Drinking to excess is frowned upon on Mondays.
But I might do it anyway.
What I need right now is a good, hard black out. I've never blacked out, ever, and I think I'm long overdue.
Sort of like a hard reboot. So what if some of the hard drive gets wiped? There are a few things in my memory banks that I could do without.
As justification for alcohol on a weekday, let's see, which was more annoying today?
1. Stupid comments from people saying that I'm too whiny.
Check.
Fuck off, people. It's a blog. How sad is your life that you're writing a comment here saying I sound whiny? Don't you have anything better to do?
2. Stupid questions at work.
Not too many of those today, actually. Phew. What a relief. Only one or two.
3. Stupid emails from people sending me shitty-ass data and saying it looks great.
Check. Haven't responded to those yet. Must drink first and get my Constructive Feedback hat on (aka beer goggles for data).
4. Not having enough time to deal with very basic things in my personal life.
Check.
Still need to figure out latest health insurance changes nonsense; still have not dealt with car (see several blog posts over the last several months, car will probably blow up before I do anything about it).
5. News that my 'peers' who lack even basic pipetting skills are somehow careening past me on the roller rink of jobs.
Check.
Yeah, that one really deserves a drink. I soooo wish I could blog more details about that, because it's a great testament to black comedy, the things I've seen these people do in lab and still get high impact papers. In-fucking-credible.
And with that happy thought, I'm outta here for the day. Fuck off, y'all.
posted by Ms.PhD @ 6:58 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Yeah, what's with that?! How can people who can't even pipette accurately be getting all their names of the freaking papers and forging on ahead and getting pay rises and pats on the back for such great research. Not that it's ever happened to me directly, but I've definitely seen it in action!
If you whisper to the right people you can hear stories about the negative effects of bad data papers in the glamor mags. Especially in job applications (though I gather you're not seeing this with your peers right now :-(). Two stories I've heard are:
1. Awful C/N/S paper read by committee at top 10 school sinks job application of well-regarded associate prof.
2. Incredibly long publication list of very well-regarded associate prof initially excites top 50 school search committee, only to disappoint when it's discovered full of MPUs. Associate professor not interviewed. (I actually feel this person has great experimental skills, but this person's publication strategy is a bit extreme)
I have a much longer list of stories where people got away with bad data, including ones where peer review worked, but the manuscript was politiced into C/N/S... but I cling to the stories of accountability. It's not insane to remind yourself of hopeful, rare events; in science we're constantly criticized and it helps me to have a mental list of nice things that have been said about your work and writing that you can call upon to bolster confidence when needed.
(so, what's your drink of choice, Ms PhD?)
News that my 'peers' who lack even basic pipetting skills are somehow careening past me on the roller rink of jobs.
This is a complete non sequitur, and makes about as much sense as the following:
News that my 'peers' who lack even basic Sudoku skills are somehow careening past me on the roller rink of jobs.
Drinking on Monday is fiiiiiinnnne. It helps with that pesky weekend to week transition.
I think the hang over is crucial for the whole "drinking your problems away". Even if you feel annoyed/miserable/angry/[insert feeling] before the drinking, it is so important feel useless and hungover when you open your eyes the next day. Why? Because you shouldn't do it too often ... ;)
I hope you feel better today and that the "must dos" will be solved. Most of all, I wish that you end up in a work environment where you will feel happy soon!
Sort of like a hard reboot. So what if some of the hard drive gets wiped? There are a few things in my memory banks that I could do without.
Jack Daniels works well for a hard reboot. If you want a warm boot, vodka is a better choice.
Oh, and regarding your point #5, it doesn't bother me so much when the master game players get ahead, it only bugs me when they start to believe that they really deserve it.
Don't worry, in academia all days of the week are equally good for getting drunk :)
Getting completely plastered every once in a while helped keep me sane (relatively) during phd and postdocs, I heartily recommend it! Either with friend(s) or at home alone with your record (er, I mean CD) collection, both are good. I am concerned about what you might be drinking though, knowing the pitiful, watery excuses for beers you have in USA. The only decent one I ever found there was Sam Adams - hopefully that's what you will be having, or maybe some harder liquor? Also, I recommend a cigar or two - enhances the flavor of the drinks, and the smoke kind of adds to the atmosphere...
It sounds like you have been going through a more rough than usual patch... I hope things start getting better for you one way or another. And no need to care about random commenters making stupid comments on the blog, they're nothing more than scenery.
I went for a burger, a beer, Zelda on Wii (got fed up pretty quickly, I hate the way they do the view, but I might try again another day), followed by Anthony Bourdain, whom I've decided has my dream job.
Ironically, last night they were showing the episode where he's in Egypt, and almost all women and girls are noticeably absent. Not allowed to leave their houses, I guess, like Saudi Arabia where it's still illegal for women to drive?
Sigh. I could be Anthony Bourdain if only I were a chef, and a guy, and able to appreciate oppressive society's food in spite of their abhorrent views on human rights.
I like the idea of beer goggles for data. I wish I had a pair of those for this past summer.
Too funny
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