We've wined, we've waited, now it's time to celebrate 2016

[MarineBluePsy]

I have no idea how many hours I'm putting in per day and am scared to count.  I will say I'm doing my best to keep things confined to 5 days per week though.  Anyone else inundated with meetings?  I understand that there will be lab meetings, department meetings, and advisor meetings but then there's all these mentor (I asked for none of these mentors by the way, each first year is provided several as a so called courtesy) meetings and group project meetings and meetings to discuss topics I have zero interest and professor meetings.  And mind you these meetings are mandatory and unstructured so they aren't an efficient use of my time and further piss me off.  And when I say something about the lack of focus I'm the strange one.  Really?  We all just have oodles of time to be unproductive?  I completely missed that memo.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

48 minutes ago, MarineBluePsy said:

I have no idea how many hours I'm putting in per day and am scared to count.  I will say I'm doing my best to keep things confined to 5 days per week though.  Anyone else inundated with meetings?  I understand that there will be lab meetings, department meetings, and advisor meetings but then there's all these mentor (I asked for none of these mentors by the way, each first year is provided several as a so called courtesy) meetings and group project meetings and meetings to discuss topics I have zero interest and professor meetings.  And mind you these meetings are mandatory and unstructured so they aren't an efficient use of my time and further piss me off.  And when I say something about the lack of focus I'm the strange one.  Really?  We all just have oodles of time to be unproductive?  I completely missed that memo.

Same, we also got assigned to mentors. I responded to the first few emails ("when will you arrive in Ithaca?" "about three months ago") but I'm not entirely sure of their purpose. 

 

Fortunately not nearly as many meetings here, just a weekly group one. Don't you hate when a meeting can just be accomplished with a single e-mail?

[MarineBluePsy]

2 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Same, we also got assigned to mentors. I responded to the first few emails ("when will you arrive in Ithaca?" "about three months ago") but I'm not entirely sure of their purpose. 

 

Fortunately not nearly as many meetings here, just a weekly group one. Don't you hate when a meeting can just be accomplished with a single e-mail?

Yes!  Half the time the meetings are random announcements that could have been emailed or just to say "I'm available if you need something."  As for the mentors I'm partly annoyed by not getting to choose them myself.  Is it so crazy of me to know that I'm organized, punctual, and efficient and to prefer a mentor with a similar style?  One of my mentors says "I don't know" so much I've quit bothering to ask questions and I was only asking organizational stuff.....where do I find document x, do I need to bring any materials to training y, etc.  

[hippyscientist]

5 hours ago, spectastic said:

oh i try to dissociate my me-time at home from my work and classes. I purposely keep my lab key separate from my apartment key to remind me to try to have a life off campus

I do this too! I reckon I'm averaging 40-50 hrs a week, take 3 classes and TA and am part of journal club and two seminar series. It doesn't seem overwhelming, but when I'm on campus, I work. I'm in the office 8am - 4/5pm every day (excluding the stuff I've had to do to set up) and I take a half hour for lunch. I refuse to work at home. Home is for me. Although I didn't get home til 7pm today. BUT I got my drivers license YAY!  

Oh and @MarineBluePsy I agree, meetings just seem pointless! I have 3 hours of meetings a week which isn't too bad, but one is at 9am on a Monday and seems to be for my advisor to tell us how much work he's doing! I'm not complaining though. I feel like I'm being productive.

Edited September 14, 2016 by hippyscientist
Meetings too!

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

h see I guess I maybe work about the same as most of you... I do work 12-14 hours a day but only spend maybe 4-6 hours at school on the weekends so it all balances out. 

Though I do need to stop working on homework at home...

[Neist]

1 hour ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Though I do need to stop working on homework at home...

 

It's probably different in the sciences, but that seems pretty ludicrous to me.  

There's no way I can't not work at home. However, I don't have lab time, either, nor do I have any specified office time. Just lots of reading/writing.

[rhombusbombus]

I feel like times in my department are pretty free flowing. I get in around 9/10 am and leave between 4 and 6 some days. We're only required to do 20 hr a week, but I like to get everything for the day done while I'm on campus. Leaving at 5 is horrendous. Buses are crowded and there's always a huge line at the stop signs/lights. I'd rather come in late and stay late than get in early. 

I also don't really like hanging out with my roommate so I enjoy being in the lab and not around her as much as I can. 

[MarineBluePsy]

Why are magnetic dry erase boards on wheels so expensive?  Seriously amazon has them for a few hundred bucks and some are over a thousand.  The thing isn't even bulletproof good grief.

Edited September 15, 2016 by MarineBluePsy

[rhombusbombus]

Do you need all of those features? If you just need a dry erase board, i think you can get some dry erase material for pretty cheap at a home improvement store

[MarineBluePsy]

Yes because I already jerry-rigged my own and it's a huge pain in the ass.  I dunno the prices of them just seemed absurd.  It'd be like clipboards for a hundred bucks.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

6 hours ago, MarineBluePsy said:

Why are magnetic dry erase boards on wheels so expensive?  Seriously amazon has them for a few hundred bucks and some are over a thousand.  The thing isn't even bulletproof good grief.

YEAH SERIOUSLY!!! And the ones that are huuuuge and go on the wall are so heavy they can't be held up by Command strips (unless you use 6 packs, like I did )

 

Whatever you do, don't get that peel-and-stick white board stuff or the whiteboard paint, no matter HOW easy or cheap you think it looks. 

[MarineBluePsy]

6 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

YEAH SERIOUSLY!!! And the ones that are huuuuge and go on the wall are so heavy they can't be held up by Command strips (unless you use 6 packs, like I did )

 

Whatever you do, don't get that peel-and-stick white board stuff or the whiteboard paint, no matter HOW easy or cheap you think it looks. 

Yeah I already ruled out that option because 1) I'm not crafty and 2) it looked like a cheap short term solution when I want a nice long term solution.  Its looking like I'm just going to have to buy more of them to wall mount since the portability aspect drives the cost up.  My landlord doesn't care if I use nails or screws in the walls

[MarineBluePsy]

You guys!  My washer and dryer just arrived!  What wonderful machines and they're all mine!  Of course the delivery guys left a sweaty smell in the air, but I can get rid of that.  No more laundromat!

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

Gah! I thought I had finally found an eyeglasses retailer online that carries my prescription (Zenni), but it turns out that they only have 3-6 frames online that do, and they're all pretty tacky-looking. I was so excited after having ordered frames until I got that call

[Neist]

4 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Gah! I thought I had finally found an eyeglasses retailer online that carries my prescription (Zenni), but it turns out that they only have 3-6 frames online that do, and they're all pretty tacky-looking. I was so excited after having ordered frames until I got that call

 

That's unfortunate! Do you have a special prescription or do they simply sell mostly frames? I'm curious because I've considered looking into the site. They are quite cheap.

@MarineBluePsy Congrats!  It's a wonderful thing to have one in apartment/house. I haven't had one in several years, and I miss it quite a bit.

[MarineBluePsy]

4 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Gah! I thought I had finally found an eyeglasses retailer online that carries my prescription (Zenni), but it turns out that they only have 3-6 frames online that do, and they're all pretty tacky-looking. I was so excited after having ordered frames until I got that call

Were you getting them at a specialty brick and mortar before and nothing in your new city can help you?  Or were you just wanting to pay less?  If its the latter then don't rule out brick and mortars yet. Big chains like Sears and JCP frequent have coupons that can be stacked on top of very generous sales.

1 minute ago, Neist said:

 

@MarineBluePsy Congrats!  It's a wonderful thing to have one in apartment/house. I haven't had one in several years, and I miss it quite a bit.

If my math is right they should pay for themselves in a year, which makes them worth it.  I bought one of those HE washer's and got really excited about the tap water setting thinking I could save a few bucks on my electric bill.  Then I learned that laundry detergent doesn't activate at temperatures that cold......so what's the point of that setting?  And while its quieter than a traditional washer, it just sounds weird lol.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

I mean, my prescription is pretty high but it's not crazy. I was just wanting to pay less. I totally didn't know that Sears and JCP sold prescription eyeglasses, I'll have to check them out! I did know that Costco does them but they aren't able to get my prescription either. Sigh.

[MarineBluePsy]

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny  Some Target locations might also have optical departments.

[janetjanejune]

Between moving into town, moving into my apartment, grocery shopping, GA training, and program orientation, I am beat. Been up since 3:30 AM to drop my parents off to the airport. School hasn't even started yet. Cedus lapedus.

[MarineBluePsy]

9 hours ago, janetjanejune said:

Between moving into town, moving into my apartment, grocery shopping, GA training, and program orientation, I am beat. Been up since 3:30 AM to drop my parents off to the airport. School hasn't even started yet. Cedus lapedus.

Hopefully you'll get a day off soon just to veg.  How do you like the new place?  Given the high potential for stress for all of us on this academic journey a relaxing home environment is very important.

[janetjanejune]

@MarineBluePsy Designating today as my veg out time. I definitely need it.

I'm surprised by how nice my place is. Maintenance is prompt, management is friendly, pre-furnished with pieces that are attractive, comfortable, *and* functional. 2/3 roommates have moved in so far. We pretty much do our own things w/o getting in the way of each other, but we chit-chat whenever we cross paths. No one knows about our last roommate. Haven't heard from him at all.

All in all, I'm grateful. Just in awe that I'm finally here.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

@janetjanejune Yay! I'm glad things are going well for you. And setting up a new place is half the fun

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

My quantum class uses Piazza, which is an online forum where classmates can ask questions and other students and the professor can answer them. Fortunately you can post anonymously, but I've recently been adapting the writing style of each question so that no one thinks the dumb questions are all coming from the same person 

[pterosaur]

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny - Interestingly, the founder of Piazza (a woman herself) first created Piazza as a tool for CS classes, hoping to get more women involved who were intimidated by their male classmates and therefore didn't speak up in class. It was only once she added the anonymous feature that the female students started posting as much as the male students.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

1 hour ago, pterosaur said:

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny - Interestingly, the founder of Piazza (a woman herself) first created Piazza as a tool for CS classes, hoping to get more women involved who were intimidated by their male classmates and therefore didn't speak up in class. It was only once she added the anonymous feature that the female students started posting as much as the male students.

That's actually super interesting! For some reason I and the other girl in the class never ask questions but to each other, for that reason.