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

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@hippyscientist It does! I'm trying not to get my hopes up though. Positive thinking is my new healthy habit. Sooo I'll prepare and see what happens. I love Thai food, I just tried it this year and my life has been changed. Its wonderful. I know what you mean by recharging, I have to do that alot too. Want to talk about the visit or naw?

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

1 hour ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

Ok i will! And I've decided that I will get a cat! I have savings, a pet friendly place lined up, a job and I have a handle on grad school. I'm so excited!

Yayyy!!! My cats have kept me sane this semester. I'm very happy for you You will have to share pics.

[hippyscientist]

@Need Coffee in an IV let's just say there was a lot of emotion involved. Last night my friend had a crazy huge argument with her mom and they were yelling and screaming and slamming doors from about 9pm to 4am. Not ideal (for anyone). Plus my friend basically only spoke about her bf which was a little tedious, especially when we had so much other stuff to catch up on. And all her dog hair is all over my stuff now! Wouldn't be so pissed about the dogs except they had to sleep in bed with us (yes we shared a full...2 humans and a german shepherd and a pit/lab mix...perfect for good sleep...). 

Positive thinking is a great habit to get into! I always try to find the silver linings in everything that happens. It's great! I'm not sure if you reddit, but the grad school subreddit there has a "tell us something good about your week" post on a friday and it's great to find the good in what may initially feel like a crappy week.

Also, red wine  I missed red wine! It so tasty and perfect to relax with before pad thai! 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

3 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Yayyy!!! My cats have kept me sane this semester. I'm very happy for you You will have to share pics.

Me too! Omg I can't wait till May! I will be the most obnoxious cat mom and post all the pictures.

@hippyscientist That does sound dreadful! Sorry the visit was meh. I tend to avoid visiting people over the holidays if I can. Theres always so much tension and pressure. At least in my experience. See I haven't gotten into wine yet. But I love a screw driver

[hippyscientist]

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny and everyone else with pets, I'm sure they help so much with mental health in school!

@Need Coffee in an IV Yeah it was the only time we both had free unfortunately. I love cocktails too, but none with vodka in (bad experience!). 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@hippyscientist well hopefully next visit is much better! My bad experiences are with sugary drinks and rum 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

@hippyscientist I too frequent the /r/gradschool "tell us something good that happened this week!" posts. I find them extremely helpful, and it's good to reflect back on the week and find something good about it. 

[Neist]

1 hour ago, hippyscientist said:

@Neist & everyone else - I haven't done podcasts before, any you recommend that are good for while you're working? 

 

 

Well, considering your a scientist, I recommend Radiolab. It's a good one, especially the older issues (which have more to do with science)  

[hippyscientist]

1 hour ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

@hippyscientist I too frequent the /r/gradschool "tell us something good that happened this week!" posts. I find them extremely helpful, and it's good to reflect back on the week and find something good about it. 

I love that thread. It helps each week! Find the silver linings for everything! 

@Neist ooohh thanks for the suggestion!

[Need Coffee in an IV]

I'm doing laundry and I kinda found something amusing. There are two distinct piles of clothes, one is full of color/pattern and the other is neutrals. Plus my pile is extremely bigger than his. Why must I sweat so much?!

[MarineBluePsy]

So without intending to I've caused a shit storm with the faculty.  Apparently it isn't abnormal for a student to not meet the program standard in a class so there is a system in place to deal with that.  If the student has been consistently improving throughout the semester then the professor in question offers a supplemental assignment to raise the grade.  So my advisor knew of this process, expected my pain in the ass professor to bring it up to me after the final, and figured there was nothing to worry about.  Well I had been consistently improving throughout the class and yet my pain in the ass professor didn't mention anything about a supplemental assignment.  All I was told was that since I was half a point short I was still failing.

Grades posted and my advisor of course has access to them, saw the failing grade and blew a gasket.  Went to my pain in the ass professor and demanded to see all of my assignments and then noticed the absence of a supplemental assignment.  My pain in the ass professor apparently admitted to not wanting to offer one, for no reason my advisor deemed valid.  My advisor went to the dean of the department who then intervened by telling the professor to extend me the same courtesy that countless other students with worse grades have been offered in the past.

This led to me getting a very pissy email from my pain in the ass professor saying that if I want to I can take an extensive exam and only if I ace it will I earn the half a point needed to raise my grade.  If I don't ace it then failing stands.  So my pain in the ass professor is pissed at being ordered to do something that for whatever reason they don't want to do, my advisor is pissed that the pain in the ass professor refused to use the established system for this situation and is demanding a hefty exam instead of a shorter project which is the norm if only a couple of points are needed, and the dean is pissed at having to be involved in such a squabble that two tenured faculty should have been able to settle quickly and reasonably.  And no one asked for my input on the matter, but since I have to work more closely with my advisor it seems best to take the exam and hope for the best.  *sigh*  Just another thing to add to the I-picked-the-wrong-program list.

@Need Coffee in an IV  Can't you just take a cat with you for the summer internship?

@hippyscientist  Wow a family blowup in front of company?  Awkward!  Maybe next year your schedules will better align around a lower pressure holiday or spring break. 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@MarineBluePsy Ouch that sounds awful! I'm so sorry you are being treated like this. Its not even you asking for "life to be fair". All you are asking is to be treated with respect and decency. I could but I'll be adopting the cat and I don't know if its necessarily in the best interest of the cat to drag it around to new places. Plus I would be crashing at my moms place since it will save money and that puts my mom in an awkward position. But if I get the internship, I'll adopt the cat afterwards. I'll know the decision by mid-February and I don't even move in to my new place till May.

[MarineBluePsy]

Ahh yeah if you're crashing with someone else bringing a pet would be kinda rude lol.  

And the thing is I didn't ask for anything.  I didn't whine, complain, or throw a tantrum over anything being unfair or unreasonable.  I simple said ok, what do I do now that this means academic probation?  My advisor is the one pointing out the unfairness, which I appreciate and understand, but damn give me a heads up!  I have to take other classes with this pain in the ass professor and I don't want the dean associating my name with complaints and irritation.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@MarineBluePsy Yeah and while my mom would never say anything I know I don't want to take advantage of her kindness. She really is a great mom. Honestly it seems like miscommunication and egos are influencing this spat between your professors. Honestly you are handling this with a lot of grace and dignity. I'm like admiring you right now ha.

[nevermind]

Re: Podcasts

I really enjoy "More Perfect": http://www.npr.org/podcasts/481105292/more-perfect

Re: Pets in grad school

I have a small dog (terrier/chihuahua mix) and I love having him (I adopted him when I wasn't in grad school). I'm really a dog person though and it is a lot of responsibility (and trying to find a pet-friendly place in San Diego in my price range was TOUGH), but I wouldn't have it any other way. I visit the midwest often, so I have to bring my dog on the flights with me (which is an additional $250 round trip) and/or have to put him in doggy daycare if I go somewhere for archival research for a week (also expensive). So, while it might be nice to have a dog in grad school...it's not always cost-effective. (And my parents will watch him for 2 months out of the summer when I do a language program, so it's free dog sitting...)

 

 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

17 minutes ago, nevermind said:

Re: Podcasts

I really enjoy "More Perfect": http://www.npr.org/podcasts/481105292/more-perfect

Re: Pets in grad school

I have a small dog (terrier/chihuahua mix) and I love having him (I adopted him when I wasn't in grad school). I'm really a dog person though and it is a lot of responsibility (and trying to find a pet-friendly place in San Diego in my price range was TOUGH), but I wouldn't have it any other way. I visit the midwest often, so I have to bring my dog on the flights with me (which is an additional $250 round trip) and/or have to put him in doggy daycare if I go somewhere for archival research for a week (also expensive). So, while it might be nice to have a dog in grad school...it's not always cost-effective. (And my parents will watch him for 2 months out of the summer when I do a language program, so it's free dog sitting...)

 

 

See I love all animals but I feel like a cat would be better suited for the grad lifestyle. Bf and I have talked and our eventual goal is to live on a property that has a lot of land because we want a lot of animals. We hope to get several dogs, goats, a cat and other animals.

[hippyscientist]

@MarineBluePsy ouch. That's a tough situation. Keep your advisor on side, and is there anyway the next class you take with pain in the ass professor you can show your commitment in some way? I'm very pleased to be home let me tell you! Plus I found my favorite cheese in trader joes today which has made it a wonderful day.

Realized I have so many freaking conference submissions to get done by the end of January. My old advisor wants me to apply to two (one in Europe, one in the US), my current advisor wants me to apply to one (also in the US) and I really really really really want to go to one (in Australia & the main one in my field) but that seems to be the one neither advisor is pushing for! But then if I get the student rep job I'm applying for I have to go to Australia. It could be a very very busy summer! Agh.

@nevermind damn that podcast looks super interesting! Thanks for the share

Edited December 23, 2016 by hippyscientist

[MarineBluePsy]

I'm not sure what else I could do to demonstrate my commitment to a professor who doesn't want to be bothered with me and knows my advisor will go straight to the dean if there are any issues.  I thought we had a nice groove in this semesters class.  I did all of the work, asked questions as needed, utilized office hours, attended optional review sessions, and just worked harder instead of complaining or making excuses.  If I needed to repeat the class I was just going to do so without argument.  

Whats making it worse is this all came to a head as everyone was trying to wrap up and leave for holiday celebrations.  What was my advisor thinking bothering the dean right now?  This could have waited until after the holidays and maybe my pain in the ass professor would have simmered down and been willing to actually discuss the matter.  As it stands my pain in the ass professor now has to spend the holiday creating the exam (yes the exam that my advisor has said is outrageous for half a point) and my advisor is pestering the dean to get my pain in the ass professor to offer a shorter project instead.  So while no one will be bothering me for the next week, they'll certainly be bothering each other and ultimately I'm the one who'll suffer.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

@MarineBluePsy UGH. I'm sure he will make that exam as much of a pain in the ass as possible just to spite your advisor. You're right, all this nonsense that you don't have input on, but you'll be the one getting the short end of the stick.

[Neist]

4 hours ago, MarineBluePsy said:

And the thing is I didn't ask for anything. 

 

Sorry about that.  I ran into some similar complications perpetuated without my desire when applying to to graduate programs. I just lowered my head and rode it out.

4 hours ago, nevermind said:

Re: Podcasts

I really enjoy "More Perfect": http://www.npr.org/podcasts/481105292/more-perfect

 

Good choice! Oddly enough, that one is made by the Radiolab people.  I love the way they cut their audio.

[MarineBluePsy]

Whatever!  They're all buttholes and I'm going back to binge watching Sons of Anarchy.  How have I never heard of this hottie Charlie Hunnam?

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@MarineBluePsy That's the spirit!

Omg that final of project runway made me sooooooooooooooooo angry

[hippyscientist]

5 hours ago, MarineBluePsy said:

Whatever!  They're all buttholes and I'm going back to binge watching Sons of Anarchy.  How have I never heard of this hottie Charlie Hunnam?

I LOVE SOA. It's amazing. I got my mom addicted to it as well. Great show. Might have to watch an episode now.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa, all

[Neist]

2 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa, all

You too! I'm drinking boozy hot chocolate.