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rebeccmeisterYesterday I contemplated writing in my paper journal, "3/29/06-I am exhausted" as my personal record of the process of moving labs. But I didn't.
Originally, we were going to move all of my ants into the new ant lab yesterday. But the construction workers were still tidying up last-minute projects while the movers carted our boxes and boxes into the new space, and our adjustable thermostat apparently isn't working yet. I have a lot of respect for project managers for projects like building our new building. On our floor alone, we have to coordinate the movement of ten primary investigators and their labs. Each lab, of course, has its own individual needs, and it doesn't help when my advisor changes her mind every other time we meet with folks to go over those needs. These needs range from the seemingly basic (can we get a table here or there?) to quite complex (i.e. the thermostat change, which I'm sure affects the entire building's HVAC system--ventilation is a complicated beast).
Despite all of the frustrations that my lab has faced with the move, I was told yesterday that we were one of the best-organized labs, which was a little bit gratifying. D and I figured out that our good organization is probably due to the fact that our lab operates like our study organisms--we are a self-organizing unit because our advisor does not enforce any sort of hierarchy. In many cases, this leads to a lot of frustration because us grad students often don't know what's going on, etc. But in the long run, there are some benefits. For instance, all three of us grads know pretty much everything about where all of our equipment goes. So all three of us quickly split up and get stuff done without worrying if we are doing the right thing. And in the long run, we all have to learn how to take charge anyway. So our grad school experience will pay off.
Anyway, it's just about time for me to head over to my -*cringe*- new cubicle. It really *does* make me feel boxed in. I don't think I'll be spending much time there, if I can help it. There are a couple of other things I'd like to write about, but I can't at the moment. Soon, hopefully soon.
Originally, we were going to move all of my ants into the new ant lab yesterday. But the construction workers were still tidying up last-minute projects while the movers carted our boxes and boxes into the new space, and our adjustable thermostat apparently isn't working yet. I have a lot of respect for project managers for projects like building our new building. On our floor alone, we have to coordinate the movement of ten primary investigators and their labs. Each lab, of course, has its own individual needs, and it doesn't help when my advisor changes her mind every other time we meet with folks to go over those needs. These needs range from the seemingly basic (can we get a table here or there?) to quite complex (i.e. the thermostat change, which I'm sure affects the entire building's HVAC system--ventilation is a complicated beast).
Despite all of the frustrations that my lab has faced with the move, I was told yesterday that we were one of the best-organized labs, which was a little bit gratifying. D and I figured out that our good organization is probably due to the fact that our lab operates like our study organisms--we are a self-organizing unit because our advisor does not enforce any sort of hierarchy. In many cases, this leads to a lot of frustration because us grad students often don't know what's going on, etc. But in the long run, there are some benefits. For instance, all three of us grads know pretty much everything about where all of our equipment goes. So all three of us quickly split up and get stuff done without worrying if we are doing the right thing. And in the long run, we all have to learn how to take charge anyway. So our grad school experience will pay off.
Anyway, it's just about time for me to head over to my -*cringe*- new cubicle. It really *does* make me feel boxed in. I don't think I'll be spending much time there, if I can help it. There are a couple of other things I'd like to write about, but I can't at the moment. Soon, hopefully soon.
