SciWo says...
sciencewoman | June 30, 2009Here at Mystery U, we are evaluated on a calendar year basis, so in early January I turned in an up-to-date CV to our departmental review committee. Then I waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally, a few weeks ago, I got a chance to see what the review committee thought of me, and I got to meet with the incoming and outgoing departmental chairs. I was actually one of the first people to see my reviews, because at the end of the summer I submit a dossier for the reappointment process. I'll be in the third year of my three-year contract, and the reappointment process for a second 3-…
sciencewoman | June 9, 2009(to the tune of "Hush, little baby")
Speak little child, and make lots of sounds
And keep growing in leaps and bounds
We'll be busy as bumblebees
We'll catch the waves that crash on the seas
We'll go for strolls and walks in the park
We'll draw lots of sidewalk art
We'll run through sprinklers on days when it's hot
We'll sing songs and laugh a lot
We'll climb a mountain to touch the sky
We'll bake you a blueberry pie
I'd give you the stars above
For you are my one true love.
These days Minnow would rather have a story at bedtime than a lullaby, but this lullaby was sung multiple times daily…
sciencewoman | May 31, 2009Dearest Blog-friends,
Have I ever mentioned how much I love all my readers and my Sciblings? This blogging community means so much to me, I just don't even know how to express it. The amount of support I get from y'all is amazing. As evidence, on Friday, my email box contained several nice emails (and offer to collaborate on some research!) and my snail-mail box was overflowing with goodies...
Wonderful, wonderful teas from my wonderful, wonderful co-blogger Alice. And a beautiful bracelet from Letmenatalya on Etsy (h/t Isis)
Thank you to all my friends for your thoughtful comments, kind…
sciencewoman | May 30, 2009Despite being the one to pick the topic for the upcoming Scientiae, I have struggled and struggled to come up with anything to post for this month's Carnival. As Alice alluded to earlier, I'm having a particularly tough month, feeling like I am treading water most of the time, and not making any headway against the current.
I tried to write a post in which I listed the things I had gotten done this month, but it was just too damn depressing. Especially when I compared that list to the optimistic list written on the whiteboard in my office. And even more depressing when compared to the list…
sciencewoman | May 14, 2009Yesterday afternoon, Minnow and I were driving home from daycare and Minnow was repeatedly requesting "the baby song" (Hush, little baby) from the car stereo. After about the sixth playing of the song, we had the following conversation.
SciWo: "Are you a baby?"
Minnow: No. I'm not a baby.
SciWo: "Are you a grown-up?"
Minnow: "No. I'm growing."
SciWo: "Is Mommy a grown-up?"
Minnow: "Yea, you are a grown-up."
SciWo: "Is Daddy a grown-up?"
Minnow: "No. Daddies are mans."
sciencewoman | May 10, 2009Minnow and I have been visiting with Brother this weekend, and we went out to dinner at a deli and salad place. Brother got the all-you-can-eat salad bar, I ordered a Ciabatta Garden, and Minnow wanted the cheese pizza. Our food had just arrived when Minnow announced, "I need to go potty. I'm pee-peeing in my chair."
Instantaneously, her high chair filled with literally a gallon of pee, until it spilled over the top of her legs and made a cascade onto the ground. A trail of urine followed us to the bathroom, the soaked clothes were taken home in a carry-out box...
I was horrified, Brother…
sciencewoman | May 5, 2009Alice is right, I have been locked in grading jail. For my amusement, and for the sake of posting something, here's a look at how I've been doing my hard time:
Number of intro-level papers graded: 72
Number of intro-level papers to go: 0 (WooHoo!)
Number of multiple choice questions ready to go in Blackboard for the final exam: 60
Number of emails received from intro-level students in the last week: greater than 30
Number of those emails asking how to calculate their grade or when the final exam is: greater than 20
Number of upper-level papers submitted: 22
Number of upper-level papers…
sciencewoman | April 28, 2009This being the last week of class, it seems appropriate to reflect a bit more on the semester just finishing. Bluntly, this has been an awful semester for me in terms of things that count toward reappointment, tenure, and (nonexistent) merit raises. If you don't want to hear me whine a little about the suckitude and where that puts me going into the summer, then don't click through.
After two rounds of painful reviews, I had a paper rejected. I'll resubmit it to a lower tier journal, but not without another round of revisions. I have never liked this project.
I missed the deadline for a…
sciencewoman | April 22, 2009Alice and I have been talking about the big and small ways that universities could act to improve the environment, but Earth Day is also about making personal changes to lessen your environmental impact.
So it's fitting that Mike Dunford has issued us an Earth Day challenge:
I'd like you to take a minute or two to come up with three things that you can do to be more environmentally friendly. The first should be something that's small, and easy to do. The second should be more ambitious - something you'll try to do, but might not manage to pull off. The third should be something you can do to…
sciencewoman | April 18, 2009Hi there. Long time, no see. I've been busy doing work, having fun, and remembering to celebrate the good things in my life. Here's what's been happening in the past week:
Monday: I got to see a beautiful new place.
Tuesday: My flights home proceeded smoothly.
Wednesday: My daughter woke me up by laughing in her sleep.
Thursday: My PhD student passed hir orals/comps.
Friday: My undergraduate student presented hir first poster and won an honorable mention in the campus undergraduate research conference.
Today: Minnow, Princess Pup and I spent a lovely morning walking in the woods.
We're into…
sciencewoman | April 9, 2009My students tell me that there are only 20 days of class left this semester. I've been too busy to count. Unfortunately, it's been too-busy-with-things-that-don't-make-a-compelling-tenure-case. But, maybe, just maybe, I can salvage this mess of a semester by learning some lessons for how now to conduct future semesters. So in RBOC-fashion here's what I've discovered.
Loading up my teaching on Mondays and Wednesdays did not actually produce "free" days for research. First Tuesday got filled up with student meetings and class prep for my marathon Wednesdays. Then Thursday got filled up with…
sciencewoman | April 7, 2009After staying with us for about a month, ScienceGrandma is now on the plane flight back to her home. Last night was our first night without her. Below the fold, a few reflections on living with three generations under one roof.
I am happy to be returning to the master bedroom and bath, which we had given up because of accessibility issues. For the duration of her visit, we'd moved a guest bed into my home office and I'd cleared off some bookshelves for clothes. Two adults and a toddler in a single tiny bathroom gets a bit crowded, especially because of needing to keep everything out of a…
sciencewoman | March 12, 2009When the Overlordz announced a pie contest in honor of Pi day, I thought that I might be able to muster something up. But after seeing Janet's seven(!) delectable pies, Maria's pie + cocktail, Jess's "yes pecan" pie, and Zuska's bird pie, I realized that I don't have the skills or the time to compete with these kitchen mavens. I'm a busy woman. Most nights dinner is done in a hurry and deserts are a rare luxury. Baked deserts even more so.
But I can make a mean pot pie. It's quick, it's easy, and it's comfort food. I got the original inspiration from Real Simple, but the recipe is…
sciencewoman | March 11, 2009Even though it's spring break, I'm in my office today because I need access to some software and datasets that I don't have at home, and because, frankly, I work more efficiently and with less guilt at school than at home. (Unless I'm blogging, that is!)
I didn't ask very many colleagues about their spring break plans, maybe because the internet consensus was that spring break was a time to recuperate from teaching and get some research done, and those were basically my plans, too. (Plus taxes, whee!) I assumed my colleagues here at Mystery U would do some variation on the same themes.
So…
sciencewoman | March 6, 2009Unbalanced Reaction ponders who really needs spring break more? Undergrads or faculty? Go cast your vote at UR's blog.
As for me, all I know is that I am ready for a break. Even if "break" translates into "a week of working on research and taxes without having to teach class."
Figure 1. A friend of the blog sent this to me and I decided it was quite appropriate for this time of year.
sciencewoman | March 1, 2009Nothing to do with my age this time, just a quick note to say that I can now add 1 to my count on the BBC book lists. Two very enjoyable evenings were spent in the delightful society of Miss Elizabeth Bennett and company.
sciencewoman | February 27, 2009As Alice kindly announced, today is my 30th birthday. The day got off to a rough start, but a little time ignoring work, eating a lovely organic lunch, reading some Pride and Prejudice, and then eating too much ice cream has turned the day into quite a lovely experience. Anyways, before my natal day expires, I thought I'd seize the chance to wax on a bit about where my thoughts wandered as my third decade waned.
For months, I've been looking forward to my 30th birthday. I'm a mother to a two year old. I'm in my second year on the tenure track. I own my second house. That combination of…
sciencewoman | February 25, 2009You are in a room with a bunch of other female faculty/post-docs/grad students from your university. You know a few of them, but most of them are unfamiliar to you. The convener of the meeting asks each of you to introduce yourself by answering the following question: "What is one aspect of your professional life that you are good at?"
How do you answer the question? (Please do, in the comments.) Tomorrow, we'll discuss.
I'll go first. I'm ScienceWoman and, in my life as a blogger, I'm good at getting thoughtful discussions going in my comment threads. :)
sciencewoman | February 23, 2009Scene 1: a few days ago
(SW notes that most pencils in the room have stopped moving or have slowed down)
SW: OK, so moving on, we see ... (flipping to next slide)
(A hand goes up near the back of the auditorium)
SW: Yes? Did you have a question?
Stu Dent 1: Could you go back a slide? I wasn't done copying it.
SW: OK, but remember I post most of these slides on Blackboard, so if you don't get all the details in class, you can review and fill in your notes later.
(Stu Dent 1 lets out a dramatic sigh, quite audible at the front of the auditorium. There's also a bit of mumbling among students in…
sciencewoman | February 22, 2009 BBC Book Meme
As seen everywhere.
BBC Book List
Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read. (I'll bold those I've read and italicize those of which I only read part.)
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.
My list is below the fold.
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen*3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte X4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X+5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte*8 Nineteen Eighty Four…