Power to the people alright...

This is bloody scary.
It is hard enough to get a well funded government grant.
Now the US congress (who are completely scientific experts I'm sure) want their fingers in how the grants will be decided and handed out?

BULL

SHIT

There is enough bending over and pandering to the "hot topics" of the current science world to try and get funding for valuable research. There is already extreme peer review for national granting and this would place even more government restrictions on what science is allowed to study and research in theis country. Yes it's US, but the way our Canadian government has muzzled scientists and fired many environmental researchers and cut environmental controls and protections we may follow suit very shortly without even batting an eye.

OH yes, on the surface one could argue that this sort of thing would ensure science meets public and society needs without "wasting" money on rare and minute topics, but the fact is that those oddball topics rarely get funding anyways unless they're so fucking exciting that they can prove their validity and future quality. The fact that this even comes up shows a general disconnect between scientists and government as they genuinely do not understand, for the most part, just what we scientists *do*.

The conference I was at 2 weeks ago in London had a few sessions on what I so dearly hope will be the future of research funding in both medicine and science - Crowd funding. Seriously. Promote your lab and work and put out a topic there. Contact interest groups. If they want you to do your work they will donate, possibly even online, to fund your work. You will report back to them what you have discovered. Groups with particular diseases could put their money where their mouth is. I hear my hippy friends rant all the time about big pharma and governments corrupting research and medicine and to a small degree they are right. And you know what I tell them - if you want good research into areas you feel strongly about - lobby the government! Raise money for the agencies that fund their research...(or better yet) and together and crowd fund them.

I cannot stop laughing

by the Oatmeal....

we will be among you soon

I leave for my conference in 5 days.
Holy crap.
I have so much to do before then.....

surprise

Being a manager is weird.
Suddenly I am the go to person. Me? When did that happen? Don't they know I still snicker when someone says the word duty?
It would be hilarious if it weren't so busy!
Plus I just had a few duties (he heh) added to my roster (which should be OK) but the main panic I'm having at the moment is that we are (finally!) starting to move in to our new labs and I am realizing just how much my job entails. Not just in the running the lab, but in getting everyone packed up, all the paperwork and permits and training done and helping the students and PIs keep working while they move. Add to that semi loads of new equipment arriving to unpack, set up and calibrate daily as well as culling old stuff and moving it without breaking it...and you've got a very tired and frazzled me. Add to that the strangeness of academia and it's pretty odd indeed.
We've gone form mellow underworked and waiting to "oh dear god what now?" in the span of a week. And in a week I leave for a week so I have to try and keep on top of everything.
Heh.
Yeah.
Once we're in it'll be cool...ish...
I'm trying to learn to be a good manager. I vow to not be like one of the dicks I have worked for in the past...we shall see.  I've already had moments where I've been damn proud, so I'll take those and keep them with me for when I crash and burn and hope it all levels out int he end. It's a learning thing I guess...

Ring Ring

I have to ask since I'm wondering if I'm being unreasonable about something- would you call anyone at 9 am on a saturday (holiday saturday no less) to ask a mundane question? My brother and his wife have a frustrating habit of calling me early on the weekends, usually on the only day I have to sleep in to ask me something that could wait for later. They just assume that since they've been up for hours I am too, and if not I'll just ignore the phone ringing.

Thing is (as I keep reminding them), because of my new job, I have to be on call all the time and if the phone rings at an odd hour, I assume it's important and answer it. Getting out of my warm cozy bed to answer a phone and find my brother on the line asking me a question that he could have emailed or texted (like "can you bring an extra set of cutlery for supper?" or "what was the name of that book again?") or even just waited until later to call me about is annoying and I end up PO'd and can't go back to sleep after. Them worrying they'll forget to call is not a good enough reason to me. FB me. Text me. email me. I'm too polite to tear a strip off them but next time it happens I will. I don't call people before noon or after 9PM out of common courtesy unless it's very important. I ask them to do the same...but they don't respect that.
 I've explained it to them and asked them not to call early. I'm up at 530 all week and if I want to sleep in I want to sleep in dangnabbit. I'm trying to figure out how to tell them without telling them off...any ideas?

How rude

Last night I had a lot of pent up stress to wear off (there are a lot of layoff where I work right now and still 80 more positions they are going to remove...very stressful wondering if you or your team members are "next") so I was going to knit and relax with a glass of wine, but discovered my neighbors had piled a huge drift of snow from their yard up against the side of my house to shoulder height in some spots (some of it from their dog run. Yuck). It buried the AC unit and is the side of my house that tends to flood so I found a way to burn off my stress - I grabbed my new shovel and ice chipper and had at it for a few hours, clearing a 1 m trench along the house on that side. It wasn't easy because it was packed hard and frozen in spots and I had to walk the snow back behind or to the front to get it out (although I reaaaaaally just wanted to shovel it back into my neighbors yard!). I'd still like to do a bit more, but it's a very solid dent into the snow problem they created. It's twice the normal snowfall this year to begin with so I don't need help of added snow from other people. I'm amazed at the fact that they could do that without thinking...seriously rude. Like I want their dog pee snow in my yard... (they are generally really nice...I didn't go talk to them about it since I was too PO'd to be polite).

I rewarded myself with a lovely salmon steak and steamed broccoli and yams and it was very tasty indeed. Then I cracked open some blueberry wine and
set to baking up some treats for the bellydance hafla tonight. I had no eggs, so I put my newly poured glass of blueberry wine in a coffee travel mug (we're all for classy around here!!) and walked to the store and back for baking stuff. As a bonus, J called form work while I was out so I got to walk at sunset talking to my luv while sipping my own fine wine. Really put me in a most happy mood to finish off my day :) Got back and got down to baking. Made some banana muffins for us at home and haystack cookies for work. The loaf I made for the hafla looks deeeeelicious - banana coconut bread with lime glaze. Spent the rest of the late evening playing with costumes to find something fun to wear for dancing and finally plopped into bed happy, destressed and full of haystack cookies.

New shovels are cool

I just drove to buy a new snow shovel (my old one is utter crap) and then spent two and a half hours shovelling out my front walk, sidewalk and back path to the car. There were thigh high packed drifts for most of it. Whew! So glad on days like this that I have worked so hard for functional strength in my back and arms...I felt very amazon today hurling huge chunks of packed snow up onto the top of the shoulder high drifts in my yard. What a spring!

Now after a long hot shower I get a bottle of my favourite beer and a snack before I settle in and work on my poster. Ah! I feel a bit creaky but very much alive :)

Yes I'd love a glass thanks

I made a thing!

Hooray!
Now for the matching one...

Saturday morning rant

OK. I have to rant this out or I will explode:
If you're going to try and pick apart world issues or politics or science as evil and wrong, then take the time to learn about it. Study it. Experience it and learn as much as you can about it so you can find out what is REALLY going on. And from all angles - even those you disagree with. If you can, test it, empirically with controls and unbiased examination.
Then you can know what is known about it and if you dislike it - you can find other like minded people and work to change it! Or you can learn more about it and help people. YOU can make a difference.
Yes YOU.
Going with a "gut feeling" and what "sounds good" and ranting about the FDA and big pharma (or GMOs or police or...you get the idea) as evil is not new...letting the media and others with agendas manipulate your opinion happens on all sides...and, sure, I will support some of your statements on some issues. I'm as guilty as the next person sometimes for simply trusting others to be honest with me...but sadly, we need to be more vigalent.
For the love of all that is soft and furry and purring please USE YOUR MINDS! Think! LOOK at the world! Learn about it! Does what you find shock you? Good! Then DO something! Don't just repost biased unresearched half-truths on facebook or and expect me to not respond. BUT if you feel you have something legitimate to say go for it! Put it out there and debate and discuss and make the world a better place by changing people's minds and making them think for themselves. I have a lot of my own rants and issues too.
Fact is...I'm tired of picking apart flaws in arguments that could be found if someone just spent 5 minutes to look for them. You're all smart. The truth is out there.
*ahem*
There. That's better.
Anyone want a waffle? *blink*

So far so good

Almost ready to put the 5 rows of ribbing on the top of my first fingerless glove and sew it together. I am debating if I want to make it longer. Right now it should go slightly below my wrist...similar to a favourite pair I have at I have lost of of. This was rather painless and I am finally getting a regular tension going too...

Kewl!