In order to remove the harsh post regarding the common sport of hockey (that got Cath mentioning that I would clubber anyone with the red leaf… ) and move on into the world of science. (Side note, I am much less angry now. Still a bit annoyed with the audience that booed at the “other team”. See, where I come from, you can boohoo at your team doing a bad game, not at the other team. Sportmanship! That’s what we call it. End of hockey rant until the Canucks game with the newcomer Sundin….)
I’ve been trying to muster courage and energy to go through that protein that hasn’t work. I should do more this afternoon and maybe it will be worth the money to give to someone else to do it. It didn’t help my enthusiasm that another post doc on the floor got the same protein from one of their collaborators and to do experiment “X and W” whereas W is a variant of what they know I will do with the protein (that I don’t have yet – but they do). It made me a bit cranky before Christmas but I decided to leave it and just let live. When the post doc in question came by yesterday though, to ask me for some ELISA help I was reminded that really…. I don’t need to help, but surely it would be childish not to?! I am tempted to start up collaboration with their collaborator (protein!!!) as well, but I have a feeling it will be like diving into a pool with a lot of sharks while I am still a little fish – so maybe not right this minute. And I should really be able to purify this protein, I just need to think, fix and produce.
Secondly, I want to go to this marvellous conference this summer and I thought about applying for a little travel grant. The interesting part, or the more complicated part, came when I realized that I am supposed to be recommended by “a person” who also need to be a member of this “European” society… my problem? My mentor is a member in the “American” society, I am a double member since I am from an European country… and I don’t know which is the best approach. Apply with a recommendation from my former professor, member of the E, or with my present PI and maybe not be eligible? When in doubt, ask. So I emailed the society and left it at that for the week. Need to tweak my “very interesting abstract” as well. Meeting with PI next week to see what is best to put in that abstract, what can go in abstract number two and what can be abstract number three.
Since my PI isn’t really thrilled that I want to go to the expensive European conference, I have promised that I will go to at least one more American conference to present work there. I have money so I can probably go to three, since the little one is going to be cheap (close by and very specialized) and the third is in the fall when I have some more money allocated. Still need to tailor the abstracts for the differences…
And third, this would be the bragging, my article is published electronically and I can find myself and it on pubmed. Wohoo!! My first “first author article” as a post doc! (Never mind the time it took.) What strikes me is that it will be more than 6 months from the time of “accepted” to the time of ”paper published”, which in turn is 4 months from “recieved”. It’s the sort of thing that makes it really hard to celebrate and think “end of a project”. Ah well, I am trying to see the next article to get written before June (good luck with that) and then I need to look into the other smaller projects on the side to see where I am with them.
So far, in the year 2009, I haven’t really been as keen about this research (I’ve been very interested in being at the house and sleep and rest though…). It feels a bit lagging and a bit slow. What to do then? Grab the thing that I have to do, side project finish former postdoc’s work, and actually get on with it. Said and done. I will now try and make a list of all the things I need to do to get that ball rolling.
And next week, when I have time, I will give myself a celebratory drink – as tradition – to really enjoy the publication of those small 9 pages that represent a lot of time at strange hours, not to mention thinking, tweaking and double checking. Considering how important every first author paper is in the world of Academia anyway, I think we all need to celebrate them and enjoy those few seconds of relief, pride and happiness!
Tata for now!
11 comments:
Re the European conference: if you need a member to nominate you and your former professor is a member and is happy to do it, go for it. There's no point using your current PI if he/she isn't eligible to support your nomination.
Re the online article: congrats! If it's been accepted then put it on your cv and start to party. It's available online so who cares when it actually comes out in print?
Regarding the nomination,I think you need a member so I'll write an email to my former prof and ask if he would like to nominate me. It's just a bit funny feeling to ask him no nominate me for my present work. then again, I can always ask if he can nominate me since "I need to be at the conference and network with my fellow European researchers as a post doc".
The article> Thanks! Ah... it's available online now. It got accepted back in 2008. I celebrated then and I will celebrate now! Does it show that I think articles and celebrations are important? ;)
Congratulations on the paper! And three abstracts, three conferences - that is just awesome! In my experience, tricky experiments tend to fall into line when other things are going well, so hopefully your protein will start to cooperate too.
Booing opposing players who are perceived to have done something dirty is just part of sport to me, having grown up with it in football and seeing it all the time in hockey. (Remember how Bertuzzi got booed every time he touched the puck at every stadium in the league for a whole season? And not without justification). But it does seem mean to boo "kids", even though 18 year old guys are not really kids.
My cousin lives in Columbus and once told me a story about a Bluejackets game. The big screen lit up with a picture of a baby in the crowd, who was wearing a jersey from some university who is a big rival of the local university (Ohio State). The crowd booed the baby... lol!
Word verification is bealiker. I will indeed try very hard to be a liker today, rather than a hater (of the bus, obviously).
Cath> Thanks. I am hoping for three conferences... considering how expensive some of them are though... ehh.. we'll see.
I knwo what you mean with Bertuzzi and the booing but I still think it is strange when the audience (of 20 000) boos the opposite team when they are loosing with 0-3 and there are like 60 fans for the other team ;)
I've heard booing a bit when I've been to hockey games but the thing with lots and lots and lots of "home supporters" and nothing for the visiting... it's hard.
In Nashville, they showed a dog wearing the Predator's shirt chewing a stuffed Duck when they played the Ducks. I thought that was fun (I admit) and laughed. I guess that measn I am worse, I can take laughing at but not booing at?!!? Bette rthink of that.
Just wanted to congratulate you on your article! So, Congratulations! That really is awesome.
It got accepted back in 2008. I celebrated then and I will celebrate now! Does it show that I think articles and celebrations are important? ;)
As far as I'm concerned you can never celebrate enough with manuscripts. I'm not above celebrating when the manuscript is (1) submitted, (2) accepted, (3) at the proofs stage and (4) finally in print. But then again, I celebrate when each weekend rolls around ...
Amanda> Thanks! It is fun, isn't it :) Best wishes for the new year.
PiT> Yes, that would be the 1,2 and 4 that I celebrate. The 3 is a small hoop but as I have seen it the 3 is followed by 4 very shortly so I do a BIG celebration of 4 ;)
surely I find reasons to celebrate quite often. The bacteria grew.... it's a gloomy day, let's cheer ;)
YAY!! 1st author manuscript!!! Good luck with your protein!!
I'm still catching up so am super late but a big congrats to you on your paper! I also support the multiple celebrations =)
(Also very late to the party, as I'm just starting to catch up on things...)
Congrats on the paper! Celebrate early and often!
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