You can take the girl out of academia....

Last week I paid a visit to my mom and pop.  They are considering downsizing, so I had to go through quite a few boxes from my schoolhouse days.

I enjoyed spending time with my parents, particularly since it got me away from work for a few days.  Work has been a little hectic lately, and I've been doing a lot of writing-- especially with collaborators.  One of my collaborators doesn't appear to believe in such silly conventions as grammatical rules.  And so I edit.  And edit.  And edit.

I decided I wasn't going to work when I visited my parents.  As I picked through a box labeled "Unreaction--elementary school", I came upon a poem my ten-year-old self had written to my mother.  I frowned, noting a grammatical error.

Sigh.  I guess I just can't help playing the editor... even if the writer is myself.  Twenty years ago.

Finding friends

To be completely honest, I've been having a bit of a mid-tenure crisis this semester.  My attempts at seeking balance have crashed and burned.  I need some separation of work and life.

I know this is a common question, but my current state of affairs requires it:



How do you meet people outside of academia if church is not an option?



I know this brings me to a whole new level of pathetic, but why couldn't there be a friendmatch.com?  Or a matchmaking club for friendships?

Science resolutions at a PUI

Happy last day of 2010!

Some of you might be super happy to see it go, while others had a fabulous year (hmm...I smell a blog roundup/carnival?).

Now is the time when we make our resolutions for the upcoming year.  My life is split up into three main categories, Teaching, Research, and Life.  (I'll save how they each make up my day for a later post...I don't want to freak out any of you considering PUI positions....it is the holidays, after all.)  Because of this, I always make resolutions for each area of my life.

In past years, my teaching resolution has been let's just get through this.  Now that I'm more established, I feel like I can start focusing on specific areas.

For research, I just want some damn publications.  To get publications, you have to just suck it up and write up your stuff.  While this might sound very easy, particularly to those of you at research institutions, I assure you it is not.  Doing research at a PUI brings in many new issues with respect to publishing.*  The pace of research is much, much slower.  Funding is a huge issue.  Just getting your institution to agree to matching funds can be a giant hurdle.  And how are you going to write a grant when you have two new preps?  Something I didn't expect was how intimidating it would be to submit publications under my new institution rather than LargeU.  Call me crazy, but work done at small PUI is viewed differently than work completed at Big Name Research U.

For Life, I usually resolve to keep a better balance between life and work.  Ha.  For 2011, I'm going to keep it more attainable.  I am going to read more (Any!!) non-work books.  I have a number in my head that I'd like to reach by Dec 2011, but I'm going to keep it there, for now.


Have you made any resolutions for 2011?



*while perhaps these issues aren't specific to PUIs, I never encountered them as a grad student.  Maybe this is because I wasn't the PI, but I believe it has more to do with institution reputation and the emphasis on research at R1s.

At clothing capacity?

This past weekend, something happened for the first time since October.

I finally got to the bottom of the laundry hamper.

I do laundry every weekend.  I start with two to three loads of NA's laundry, then one for Puppy's bedding, one for towels, and one for sheets.  By the time I get to my laundry, I usually stop after two loads.  There are the random clothes at the bottom of the hamper that can't quite make a full load.  Will I need those flannel PJ bottoms before the next weekend?  Am I going to wear that handwashable item this week?   The answer (until yesterday) was no.

And so at the bottom of the hamper, the random clothes remained.

But this past weekend, I finally made the time to do that last half-load of laundry.  As I hung up the (finally) washed clothes in my closet, I made a startling discovery: I'd unknowingly bought two of the same navy blue, long sleeved shirts in the last three months.

If my overflowing hamper wasn't telling me, I suppose now it is confirmed: it's time to stop buying clothes.  

Thanksgiving: time to toil or reason to rest?

There is a post up over on insidehighered.com that discusses how one's choice to work (or not) over Thanksgiving break is reflective of daily work habits.  While I don't necessarily agree with the article, it did get me thinking about how I approach the holidays.

I'm grateful for the break from classes.  By this time of year, my students are mostly tired of me, and, to be very honest, I'm tired of some of them, too.

In grad school, I rarely took Thanksgiving off.  Free parking and empty labs?  Sign! Me! Up!

But now?  I am a professor!!

Wait....where is the super hero music?  (Wow....it's quieter here than my class was last Friday.  Tough crowd.)


This week, I plan to work the first half, spend Thursday and Friday with the Puppy and N.A. (and copious amounts of Pie), and then work most of the weekend to finish up grading.  Hopefully somewhere in there I will make the time to catch up on the blogosphere.

I would like to think that my students will find time to get some work done over break, too.


...but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one.

What are you worth?

I've been thinking a lot about my work/life balance.  Or lack thereof, depending on what day it is.

The aspect of my non-work life that stresses me out the most is my house.  Although I love my home, taking care of it seriously stresses me out.  The changing of the seasons always causes some insects to come inside from the surrounding woods, an event that only makes me feel worse about my housekeeping skills.

As for the yard... oh, man.  I am thisclose to hiring someone to do the yard work for me.  One of my coworkers commented that it was ridiculous to pay someone else something I could do perfectly well on my own.  Up until recently, I agreed with him.  It would be a waste of money, right?

But this week I got to think about it more.  Sure, it might cost 50 bucks to have someone do my yard.  That would be 25 bucks per hour.  Could I do the yard myself in two hours?  Probably.

But you know what?  My time is worth more than 25 bucks an hour.  That's right.  I'm worth more than $25/hour.


What are you worth?




In other news, I deleted (and then reinstated) my blog list in an attempt to fix the glitch with backlinks.  (Was I successful?  Who knows.  Thanks, blogger.)  I'm slowly repopulating it, so please leave a note if you haven't been added yet!

dying for your work?

The Prodigal Academic has a great post up about the current state of the job market.

One of the faculty positions at Prodigal U opened up because someone died. An older prof had a heart attack in the lab.

I thought this was pretty damn hard core, and I commented as such. Hell yeah! Let me keel over in lab!

It occurred to me later that thinking that work is best place to pass on might not be the healthiest mentality.

Then again, we all work ourselves to the bone....right? We kill ourselves for the job...right?

How can a secretary make my life better?

No doubt secretaries could rule the world. I'm sure many of you save hours a week thanks to your departmental administrative assistant. I just haven't figured out how to do that yet.

This last week, we finally hired a competent secretary. She comes from another department on campus, so I already know her reputation.


Now the big question is this: can I give up a little control and have the secretary improve MY efficiency?

What do I need at work? Here's a short list to start: a grant writer, a dog walker, a grader, and a priest.

Can a secretary actually help me with any of that? If not, I'm not sure I'm interested.

Unplugging to preserve my sanity

Geekmommyprof recently posted about the question that seems to plague all academics on vacation: to unplug or not to unplug?

I come from a very, very long line of workaholics. Some were famous in their academic circles. Some weren't. And some went bonkers (literally!) from their need to constantly work.

I attended a very rigorous liberal arts college for undergrad. As a student body, we worked extremely hard Sunday through Friday morning... and then binge drank Friday and Saturday nights. This is in stark contrast to my PermaU students. They only go out on the days that end in y. At my undergrad, virtually no one went out during the week. It's still a toss-up as to what I was closest: Cuervo or Kant? Vodka or Voltaire? Scotch or Smith? (Just kidding. I hate scotch.)

In graduate school, I was in a brand new research group. Being in the first crop of grad students of The Boss meant lots of one-on-one interaction (whether we wanted it or not). It also meant a lot of pressure to obtain grants. We submitted seven R01-type grants (and dozens of smaller grants) while I was in the group. In addition to getting preliminary results in the lab, graduate students were responsible for making grant figures, writing portions of the text, navigating the grants and contracts office, and making the FedEx runs. I can count on my hands the number of times Monday-Friday I was home before 7. And I left the house by 7 am. During the typical week, I worked 7 days and averaged 70-80 hours per week. During grant times, I never worked less than 14 hours straight. One memorable submission required two weeks straight of 16+ hour days. No food breaks--- meals were delivered or fetched by an undergrad.

Looking back, I am proud/shocked/sad that I pushed through it all.

Fresh out of grad school, as a visiting ass., I still did not know how to reign in my workaholic tendencies. I worked straight through weekends. During the week, I was on campus by 8 am and rarely left before 10 pm. I told myself I worked hard because I had to. Really, deep down, I knew I worked so hard because I wanted to. I felt compelled to pull such insane hours.

Then I moved and got on the tenure track. I got a Puppy. I was reunited with N.A. I knew that in order to maintain a long-term relationship AND keep up with Puppy, I would need to approach my work time in a very different manner. I could no longer pull such insane hours.

More importantly, I recognized that I didn't have to pull such insane hours. By being smarter about my work allocations during the week, I could tend to the house, the Puppy, and my life on the weekends.

So I self-imposed a no-campus policy on weekends. That is, I do not go into campus Sat/Sun. No matter what.

Being at a PUI allows me to do this. Also, my research is not such that I have to check on reactions each day. And my students can certainly survive with just email contact from me. The world will not end if I only work Monday through Friday.


At least that's what I'll keep telling myself until the senior members of the department notify me otherwise.

Is it fair to meet outside of scheduled class times?

For the first time this fall, I'm co-teaching a course. Recently, the other prof and I met to sketch out our course objectives. We both agreed that we wanted students to present results from a group project, and we settled on the optimal week to schedule them.

I typed the presentations into the class lecture schedule.

"Wait, what are you doing?" She inquired. "We should schedule them in the evening so we have enough time."

"Okay," I agreed. "So will we meet for about two hours then? Which two class meetings should we cancel to balance it out?"

My colleague stared at me like I had just announced that I was the new Dean.

Siiiiiiiigh.

I explained that I didn't like holding class meetings outside of the scheduled class time....UNLESS I cancel an equal amount of class time. I don't think it is fair to require students to meet both in class and at a set time outside of what the registrar has designated.

Obviously the coursework requires that they spend many, many hours outside of lecture reading, writing, and 'rithmatic-ing. But to take away that study time-- which could be used on another class-- is not fair to the student or to other professors.

I'm pretty sure my fellow prof thinks I just don't want to have to stay on campus beyond work hours (true). But I've taught at institutions that actually had this policy on their books. Of course, many faculty ignored the rule-- as so often happens-- but I think, in this case, it actually is a pretty logical practice to follow.

Can men and women be friends?

You've Got Mail was on TV last night. The first time I saw it, I thought it was a little fluffy but still had a really cute story about the relationship that developed between Meg Ryan's and Tom Hanks' characters.

Last night, I viewed it a little differently. I couldn't even get through it for more than 10 minutes because the premise now left an icky feeling in my stomach. I saw the cute relationship that developed over email for what is actually was: two already-attached people having an emotional affair. Then, after their relationships with their respective partners end, they get together.

Some people say that men and women truly can't be friends.

I'm not really sure what to think. All I know is that I won't be watching chick flicks for awhile.

Are you a saver?

I am an introvert. I love my job, but after giving and giving all day in the classroom, at meetings, or in lab interactions, I need time at home to recharge, regroup, and basically become (semi)human again.

In order to be a semi-decent person in my home life, I have to save a bit of myself. I try to save my "best self" for my time at home, but I'm not always successful.

I'm not sure what extroverts do. Are they only recharging around other people? What is their home life like? Are they able to recharge with their significant others, or are extroverts miserable until they are reunited with a bigger group?

Do you save your best for your home life or do you use it all up at work?

Do men seek balance, too?

Isis the Scientist recently wrote a response to a Science post on science goddesses and housework. Her post has generated quite the comments, and they are certainly worth a read.

One if the issues brought up in her post and in the comments was that most of the Science posts were directed at women. I was (and still am) curious if scientists who happen to be male even THINK about having balance between the professional and personal worlds. Here is what I commented:

I would be quite interested to know what percentage of your male readership struggles with balance. 100%? 50%? Just Physioprof?

In grad school, none of the male grad students ever talked about feeling conflicted between work and home life. Obviously it could be that they were just putting up a front. But I'm curious.... do male profs *want* articles specifically directed at them?

So what do you think? I'm constantly struggling with how best to balance my work and home lives. Are the men around me just better at hiding their guilt... or have they just figured out the secret to maintaining presence in both worlds?

Do faculty get summer vacation, too?

My students seem to think that I get the whole summer off. Since they leave for a few months, the school must surely shut down in their absence, right?

The faculty seem divided when it comes to summer work. Since our salary is for nine months, some feel that they shouldn't work in the summer (actually, they refuse to work in the summer). Others view the summer as the only time to move forward on research, and so they work even if they do not have a summer stipend.

I fall in the latter category. My salary is more than enough to live on all year (we're paid in 12 installments, after all). If I don't work in the summer, I won't have enough research done by the time I go up for tenure. That is how it works at most undergrad institutions. Is it that different in the non-sciences?

What about you? Do you work when you technically aren't paid?

They coming a-marching...

freakin' ANTS!

I already feel like I'm half assing both my professional and personal life. If I'm working too much, I'm not at home enough. If I'm at home with N.A. and Puppy, then I'm not getting enough work done. What a cycle.

And now, ants. Tiny, mobile reminders of how half-assed my housekeeping is.


At least I have a few weeks before my summer students start marching back in.

Activate stealth mode

Each day that I leave work before 6 pm, there are a few things I have to do to ensure a smooth exit.

I lock my computer. I gather my papers. I put on my sunglasses.

And, most important of all, I make a phone call on my cell.


This is the only way to escape.



In order to get from my office out to the parking lot, I have to walk by a number of offices. If I'm not obviously engaged in a phone conversation (real or imaginary), I will get flagged down for any number of Really Important Reasons.

You know. Really Important Reasons such as the urgent need to inform me about their child's recent snot color (seriously), a request to for gossip about my department (they keep askin' but I'm not tellin'), or the retelling of the Worst Thing That Happened Today (usually minor... usually the third time I've heard about it).

As long as I have my cell phone as my shield, I can get home in a timely fashion.

Who knows what will happen if my battery dies or-gasp!- I leave my phone at home! I might never get to leave work.

Most wonderful time of the year (part 3)

Almost a lifetime ago, I though that the most wonderful time of the year was when I got to leave the lab to go to Home State for a few days. My favorite part was reverting back to solo driving, rather than sharing my commute:

No more playing avoid-touching-the-undergrad on the bus. (Duh, 'cause they're a little smelly and sticky. Seriously. There's this one freshman that always smells like bacon. Ugh)

A bit later, I decided that LargeU's Candidate Season, was the best time of the year. Squirming candidates? As long as it isn't me, sign me up! I wrote a trio of (very, very bad) haikus to commemorate the Season, including one I called "Haiku for an nth year":

Feeling guilty now.
Should really apply for jobs.
Just came for the food.

But now I've decided that the most wonderful time of the year is actually RIGHT NOW. Grades are submitted(!!!!!), and the undergrads are (mostly) gone. Summer classes don't start for a couple of weeks, so I've sent my summer researchers away to catch up on sleep or whatever those crazy kids do these days.

Today I sat in my office for four hours straight without interruption. With the door open! Ah, bliiiisssssssssss!

I'd better not get used to this....

How to tell that I have a LOT of grading to do

There are some telling signs.

My floors are scrubbed. The vaccuming is done. The fourth load of laundry is ready to be folded. Loads of laundry are in neat, folded piles in the appropriate dresser drawers. Dishes are clean. Groceries have been purchased. My kitchen counters gleam.


Clearly I have a stack of grading on my desk that is screaming to be graded.



But perhaps the surest sign? My bathroom is clean... even the grout in between the ancient tiles!

Darn you, Facebook!

I tell N.A. that I keep my laptop on and in my lap because it's winter, and well, it's cold, yo.

But really, I have my laptop on because I am addicted to that damn Bejeweled Blitz game on Facebook.

Now I don't play it at work, mind you, but once I'm home and the TV's on....it's Bejeweled time!



Save me!




In other news, even though the Trojans sucked this year, we still had to look at Pete Carroll's mug at the championship game. Sigh.

School's out for summer!

Grades are in. Many a celebratory beer has been consumed. Students are gone. Sure, some will be back in a few weeks for summer research, but for now things are quiet.

I've started packing up my office in anticipation of the move. Okay, so I'm not so much packing up yet as sorting through the embarrassingly high mounds of random papers. But still. The countdown to the relocation (and moving in with N.A.!) has begun. In less than a month, I'll be settling in to my new job.

PhDLadyBug over at Non tenured Assistant Professor has posed an interesting question about summer productivity. "What is your best advice to make the best out of the summer months?" She writes. By all means click on over and give your two cents; goodness knows that many of us will need more than just the luck of the chemistry gods to have a productive summer after THIS crazy semester.


Anyone else beyond burned out? I know that I'm going to need a LOT more chocolate cake (and beer) before I'll be feeling like getting some actual class prep or research accomplished.