Dark side of the room
After a busy and not particularly relaxing weekend of childcare I was glad to be back in the Blue Palace. Not for long, because there was a powercut, that left us in the dark (well, it is October).
A brief meeting with my post-doc, who showed me a couple of experiments that hadn't worked. She has very low esteem, so I have to choose my words carefully and be very upbeat. She had a couple of months off because of depression. She also had an eating disorder. So things have not been right for quite some time. I had to tell her at her annual appraisal in April that she was not really cut out to be a post-doc, having only produced 1 paper in 3 years. This sounds like I am being a bastard but she has deep-rooted psychological issues, that need addressing outside work. On a cycle of 3 year project grants, productivity is extremely important. Your biggest assets and your biggest problems come on two legs! This time next year I may have no grants and no lab. In the meantime I have this blog as therapy.
On a lighter note, the windows and entrance of the building were finally jet-washed to remove the guano. Despite the cordon, a few lazy sods took shortcuts past the guy with the jet-washer. One of them, slipped over on the wet surface and collided with the door. There is some justice in the world!
Tomorrow I will spend all day working on a grant application.
"I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour but heaven knows...................."
A brief meeting with my post-doc, who showed me a couple of experiments that hadn't worked. She has very low esteem, so I have to choose my words carefully and be very upbeat. She had a couple of months off because of depression. She also had an eating disorder. So things have not been right for quite some time. I had to tell her at her annual appraisal in April that she was not really cut out to be a post-doc, having only produced 1 paper in 3 years. This sounds like I am being a bastard but she has deep-rooted psychological issues, that need addressing outside work. On a cycle of 3 year project grants, productivity is extremely important. Your biggest assets and your biggest problems come on two legs! This time next year I may have no grants and no lab. In the meantime I have this blog as therapy.
On a lighter note, the windows and entrance of the building were finally jet-washed to remove the guano. Despite the cordon, a few lazy sods took shortcuts past the guy with the jet-washer. One of them, slipped over on the wet surface and collided with the door. There is some justice in the world!
Tomorrow I will spend all day working on a grant application.
"I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour but heaven knows...................."
posted by Professor Xavier at 8:00 pm
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