Siliceous and Delicious

Began implementing the fantastically supportive structure that came recommended from DSA yesterday, and felt a marked improvement in productivity immediately. Well, almost immediately—stopped by the new Starbucks in Harvard Square on my way in with Kati, and, while I immediately hated myself for it, loved it. I will have to start working there, it is the perfect, quiet, focused spot with an excellently relaxing view, lots of power outlets, and their Clover coffee is actually surprisingly good, considering I usually very much dislike the “charbucks” approach to coffee making…

Anyway. The definitive highlight of the day was meeting with Andy—remarkably, on his instistence. I led off with an apologetic admission that I really hadn’t done anything since our committee meeting, but he was very understanding and gracefully waved it off with a platitude about how sometimes life takes priority over work. Thought this was very grand of him. We talked over and solidified plans to have the morphospace done and dusted by August 1st, and have a chapter in the bank by the time the new semester begins. This was reassuring, and he reiterated his belief that it was entirely realistic to aim to finish by next summer—and if not then, in time for graduation in January (2013, that would be). I want to shoot for May 2012, but it’s nice to have that parachute at the ready. Just in case.

Then, he very carefully enquired, it might worth starting to think about next steps, and wanted to know whether I had any thoughts about it. I answered quite honestly that I’d been both thinking about it for a while, and was entirely undecided. I went on to say that following the academic track was an option that I was considering, but if so it would be a teaching heavy job, since that was what I had enjoyed most. He nodded earnestly and added that I was also very good at it, which I thought was very nice of him to say. I also said I was considering options outside of academia—in business and industry—but that I was at the beginning of learning what my options were there, but that I was open to possibilities outside of science. I mentioned how Kati and I had been talking about locations, and how being on the East Coast was a prerequisite, and that we might well choose a city before we choose a job—rather than following a dream job into the wilds of, say, rural Indiana.

To my enormous relief, Andy nodded understandingly and  said he would of course support me as best he could in whatever decision I took. He also said that if I went off to do something outside of science but stayed in the Boston area that I would always be welcome in the lab, and that if I wanted to continue doing research on the side there would always be space in the Knoll lab for me. This, again, I felt was a very kind gesture—as unlikely as that outcome might be…