I just sat down and looked at the calendar, no I mean really looked at the calendar. I am, right now, feeling completely and utterly overwhelmed. I have this ticking clock in my head saying "You've been in lab for 18 months, 24 left to go" or something along those lines (the sole project I am working on has been refunded for an additional 4 years. Since I am the only one in the lab working on it, and there are plently of things to do, my PI gave me the option of styaing for the full four years if I want to, meaning not too much pressure yet).
Anyways, I have to finish writing two manuscripts (including the derivation of the kinetic equations, data fitting, etc.) and try convince my boss to let me split it into three papers. Rewrite and reapply for the NIH fellowship (compltely redoing the research plan). Preferably in that order (as in best case scenario would be having the papers in press when I reapply for the fellowship), train my two new undergrad minions (this is a teaching univeristy for god sakes, but two of them? with almost completely opposite schedules so I can't have them here at the same time, and both of them so green that neither knows the difference between a disposable pipette and a pipetteman?) Oh yeah, and with the somewhat new grad student moving to a different lab in the other departmental building, I can move to his lab (just down the hall) and have my own lab (yup, we have that much space), but I have to clean out the 30 years of crap that has accumulated in the lab that the grad student just worked around.
All of this before April 8th (the deadline for the fellowship)?
Oh, and yeah, to add a little more fuel to the fire, MrDr Zeek's doctor told us yesterday, after looking at the CAT scan images (which, I might add was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen-the doctor even let me "play" with the images, scrolling through cross-sections, etc. It was the highlight of my day--I am such a nerd-and I digress) that his top spinal fusion is somewhat taking, but the bottom one isn't. We have three choices. (a) he quits smoking (which means I quit smoking since (a.1) it is bad for me and (a.2)I would never inflict that type of torture on him. if he has to quit-I have to quit) (b) they implant electrodes into the fusion area to stimulate boone growth ( can I just say (b.1) ewwwww) or (c) they go back in and redo the fusions which means pulling out the rods in screws in his back already, replacing them and the "fusion" cages, etc. (this means (c.1.) 3-6 months recovery time (c.2.) a repeat of what he/we went through about two years ago--it was bad, and fodder for a blog post one of these days and (c.3) hell no!). So, MrDrZeek (who has been smoking for >20 years) got into the car, looked at me, and asked "When are we going to quit?" My heart lept! YAY! Not that I truly want to go through the hell that is quitting smoking (I quit for four months last year, MrDr Zeek didn't, I am now smoking again) but I am happy that he is on board for quitting.
And the continuing weight loss battle. I am trying to loose weight, be more fit, more tones, and its starting to pay off. I am eating healthier, working out (I heart turbo jam) everyday, and yeah. But still.
So there it is boys and girls. Dr Zeek is tired. Worn out, feeling a tad overwhelmed and having no idea how to begin tackling this all. Small chunks.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
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