When I rule the world

Certain words will be eliminated from the English language. "Orthogonal" is at the top of that list, because every time I see it, it's immediately preceding something that I don't understand. Ugh.

Less is more? Or more is just enough?

The committee meeting went well.... though I am having to come to terms with just how much of an overachiever I am. After my advisor telling me repeatedly over the last two years that I'm trying to do too much, I cut huge chunks out of my proposal. Then the committee collectively told me to cut what was left in half. Oops? I think it'll be better they way they're telling me to do it, but it means getting rid of my fieldwork (vs. captive studies) and the modeling aspect that I had wanted to do to conceptually tie the whole thing together. Rats. Now I'm really going to have to force myself to sit down and go through it and decide what I really, really want out of it.

Final word: the potential new labmate has been accepted into the program, and the letter is on it's way. Now we just wait to hear from J. I hope she accepts. I really liked meeting with her when she came to visit.

Work for this week: Monday is advisor's project, Tuesday is getting my data analysis straightened out (I've managed to confuse the heck out of myself, AGAIN), Wednesday and Thursday are classwork (Statistics starts Wednesday, oh joy), and Friday is thesis work. That's the plan, anyway. I need to actually start forcing myself to really work again. Ever since we got back in April, I've been sort of half on/half off and it just isn't enough.

Anyhow - the roommate is away for the weekend, so I'm going to scrub the kitchen and gather all of my crap into my room while he's gone. Then head into the office and get ahead a bit on the advisor's project. Whee?

"Working" from home

I woke up this morning and decided I couldn't stand going into the office today. So I'm spending the day catching up on chores around the house while my roommate is out, and studying for my make-up Spanish exam tonight. And prepping for my committee meeting, though I really have no idea how that's supposed to go. Labmate K. was on facebook this morning, saying that she has the office to herself...I can't figure out a nice way to say that it's only because I couldn't deal with another day of only having her to talk to. Oops? (Labmate S. is on vacation this week, while our other officemates are supposed to be in Greece. I think one is home injured, though, which is unfortunate.)

In science news, this is kind of cool. Has some implications for my work, as well. Concentration and signal detection and all that.

On the schedule for today: finishing my laundry, reading 3 papers, Spanish studying, dishes. Joy.

Link pimpage

Economics of the whaling industry: article that details the non-profitability of the whaling industry. While I understand that the industry is technically legal in these countries, it certainly isn't really scientific and I'd like to see it stopped through non-psycho-activist channels. This might be a good way to go, if we can show the people in these countries that their money is being spent to kill animals that would be more profitable seen in whale watching. (Though I suppose for Japan at least that may not be a effective argument; they do most of their hunting in the Southern ocean.)

EDIT: I feel the need to clarify this. The psycho-activists mentioned above have a certain show on TV which I very much dislike. The captain and officers are inept (I've heard comparisons to Gilligan, which would be funny if these people weren't likely to kill their own crew), refer to themselves as "pirates" (and fly a jolly roger as their flag...), and have no regard for the safety of their crew or of the Japanese. (actually, just now, the captain was completely callous in his response to news that the Japanese fleet was looking for a man overboard). Their tactics are illegal and dangerous, and while I do not agree with killing whales, the Japanese are legally in the right and are not endangering human life. My personal belief is that legal and diplomatic channels should be used to stop whaling; activism in the southern ocean is likely to get people killed, and that is unacceptable.

Acoustic Ecology Institute: site covers news about acoustic ecology projects (recent articles: wind-farm noise, Hawaii Superferry, naval exercises, etc). Also has links to bioacoustics research group sites.

I'm getting ready for my first committee meeting, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do for it. Suppose I'd better talk to my advisor about that. Am also supposed to keep working on that report I had talked about - turned out my contact didn't even read it before I met with her, so now I'm even less stressed about deadlines for her. Oops?

Back from vacation

So last week lacked updates because I was visiting my family and taking a friend around the state. She is the luckiest tourist on the face of the planet, I swear. Saw all but one of the major animals, got lucky with great weather and scenery, and even saw a black bear in the yard. Anyhow. Some pictures:






Science update will come tomorrow, because I haven't kept up on it the last few days. I was productive, though - met with a collaborator at home and scheduled a committee meeting for later this month. Eep!

Progress

There has been progress on the report. This is good. It still isn't in any shape that I'd consider good, but it's a first draft, and I have a few hours tomorrow to work on it... so it's passable.

I cannot wait for my trip. Driving out of here tomorrow night and flying Tuesday morning. Will be home by Tuesday afternoon! My challenge will be staying awake on my drive... leaving here after class (9pm) for a 4 hour drive. UGH. (and let me just say that I had so better not hit a deer. I will be SO upset if that happens).

Today's science pimpage: this article is encouraging. We aren't there yet, but it's coming. There was also an article about bats and vocal recognition that was mildly interesting, but predictable...so this got picked instead.

Right. On to packing and making sure that all my arrangements are made. One draft, meeting with prospy, and spanish class, and then I am on my way HOME!

A bit more depth, for now.

Alright - since this was set up during a bout of procrastination, I might as well continue that. (and somewhere inside of me, the little person who likes deadlines cringes and dies a bit more. oops?)

My deadline is Monday on a report that I'm supposed to have been working on for months. Key words there: "supposed to". I'm leaving for about a week on Tuesday, so whatever isn't done by Monday probably won't get done before I meet with these people the following week. Dammit. My procrastination habit is not helpful. At all.

I was one of those kids that decides at about ten years old that they want to be a marine biologist. Well, I did it. I went to a state university with an excellent marine biology program and graduated in 2007. During a couple of summers there, I had great internships with two research groups on the East Coast of the US, met my eventual graduate advisor, and applied for grad school inland. I started in the fall of 07.

My family is several states away from here, and while I see them a few times a year, I'd like to be around a bit more. Especially now, because of some recent medical things. But that's where my trip next week takes me, so I can be patient for a few more days. I'm taking one of my good friends out there to do some touristy things and to visit with my family and some of my friends from high school (always an experience in themselves...).

I haven't gotten started with my real field research yet; I've just essentially completed my thesis proposal, and am getting my committee together. I feel like I'm behind the rest of the students in my cohort, but then I remember that their field sites a) don't generally involve boats or massive amounts of permits, and b) are much much closer than mine. I'm still going to have to bust my tail to get out of here in three or four more years, though. (This isn't to say I have no field experience - I've been helping Advisor out with her projects, and will do so again in July and September. My work, though, is completely separate from hers.)

For the moment, I have one labmate (K.) and one pseudo-labmate (S.), who works in a related lab under a different advisor. They are both in a different program than I am, which I appreciate: my program requires much less mathiness. There's the possiblity of another labmate for next year, but we'll have to see how it goes. I'm meeting the prospective student on Monday before I leave.

As far as my philosophy on life, I'm politically pretty liberal, and generally laid back (at least, I think so.). I enjoy reading, spending time outside and especially on boats, hiking, scuba diving, and a variety of other things. I also (as you may have noticed) have an awful procrastination habit. My motto appears to be "do it right, but do it later". I'm working on fixing that. Eventually.

I'm spending this summer in the lab, with a few trips outside for fieldwork or vacations. And on that note, I should get down to work. Ta!

And there was light

The point of this blog is mainly to let me express my opinions and emotions in a setting that I am comfortable with and which other people can comment on. Diaries just don't work so well for that. It will be anonymous so that I can present my views without worrying about upsetting my advisor, labmates, family, and all sorts of powerful people who I might need favors from someday.

I'm currently a second year PhD student in cetacean biology at a fairly large university. I have the (somewhat awful) feeling that there are going to be some big changes in my life soon, and I'm planning to write about them and the rest of my life here. Feel free to comment and pass it on if you like.

So far, I love my job and my life. I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to do what I love and I want to share that appreciation.