Matt is feeling good about finally getting a win. We went to a Bob Evans for breakfast on the way home by way of celebration.
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