New vs Old

At any given time there are usually a few questions or thoughts that linger in my mind for days, weeks, months, and even years. They sit like minimized tabs, easily accessible if I have a spare moment. Sometimes they are resolved and filed away (here is a blog post about one such occasion). Sometimes they don’t have a simple answer.

One of those thoughts centers on that which is new versus that which is familiar. Do I like new things and experiences more than old things and experiences? I’m convinced that the answer is not limited to one side, rather it is a sliding meter (measured by a Preferosity Meter, of course).

An artist's representation of a Preferosity Meter display.

It helps to think of real life situations.

Case Study 1: People

When I meet someone I know I have shared experiences, knowledge of interests, and background information from which to build a conversation. A first impression has already been made, so there is no pressure regarding that either. A new person brings all sorts of unknowns. This can be a very good thing. As an introvert I can only handle a limited amount of new people at a time.

Preferosity Meter says 80:20

Case Study 2: Places

In a familiar place I know the roads, locations of stores and restaurants, and how the weather behaves. A new place offers unseen sights, discovery, and adventure. I’m perfectly happy to stay in the familiar, though occasional trips to the new are fine.

Case Study 3: Beer

This is what prompted the original question. I noticed that I liked Spaten Optimator when it was new to me, yet quickly grew tired of it. On the other hand, I was initially disappointed with Dos Equis Lager Especial, but grew to appreciate it over time. I think I like the novelty in stronger, darker beers, yet prefer familiarity with the lighter ones.

Preferosity Meter says 50:50

Case Study 4: Music

When it comes to pure enjoyment level, I think familiar music has more potential than new music. I’ve never been able to fully appreciate a song when it was brand new to me. The fullest appreciation comes over time. That being said, at some point over-exposure can lead to despising a song (Top 40 radio stations are good at overplaying new songs). While I enjoy discovering new music, my real enjoyment comes from making that new music familiar music, so I’d have to say I lean to the left.

Preferosity Meter says 80:20

Case Study 5: Toilet Paper

I have a pretty strong preference for new toilet paper.

Preferosity Meter says 0:100

Conclusion

My preferences tend to lean toward the left. In many cases I can tolerate–or even enjoy–the right, but my contented nature does not demand it. I’d say I tend to rate around 71:29 on the Preferosity Meter.

Where do you fall on the Preferosity Meter?

The Life of a Graduate Student

I spent this afternoon in my lab making batches of PARP and V8 agar. Since it was such a nice day I had the door to the lab open, as well as a couple of windows. When I was biking in I saw people throwing frisbees, playing volleyball, skateboarding, and indulging in all sorts of late summer recreation. The mood on campus felt almost festive, the first weekend of the fall semester was underway.

On most Saturdays my department building is quiet, and today was no exception. The lights were off, doors were locked, and I had the autoclave all to myself. In the mid-afternoon a family walked by (probably on their way to the Creamery). I was using a pipette at the time, so I saw them out of my peripheral vision, I didn’t look directly at them. A young boy, probably about seven years-old, stared into the lab, watching me work for a moment, then ran to catch up with his family. Sound carries very well near my lab (when the ventilation system isn’t running), so as they walked away I heard this exchange.

Boy: “Why is he working today?”
Father: “Because he’s a graduate student, they work everyday.”

It made me laugh. It also made me think a bit.

Do I really work everyday? The truth is I don’t work everyday. I take days off.

Why is the normal assumption that graduate students are overworked? The graduate school experience is highly variable by what subject is being studied, what responsibilities a person has, and many other factors. My general observation is that grad students are usually busy. In conversation there is a certain degree of comfort in either complaining about–or simply sharing–the amount of work being done. Being busy serves as a source of validation.

I think dwelling on the amount of work helps ease stress. I’ve found grad school to be demanding when it comes to work, but manageable. The stress is tough though. Stress like I’ve never experienced before. At times it seems overwhelming. For me it is present because of what is at stake. During the grad school process there are many things that can go wrong and end the pursuit of the degree rather suddenly. Things that need to be accomplished or resolved will linger over your head until the dissertation is signed and submitted.

It’s like walking down the sidewalk. As you mosey along there is no stress involved. But if that sidewalk is 200 feet in the air the stakes are raised, and suddenly stress enters the equation. Well, that’s what grad school is like. Many mundane tasks and jobs that are suspended high in the air.

The goal of graduate school isn’t just to walk on the sidewalk. The goal is to get somewhere no one has ever gone before (and jump through a few hoops on the way). If you dwell on not falling or finding a unique path too much you’ll be overcome by the stress. The key is to stay busy, explore many options, and hope you eventually find yourself somewhere where the sidewalk ends.

Planning, Thinking, Scheming

This week I finally established a target date for finishing my Ph.D. For the past two years I’ve been rather uncertain about when a realistic end could be reached. After some conversations this week I have set December 2011 as my goal.

In a way this is terrifying, for there is a lot that needs to happen before then. I’m counting on many things going well. Part of my research still frustrates me. The bulk of my work so far falls in the area of applied science. There’s not much that’s groundbreaking in it. I’d love to wander over into theoretical science a bit in the spring of 2011, it would make my dissertation a bit more convincing.

Right now the big hurdles that I face are:

Fall 2010
– Passing my comprehensive exams.
– Writing up and synthesizing 2009 and 2010 experiments.
– Conducting pathogen isolations from roots and soil from my 2010 experiments.
– Setting up my soil remediation experiment.
– Planning a dynamite set of experiments for the spring.

Spring-Summer 2011
– Running those dynamite experiments.
– Creating my dissertation.

Fall 2011
– Polishing my dissertation.
– Passing my final exam.
– Dissertation defense/revision.

The scary thing is how many of these items could go wrong. In some cases they can go really wrong (like failing comps, the final exam, or the defense–which means game over), in other cases they can go wrong and cause delays.

So right now I’m a bit excited to have a goal in mind, yet feeling some apprehension that it’s too ambitious. It’s going to be a crazy year and three months.

Is Reebok Eliminating Tennis Shoes?

My pair of Reebok tennis shoes is currently lacking sole. Actually it’s just the right shoe, my left shoe is fine. I’ve worn through the sole at my right toe. This prompted me to begin looking for a pair of tennis shoes.

My allegiance to Reebok athletic shoes is pretty high. Over the years I have owned many Reebok shoes. I’ve tried other brands (Nike, New Balance, Adidas, Avia), but I didn’t like any of them as much as Reebok.

As I looked for Reebok tennis shoes I discovered that they are difficult to find. In the past decade Reebok has released many models of tennis shoes, yet they are very difficult to find in many sizes in the US. The most common Reebok court shoes stocked in the US are the general court shoes that lack many of the features the more specialized shoes have (most notably a reinforced toe plate, designed to improve shoe longevity for toe draggers like me). Even Reebok’s website has a poor selection for men’s tennis shoes, with part of the site claiming to be under construction (are the shoes under construction or is it the website?).

To make things more frustrating the UK version of Reebok’s website has several great models available, but refuses to ship to the US.

I decided to compromise. I bought a very nice pair of Adidas shoes. I bought them online–sporting goods stores here in State College do not stock many tennis shoes–so I had to rely on descriptions of their fit. Well, they arrived in the mail. I’m afraid I can only describe the fit as terrible. The shoe is too narrow (I’ve never purchased wide shoes before, but I guess I should have in this case), and the arch support would be better termed an arch antagonist. Within five minutes of putting the shoes on–while just sitting in a chair–my feet began to hurt. I’ve reached the conclusion I will not be able to use them.

So now I am trying to decide if I should try either Prince or K-Swiss shoes. Maybe that’s just asking for trouble. For the time being I’m planning to use running shoes on the tennis court.

I’m curious to see if Reebok will be introducing more models of tennis shoes.

Dollar Dog Night

“A hot dog at the ball park is better than steak at the Ritz.” – Humphrey Bogart

It had been a long time since I had been to a ball park on a dollar dog night. When the Spikes announced that every Monday home game was designated a dollar dog night this season I promised myself I would go to one. The summer flew by, and suddenly today was the last Monday night home game for the Spikes.

And so I went to the game.

Eating hot dogs at a ballpark might not be the safest thing in the world, but they’re still really good. Death by ball park concessions would be pretty high on my list of preferable final chapters.