Flush It Friday IV: The Quest for Peace
It’s Friday, amigos and amigettes, so you know what that means. Today I’m going to walk you through our weekly ritual of self-purification through auto-castigation and catharsis. However, I’m tossing in an M. Night Shyamalan twist by [SPOILER WARNING] turning the normal good-bad-ugly trifecta into a beneficent sandwich of good-bad-good, garnished with some righteous black metal on each individual layer. Ready? Good.
Good: Things are going well for me professionally right now. I’ve gotten some cool, almost serendipitous opportunities with publications lately, so I’m getting closer to my goal number I’d like to reach before I leave the university that currently employs me. I get the privilege of presenting another paper on automated vehicles and ethics in D.C. this September, and I’m quite excited to bring more awareness of this concern to the profession. Last, the third phase of my current research project on driver education looks to be funded so long as the requested modifications are up to snuff (which they should be). I’m very grateful with the opportunities I’ve been given, and I’m hoping my research will have life-saving impacts on Texas.
Offering 1: Rotten Omega Ceremony by Merknet
FFO: Misþyrming, Skáphe, Lifelover (Uh, this one touches on a number of different moods)
Bad: With great research opportunities comes great responsibility. As I mentioned last week in the comments, I am currently shackled to a very high-value Federal research grant proposal that could potentially bring millions of dollars to my university. Since I’ve more or less been placed in charge of this proposal, I feel the burden for making sure everything is perfect. Compounding this pressure is the fact that my wife is almost finished with year 3 of medical school, which means that the interview/match process is just around the corner. We are soon to face what many professionals call “the two body problem” (that’s really just a dumb engineering joke based on Free Body Diagrams) of trying to find the perfect location for both of us to succeed in our careers. We’ve been compiling a list, but great cities with overlapping faculty positions and academic hospitals are at a premium, so we just have to have faith that something will open in just the right way (and be proactive at making cold calls). All of that considered, I’m a wee bit stressed, but I suppose responsibility is a good measure of how valued your efforts are.
Offering 2: Battle Hymns by Uruk
FFO: Void Ritual, Mammoth Grinder (on account of Austin), Big Ol’ Daddy BM Riffs
Good: I made a goal at the beginning of this year to read more books, and I am happy to report that I recently finished the short novella The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski and began Dune. This is my first time wandering the sands of Arrakis, and I am loving the journey so far. I have Slade House, the sister novel to David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks, on pre-order, and since my research proposal is due May 13th, I anticipate much more time for reading this summer. If you have any suggestions to add to my queue, please let me know. I always enjoy hearing about what you’re reading.
Offering 3: Pale Dawn by Sun Worship
FFO: Krallice, Wolves in the Throne Room, Fell Voices
Well, that’s it for me, folks. It’s Friday, and as far as I’m concerned, every one of you will always be one of us. Stay wet, my friends.
