(shhh, shhh) it’s oh so still
The admin manager is away.
The lab manager is away.
Are the lab rats mice playing?
Well, they may or may not be going for more (iced) coffee breaks than usual.
BUT the resident grant wrangler is taking advantage of the peace and quiet, and is working away on those little projects that get forgotten amid the din and clatter of the grant deadline months. Progress report templates, transcriptions of the barely legible notes from a course taken in the Spring, early submission of ethics certificate renewal applications, that kind of thing.
but soon again (shhh, shhh) starts another big riot
The boss and the department’s other PIs will return soon, and launch straight into CIHR and NCIC / Canadian Cancer Society operating grant applications. These grants are the life blood, the bread and butter, of Canadian research labs in my field, and I anticipate working on at least five or six big grants due between now and mid-October.
A three week vacation is planned for November, details TBD. I’m foregoing all remaining 2009 vacation time1 to save up enough days for this trip; I also have nine days of paid sick leave left in case I need to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital and/or rehab facility.
1 I’ve already taken four days in February to go skiing, and another day in May to attend my citizenship ceremony.
Ah yes, fall grant season. It will hit here as well.
But – here in Ontarioland we have agencies that find it amusing to put deadlines in the middle of the summer. Argh.
Oh, the bar stewards! If that happened here, I’d no doubt be writing a bunch of grants completely by myself.
“Bunch” doesn’t seem like a very good collective noun for grants, actually. Maybe I can adopt a word from the song that inspired my post headings, and introduce the term “another big riot of grants”.
Thank you very much.
“Army of Grants” jumped to mind (from another Bjork song, and no I can’t be arsed to find the umlaut just now), but an Army of
RichardGrants is such a terrifying thought that I can’t bring myself to recommend it. “Riot” will do just nicely instead.How about “a big riot of grants” and “an ego of Grants”?
F.O.A.D.
Shhh, shhh
Sshh.
@ Mr Wintle. Oh I just love ‘Army of Me’ by Mrs Bjork, esp. the one featuring Ms. Skunk Anansie. Turn up the vol and de-wax those ear-lobes with this.
Enjoy the vacation, Cath.
I love Björk! And the Army of me :)
And It’s oh so quiet. The video is fantastic.
Cath: I hope you have a great vacation (sure, it is a bit early to congrats but hey, I would look forward to that trip too :) )
I really need to add some Bjork to my iPod – I just realised I don’t have any! Stupid 8 GB phone… grumble grumble
THanks both for the vacation wishes! It feels like an awfully long time to wait, but I think it’s going to be worth it!
Ta, Graham. I shall wait until not in the office before de-waxing.
Got the first two Björk albums but am in definite need of Homogenic, maybe Vespertine, and probably a couple of others I’ve forgotten the names of. And maybe some
Is Medúlla good? It seems like it should be – the concept is very cool anyway.