On being ignored

So, I'm a fairly independent person. I don't like to be micro-managed, but I do appreciate feedback. I've now sent the boss my conference abstract 3 times - no response. The first time he verbally commented, the second time no acknowldegement of receipt, and I haven't hear anything of the third yet either. The thing is that I know he's worked on my labmate's abstract already. Maybe I'm just frustrated because I'm still working on this same damn paper from OCTOBER that he never responded to either other than to say it was a good draft and that he wanted me to wait for the broken instrument to be repaired. So now that I have that data, and a lot more, I'm trying to figure out what to incorporate - the control system is interesting but not vital to the paper, do I include it in the main body or just the supplementary information? I get that this really is MY paper, sole student author and all, but some feedback would be nice so that I can meet his initial expecations without having to rewrite the whole damn thing because I couldn't read his mind.

Grump.

I am bored. And lonely. It's been a crappy day.

Things have been going ok. I've been insanely busy, which makes me happy. I finally had some success with the broken instrument that seems to be repaired now (maybe, hopefully, please??) But today, today I had to clean a mercury spill - for our postdoc. Don't get me wrong, I like her a lot, but that's kind of basic, yeah? Then I had what was supposed to be the last day on the broken instrument. The instrument is fine (sort of, the bias keeps shifting, but in the same amounts so it normalizes okay), but my samples were crap. Well, 2 of them were, which means I have to remake and redo the whole set again next week. Dammit. Then I come back over to lab and am obviously in a crappy mood, I'm running these 5 hour experiments, which equals very long days, so I'm tired and grumpy and PMSing on top of it all. A labmate asks me what's wrong, I say that my samples were crap. She responds by basically insinuating that the entire system that I study is crap, and I should expect nothing less. I wish I could convey my ire through my writing, but let's just say I didn't speak to her the rest of the day, because, yes, I AM 5 years old today.

Now I'm alone in the lab, and lonely, and hungry and have to have dinner with my husband and his friends, which means I'll sit in silence and brood. Yay.

I hope everyone else's day is better.

An Ode...

Oh, spring break, how I love thee,
Without the undergrads running free,
I only wish that it were me,
Sleeping out there under your tree.

OK so I'm not a poet, but it's nice not to have undergrads around. In fact it's the highlight of spring break :)

Advice?

I mentioned recently mentioned attending a conference that conflicts with my parents coming in from out of state. The conference runs Wed-Sat, and I'll present either Wed or Thurs as part of a women in chemistry symposium. Friday switches focus a little toward a different area of chemistry. My question is this, is it okay for me to leave on Friday and skip the last two sessions? I've never been to a conference before so I don't know the rules. Advice from my few readers is greatly appreciated!

Puzzling

The instrument that was broken is finally fixed. The data is being acquired as I type. That's the good news. The bad news is that at first glance it looks like I'm seeing the opposite trend of what I expect. Not sure what to make of that. I won't know for sure until I export all the data and actually work it up properly, but it's kind of puzzling. Although I am noticing another trend that's very interesting...ah, science.

Conference

So the boss wants to send me to a conference (yay) to actually speak (yikes) - in May. I'm excited, and I want to go - but that's right when my family was coming. They're willing to move around me but I feel bad about it, and yet I can't not go. But honestly that's not what's bothering me. He's sending someone else with me - the student who never works. Yeah we came in together, but I've been busting my ass for the past 3 years and she's been watching TV on her computer. True, she's stepped it up in the last month or so, but come on! I don't know why this bothers me so much, but it really does. I think probably because it makes me feel like he still doesn't see us differently, despite the fact that I work hard and do all his bitch-work and she does nothing. GRRRR.

Recruiting

We just had our second recruiting weekend poster session tonight. I have to say, it was kind of blah. Usually I like to recruit, it's a chance to get out of the lab, meet people hang out without feeling guilty. Tonight I wasn't into it at all. I have a lot on my mind and am exhausted from working so many hours lately on top of everything else that's been going on. It wasn't the students really, there were some good ones, but I just couldn't "turn it on" this time. I don't think the boss talked to anyone at all until the end either. It was just strange. Maybe it's just that it's Friday the 13th.

Working Hours

I don't know if all labs are like this but we seem to have silent competitions around here about who works the most/longest hours. I admit to it, although I try really hard not to I do notice when people come and go, and I do measure that against my own time, but I don't comment on it to anyone. I don't openly play the game, shall we say. People will often tell me how late they stayed the night before or how long they were in lab on the weekends, and I shrug it off. I know in my heart of hearts that it doesn't really matter.

For some reason something one of my labmates said to me the other day though has been sticking with me. She said, "we're not coming in this weekend, for the first time ever". First off: BULLSHIT! I think that was a little obvious on my facial expression since she immediately corrected herself to say - well, unless we're out of town or something. OK, I know she just defended and is feeling some freedom right now and I'm really happy for her, but I know that her statement just isn't true. But it's the perception, which brings me to what I'm really interested in, how we are percieved based on our working hours.

For example, this particular labmate (and her pig boyfriend) generally come in around 11am and leave whenever. The pig plays on a sports team and leaves around 6pm 2x/week to go to practice. I know from experience that he returns ~8pm and they leave shortly thereafter. She stays in lab. They also take lunch and dinner breaks. Another labmate comes in around 9am and leaves around 6pm, taking her hour lunch. Lately she got in trouble and has been working longer hours, but I honestly don't expect it to last. The postdoc comes in around 8:45 and leaves around 6pm, she eats lunch at her desk. The last member is a first year, so he still has the luxury of coming and going as he pleases. I come in around 8:30am and leave around 6:30/7pm. I often stay later than that (especially recently where I have been here everyday - by myself on weekends mind you - and staying until around 9:30pm). I take a lunch only once a week and dinner once a week - otherwise I eat at my desk. We all do our fair share of internet procrastination, talking to people and non-work type activities. So how are we percieved?

Pig is considered the hardest worker. Although he probably works fewer hours than I do, because he will be here until 3 am (coming in at 2pm the next day and leaving at 6pm) people seem to think that he works sooo hard.

The one who works her requisite 40 hours is considered lazy and people don't think she does any work at all (in all fairness there is actually some truth to that).

I don't know where I fall in this spectrum, but it's interesting that just because I don't stay until 3am or whatever that people don't think I work hard.