Last Day of September

Good morning, world!

Last day of September = IP Due Date (to send out for edits by my peers!)!

I was able to get 15.5/20.25 pages edited of my IP yesterday, and my boss’s complete chapter edited as well – I’m BEAT!

But I’m almost done with my IP – just a few more pages (these shouldn’t take as long since I JUST wrote them!) and I absolutely need to work up this reaction that I didn’t do yesterday (that needs to be done by 1 = priority)!

SO, today, here are the goals:

1. WORK UP REACTION
2. TAKE NMR
3. HOPEFULLY TAKE SOME MASS SPECS
4. Meet with boss
5. Continue editing IP
6. One last look over for IP
7. Send out to peers for editing = DONE WITH GOALS FOR THE WEEK!!!!
8. Group Meeting
9. Meet with Chair of the Department…?

Lots to do today… So here I go!

Quote:  “What you will do matters.  All you need to do is do it.” – Judy Grahn

Til tonight!

 

 

Margaret

 

 

Thursday, Day of Edits

Good morning, world!

Today is a day of edits.  Not only for my IP, but my advisor just sent me a book chapter that I need to edit as well before 4 pm tomorrow.  So, today is a day of editing.  I’m REALLY hoping that I can get into the lab today as well!!  I’ve been sitting at my computer way too much!

So, in short, 3 goals for today:

1. Edit boss’s chapter
2. Edit my IP
3. Work up one reaction

That’s it!  A short list, but, as many of us know, editing can take a lllooonnnnggg time…

Quote: “This ain’t fun.  But you watch me, I’ll get it done.” – Jackie Robinson

Perfect quote – not only for the quote itself, but for who said it!  Celebrating the last day of baseball’s regular season last night and the start of the playoffs tomorrow 🙂

Have a great Thursday, world!

 

Margaret

Better News Today!

Good news, world!

I got my car fixed!  YAY!  At $150 later, only the battery needed to be replaced.  🙂

Even though I didn’t update last night, I was able to get a LOT done yesterday!  I was able to knock out those last highlighted additions and edits, knocking out Goal 4!  YAY!

Today, even though I had planned on going into the lab and working up a reaction that has been sitting on my bench for a week (oops), I decided to sit down and just finish Aims 4a and 4b.  I had 2 of my undergrads in this morning, and both are pretty adept with biology, so they were trying to help me out as well and pointed me in the right direction.  In addition, I had an unexpected visitor today – my fellow graduate student/friend from biology!  She came by to ask how I was doing and she gave me some more tips on how to go about completing my last aim!  Of course, I HAD to sit down and just write it then!!

And so…. I was able to get ALL of Aim 4 done!!

SO, for the big finale, here’s the checklist as of the end of today:

1. Aim 4a – Rationale, Experimental, Characterization, Limitations
2. Aim 4b – Rationale, Experimental, Characterization, Limitations
3. Cell Lines
4. Highlighted Additions into Paper
5. Self edit of IP
6. Send IP to peers for edits

So I’m now DONE with writing!!!!!!  

Almost there… tomorrow, I will read through and self-edit my IP.  I already have three of my peers who have agreed to read it and send me back edits – fabulous!!  I’m well on my way to finishing this!!  😀

Quote for today (since I missed it this morning!): “Not knowing you can’t do something is sometimes all it takes to do it.” Ally Carter

Til tomorrow, world!

 

Margaret

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Good morning, world.

Well, it’s not very good for me.  I’m working from home today.  My car won’t start.  I got a jump, but now it won’t drive.  Oh, yay.

I’ll try to get into school by this afternoon, but until then, I’m not going to let it stop me!  I have none of the papers that I really need, but I did manage to print out (and bring home) the last version of my IP.  I can start editing up until the 4th aim (5th goal), finish up my highlighted edits/additions (4th goal), and maybe try to remotely connect to campus, look up a few papers and try to start writing Aims 4a and 4b (1st and 2nd goals).

Since yesterday, this is what I have so far:

1. Aim 4a – Rationale, Experimental, Characterization, Limitations
2. Aim 4b – Rationale, Experimental, Characterization, Limitations
3. Cell Lines
4. Highlighted Additions into Paper*
5. Self edit of IP
6. Send IP to peers for edits

*Most of the 4th goal is complete.  I need to find a reference and edit two schemes.

That’s what I’ve got so far.  Wish me (better) luck, world…

Quote:  “He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had failed.” – William James

 

Margaret

Progress

Good evening, world!

LOTS done today!

First, I was able to talk to my friend in biology.  It was helpful, but I still need to research how I’m going to write it all down!  I have a few papers though to start me out, so we’ll see where that leads! (Progress on the first 2 goals of the week!)

Secondly, I did a little research and figured out the cell lines I need! (Third goal of the week complete!)

Thirdly, I started going through my highlighted parts of my paper that I needed to edit and/or add references, and I’m down to one last claim that I make that I need a reference for!  (Progress on 4th aim!)

Everything is FINALLY coming together!  Tomorrow, I’m going to work on those first two goals – writing up Aims 4a and 4b.  Hope everyone else had a great Monday!  Til tomorrow!

 

Margaret

IP Final Stretch

Gooooooooooood morning, world!

I got a LOT done this past weekend at DH, and I’m trying to keep the momentum going!!  I have put together what I need to do to complete this IP, and I believe that I will be able to do so by the end of the week!  I have written them all down and put them next to my desk so that I’m reminded:

If you can’t read them:

• Aim 4a – Rationale, Experimental, Characterization, Limitations
• Aim 4b – Rationale, Experimental, Characterization, Limitations
• Cell Lines
• Highlighted Additions into Paper
• Self edit of IP
• Send IP to peers for edits

This is it – almost done!!  I have a mini library session today with Margaret after lunch, and I’m planning on meeting up with my biology friend sometime around lunch to help me with Aims 4a and 4b.  It’s SO helpful that my advisor is being supportive of me to finish this.  That makes it THAT much easier!

On another note, I found out today that the postdoc’s undergrad talked to my advisor on Friday, asking for permission to work with me on Mondays and Fridays.  Sooooo now I have 3 undergrads on Mondays and Fridays, and 2 on Wednesdays = busy busy, but Dr. Carter had some great suggestions on how to utilize them.  Don’t only use them for laboratory work, but also get them to do literature searches, etc.  That way, they also get experience for researching scientific papers that will help them in grad school, and I get some of the mundane stuff out of the way as well!  That will, of course, happen later on in the semester 😉

I’m excited about these opportunities and how well this semester is turning out to be!  I will definitely keep you updated throughout!

Quote:  “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” – Abraham Lincoln

 

Margaret

End of DH Day 2!

YAY!!

So, I met with Dr. Carter and told her all about what happened with my advisor yesterday.  She, like myself, was very excited!  I can finally truly see the light at the end of the tunnel! 🙂

As for my goals for this mini DH….

TADA!

 

Goals are ALL DONE!!  Four boxes, four checks, four smiley faces 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

I need to talk to a biologist in order to complete Aim 4, so I plan on doing that this upcoming week.  Almost done.  So close.  Just one more page left!!

DH has been just as amazing and supportive as before!  I’m very much looking forward to attending the Winter DH, and by that time, I WILL be working on my dissertation!!

Til Monday, world!  Have a great weekend!

 

Margaret

Mini DH Day 2!

Good morning, DH!!

I think this is the first time I’ve been up this early on a Saturday in a long time!  (HAHA)  I’m so excited!  I talked with my advisor last night, and these were the answers to the questions earlier:

• Aim 4 is necessary, and although it might be difficult to write since I haven’t worked with biological assays before, etc, it would be good to have it in the proposal
• I now know how to write the limitations section
• The IP does not necessarily need Conclusions/Summary/Future Directions; instead, write an impact statement/section

My advisor is very happy with the work that I’ve done so far and is (amazingly) very understanding that I haven’t done a lot in the lab recently because she agrees that I need to finish the IP!  Happy boss = happy life 🙂

Here’s to a productive Saturday!!

Quote:  “The magic is inside you.  There ain’t no crystal ball.” -Dolly Parton

Good luck, DH!

 

Margaret

End of DH Day 1

It’s the end of the day here, and I’m BEAT!!  I was able to finish that wicked Aim 3B (YAY!) and I’m extremely happy about that, especially since it was not one of my strongest points.  But it’s done and on paper, save for editing.

I’m meeting with my advisor later this evening and I want to bring her a copy of what I have written so far to get advice on my other 3 aims –

• Do I really need Aim 4?
• How do I approach the limitations section?
• Does the IP need a conclusions/summary section, or just a future directions section?

Lots of questions, and I’ve been sitting here looking at some of my advisor’s old proposals to determine the answers, but they’re just not coming very easily.  So, once I get those answered, I will be ready to go tomorrow with Aim 4 (writing or deleting), the limitations and conclusions/summary/future directions (or just future directions!).

Very productive day overall!  But now I’m exhausted…

Til tomorrow, world!

 

Margaret

Mini DH Day 1!

Good morning, world!

So, yesterday I met with Dr. Carter and received an amazing opportunity to attend the employee’s DH today and tomorrow!  I also brought my library buddy, Margaret, with me, and she’s very excited as well!

So here I am, on Day 1, and I’ve made my goals already for the next day and a half!  Here they are:

I’m excited and really hoping I can get this IP FINALLY finished so that I can send it off to some of my peers to edit it and get it out of the way!!!!!

Quote for today:  “At first glance it may appear too hard.  Look again.  Always look again.”  – Mary Anne Rodmacher

Til tonight, world 🙂

 

Margaret