"The odds are good, but the goods are odd."

[bironic]

(Career Development guy quoting someone in reference to the likelihood of the female graduate population here [30%] finding [assumed heterosexual] relationships.)

I have to say, I was expecting more geeks. Maybe they'll show up later. Or maybe everyone's a geek and we all seem normal to each other. Only one mathematician so far, and no physicists outside of the plasma lab. A surfeit of Trekkies, though. That is good.

Trying to focus on positives and hold back the anxieties. Thus, things that are happy-making:

- I met up with deelaundry and the whole Laundry clan yesterday. They are an adorable bunch. It was only too bad that they came here on the one cloudy, humid day we've had since I moved up. Dee, if you see this, it was great to hang out again, and I hope you have fun on the rest of your trip!

- It turns out that my favorite-so-far classmate* lives in my building. She just moved in today. We ran into each other elsewhere on campus and went to some activities and a BBQ together.

* A former lieutenant in the Air Force. She served in Texas, Japan and Iraq. She wanted to be an astronaut. Yes, since meeting her in May I have been contemplating exactly what Sheppard research questions she can be asked.

- Finding someone to watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog with. I wasn't even looking, but there he was. So we may do that one day.

- As part of an orientation program called Labs Open House, this afternoon I got to see two plasma/fusion conductors, one of which is in pieces for maintenance so we could look at its guts and how they all fit together; a wind tunnel I'd seen on Nova and various other TV programs; and a biology/materials science/chemistry lab, where the guy I talked to is looking to develop virus-based targeted magnetic resonance imaging—they'd inject the patient with a fluid that contains viruses attached to (a) biological particles that are designed to seek out and cluster in a person's tumor or what-have-you and (b) tiny nano-magnets that then light up in the scanner, allowing radiologists to see the problem. The viruses would be derived from a sort that attack bacteria, not people; no worries of infection. That was neat. I'm only sorry I missed yesterday's Personal Robots lab tour, but there should be other opportunities during the semester to check it out along with the rest of the famous AI labs.

- Lord of the Rings, Independence Day and Iron Man references at the inaugural orientation session yesterday. Also a kid with a t-shirt that said, "i can has torrents?" He looked young and like he was trying too hard, though.

- Going on a group apple-picking trip on Friday to a place that is also supposed to have berries, peaches, and other fruits and vegetables.

- Meeting elynittria this weekend, if nerves don't get the better of us. (!)

- Brief email exchange with Henry Jenkins. (!)

- Reading things like cathalin's The Price That Life Exacts (finally, after it was recced all over the place) and ... a few others I can't remember. Then I got into a "Where is the really good porn, anyway?" mood and couldn't find much, which is always sad, but now I've started the longest SGA Big Bang story of the lot, so that should take up most of the non-productive reading time until the semester starts.

(Things I am not focusing on: lack of sufficient thesis topics, impending work overload, Imposter Complex, zero fic output, having steam-burned my thumb after experimenting with what turned out to be an overzealous "reheat" function on the microwave.

My bed is really, really comfy. See? There is still that.)

Today's tidbit: Did you know this had a name? Parkinson's Law.

p.s. -- Happy belated birthday to euclase, writer and artist and photographer and all-around person extraordinaire, and happy future birthday to jadesfire2808, an inspiration, a talent and a delight always. I'm sorry I cannot summon the creativity to repay your wonderful birthday gifts to me.

Comments

[zulu.livejournal.com]

Hey, just today I was thinking about you and your general awesome. My mom's been a subscriber to Discover magazine for a few years, but she's getting tired of it being all about personalities and gizmo-products rather than, y'know, about science. So are there any other layman-type science magazines that you might recommend to her? ("My friend bironic will know!" I told her quite confidently.)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Scientific American (http://www.sciam.com/) has much more content than Discover. (Is there Scientific Canadian?) There's also Natural History (http://www.naturalhistorymagazine.com/), put out by the Am Mus of Nat Hist in NYC, but that has a more narrow focus. Also Smithsonian (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/) from the museum/society in D.C.; I can't remember exactly what that's got in it. National Geographic (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/), of course. And, there's one that goes out weekly summarizing what's going on in the research world... oh, what is it called... ah, duh, Science News (http://www.sciencenews.org/).

(Sorry for all the edits!)

[zulu.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll let her know. (See, I brag about my internet-friends in RL when they do cool stuff. I can live vicariously through you!)

[blackmare.livejournal.com]

Meeting elynittria this weekend, if nerves don't get the better of us. (!)

Oh, do it. Don't let your nerves tell you otherwise. I've met ... good heavens, I've lost track of how many net-friends I've met over the years! And it has always been a wonderful thing.

impostor syndrome -- OH. Oh yes, that's ME right there. I mean, not always, but often enough that it can be damn near crippling. I'm not sure if it's helpful to know that someone else suffers and struggles with it, but just in case it is, I'll fess up. Because, yeah.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

How exciting! I'm kind of jealous that you get to meet all these lj peeps XD

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Ack, I've heard so much about that but never gotten around to seeing it. Because, Neil Patrick Harris and the Firefly guy! Must... correct...

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Singing! Right up your alley, eh? My sister tells me the whole thing is only 45 minutes.

[bell]

Brief email exchange with Henry Jenkins. (!)

^____________^

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Actual quote from Mr. Laundry: "Hey, she was normal!" with the undertone of "I wouldn't expect that from one of your friends." Yes, thank you, Mr. L. *grins*

We had a great time seeing you (and MIT) and the weather seemed excellent to me -- comfortable and not too bright.

For elynittria and anyone thinking about meeting bironic in person: She's just as awesome as she appears on LJ!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Aw, shucks. :D

"Hey, she was normal!"

Eeeexcellent. It seems that I can indeed pass among the humans as one of them.

[jadesfire.livejournal.com]

There is much to be happy about there! I'd be worried if you weren't a bit anxious - change is always scary, no matter how good. And oh yes to the Imposter Complex. 4 years at Oxford and I never got over it :S But then neither did the person who got the top first in our year, so I feel a bit better about that ;)

And thank you! Just keep telling us how much fun you're having - that's a great present, as it makes me grin :D

[pun.livejournal.com]

If that's what you're into, you have to like that ratio!

Everything sounds completely awesome so far. I'm so happy for you!

[thirdblindmouse.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure there's a Parkinson's Law of me getting out the door -- I can wake up 5 minutes before I'm supposed to go or 2 hours; it makes no difference.

As part of an orientation program called Labs Open House, this afternoon I got to see [...]

Wow. Um, I'm not green with envy. Really! *crosses fingers behind back*