willowroot: (Science!)
willowroot ([personal profile] willowroot) wrote2008-02-28 05:02 pm

Grinding my face off with a belt-sander.

Okay, okay, maybe not that bloody, but reading grant applications ranks right up there on my list of "decidedly unenjoyable past-times", just above "grinding body parts with belt-sanders" (but probably right below "depilating my head with a strigil").

But, when it's your lab's own grant application, and this charming grad-student truly loves his stipend, there is a certain heft added to the importance of actually slogging through the beast. No, no mid-read snoozes for me, I had to stay awake, and somehow, I pulled it off. My job was to find the typos and logical errors, and I did locate a few questionable statements, to boot.

However, there is a certain good feeling engendered by your boss looking up from your red-inked copy of the manuscript to say "I missed what? I can't believe that..." and she gives a hearty thanks at the end.

Y'see, reading the dern things is almost as painful as writing the blasted documents. That one's way up there on that list.

[identity profile] blue-lucy.livejournal.com 2008-02-28 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Oops, didn't mean to have that reply to georgmi's comment!

[identity profile] georgmi.livejournal.com 2008-02-28 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
No worries; if this is the worst thing that happens to me today, I think I'll survive. :)

[identity profile] flinx.livejournal.com 2008-02-29 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, yeah, getting responses from pretty girls is such and arduous burden. I hear ya man. Right there for ya.

[identity profile] georgmi.livejournal.com 2008-02-29 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
You might be surprised. :)