Tuesday, February 27, 2007

conservation of good days

Yesterday was absolutely awesome. I finally pitched an exciting idea I've had for a while to my adviser - always a scary process, since it's the point at which said exciting idea usually gets smacked down - and she loved it! I uncovered cool results in some other projects, finished a homework set that WASN'T totally half-assed, and went running. I ate healthy. I got a phone call from my sister and her kids - little squeaky voices shouting "Ewwiiiii! We wuv yooo!" over speakerphone is a surefire way to make any day a good day. I even got industrious and cleaned my apartment.

Today proved my theory of conservation of good days - you can have good days in grad school, but you'll have to pay them back.

It was solidly crappy out, precluding any chance at exercising. Another adviser confirmed that I am nothing but a data robot as far as her project is concerned. A cool opportunity to travel to a conference got squelched because data monkeys don't GO to conferences, no matter how much data they have. I forgot that February has only 28 days so my rent check is going to be late. The Boyfriend was falling asleep when I called him, and does not take very kindly to being disrupted during that process. I found scary-moldy fruit in the back of my fridge that is probably masterminding a revolution in my trash can at this very moment.

And one of my officemates, Captain Hyperactive, seemed to have had some extra Dr. Pepper for breakfast: "Oh I'm just so energetic today! I just can't focus! I've totally lost it! *bounces by my desk on a skateboard* I just do my work so fast! [no he doesn't] It's only Tuesday, can you believe it's only Tuesday? I wonder how they make rubber bands? *shoots rubber band*" Here's the question: if I can prove that it will greatly increase my productivity, do you think one of my advisers can set aside some grant money to get me a stun gun?

I want my own office. A big fancy one with windows and pictures on the walls. And a plant. While we're at it, I want a weather machine. And a puppy. And some new fruit.

2 comments:

skookumchick said...

I totally agree! Except I thought it was a rule along the lines of "If you have a really good day you have to have a really bad day to average it out. And if you have nothing but average days, then you will have no major mood swings." Perhaps someone else could put that more succinctly, but hey, it's a theory in progress...

Jenny F. Scientist said...

Eee! Rent! I forgot too!

(And I? Want a million dollars.)