My hurricane party

I'm sick of people freaking out. Yes, this storm will be bad. But stop scaring my family.

We prepared to the best of our abilities, stocked up on food and beverages. Let the storm hit, and hope we'll be OK. Part of my attitude is because I have kids. That I don't want to scare. So I'm gonna be having a little hurricane party as long as the power holds out tomorrow (while covertly listening to weather reports on my ipod).

To Irene I say "Screw you! Stop messing with my weekend!"

And we will party....

For those of us on the East Coast

Umm.... Anyone know what to do when say, just hypothetically, a category 2 hurricane is supposed to fly over your house over the weekend? Should I be worried?

All we've ever had since we moved out here was a tropical storm. So it was pretty much like a really bad thunderstorm, which we can deal with. But this.... strikes me different. Maybe it's just the jitters jangling around my brain from the earthquake (also a first for me), or me crashing from my grant writing high, but I'm beginning to wonder if I might need to get a little bit better prepared. Stocked with water, flashlights, diapers....

I know the name is wrong, but pretend they're saying "Irene..."

Am I out of touch?

I consider myself a newb when it comes to most things academic, especially TT-related. That's part of the reason I just started following The Chronicle - to educate myself of what the hell I'm getting myself into.

Then I read the following article discussing The 2011 Mind-Set of Faculty (Born Before 1980).

My first thought? "WTF! People born AFTER 1980 are professors? Where? What am I doing wrong?"

Then I read the article and was impressed by it's fluffiness and total pointlessness. Why is an article like this wasting space? What am I supposed to learn from such "insights?" Not only do I not "fit in" with my more established colleagues, but I wonder what they think when they read articles like this? Am I supposed to adopt a me vs. them attitude toward my (potential) students?

'Cause I ain't gonna do that. Ever.

Parenting Fail

So, let me set the scene. I've got a grant due in less than a week. I started on Saturday. I'm also feeling the pinch for the October rush - I'm already scheduled for a meeting in DC, a 10 day vacation (yea!), guest lecturing a class, and wrapping up two manuscripts. Oh, and I'm also applying for TT jobs.

So, I'm kind a preoccupied, and when my son told me he didn't feel good this morning, I broke into a cold sweat. I mean c'mon, how do kids know when you absolutely can't take a day off because you can't get anything done while comforting him as he yacks into the toilet... In any case, after a bit of pressing, he then says he's feeling better. To be on the safe side I head home with him and take his temperature.

Yup. Normal. At which point he starts to cry because he doesn't want to go to school and would rather stay home. Right. Not gonna happen. So I drop him off and have a super productive morning until I get the call. From daycare. Your son just threw up. Twice. All over. You need to pick him up.

FAIL!

Cult of personality

As I've been embarking on my whirlwind Fall of career development/praying someone will want to hire me,I've been struck and somewhat confused about people who tout the concept of "developing my brand."

WTF - I thought my science spoke for itself, right?

That people should know what I do and where I want to go based on reading tea leaves.....

OK, I'm being sarcastic, but I have a hard time knowing where to draw the line. At what point does all the PR take over from doing good science? How does one balance substance over style?

Can a cop out also be inspiring?

OK, so I failed a bit with my attempt to post regularly. Unfortunately, I'm so short on time that I'm not able to coherently write about anything. But I still want to inspire and be inspired. What to do... What to do...

Thankfully, Youtube and AACR saved me with two videos.

Friday Tunes

Prof-like substance reminded me of how much I love music, and how divergent my tastes are. Here I'm sharing my grandmother's favorite singer, Edith Piaf. In addition to having a great voice, she also has a very interesting life story of perseverance.

In any case, this link is from a 1959 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Yes it's in French, but good singing can be in any language.

Matt Damon defends teachers

Although I will do research, I will also teach. And I take that responsibility seriously. So it's nice to hear someone speak up for tenure....

Collaborations: easier said than done...

As I tread toward independence, I've heard lots of talk about how important collaborative science is. It not only helps bolster a fledgling career, but it is also good for Science. After all, we can't be experts in everything, so it's only natural to seek help from others.

But here's my question: What does it take to start a collaboration? I talk to people and present my work, but it seems to me that collaborations are few and far between. Is it just that I'm too junior to be taken seriously? Can anyone explain strategies that have/have not worked? Thanks!