0 comment Tuesday, April 1, 2014 | admin
There's been a lot of negativity on this blog lately. Most of it justified. But since I've been feeling rather homicidal lately and I don't think that's very healthy, this is an exercise in positive thinking. Here is a list of 10 things I like about my life right now.I have health insurance, and so does BH. If shit hits the fan with respect to our well-being I am not worried about choosing between treatment and paying the rent. I do not take this for granted.The house we live in. The landlady can be a real pain in the ass at times, but we have enough space for the both of us (plus pets) to be comfortable together and to have our own space at times. We have good neighbors, and a fenced yard for DangerDog, and the landlady's permission to do whatever we like with the garden (and I have!!).I have a job. It's a "job" that makes me crazy sometimes, but that's because I'm engaged in my work. Sometimes (like when I'm on the microscope at stupid o'clock) I wish I had a mindless 9-to-5, but I know that would be fatally boring for me in the long run. I like figuring stuff out, which is what I get to do every day. I like it better when it works, but you know, CareBears and tea parties and all that.I don't have to drive to work. It's painfully hot here so the walk/bike ride is not always pleasant in the summer, but paying for parking and sitting in traffic would be much more painful. I like the time I have to gear up for the lab or wind down on the way home.Good friends. Especially good friends who get why we sometimes have to bail on plans to salvage an experiment. Especially good friends who understand the ups and downs of research and academia. Especially good friends with an ice cream maker.Our critters. They are manic and irrepressible. They make us laugh on a daily basis. It's good to be responsible for caring for something outside of one's self. It helps to maintain perspective.My new pie plate. I got this one from Mississippi Mud Pottery on Etsy. It's beautiful and it has a hook on the back so you can hang it on your wall as art! Also, you can make pies in it. If you're very lucky and I'm very good, I will post pictures of a peach pie in the near future.In spite of recent setbacks, I am still going to graduate this fall. This is a Very Good Thing. Recent setbacks haven't really cast aspersions on this goal, I'm just reminding myself that things are still heading in that direction. Don't sweat the small stuff.I've got several projects on the go right now. Sometimes this feels overwhelming, but honestly, I do my best work when I've got several balls in the air. I've got a fantastic undergrad minion that I've trained up to be a second pair of hands, and he really has increased my efficiency so that's one project that keeps plugging on. Another is with a collaborator who is just a remarkably good person. He has been very understanding about my priorities with respect to this project and encouraging about my other projects with which he is not even involved. Cool guy. I really love working with him and I'm excited about where this project is headed.My Better Half. He puts up with my rages over experimental failures, and still seems to like me. He's been through the Ph.D. wringer himself, so he knows I won't be this nuts forever. He's an adventurous eater (and an excellent cook himself), so I get to try out new stuff in the kitchen (squid tonight dear?). Mostly, he makes me laugh and keeps me sane. I really like that.