my exit seminar (now known as a pre-completion seminar) went well. At least it did after the ship anchor otherwise known as the lecture room laptop was replaced with Brendas working laptop. So I started about 7 minutes late.
My supervisor said I looked flushed and nervous to start with, but after the second slide I was away. My friends said they understood it up to the second slide. My mother said she understood most of it, though many of the grad students and academics said they understood very little. My mum is very smart, and has had the advantage of listening to me explain my work to her over the last...egad...seven years. My father fell asleep. This was not an uncommon occurance, several academics looked very sleepy too.
My student monitor (he who must be appeased and approve the PhD) was happy with it. He picked up that I had written MgOH, not Mg(OH)2 . I was suitably mortified after I'd said no, it shouldn't be MgOH2 (which is what I thought he was asking) and then thought the charges through and realised what he was saying. Me with a chemistry degree and all.
I had drinks afterwards and popped my Melbourne cup champagne (Killawarra brut). It was very nice and the cork suitabley hit the ceiling and ricocheted off tables whilst people ducked.
4 comments:
Well done! When our zucchini wine is done we will send you some for additional celebrating. I admit I probably would have fallen asleep too, given my stamina through recent student seminars...
Excellent. I shall inflict it on the academics and grad students in my department.
PhD student: Hey, did you clean up our balance?
Me: Yes. (Expecting thanks for cleaning up inordinately filthy balance, the state of which would have caused weeks of bitter accusations and fiery denunciations to supervisors in the Sydney group)
PhD: What did you do with the spatulas and vials that were there?
Me: I just pushed them to the back.
PhD: Two of the spatulas are missing. I can't find my favourite spatula.
...
I tend to leave a note saying I'm going to clean stuff up and if they want anything to remain outside of bins they need to remove it before time X. At time X I throw everything out. Its therapeutic.
I don't actually have any authority to do this, but the supervisors are just happy that someone is taking responsibility for keeping things clean, so any complaints by students get squelched.
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