How crap is this?

Its 8:20pm. Its Friday. I ought to be at the pub. I’ve just blown everyone off, in favour of sitting in my office and working.

Its official. I am a sad sad physicist. I’d call myself an astronomer, but that’s cool and exciting, something, which obviously, I’m not.

I did go to the pub, for half an hour, after I got out of my meeting with my supervisor, but I felt guilty, and decided to go back to work :frowning:

Get back to the pub! NOW! I personally am anxiously awaiting these final 2 hours of the work day to end so I can head downtown, eat some sushi, and get good and properly soused. :slight_smile:

–IDB

I would, but I felt so guilty, to the point of wanting to cry, about the fact that I wasn’t working. I think I’m turning into a workaholic.

Well, you have the internet. I doubt any of us posting right now are doing anything more exciting. My current evening consists of avoiding beer and watching a Band of Brothers marathon.

Is there any way you can arrange for you bosses to have to come back in? Spreading the misery, if you like.

Why guilty? Behind on deadlines or some such?

GASP Blasphemy! :slight_smile:

–IDB

Well, judging from the lights that were on, I think my supervisor’s still working. Worse thing is, I’m going to have to come in tomorrow and Sunday.

We’ve got a rolling grant review coming up, and we’ve been told in no uncertain terms that those of us who haven’t published anything yet must submit something, by the end of June, beginning of July at the latest. Considering that I’m still working on my X-ray data, and have Hubble data, and infra-red data still to look at, I’m looking at working very very hard for the next few weeks. This is why I’m feeling so guilty.

We thought that I would have submitted by Christmas, but because the data has lots of interesting features, doing any modelling is proving difficult. Then we thought I could submit by Easter, but that’s only a couple of weeks away. Now because of this rolling grant review, I have to submit soon.

Damn, that’s pretty intense. I reckon under those circumstances I can understand feeling guilty for takin’ it easy when there is so much to be done. Just remember, it’s imperative to give yourself some “you” time every now and then, regardless of how busy work is; otherwise, burnout is inevitable, even if you like what you do. I’ve gone through this a couple of times in the past until I managed to strike a balance that works for me. :slight_smile:

What entity do you work for, anyway? Sounds like you’re working with some pretty interesting stuff. :slight_smile:

–IDB

IDB, I’m a PhD astronomer at the University of Birmingham in the UK. Since its second only to Cambridge for X-ray astronomy, we do some pretty amazing stuff, working with galaxy clusters.

My particular field involves looking at galaxies in the centres of clusters, normally known as cD galaxies, which, because they have massive active black holes at the centre, give out two anti-parallel radio jets, i.e. jets of plasma which emit in the radio waveband. I’m trying to find out what gives these cD galaxies their distinctive emission patterns in the radio band. Currently, I’m investigating one particular galaxy and its environment in X-ray, radio, optical and infra-red wavebands.

Thank you for the splash of cold water, Angua. Reading your claim to be a “sad, sad physicist” reminded that I am a sad, sad physicist-wannabe and I should be studying now instead goofing off on the net.

Love your work and enjoy.

TGWATY - I’m not really a sad, sad physicist. It just felt that way an hour ago, when I was getting nowhere, and thinking that I was the only one still around!

I am, in fact, a cool astronomer, who spent four years studying for my Masters, just so I could spend the rest of my life being qualifed to stare into space :slight_smile:

Hey, at least I can stare into space and convince people I’m doing my job. :slight_smile:

Right, its going to be a long night, judging by how crap the fits to my data are, so I’m going to go and get coffee from the vending machine upstairs.

[university teacher hat on]
Oh, and TGWATY, study. Its the only way you’ll actually become a good physicist, rather than a sad, sad physicist-wannabe. And do your maths. It might seem boring, hard, and pointless, but it will pay off in the end.
[univeristy teacher hat off]

Hmmm, just realised, that since there’s nobody else in my office at the moment I can put my cd player on as loud as I like, and sit at my desk dancing away, and no-one is going to think I’m insane, because they can’t see me!

Apart from you guys, because I’ve just told you that I’m sat at my desk, dancing away to music playing on my personal cd player, on a Friday night, in my office.