(no subject)
Even the blooming flowers
Will eventually fade.
Even our world
Is not eternal.
The deep mountains of vanity--
Cross them today
And superficial dreams
Shall no longer delude you.
--attr. Kukai, "Iroha" (This is an ancient Japanese poem which contains every character of the Japanese hiragana syllabary exactly once. It was historically used as an ABC. The translation here is from wikipedia.)
So here's the start of yet another semester. Still no results-- my adviser doesn't think I can manage to leave within the year. I'm taking his class, a project-based seminar, which will probably occupy all my time this fall, so I'm also beginning to doubt. It'll be lonely being the last survivor of the lab-- two of the three senior students are already gone, and I know, because I helped pack all their worldly possessions into trailer trucks. There are more losses anticipated as well. We do have two new Phd. students and two masters students incoming-- they seem very enthusiastic, and make me feel cynical and bitter.
This last week, I've been trying to go to lots of orientation events to meet the incoming class for this year. Mostly it's been fun-- the new grads are pretty sociable, and some of my other friends are back from summer jobs and so forth. Some of the newbies already have a veneer of competence, others seem nervous. Outside one's own tiny little specialization, this aura of competence is almost always a combination of cockiness and thinking on one's feet, so I try not to form first impressions based on it. Of course I do anyway. I also met a few attractive single women... if you know me, you know where that will lead.
The days are starting to grow chilly here, although there are a few summery spots left here and there, especially in direct sunlight. It'll probably be true fall before we know it. This happens every year, and I'd like to say I'm not sure where the time goes, but I am-- I waste it doing stupid things that don't matter. I am pretty sure this is what everybody does, even you. You're reading Livejournal, aren't you?
Will eventually fade.
Even our world
Is not eternal.
The deep mountains of vanity--
Cross them today
And superficial dreams
Shall no longer delude you.
--attr. Kukai, "Iroha" (This is an ancient Japanese poem which contains every character of the Japanese hiragana syllabary exactly once. It was historically used as an ABC. The translation here is from wikipedia.)
So here's the start of yet another semester. Still no results-- my adviser doesn't think I can manage to leave within the year. I'm taking his class, a project-based seminar, which will probably occupy all my time this fall, so I'm also beginning to doubt. It'll be lonely being the last survivor of the lab-- two of the three senior students are already gone, and I know, because I helped pack all their worldly possessions into trailer trucks. There are more losses anticipated as well. We do have two new Phd. students and two masters students incoming-- they seem very enthusiastic, and make me feel cynical and bitter.
This last week, I've been trying to go to lots of orientation events to meet the incoming class for this year. Mostly it's been fun-- the new grads are pretty sociable, and some of my other friends are back from summer jobs and so forth. Some of the newbies already have a veneer of competence, others seem nervous. Outside one's own tiny little specialization, this aura of competence is almost always a combination of cockiness and thinking on one's feet, so I try not to form first impressions based on it. Of course I do anyway. I also met a few attractive single women... if you know me, you know where that will lead.
The days are starting to grow chilly here, although there are a few summery spots left here and there, especially in direct sunlight. It'll probably be true fall before we know it. This happens every year, and I'd like to say I'm not sure where the time goes, but I am-- I waste it doing stupid things that don't matter. I am pretty sure this is what everybody does, even you. You're reading Livejournal, aren't you?