So I wrote yesterday about how I was borderline offended by a friend’s implication that I’d keep spending money on guitar accessories, and today found myself wanting to buy an analog metronome. “I just think they’re neat,” as Marge said. Turns out they’re pretty pricey. But I was able to find a nice app in the Ubuntu software repository. Mahogany is for rich folk.
So…zero dollar day.
I went back and forth for a bit on whether or not I should even apply to more postdoc positions. I’ve been informally offered a one year extension as a visiting prof at my current school, and it would mean I’d keep my health insurance over the Summer of Covid, Part 2, but “informally offered” is not “offered”, so I gotta keep trying to create options for now. It’s a bit of a conundrum, because if I was offered a postdoc, it’d be hard to say no, but I don’t want to lose health insurance mid-pandemic. Fuck this fucking country.
I’ve been getting real pissed off at Mitch McConnel’s bullshit lately. The fucking audacity of trying to cut unemployment benefits and at the same time trying to shield employers from liability of on-the-job disease contraction. Or of tying the 2000$ checks to some toxic garbage, then trying to blame Dems when they won’t vote for it. He says Sanders is trying to defund the pentagon. Well then what was Trump’s veto? There you go working class GOP voters. Here’s what you voted for.
This is his role. He’s the taboo tree that draws all the bad energy to itself. He’s the sacrificial limb of the GOP where all the public fury can be directed.
Naked-faced hypocrisy. Naked class war.
So, yeah. I’m still applying for post-docs. Not much danger of being offered one with no publications, but it’s worth some hours to have a shot.
And my renewed focus on research is going well. So far I’m piecing back together what was done in my dissertation, and also filling in some gaps I had glossed over in the original work. After a careful read-through, I’ll be equipped to extract the main result as a stand-alone paper and submit it to the Journal of Mathematical Biology.
I do have to restrain myself from spending more time on guitar. Music theory is fun, and so is practicing technique and playing scales. I’m approaching this more like a nerd than like a self-taught, natural rocker like Hendrix. I’m cool with that. I’m also a dork cause I think my red SG looks so fucking good. It still makes me grin.
Took some more rest today, and barely got back on the horse after a break. I don’t know why I’ve been so exhausted lately. Just realized how foreboding that sounds in context…I doubt it’s Covid since I’ve been keeping my happy ass at home, and have no other symptoms. Anyway, I did manage to make myself exercise, do more math, and write, instead of making popcorn, watching cartoons, and dicking around with the guitar. I guess I’m glad.
