Damn. It's October.

Seriously, where did September go?

Here's my goal review for the month. Originially I wanted to:

• Present data at lab meeting from field study in Costa Rica (collected by others). Figure out how we're going to write the paper and how much of it I am actually responsible for.
• Finish collecting data and analyzing data from Experiment 1a and Experiment 1b.
• Get a draft of the paper for Experiments 1a & 1b to advisor.
• Finish getting replicates for Experiment 2.
• (Bonus Goal 1) Apply to many, many jobs.
• (Bonus Goal 2) Finish re-writing old Thesis paper.

Let's just say ... out of a possible 100% ... I calculate that I completed 56.667% of my goals.

Hmm... if 65% is failing, then it looks like September did not go so well. Darn it.

Tomorrow I will post October's goals and I will definitely have to try harder! (Or I will never graduate and I will be stuck here forever)

A blast from my library past

Today I went to the local NJ library with RyGuy. We go every couple of weeks (on the day our books are due).

In addition to borrowing books, we always check out the "Friends of the Library" bookshelf that's full of books that people donated. It's $1 for hardcover books and 50 cents for paperbacks. I have never seen anyone else buy books there, but we ALWAYS do. Today, as you might have guessed, I found some good ones:

The Babysitters Club!

Oh, that's right. The Babysitters Club! This is a series of over 100 "young adult" books that I was obsessed with as a kid! I mean, obsessed! I got all of them out of the library. And then I owned the first 100 books. And my friend Steph and I tried to start our own club at least twice! And there was a movie and a bad TV show too! The series is actually horribly written in terms of continuity and content ... but, hey -- we didn't have Harry Potter!!

I bought the 2 books from the series that were there and can't wait to get a few free hours to read them!

Also on the goals list ...

... re-write a manuscript for the thousandth (?) time. It's from my Masters thesis (which I originally wrote a long 4 years ago). We've sent it out in many forms and I am hoping this one is the best (i.e., gets accepted for publication).

Would like to get it out to co-authors within the next 24 hours.

Done:

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Figures
• Tables
• Legends
• Acknowledgements

Still to do:

• Totally new Discussion
• Update References
• Format (very tedious and important)

Hmm ... I have writing about work a lot lately.

Maybe my next post should be about something that non-academic people do. Fantasy Football?

Keep piling it on!

How am I supposed to fulfill my monthly goals if I keep getting more stuff to do??

And, what's more, I dropped my computer off to have it checked for viruses and cleaned up (because the service was FREE on Saturday) and I still don't have it back!!!!! Luckily Ry just bought a new laptop AND his old one is working AND he has 2 laptops for work ... so I have an overabundance of laptops (did I mention we also have a brand new one that belongs to Ry's dad?) but I am floundering without MY computer! I am going to go call the store ... again ... for the third time ....

September Goals: Mid-month update!

My updated goals for September (previously posted here):

• Present data at lab meeting from field study in Costa Rica (collected by others). Figure out how we're going to write the paper and how much of it I am actually responsible for.
  Data presented and was told I am basically responsible for writing the whole project up. I will be first author, so that's cool, but that means I have a lot of work to do. Have 1/2 of this paper done and hope to have a full draft by the end of the month.
  
• Finish collecting data and analyzing data from Experiment 1a and Experiment 1b.
  Finished collecting data for 1a, but just realized I coded it wrong when I entered it in to a computer program so now I cannot analyze it. This means I need to figure out how to re-code it OR I have to collect all of the data over. As it is 27 hours of video (which will take about 50 hours of work to get through) I'd like to take a few hours to consider how to re-code and then analyze.
  
• Get a draft of the paper for Experiments 1a & 1b to advisor.
  Since I could not analyze ... draft is looking grim ....
  
• Finish getting replicates for Experiment 2.
  I have the least control over this and am therefore still waiting ....

Additionally, I need to add to the list:

• Complete and submit at least 6 (maybe more??) applications for jobs by October 10th

Wish me luck!

hypersensitive to hypersensitivity?

If I think a co-worker is being so hypersensitive about eveything that it actually creates an environment in which I feel as though I cannot properly do my job (because of a fear of saying something or doing something that will cause him/her to react), am I being hypersensitive by telling my boss?

Hunter's Hope

This weekend, my wonderful Nephew will again be walking in the Hunter's Hope Every Step Walk. This is a walk that raises money to require universal screening for newborns. It was started in honor of the son of Jim Kelly (former Buffalo Bills Quarterback). Nephew participated last year too -- read about it here!

If you'd like to make a donation to support Nephew's walk, please go HERE! Even $5 would help!

Thanks friends!

Sometimes ....

... I feel like I am surrounded by Dementors while I am at work.