Category Archives: career

Days of hours of minutes

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

A blog buddy (who may or may not wish to identify themselves in the comments) posted a wee ditty on their Facebook page recently that rang very true indeed: just received something from a fellow sufferer that will only be … Continue reading →

Posted in career, communication, English language, food glorious food, medicine, science, silliness, travel | 7 Comments

Public recognition

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

My former student was on TV yesterday! Well, not the real TV. Just the fancy flat screen monitor mounted high on a wall by the elevators in my building. The TV appeared a few months ago and originally featured reminders … Continue reading →

Posted in career, conferences, grant wrangling, publishing, science | 11 Comments

A tale of two sisters

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

My sister is one of my favourite people in the whole world. She’s the person I miss the most from the UK, and although I love my three Canadian sisters-in-law dearly*, it’s just not quite the same. There was only … Continue reading →

Posted in career, education, family, personal, photos, publishing, science | 23 Comments

Budget oasis

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Biology is messy; grant applications even more so. There are so many intangibles: is the scope too big, too small, or just the right mix of feasible and ambitious? How’s the balance between hot topic sexy science and safe reliable … Continue reading →

Posted in career, education, grant wrangling | 2 Comments

Friday Wednesday Quiz-ology

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Yes folks, it’s time for another fun quiz from my puzzle-a-day desk calendar!   I was going to save this for Friday, but I just submitted a grant after much stress and panic and lost sleep,* so I could do … Continue reading →

Posted in career, competition, English language, grant wrangling, nature, science, silliness, technology | 91 Comments

TMA: Too Many Acronyms

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

My Computer files and email inbox are awash, overflowing, drowning in the acronyms used by various funding agencies, academic institutes, media outlets, and assorted other organisations. I’m sure many of my readers have the same issue. However, my problem is … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, career, communication, English language, grant wrangling, science, silliness, travel, UK | 21 Comments

GRRRRR-ant

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Or should that be g-RANT? Today, at 4:15, I finally submitted the Grant With No Deadline. Or, more accurately, the grant that had no deadline… no deadline… no deadline… no deadline… for months, and then suddenly HAD to be submitted … Continue reading →

Posted in career, grant wrangling, personal, photos, science, silliness | 10 Comments

Genius!

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

My boss is a very busy man whose trainees sometimes have a hard time getting his attention. I’m constantly having to explain that I don’t know where he is, when he’ll be back, or if he’s read their draft yet. … Continue reading →

Posted in career, science | 8 Comments

Defeating perfect enemies

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Here is the single most useful piece of writing advice I’ve ever heard, and I apologise for not thinking of posting it sooner. It came from my PhD supervisor, lo these many years ago, and it really helped me to … Continue reading →

Posted in career, communication, meta | 14 Comments

Memes as mental fibre

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Right after EcoGeoFemme pointed out that there haven’t been many memes circulating recently, Amanda went and tagged me for one! The assignment is to write about seven things that I’ve never talked about in my blog. This is a tricky … Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, career, family, freakishness, furry friends, medicine, meme, meta, personal, photos, silliness, the 2009 baby boom, TMI | 30 Comments