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

[MarineBluePsy]

10 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I... I guess I just fail it? I'm not planning on retaking it. *shrug*

 

Oh so it isn't a core course that you have to have a certain grade in?  If that's the case then maybe there isn't a need to worry much.

[Neist]

15 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I... I guess I just fail it? I'm not planning on retaking it. *shrug*

On the bright side, there's no stressing the rest of the semester at this point.  

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@MarineBluePsy No I can't fail my group members.....i really want too. And oh guess what?! My group was scheduled to go to the warehouse to do the project but the TAs cancelled our session because they decided to take the afternoon off. I get they have quals in the morning but don't offer the afternoon as an option! I'm really about to lose it.

[MarineBluePsy]

2 hours ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

@MarineBluePsy No I can't fail my group members.....i really want too. And oh guess what?! My group was scheduled to go to the warehouse to do the project but the TAs cancelled our session because they decided to take the afternoon off. I get they have quals in the morning but don't offer the afternoon as an option! I'm really about to lose it.

Geez how much worse could it get?!

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

11 hours ago, Neist said:

On the bright side, there's no stressing the rest of the semester at this point.  

Always looking on the bright side

 

 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

10 hours ago, MarineBluePsy said:

Geez how much worse could it get?!

Tbh I think I just a meteorite to hit me now

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

6 hours ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

Tbh I think I just a meteorite to hit me now

When is this whole thingy due?

[Need Coffee in an IV]

3 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

When is this whole thingy due?

Its due at the end of the semester. We are suppose to have 50 points each but I have no idea how many I actually have

[pterosaur]

Not totally academic, but... this election. I'm guessing it hit a lot of people hard. We had a group meeting scheduled for today, and my advisor brought cupcakes and kleenex. We needed both. She was crying and I was tearing up too. We abandoned the planned presentation and instead talked for an hour and a half about what we can do as a group to make the world a better place and improve society and the world, not just focusing on our research. It was very passionate, and it looks like we're really going to expand our outreach efforts. I'm really proud to be part of this group and I'm so lucky to have the advisor that I do.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

I legitimately had the worst week I've ever had... of course there was the election, but also I'm failing both of my classes and getting nowhere in research. Decided to have a get-together at my house for my labmates, and invited >20 people. Not a single person showed up.

 

But hey, at least my apartment is clean.

[Neist]

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny I would have shown up!  And I completely understand. I'm definitely meshing with the graduate students here, but I wouldn't say any are especially friendly with me. Then again, we're all pretty busy, so I dunno.

To be honest, I'm pretty sure I'm a departmental eccentric, but I was pretty sure I was going to be. I'm sort of odd.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

@Neist Departmental eccentrics are the best kind of people. Who else would liven up the place??

[Neist]

3 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

@Neist Departmental eccentrics are the best kind of people. Who else would liven up the place??

Thanks!  It does make it a bit lonely though when you just want to grab with a beer with someone.

I don't think I mentioned this, but I did mesh well with one other graduate student. Probably could have become good friends, but he died earlier this semester unexpectedly. 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

I'm so sorry!! That must have really taken a toll on the department as well

[MarineBluePsy]

19 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I legitimately had the worst week I've ever had... of course there was the election, but also I'm failing both of my classes and getting nowhere in research. Decided to have a get-together at my house for my labmates, and invited >20 people. Not a single person showed up.

 

But hey, at least my apartment is clean.

{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}  Pink I would have come!  I feel like we're both having the same experience with the class struggles and research going nowhere and being isolated in our departments because of it.  The fact that none of your classmates showed up is telling and no it is not acceptable to just blame it on being busy or forgetful.  We're all busy and have forgetful moments, but out of that many people there were at least a few people that could have put forth the effort to drop by.  What this means is that you'll have to build your support system outside of these people.  It won't be easy and it may take longer, but your classmates are making it pretty clear that they aren't going to be much of a support system for you.

Have you already started making holiday plans?  You can not sit in your apartment by yourself I don't care how clean it is.  I'm guessing you'll go home part of the time and see your mom, but if you can't go home the whole time you need to have things to do that get you out of the house and meeting other people.  Better people.  Maybe a charity project, trying a new hobby, or attending free events?

17 hours ago, Neist said:

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny I would have shown up!  And I completely understand. I'm definitely meshing with the graduate students here, but I wouldn't say any are especially friendly with me. Then again, we're all pretty busy, so I dunno.

To be honest, I'm pretty sure I'm a departmental eccentric, but I was pretty sure I was going to be. I'm sort of odd.

Is it weird that I'm surprised we're not seeing more eccentric people in our departments?  I think I expected half eccentric and half not because academia attracts all sorts of people, but apparently its a bunch of sameness and one eccentric.  I dig eccentric people, the world needs more of them.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

Guys, three people showed up, just a few hours late  We baked cookies and decorated them... it's totally possible that they didn't have any fun, but I'm flattered that they would come anyway just to show that they care for me,  y'know? Plus, I think one of them (the labmate I work most closely with) I think could sense that I was a bit bummed out, so he helped me with some labwork last night even though it was super late.

I had a shoddy week, not only for the obvious political reasons but I also said something to my closest friend that was pretty insensitive (thoughts before words... I need to learn!) so she isn't talking to me now. Anyway, thanks for the venting session

@MarineBluePsy I hope that you have an excellent support system. Not doing well in classes and research being frustratingly slow can really wear on you. Maybe some friends in or outside of the department?

 

[Neist]

@MarineBluePsy I know, right? I expected the graduate students to all be a bit weird. I mean, we are, but not as weird as I would have supposed. And thanks! I'm definitely a little odd. I'm comfortable enough to admit that. I'm a happy odd person, but my oddness makes situations awkward sometimes.

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny Thanks! Fortunately, and I mean this is in most not depressing way possible, I'm sort of used to sad things happening. I had a relatively rough life. I'm somewhat scarred to bad things, although I readily admit that I'm not exactly sure if that's a good place to be. Also, I'm glad people showed up!  

 

[MarineBluePsy]

6 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Guys, three people showed up, just a few hours late  We baked cookies and decorated them... it's totally possible that they didn't have any fun, but I'm flattered that they would come anyway just to show that they care for me,  y'know? Plus, I think one of them (the labmate I work most closely with) I think could sense that I was a bit bummed out, so he helped me with some labwork last night even though it was super late.

I had a shoddy week, not only for the obvious political reasons but I also said something to my closest friend that was pretty insensitive (thoughts before words... I need to learn!) so she isn't talking to me now. Anyway, thanks for the venting session

@MarineBluePsy I hope that you have an excellent support system. Not doing well in classes and research being frustratingly slow can really wear on you. Maybe some friends in or outside of the department?

 

Yay people came!  No one is bored baking cookies because you get to eat them lol.  Looks like we both got surprises this week.  I got a call from a relative I haven't talked to in 20 years.  I got updates through the grapevine and all, but a direct call was wild.  He lives a few states over and said I could visit any time so I will definitely be doing that.  As for building a support system here I have started attending events outside of my department and in the community to meet new people.  It's slow going, but better than sitting around.  I have even gone to a couple of my cohort's socials even though we're extremely different people.  

[Need Coffee in an IV]

I'm sorry that everyone's had a rough week. I generally get a long with the majority of my classmates. I would say only a couple are my friends though. The others are friendly acquaintances that I talk to in class. My points were 18/50.......but apparently I entered my data wrong so I went and fixed it. Even though they never said how they wanted me to put my name in the recorder section. So that should boost my points. I got two papers back and they were As. I also decided which classes I want to take for next semester! They are library classes ( language literacy education). I'm hoping this expands my potential of landing a job afterwards

[KingNikolai1]

Ohhh gosh, I wish I was reading this thread five weeks ago. The quarter system here at UCLA is totally kicking my ass, and my courses are like a ball kicking experiment. At the beginning I was regularly getting low grades on some 'easy' assignments, it started turning around though. Three weeks in, I went into "I might quit this shit right now." One of my literature seminars is 3 hours long and taught in a foreign language. All the primary readings are in the original language which makes sense, but the professor would post thousands of pages of secondary readings not available in translation every single week. By week 5 I was in crisis mode again, and I finally met up with a linguistics professor last week. I'm taking a language course next quarter to beef up my proficiency. Here I am in week 8.... German translation is becoming super difficult, I have a presentation next week on a book I still need to finish, but at least Thanksgiving is next week!!! Nothing could have prepared me for the turmoil of starting grad school in the humanities. I consistently lol that I am the youngest person in the department because I'm just floating here...... On the bright side it looks like my liver won't give out on me this quarter

[MarineBluePsy]

18 hours ago, KingNikolai1 said:

Ohhh gosh, I wish I was reading this thread five weeks ago. The quarter system here at UCLA is totally kicking my ass, and my courses are like a ball kicking experiment. At the beginning I was regularly getting low grades on some 'easy' assignments, it started turning around though. Three weeks in, I went into "I might quit this shit right now." One of my literature seminars is 3 hours long and taught in a foreign language. All the primary readings are in the original language which makes sense, but the professor would post thousands of pages of secondary readings not available in translation every single week. By week 5 I was in crisis mode again, and I finally met up with a linguistics professor last week. I'm taking a language course next quarter to beef up my proficiency. Here I am in week 8.... German translation is becoming super difficult, I have a presentation next week on a book I still need to finish, but at least Thanksgiving is next week!!! Nothing could have prepared me for the turmoil of starting grad school in the humanities. I consistently lol that I am the youngest person in the department because I'm just floating here...... On the bright side it looks like my liver won't give out on me this quarter

Welcome aboard!  I can't even imagine reading something in a language I'm trying to learn without a translation to double check my understanding.  Aren't there software programs that can help out a little?

[KingNikolai1]

1 hour ago, MarineBluePsy said:

Welcome aboard!  I can't even imagine reading something in a language I'm trying to learn without a translation to double check my understanding.  Aren't there software programs that can help out a little?

Unfortunately not, Russian is an unforgiving language that does not translate well using software programs. At least I am getting tons of practice, and once I start taking the language course next quarter I'll be much happier. 

[savay]

I'm going to join in, here is my required-because-true moaning about the election. It. is. taking. its. effing. toll. I just find myself continually exhausted, but then I want to stay up late after finishing my work trying to distract myself, only to further this exhaustion. My campus has been pretty active in trying to offer some sense of action, solidarity, and grieving. But everyone is kind of freaking out. Myself included. And the mood has exacerbated my feelings of loneliness. I'm not going home over the winter holidays, but I've decided I'm going to go visit friends -- it didn't feel super important or necessary before, but well, now it does.

A few people in my cohort got together to watch the results, which I am very glad for, and after briefly discussing Thanksgiving yesterday and a general lack of plans for many of us (granted, most of my cohort is not American), I decided for us that we're doing something. I think it's important for us to not be alone or at least, to have opportunities to come together that aren't directly related to research or blowing off steam, but somewhere in the middle. 

@KingNikolai1 I'm also trying to adjust to the quarter system. How many credits are you taking, it seems like maybe a lot? I've been trying to go easy on myself, but simultaneously take advantage of everything. Your Russian seminar sounds painful, but probably one of those things that you will appreciate having done a few years from now. I'm a little nervous about taking a Danish course next quarter, it's not my main research language and I'm a little rusty, but I will now be grateful that it isn't an intensive literary analysis course. I have a three hour textual theory seminar that is super heavy on really dry obscure readings about things like: typesetting variations in Shakespeare manuscripts, proofreading practices in Montaigne's essays, and chemical methods of cleaning book pages in the late 1800s. I'm not sure what class I thought I was signing up for.... 

 

[KingNikolai1]

1 hour ago, savay said:

 I'm also trying to adjust to the quarter system. How many credits are you taking, it seems like maybe a lot? I've been trying to go easy on myself, but simultaneously take advantage of everything. Your Russian seminar sounds painful, but probably one of those things that you will appreciate having done a few years from now. I'm a little nervous about taking a Danish course next quarter, it's not my main research language and I'm a little rusty, but I will now be grateful that it isn't an intensive literary analysis course. I have a three hour textual theory seminar that is super heavy on really dry obscure readings about things like: typesetting variations in Shakespeare manuscripts, proofreading practices in Montaigne's essays, and chemical methods of cleaning book pages in the late 1800s. I'm not sure what class I thought I was signing up for.... 

 

Thankfully I am taking a normal courseload for full time which is 12 credit hours. The literature courses are required, and I opted for German because I need to pass a proficiency exam eventually.

[spectastic]

stomach still tender from food poisoning. having to make up exam i missed due to said poisoning. thanksgiving break nearing, and I am absolutely out of fucks to give.

I just want to get my motorcycle fixed finally and ride out to hill country. can a guy dream?