Well, I ended up so depressed today I came home early. I’ve been excited about something for a while: As my only chance at having a postdoc for next year (DOE cuts across the board….see posts by JoAnne about that), I put forward an excellent candidate for an internal competition for a privately funded USC postdoc award which gives half of what one needs, and I managed to get a commitment of funds from the office of the Dean to make up the rest….
…And she was chosen! I’ve been all excited about the research projects I’ve been planning to do in collaboration with her, which would explore some new directions and maybe play out some novel scenarios… and now it could all come to fruition! But due to administrative sluggishness here, we got the offer out to her a week later than scheduled. In the meantime she got another offer this week which she’s going to accept, more than likely. Drat!
There was nothing I could say to convince her otherwise (including a tour of the fun stuff you can do physics-wise and otherwise at USC and surrounding groups, and in LA and Southern California in general – lots of it documented on this very blog!) Basically, it works better for her geographically (personal stuff) to go to the other place, which of course I understand. So all that work down the drain, since the money I found was tied to her only, so that’s gone. (So please don’t bombard me with more applications folks! I can’t redirect those funds….!)
That happens, and I’m telling you because I promised to give you a view of the things that we do in our academic world, and so you should know that things sometimes come crashing down about our ears, just like they do elsewhere. You apply for grants you don’t get, computations have errors, offers are rejected, referees with axes to grind are sent your papers (again and again), potentials don’t get realized, etc. You pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on…… But it still is depressing for a while, especially when it was working just so well this time.
So I happened not to have any meetings in the late afternoon so I just set off home. Got to the busstop just as the bus was leaving. Drat! Then realised I forgot my jacket in my office. Went back and got that. Came back to the busstop…. Missed another bus. Drat Drat! Funny how the day gets misaligned at several points when something starts to go wrong…
Well, I’m home now, and I’m supposed to be writing on a paper, but I find that I’m looking at this bottle that I have of the 12 year old Glendronach, and thinking of waiving my six o’clock rule to allow me to have a stiff drink, quoting my Department of Special Circumstances clause…..
-cvj
February 1st, 2006 at 8:14 pm
Oh boy do I hear you Clifford, one really wishes sometime some sources of money were more usable…better luck next time.
February 1st, 2006 at 8:17 pm
We all understand this Clifford – bad luck! I say definitely waive your rule (it’s after 6 here). As you say, dust yourself off. Not everyone will go to the kind of lengths you meant to, so over time, as you know, you’ll be more successful by exploring all these avenues.
February 1st, 2006 at 9:01 pm
Well, if you had a car, you could have been home and boozing earlier.
February 1st, 2006 at 9:10 pm
Moshe, Mark, thanks!
Henry Holland: – Ha Ha, LOL! That’s good!
No, if I had my car, the misalignment of the day would mean that I would have had got stuck in traffic, or had a very expensive accident. Bike and bus was really the best option….. (oh, it’s not boozing -for the impressionable young folk listening- it was just the one drink. I’m back onto the coffee now….)
Cheers,
-cvj
February 2nd, 2006 at 1:54 am
Clifford, Sorry to hear the news. We lost our first choice post-doc to another institution this year as well. I had scouted the guy out two years ago (!) and was quite disappointed. The guy we did hire is very good as well, but I will not interact with him very strongly.
It is perfectly OK to drink before 6!
February 2nd, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Look at it this way–if you hadn’t have missed the bus twice, you’d have been less likely to enjoy a nice scotch on the rocks while watching the sun set.
February 2nd, 2006 at 12:16 pm
Sorry that this happened. Mama did say we could have days like this and therefore please have a drink before 6pm any day you feel like it, brother, you are allowed and if you feel like it have the one that I am not allowed to indulge in for another few months. Oh, its 5.17 here, time for tea!!!
cmj
February 2nd, 2006 at 7:39 pm
“We are not the authors of the results of our actions”.
February 2nd, 2006 at 11:52 pm
It’s ok to say “Goddamnit it all to hell!” cliffy. We won’t think less of you.
February 2nd, 2006 at 11:59 pm
Thanks… “Goddamnit all to hell!”…. actually, that felt rather good (I’m seething a bit again since I learned more about why we got delayed in making the offer….. grrrrr…let it go cvj, let it go…..).
Thanks Sakura-chan!
-cvj
February 3rd, 2006 at 7:01 am
I am so calling you “Cliffy” from now on. Nice work Sakura-chan.
February 3rd, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Huh! You do that and I’ll call you Marky-Mark.
-cvj