Monday, July 30, 2007
Books
My foot is much better now but I'm still using it as a bit of an excuse to not get on with labwork too quickly (that and I will be quite buggered if it gets bad again as labwork requires a lot of walking). I have been pootling down to the library which is probably the best stocked of anywhere I've ever worked and studied. I had real real trouble writing up the background theory for my thesis as there were really no good, recent, intelligible to to the beginner texts on the subject. I found myself really going right back to basic physical chemistry texts and working my way backwards and forwards through the whole range of mostly ancient very mathematical based books to teach myself the theory. Anyway, I was going through the books in the library to read up on some more related theory and found a heap of new books on the topic. A bit late for me but a definite sign that the field is becoming a bit hotter and popular and these new texts should be great for new people entering the field. What's really good about these new books is that they are modern (it got so tedious finding the most relevant books for my thesis were all published before I was born or when I was only at primary school) and are not written for the crazy brained maths people, but are more friendly clear introductions and also cover a lot of practical and experimental detail which I think is really nice to see. Once I've worked my way through the books some more this week I will be emailing all the students I know working on the topic to look through the books.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Ow!
Finally on the way back into the lab and starting some experiments except that I can't physically make it to the lab as I seem to have done in my foot and ankle so I can't walk anywhere, just hobble about rather painfully. I have no idea how I managed to do this but fingers crossed it'll get better quickly.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Still Tired
Still not into work today either. Just tired and confused a bit like the weather I think. I didn't sleep well last night as people in the next road were having a party and playing loud techno - I thought I had finally found a techno free area of the city to live in but doesn't seem like I have. I think I will slack off work soon as I'm really not getting much done and I would probably feel better after a shower, lie down and going out and getting some proper food and the house a bit tidier. Ever since himself got sick earlier in the year and I got stuck having to do all the chores I discovered that it is possible to come home after a busy day and get all the housework and everything done, but it's hard and leaves little time for anything else and since then I've found general disorder and mess left lying around annoys me much more than it ever did previously, but now himself is mostly better I refuse to do all the chores and housework but have yet to persuade him to tidy up more efficiently on a weekday and resent having to do it all myself.
In other news the irritating colleague had his baby with him in work today. I managed to mostly ignore it as I do not do babies. The baby was suprisingly well behaved and even better it made the irritating colleague quieter than ever in the office. Still I finally got some more earphones to keep in my desk at work so I can listen to loud industrial music when he really gets going and makes too much noise for me to concentrate or work with.
In other news the irritating colleague had his baby with him in work today. I managed to mostly ignore it as I do not do babies. The baby was suprisingly well behaved and even better it made the irritating colleague quieter than ever in the office. Still I finally got some more earphones to keep in my desk at work so I can listen to loud industrial music when he really gets going and makes too much noise for me to concentrate or work with.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Go Slow
I am having a bit of a go slow today and trying to get myself back into work mode after just over a week away at a conference. The weeks running up to the conference were totally hectic as I was desperately trying to repeat some experiments I'd originally done at the wrong dilution to present at the conference. Then I finally had my PhD graduation and then I was supervising an A level work experience student and squeezing in a bunch of interesting seminars in between the supervising. The conference was no let up as I had just under an hours commute to get to the venue and the days were loooooooooong. I heard and saw some interesting science but I was glad when it was over and I could finally get a lie in! And then it took me 8 hours to do what is usually a 2.5 hour trip to get back home so I am not exactly in the refreshed and revived and motivated mood I was hoping to be in when I came back to work!
Labels: busy, conference
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Graduation
I'm finally graduating this coming week and I'm really looking forward to it. Especially as I had a bit of a shopping binge and got some totally fab comfy shiny silver high heels and some perfect smart trousers to wear at it, and a lot of posh make up, I am determined not to look like a spoddy haggard gurning loon in my graduation photos.
I think I am really looking forward to graduation now as i'm back on a bit of an even keel, feel really comfortable and happy with the way I'm working in my current job and feel like I've finally put the whole sorry PhD episode behind me and got over it. I hated pretty much everything about my PhD, the department, my supervisors, my project, my colleagues, the actual science in it. But I did it, and I did it all myself pretty much entirely unsupported and now it's finally over and no one can take the achievement away from me. I'm pretty glad that it worked out that I missed the earlier graduation as I feel like I've had enough time to put the whole thing behind me and can enjoy being proud at receiving my PhD.
I think I am really looking forward to graduation now as i'm back on a bit of an even keel, feel really comfortable and happy with the way I'm working in my current job and feel like I've finally put the whole sorry PhD episode behind me and got over it. I hated pretty much everything about my PhD, the department, my supervisors, my project, my colleagues, the actual science in it. But I did it, and I did it all myself pretty much entirely unsupported and now it's finally over and no one can take the achievement away from me. I'm pretty glad that it worked out that I missed the earlier graduation as I feel like I've had enough time to put the whole thing behind me and can enjoy being proud at receiving my PhD.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Bored
I knew there was a downside to working so hard and so long in the lab recently, all the dull data processing and analysis. I love doing the bench work (mostly) and I love having the neat finalised results, it's just the faffing about with the instrument software, excel and all the rest of it inbetween which I'm not so keen on. Still being serenaded by a bit of cheesy Duran Duran so it's not too bad. And the sooner this is done, the sooner I can get back into the lab and get more data to go through and firm up the results.
Labels: data analysis
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Feeling Better
Finally feeling like I'm shaking off this cold, although soggy feet again today so won't be suprised if it comes back again. I am so sick of the rain, I bet it will be glorious sunshine for exactly 1 week when I'm away at a conference, then crap again. Still keeping really busy in the lab trying to get these last results to tie up my data, I'm trying really hard at the moment as I really want to make a good impression with people there, I doubt there will be such a good opportunity for putting myself out there and networking for quite a while.
Labels: conference, ill
Office Twat
Argh. The irritating colleague (Billy Talentless as the other half calls him when I moan about him at home) has just started slagging off mine and another colleagues laptops. I am not bothered about computers, I tend to use what I get given, which for the past 5 years or so, have been Dells. And for the most part they have run totally fine for me (except for the hard drive dying the day before I was due to print and hand in my thesis!). Unlike his Samsung which has had an engineer out at least 5 times this past year! What a bloody cheek, he was still disagreeing (in his irritating shouty voice) as I pointed out the fact that I have never had an engineer out to sort my computer and he has. Idiot - I am going back to the lab where I don't have to be near him.
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