h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Aier - no Im just about to finish a post grad dip in reproductive science ..... and no I still haven't heard about the job (see earlier in the thread)
still waiting, waiting, waiting.......

cya
tab

Hi Folks

Yes, I know what it is like to be hanging on for a job - at the same time exciting and anxiety-producing. There is a possibility of a job for me down here teaching history, but I have to wait for it to be advertised and then have to see what the field is like. There will be "Mainlanders" as we call them, so it depends on exactly what sort of Mainlander throws their hat in.

What made you interested in this type of work Tab?

Have a great time with girlfriend Aier!

Cheers
Bran.

I did a subject as an undergrad called reproductive biology and technology, and as part of that subject we went out to a research station for a week and did a full program. we collected semen from rams (sorry if this makes your stomahc turn, but you did ask), and flushed eggs out of ewes (that we had treated with hormones so that they had lots of eggs instead of the usual 1 or 2). Then we fertilised them (I watched a sperm swim into an egg!!!!) and let them grow for a few days. at the end of the week I had 15 'babies' - well not babies as such they were actually only 16-32 cell embryos but still, it was pretty exciting, even if they were only sheep. It all kind of blossomed from there. I worked as a vet nurse for a year or two. Mostly looking after peoples dogs and cats, but I got to do some embryo transfer work in cows and then i was accepted to this course and made the switch to human embryo work. I decided that the satisfaction involved with presenting a cow with a calf was nothing really compared to the possibility that you could make a couple into a family. Im pretty excited about the idea of working in the field, but at the same time really scared... what if i stuff up, or drop someones embryos, or transfer the wrong embryos to the wrong woman or something like that...... never mind, maybe they wont even give me the job. I should find out tomorrow... fingers crossed.....

what about you, when will this job be advertised, and how did you find out about it if it's not even advertised yet? Why do the 'mainlanders' pose a threat????.....

haven't heard fom aier in a while - hopefully he's just having fun with his girlfriend!!!

cya
tab
cya

Excellent Tab, it is great that you have found something to do that you love and find worthwhile. That is sort of how I came to be studying history - I used to be a psychology academic, but frankly couldn't see my self getting old doing that ... so I quit and after much soul-searching finally settled on studying history, and have never looked back. I am like a pig in mud. One of the things that I really enjoy with it is teaching ... sharing the pleasure that I get out of it. Not quite as earth-shattering for people as starting a family, but not too bad.

I'm sure you'll be great at the work. There is always some nervousness at the beginning.

I know about the job as the person who currently has it is a friend who I tutored for, and she has resigned. Finally word came through that the position was to be continued (there was some concern that the uni would just collapse it) ... so I wait with anticipaton. The concern with Mainlanders is only that one of them might be a better candidate than me! I think that I am the only likely local applicant ... but don't know what might appear from the Big Island. (well ... I am a bit of a fraud actually as I am from Brisbane so technically a Mainlander as well. But I have been here for nearly five years. Funny how you pick up the local idioms).

I'll keep you posted. Good luck with exams Tab. And hi to Aier wherever he is.
Cheers
Bran.

sitting here by the phone waiting waiting waiting... for the call that will tell me what im doing for the next few years of my life....

Ill let you know..

cya
tab

Where'd you go Bran???? Aier????

Believe it or not, still no word about the job, they assure me they are still deliberating, but im starting to wonder....

Just found out a friend of mine is getting married, how cool!! So now out of my group of 4 girlfriends (5 including me) at uni (when I was an undergrad) 1 is living de facto and has a baby, one is getting married next spring to a guy who really doesn't like me and we had a major falling out about it (we no longer speak), one isgetting married next month (and i didn't get invited - the other friend did - the one I dont speak to) and now this one is engaged - Im almost starting to feel left out of this whole pairing up thing - I wonder is there something Im doing wrong?????

Anyway, thats my exciting news of the week....
hows your week going? heard anymore about your job propects?

cya
tab

Hi Tab (and Aier wherever you are)

Still here! Been a touch busy getting some teaching stuff ready, so have negelected my h2g2 responsibilities. Tut.

Interesting about the marriage thing. I remember when I was doing honours, four couples that I knew doing the same course broke up! We hade this sort of reverse-mating process going on. It really was quite incredible. Do not fret about the as yet lack of spouse ... think of it as discernment. Your tastes are highly developed thus the importance of not rushing in. (Bummer about not getting invites to certain weddings - yah boo sucks to them!).

Well, the job has been semi-officially advertised to the postgrads in the department, but not in the papers yet. AND they have bloody asked for special expertise in a slightly later period than mine. I do 400-1000AD, and they have asked for "broad medieval" but with expertise in 1000-1300. I can extend to 1100, but need to really bone up on the rest. AND for an associate lecturer job, I understand that most of the non-local applicanys will have PhDs already. So, a tight field. Still, got to be in it to win it, as they say. The job will close about the middle of November, so there is then the wait to see of I get interviewed etc.

Apart from that, a good week - I have had a paper accepted for publication so am chuffed about that.

Any news on your front about the job? Still by the phone ....?

Must get to some work.
Cheerio
Bran.

*Still* no news....
waiting, waiting, waiting......

Bummer about the job thing, but like you say, you have to be in it to win it. I never thought Id get this far with this job... and if they'd told me after one week that I didn't have it I would still have been proud to have got as far as i did, but now that they have been stringing me on for weeks, Im going to be realy disappointed if I dont get it...

oh well... waiting, waiting, waiting.... Im sure its another test of my patience!!

cya
tab

Hi Tab.
And a wonderful day it is here - All I can see out my study window is blue sky, with the occasional squawk from a wattle bird adding to the serenity .... just spotted an olive whistler in a gum tree. There you go.
Any news on the job??? Still waiting???
Must go do some work.
Cheers
Bran
P.S. How go the exams? Had any yet?

no exams till monday
still no word on the job, apparently they need to check some things with my former employer.. who knows wht. I have it on good authority I will find out by the end of the day today
waiting waiting waiting...
I got my parnets here for the weekend this weekend, so no h2g2 for me this weekend.
whats your plans for the weekend?

cya
tab

Hi Tab
Best of luck with all of it - exams and job. Finally an answer?

This weekend looks to be magnificent weather-wise, so there will be some walking to the beach I expect. I am teaching a class on Vikings on Sunday arvo, so will have to so some prep for that. A mixof different delights then are expected.

Have a great weekend with your parents. Talk to you next week - when word will hopefully be through!

Cheers
Bran.

need I say more? I start monday the 30th!!!... im so excited i cant sit still!!
how did your viking lecture go?

cya
tab

Another Australian here.

Oy Oy Oy!

Love this...
thers heaps of us here on h2g2, how cool would it be to arrange a meet up? unfortunately as Australis is so large, it would be difficult to get everyone there... but we could always try..
where are you based s,m,b? and what do you do?
(if you read back in the thread you'll discover what we all do and where we are based)

cya
tab

I'm a Sydneysider and I do, well, not much.

Actually, I'm a mother of two small kids. That seems to take up most of my time.

The famous question - did you get to the olympics? I watched heaps of it on the teev but thought that syndey would be the last place I wanted to be while it was actually on. As it turned out it all ran very smoothly and I would've loved to have been there, but it was not to be...

cya
tab

Hi Sad,Mad or Bad?

Q'pop here. We are moviing to Sydney - next weekend! Still don't hav a house, but my husband has crash space and I'm going to Adelaide to stay with relatives till he finds us a place. We have one son - 2.5yo.

I know just what you mean about the kids keeping you busy

Q'pop

Hey Q'pop..
where you moving from? I used to live in Adelaide, everyone says it s hole, but i loved it... kind of like an overgrown country town, big enough to get lost, but small enough to find your way if you want to.. if you know what I mean..

cya
tab

YAAAHHHOOOOEEE TAB!!!!! You got the job. WELL DONE!!! And on board so quickly. What a relief after having to wait so long for an answer. My heartiest congratulations.

Viking was fun - I had a great class who were all very interested and asked a lot of questions.

Welcome to the new folks. Come and chat more and tell us about yourselves.

Back to work
Cheerio
Bran.

P.S. Where is Aier??

Unfortunately I didn't officially get to the Olympics. I was sick all the way through them. I did see a lot of people in volunteers uniforms on the trains, and even a few Olympians in the city. I wouldn't have minded accidently bumping into Ian Thorpe or Susie O'Neill, or my personal favorite Justin Norris (he won bronze in the swimming ?backstroke? and was just so stoked he could hardly talk to the interviewer), but hey, you can't have everything.

I did sort of get there, actually. I was on the harbout one day when the yacht races were on. So we got to cheer the boats as they went past. The Australians came third in that race. Woo.

Good luck with the move Q'pop!