The Fora: A Higher Education Community

Congratulations, smallcleanrat!  You've accomplished something that many people, myself included, have never been able to accomplish.  You've demonstrated that you can accomplish significant things.  Don't let yourself forget it!

Good for You!!

Huzzah for soon to be DOCTOR Smallcleanrat! I hop you had a nice little reward for yourself before getting back to knocking out the written thesis. Just remember a good thesis is not perfect, just completed.

Congratulations, smallcleanrat! What a wonderful and well-deserved accomplishment. I hope you and SO can celebrate (Maestro may be unimpressed).

AR.

That was a class announcement, not an email specific to you.  Please don't respond to tell me you already did the assignment the reminder was about.

This Reminder:

    Yesterday was the last day to Add/Drop.  By now, you should have taken the syllabus quiz and earned 100%.

    You have until the END OF THE DAY, Today 20Sept23 to do so.

    If you have already done so, good job.  Carry on.
 

My ears are having one of their periodic flare-ups of earache pain.  Never have figured out exactly why.  I guess it's changes in the weather and the chilled air circulating in the building's HVAC system.  My ears have always been sensitive to cold and to changes in pressure.  It's one reason I'm just as glad I haven't had occasion to fly in 16 years and counting.

Anyway, I'm now in my office wearing a toboggan cap with my short sleeves, on a day that's pushing 90 degrees outside.  I try to stay out of sight of patrons as much as I reasonably can at times like this.  But the cap might be enough to head off the severe aching.  If not, I might have to go home early this afternoon.

Sorry to hear it apl68. Hope the flareup will end quickly and in the meantime not be severe.

Quote from: smallcleanrat on September 17, 2023, 02:29:54 PM

Quote from: smallcleanrat on September 01, 2023, 01:59:34 PMHow do you get things done on days when all you want to do is lie in bed and not move? I'm having a lot of days like that.

I had multiple fits of convulsions yesterday, and now everything hurts. My muscles are sore, my head aches, and my stomach is resisting all attempts to feed it. I just want to curl up and vegetate, but my dissertation defense is two weeks away so I really shouldn't.

I also have a ton of other stuff to do to prepare for finishing up school, switching health insurance and finding new providers, getting ready to move, and figuring out next steps career-wise.

I don't know if it's the stress of all this that's making me feel sick so often, but I need a way to work through the pain and weakness so I'm not even more stressed from falling behind.

apl68, doc700, and AvidReader, thanks so much for your responses.

I got through the last couple of weeks by following the advice to put everything else aside and single-mindedly focusing on prepping for the defense. It was Friday.

Relieved to say it went well. I had massive amounts of anxiety leading up to it, but during the actual event I surprised myself by staying pretty calm. I passed, and got some very nice comments from my committee (e.g. "You owned it!"). We celebrated as a lab with snacks and drinks in my PI's office.

Still have more thesis writing to do, and will have to file before the end of Fall term. But that is the only grad school hurdle left.

Congrats scr!!!!!!!!!!!

Received my first senior discount without the clerk asking my age. But it was at the liquor store. I'm pretty f*cking conflicted right now.

WHY? Why did IT decide that the Monday of week 5 of the semester was the right time to switch the entire campus to a different software (Microsoft authenticator) for security authentication? We have has faculty unable to log into their computer, or their email, or the LMS, or some combination of above.

And what happened to the "transition period"? There is no transition period because you can't opt out of authentication when you are using a Microsoft program!

My ears have been flaring up again since Monday.  This morning I finally made an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow.  In the meantime, I've been trying to keep my ears covered and bear with it.  When I had to go downtown to run errands, the problem mostly cleared up.  Now it's trying to bother me again. 

It really does seem to have to do with being in this building.  I had thought shutting down most of the air circulation into my office would fix the problem.  Yesterday I had all I could do to make it until closing time.  I'm not sure I'll be able to do it this afternoon.

A 70ish year-old man challenged me to a fight at the gym today (!).

He thought I was making too much noise. For context, I was on the incline bench press with ~200lbs on the barbell. I do not grunt. I do not drop the barbell when I'm done my set. I just place it back in the bracket slowly. Yes, it makes noise, because it's metal on metal and pretty heavy. But not that much noise, especially for a gym. He swore at me a bit and asked that I make less noise next time. I said I was sorry it had bothered him, and would endeavour to be quieter. And then added--admittedly, this was petty of me--that he could ask more politely next time. So he threw out his arms and challenged me to a fight. I trust he felt like a Big Man.

But why the fuck would I want to fight you?


Because I'm petty and carry a grudge for always, I think that when I see him at the gym in the future I will wave and say 'hello' loudly.

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on September 29, 2023, 03:48:15 PMA 70ish year-old man challenged me to a fight at the gym today (!).

He thought I was making too much noise. For context, I was on the incline bench press with ~200lbs on the barbell. I do not grunt. I do not drop the barbell when I'm done my set. I just place it back in the bracket slowly. Yes, it makes noise, because it's metal on metal and pretty heavy. But not that much noise, especially for a gym. He swore at me a bit and asked that I make less noise next time. I said I was sorry it had bothered him, and would endeavour to be quieter. And then added--admittedly, this was petty of me--that he could ask more politely next time. So he threw out his arms and challenged me to a fight. I trust he felt like a Big Man.

But why the fuck would I want to fight you?


Because I'm petty and carry a grudge for always, I think that when I see him at the gym in the future I will wave and say 'hello' loudly.

Wow........

Was the guy Izzy Mandelbaum, by chance? https://seinfeld.fandom.com/wiki/Izzy_Mandelbaum

Quote from: librarygal on September 30, 2023, 04:56:17 AMWas the guy Izzy Mandelbaum, by chance? https://seinfeld.fandom.com/wiki/Izzy_Mandelbaum

Hahaha, almost! More like his son, Jr., really.