You're still here?

I am so sick of hearing that question! Sick of it I tell you. Everytime I see someone around the university that's what they ask me. Now I'm hoping it is because my supervisor and half our lab up and moved to the US and there is only me and another grad student left behind to fend for ourselves and everyone is suprised I didn't go. However, I also wonder whether people ask me this because they think I should be done by now. Perhaps someone should notify my committee of this little tid bit of info. At my last meeting a couple months ago one of my committee members made the comment of, "Oh you haven't been here that long" to which I replied, "It's been long enough". That same committee member suggested, in a moment of speaking before thinking, that I perhaps make a knockout mouse. Oh yes, hang on a sec while I sign up for the 15 year PhD!

Perhaps I should send out a departmental email stating that yes I'M STILL HERE! And stop asking me!

Who turned out the light?

I like to refer to my degree as the never ending PhD because, well, that's what it seems like. At my defense I'm going to need someone to pinch me so I'm know I'm not dreaming. Occasionally I see the light at the end of the tunnel. It always seems closer than it is. Kinda like that time my family and I went on what was supposed to be an hour or two hike. We saw this waterfall in the distance and thought it would be cool to hike there. After four hours of walking around a lake, crossing a rock pile that even a seasoned mountain goat would have trouble navigating, and an almost straight vertical hike up the side of a mountain the waterfall still didn't seem that much closer. We did get a good picture though. Just like the light at the end of the tunnel - I can see it, I could probably even get a good picture of it but getting there is a whole other story.

This week that light seems to be getting further and further away. If I squint really hard I could probably still get a glimpse but for the most part it has disappeared. Ahh.. the joys or research. One step forward, five steps back. Just when I think the next experiment will solve all my questions it ends up adding ten more. I like to think I'm on the verge of a big discovery and any moment one experiment will tie it all together into a neat package that my committee will buy and I will be onto bigger and hopefully better things. Hey, a girl needs something to keep her going. Such is science though. I was prepared for the ups and downs but it still sucks. When things are going well it's almost like the science gods look down on you and think, "Whoa, things are going a bit too well. We gotta rein in some of that cockiness. We'll just add some confusing results into the mix. That should humble her enough". Perhaps it's time to make an offering to the science gods. Do they take lab mates?

What's in a name?

What does a blog site titled "blah... blah... blah" have to do with being a grad student you ask. Have you ever been at a seminar, class, or even a one on one meeting with your supervisor where you can tell words are coming out of their mouth and something in your mind is telling you that perhaps you should pay attention but all you hear in your head is "blah... blah... blah", kinda like that teacher on Charlie Brown? Voila... the title.
Hmm.. perhaps I should be paying more attention to my supervisor. You never know, he may actually be saying something important.