I have one more day of teaching, then one day where I ought to do some work on my research, and then break. I'm seriously doubting that I can make it all the way through. I need break now! I'm just physically and emotionally and mentally exhausted, and need to relax.

Hil, don't fret too much about your advisor's remark, esp if you feel it is directed at a particular paragraph. Just revise the paragraph. I can recall my advisor once telling me that she often had a hard time gauging how her comments might affect her grad students. What she said was, "It always surprises me when my students don't realize how great their writing is because I always think you can't be that good and not know it."

Your officemate, on the other hand, is really starting to bug. And I sure hope he never breeds, because a toddler will hit. He'll even hit as hard as he can and mean it, and as a parent you damn well better not hit back.

hil, I'm thinking your officemate is less "socially inept" and more "compelte fucking sociopath"

DH and I have much different opinions about violence and physical fights due to our different backgrounds and physical capabilities. I have seen him in tough physical competition and in touchy potentially violent situations. I can't imagine him ever using more force than required and he is genius in his ability to avoid conflict. He plays ball in some really rough areas and gets challenged way more often than I would like, yet he always manages to talk the person down. Although he has a 'huge' physical advantage he will always choose another plan before a physical fight. Might be the big brains part.

I'll never forget how in Chicago he stopped two guys we didn't even know from getting in a fight by slowly. standing. up. and staring at them.

I think that working with this advisor on this paper is the first time I've ever been told that something I wrote is badly written. I've been told that certain things could be stated more clearly, or that changing certain things would make a paper better, and the occasional grammar or style correction, but I've always thought of myself as a fairly good writer, and I've always gotten good comments on my writing style from teachers and professors. That particular paragraph, I knew I had problems with it, but I was pretty sure that my problems were with my understanding of what I was writing about, not with the way I was writing it.

He also keeps making comments that make it seem like it's such an imposition on him to ask him to read what I've written. Today, he said, "I really with that you were able to read through this and see the places where it's not clear." And his definition of "not clear" is frequently the weirdest things. A sentence that I'd phrased as "We can see, then, that ...." was "not clear." The correction to make it "clearer" was "We can then see that ...." I can accept that his correction is neater, and might flow a bit better. I do not at all see how his correction made the meaning of my sentence clearer.

(Incidentally, I really hate the math paper convention of writing everything as "we." It just feels so weird to write that way.)

I need break now! I'm just physically and emotionally and mentally exhausted, and need to relax.

At this time I feel I must remind you that Spring Break = Florida, and Florida = Laura. We promise to never mention Math.

This year, Spring Break = New Jersey.

One thing I'm really looking forward to is just letting my body relax. I've been getting into this pattern of messing up a joint, and compensating by putting more pressure on the opposite one, so that just as the one on one side starts feeling better, the one on the other side starts hurting. And so much everyday stuff aggravates it. But a week at home means a week of not having to write or carry books or carry grocery bags or deal with the stupid heavy door at my office or cook or anything.

hil, I'm thinking your officemate is less "socially inept" and more "compelte fucking sociopath"

This. And also, I'm really really tempted to wait for him outside your office and beat the crap out of him. Just to see what he does.

(OK, yes, I'm going for Second Place in the "complete fucking sociopath" sweepstakes...but it's been that kind of week)

This. And also, I'm really really tempted to wait for him outside your office and beat the crap out of him. Just to see what he does.

(OK, yes, I'm going for Second Place in the "complete fucking sociopath" sweepstakes...but it's been that kind of week)

Nah, a totally understandable reaction. If you do it, I'll bring the popcorn.

Signs on for Raq alibi.