Grinding my face off with a belt-sander.

[willowroot]

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.

Comments

[jenintheclouds.livejournal.com]

I think if you'll recall...you're supposed to keep your nose to the grindstone. Not your whole darn face. And probably only 'til you have that nice sheen, no need to buff the whole thing off. Elsewise, where would you keep your brains?

[flinx.livejournal.com]

So I'm actually supposed to use the floor-buffer? Hunh. Yeah, I imagine that'd make a good bit of difference, there...

And at this point, one really must consider the question of "If this is what he's using his brains for... he really should take them in to the shop for an overhaul."