July 1st – For the sake of acting smart
The key to feeling and looking smart is to know how to sound smart.
Today, for example, I found myself at a loss of words when someone asked me what compounds I was using or what product I got or how much of it I used/made. Learn the terminology! Simply describing what happened may be more clear, but part of the appearance of an intellectual (well, for those not entirely sure of their intellect) is to be slightly unintelligible as well, but on a ‘higher level.’
So, starting from today, I will make sure to dot my i’s and cross my t’s when it comes to calculating yields and figuring out how exactly one pronounces “imidazolidinone” with a straight face, and how ot number the various functional groups that insist on hanging off my catalyst.
June 26 – more lessons
10:10 am
So for the longest time I had been wondering why the group members would work so hard to create certain molecules and not others. Was it just to prove they could? If so, then they could spend years, decades, lifetimes working to come up with every possible permutation of chemical amalgamations. However, reading this journal shows me that a lot of the reactions done are so that they can be used to stand in for all different kinds of groups: e.g.alkyl groups, OR, OAr, SAr, CF3, CO2R…etc
June 30 – the telephone fairy
Woke up insanely early today to get that delicious piece of chocolate splendour ready for tonight’s surprise…
So something I’ve been meaning to ask my colleagues is how difficult it is to balance having a family with such an intense work schedule. They definitely put in their all, often coming in at 9 am and staying till or past midnight. And amazingly enough, a lot of them have wedding bands on their ring finger.
Seriously? I mean, even my friends think it’s annoying when I have to work on Saturdays, but I can’t imagine how a long-term significant other can put up with all this stuff.
I guess that’s part of why I like answering the phone. It doesn’t ring often, but every time it does, everyone looks up for a fraction of a second, seeing first whether anyone’s going to pick it up, but then, whether the call will be for them.
I think today I witnessed something special. As I handed it to ~, she had a shy kind of smile on her face, which was surprising because she is such an outgoing, open person. I hope that this is the person she likes to talk to on skype.
Take pleasure in the little things.
