I'm not sure why, but I am rather amused at my reading audience, especially the countries my readers are from. except for the USA and some Canadians, almost everyone is from eastern Europe. interpret that as you will.

Drunk Texts

I have come to the conclusion that the scientist's version of drunk texting is sending one another links to random articles in the middle of the night. I received a texted link to an article titled "Let there be white light: supercontinuum generation by ultrashort laser pulses" from a biomedical engineer I have gone on a few dates with. as far as I could tell, there was no hidden meaning or context to previous conversations within the article. it was, just a random article, sent in the early hours of the morning. there you have it: scientific drunk texting.

there are a surprising number of physics books with the word "modern" in the title. my textbook for last year was called modern physics. one of my classes next year is called modern physics. my professor just lent me a book with a chapter on calculating angular separation and the title is, just guess, modern astrophysics. now, I don't really have a problem with this, but this modern astrophysics has a copyright date of 1996. a lot changes in the world of astrophysics over seventeen years, and I hardly think this material can be called "modern." so why do we call these things modern when this will only describe them for about five years? I think we as a community become so excited about the information we have that we want everyone to know how new it is, never mind that it will soon be obsolete. by the time I get my Ph. D., this "modern physics" class will be about 10 years behind the current times and will, in fact, no longer be modern.

as a relatively new researcher, I have little to no idea on lab protocol. I should discuss things with my professor before they become an issue. case in point, yesterday I woke up with a moderate case of the 24-hour flu. there was no way I could sit and plug away at code. so, a full two hours before I was expected in the lab, I emailed my professor a short but effective statement, since I didn't have a number to call, and assured myself that she would reply with a "that's fine, just look over some papers and be in tomorrow." I fell asleep for most of the day, and received no reply. 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm, 10 pm, and no email. I started to worry. I broke expectations. I wasn't allowed to take sick days. I stressed like only a physicist knows how to. today, I was on time to the lab, greeted my coworker nervously, sure that he would demand where I had been. turns out, my professor apparently didn't notice I hadn't been there. I'm going to discuss my vacation with her now.

I find it quite interesting that the four of us working on this maser project all listen to music while working. three of us use earbuds and the fourth wears Beats-esque full headphones. but unless something needs said, this astrolab remains silent. so one day, the guy across from me begins talking to another researcher in another lab about the music video playing where an effect is made by burning the film as it is projected. we begin watching the video, and the bizarre accompanying music. it's like a very small orchestra with some odd effects on the tones of the instruments. I confess I do not remember the name of the band, but this spurred a conversation about what we are all listening to. one of us listens to odd music with weird tonal effects, another listens to NPR radio and podcasts, and I listen to a mix of eminem, a day to remember, three days grace, spill canvas, etc. which according to my co-workers, I'm "angry" for listening to loud music while I work. so there's that. the guy with the full-out headphones didn't join the conversation, so who knows whats blasting through those.

I think it's a safe assumption that most people excelling in math and science have some issues with relationships and meeting dateable people. and so I began using a dating site. well. tinder, which is a "dating/hooking up/whateveryouwantittobe" APP. on my iPhone. yes, I'm dating from my iphone. so, with low expectations, I began talking to my matches. after bringing up that I was a physicist working in an astronomy lab, most conversations ended abruptly and I never received a reply. a few were honestly interested in what I was working on and asked questions, a few asked if I wanted to hook up, and one was interested in meeting. as a petite, shy and socially inept 18 year old female, I gave his full name and phone number, as well as the restaurant's number, to my parents, my ex boyfriend (who I'm still close to), and my best girl friend (the artist). the boy in question was 22, recently graduated and doing research in the field of biomechanical engineering. I needn't have worried. the date was wonderful and afterward we walked to a nearby park where he played guitar and we sang some duets for nearly 2 hours. yes, I've found a fellow scientist with a passion for music as well. this is the beginning.

so I'm wrestling with a section of awk code today, when what sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger the terminator is coming from the hallway. naturally I'm concerned and abandon the code. plot twist: it's not a robot bodybuilder. it's a large, wheeled, cube shaped robot equipped with a webcam and an automatic nerf gun. somehow, I think this deserves its own hashtag.