Being the TA for multivariate statistics is really kicking my butt. I wonder, do the students in this class care as much about statistics (and the subtle differences in interpretations of the various effects) as I do? I certainly hope so, because if not I’m seriously wasting my time giving so much feedback on the homework assignments. I try to go faster and not to get caught up making comments here and there, but I just can’t help it. It’s like that one xkcd comic (especially the roll-over text, lol) — I can’t come to bed, someone is wrong on the internet homework. What am I supposed to do, just leave it? Then they’ll keep being wrong! XD

Back to grading.

What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong! http://xkcd.com/386/

So for a while now I haven’t bothered to make my own coffee at home anymore because it was always turning out nasty. This weekend, I figured out the problem — it’s the splenda! I’ve always loved splenda in my coffee before, so wtf is going on now, splenda? In any case, my coffee tastes way better without it. But now I have to find a new sweetener for when I want my coffee sweetened, and I would prefer for it not to be the full-calorie sugar. You see, some days I drink a lot of coffee and those teaspoons can really add up, and the calorie-free thing was the whole reason I used splenda anyway.

I guess I have to stick to coffee with creamer/milk or plain old black coffee for now.

In other news, quals are coming up and I’m going to fail miserably. kthxbai.

So it’s nearly 10pm and I’m in the psych building, waiting for the rest of my study group. The final exam for social cognition is on Tuesday and I’m dreadfully unprepared; it’s going to be a long night.

–Tati

Dear JPSP,

This isn’t working. It’s not me, it’s you. I’m sick of your 4+ studies per week-long article, and my eyes grow weary of your microscopic font. Mostly though I think you’re just too verbose for me — and I’m a girl.

I was at first willing to get over these issues. I’ve read many, many pages, multiple articles, without even so much as a coffee break on countless occasions, yet you apparently don’t understand reciprocity. I’ve read for you, the least you could do was shorten a bit for me — just a page or two, every once in a while. But instead, your articles grow increasingly longer.

I tried to make this work, but we’re just too different. And as it turns out, there are indeed other fish in the sea, so I’m leaving you for Psych Science.

I wish you all the best and am sure you can take comfort in knowing that you have plenty of other subscribers who will try to read you.

Sincerely,

A Short-Attention-Span Graduate Student

I know I should go to bed, and I am pretty tired, but I just. can’t. do it.

It’s rather ridiculous. I went to bed early and I had no problem getting myself out of bed this morning when the alarm went off. This happened several times last week as well. Being rested and refreshed enough to get out of bed with no desire to hit the snooze button is not something that happens very often. In fact, I don’t think that’s happened since last summer. It’s actually quite nice.

But, I feel as though there’s more I can do, and should do, before I go to bed. I’m positive the quality of my work suffers when I’m tired (surprise surprise), and I can usually notice a sizable difference in my reading too — how well I can focus, how many questions I generate, how much I can remember, all of that. I know I work better when my eyelids aren’t droopy.

Yet, I keep remembering something James said once. He said that when he was in graduate school, and he wanted to go home but knew that he could or should get some other work done, he’d ask himself, “what are my competitors doing?” The answer was usually, well, they’re probably staying up that extra hour or so to finish reading just one more article, or some such thing. And now, even though I don’t care to worry about the job market right at this point (and I’m intrinsically motivated besides), I still can’t help but ask myself, “what are my competitors doing?” James worried about what his competitors were doing, and I dare say it worked out well for him, very well indeed.

Unfortunately, I usually only remember my phantom competitors when I’m ready for bed; when I’m not being productive during the day, I just don’t really remember it, or on the rare occasion that I do, it just doesn’t have much impact. Perhaps I should tattoo it on my arm.

(p.s., I bet those phantoms are reading another article, or t-testing the living daylights out of their data. Curse them.)