Post #14 *blows off dust* May

I've been MIA. Things got disorganized.

Tomorrow is a fresh start, albeit it is not the first of a month, and it is not the start of a week, but I know I have been slacking with stuff I want to make happen in my life. One good night sleep, followed by an early morning tomorrow.

Eleven days before I leave for Boulder (I have a MMS meeting there). I want to take care of a few things before leaving. I'm going to get through 11 more days of the Marathon Trainer. I am going to read a bunch of relevant papers, I am going to come to a conclusion about my research so I can finish writing my paper and send it to coauthors, I am going to use Memorial Day weekend to see a dress or two and do a makeup look or two. All these things just to kickstart myself back to productivity in all aspects of my life.

Post #13 February Summary - March Goals

Straight from my January Summary:

Stuff I am hoping to finish in February:

1. Sew my first dress (will also be in the February sewing blog)
2. An alien makeup inspired by a deep sea creature

3. Chapter 2 of Gurnett and Bhattacharjee

4. Submit my first first-author paper

5. Have my thesis proposal mostly done.
6. Finish the C210k Trainer

I did complete my first dress as you have seen in post #11.

Also, I did attempt to create an alien inspired by an angler fish, post #12, albeit nearly a week late.

I have been slacking on the plasma textbook. I only completed up to the section I posted on earlier this months: post #10.

I have not submitted my paper yet...

I still have no real thought on my thesis proposal...

Technically, I have not finished the C210k Trainer, instead I have started the marathon trainer by Zen Labs. I am not doing this because I aspire to run a marathon, I am running off the adage "Go big or go home," pun intended. I ran outside during the beautiful weather we had last week, and failed miserably, so instead of trying to continue with the free version of C210k, I would just do the one time payment of the marathon trainer and be good to go until I can run on my own for any distance. So who knows, six months from now, maybe I will be capable of running 26.2 miles. (Don't worry if you laughed, I am laughing, and anyone who knows me would laugh. I am not a marathon runner, I like pizza entirely too much. Though if I do make it, this whole section will be fun to read, and make a great part of my Success Story.)

So 2 out of 6 goals completed... eh. Here's to a successful March:

Stuff I am hoping to finish in March:

1. Sew a vest, some beach apparel, and my Tea Party dress

2. An angel/devil makeup inspired by a good/bad personality trait

3. Chapter 2 of Gurnett and Bhattacharjee

4. Submit my first first-author paper

5. Have my thesis proposal done.

6. Finish weeks 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the Marathon Trainer

Post #4 Well... At least I am writing something

Fact: I am procrastinating.

GT: I have plenty of material to write my first first-author paper. No more discovery necessary.

I was about to Google "tricks to sit down and write". I would predict that the first tip would be:

#1 Get off the internet and start writing!

I am not going to search for that list though. I am going to write here and hope that just the act of writing something, anything, gets me motivated to work on my paper. I have started it. I wrote up a very rough draft of the previous work. That was written over a month ago though. My outline looks great (Fig. 1). I have even listed the authors and written up some of the reference I know I will be citing. 

Fig. 1 My outline

So looking at the list, I know I know all of it. I've gone as far as to think that I should use voice to text, just so I can get it out of my head and on to paper. Once I do that all that is left is editing, albeit A LOT of editing, but hey, that is what my coauthors are for.

Fact: This isn't helping.

PTM: I will get this done, and by this time next week I will laugh at myself and this blog, because I will have successfully written a working draft of my first first-author paper. 

GT: The weather has continued to be fall like, which is AWESOME!! 

I have been not only making good progress (at least research and education related progress) at work, I am nearly finished with my Halloween costume. Seeing as it took me >2 weeks to write this post after Post #3, Post #5 will include a picture of me in my costume. I am excited about it, and I have high hopes that people are going to like it (Fig. 2). 

Fig. 2 Not Telling

I suppose I should also put in a follow up to my follow up from Post #3: At this point, 13:31 EDT 10-14-16, I have completed the runs up to, and including, Week 7 Day 1 of C25K by Zen Labs. Wednesday's run was a 5-min warm up walk, followed by 25 minutes of running, no walking!! I had moments of doubt before and during, but I did it. I am also 5 runs away from completing the 8 week program. So...

PTM: Post #5 will also include a follow up to this follow up, saying that I graduated the Couch to 5k running program. 

Fact: I run for health, not weightloss, to be clear, this isn't a physical transformation blog.

FPI is still wowing the scientists as we progress through Phase 1B. I haven't picked any new data yet, but it is still early. I won't get nervous until mid-November. Though, even if I do get nervous, you won't read it. This is a positive thinking blog! 

Positivity in, Positivity out.

Post #2 Direction: Moving Forward

Fact: I have just begun my fifth year of Graduate School.

Graduate school implies that I am working on my dissertation. Until this week I hadn't really given it serious thought. I always believed I wouldn't have control over the research I was doing (Fig. 1). This comic was released during my senior year of undergrad, maybe this was it that gave me the idea.

Fig. 1 #truth

Now I have started a working list of research questions I want to answer. With MMS, I am working the presence of lower energy ions that once were located in the Earth's upper atmosphere, but by one mechanism or another made their was to the magnetopause. My interests have been varied since I started my research career, but something that has been consistently dangled in front of my nose, but I have not taken part in, Space Weather research.

PTM: I have my chance, with my research questions.

Fig. 2 Less Dramatic

Do ionospheric ions effect space weather? (and, if so) How?

PTM: I will be able to answer these questions.

GT: Work was on the productive side last week.

1) Caught up on September's Housekeeping.

2) Actually had a meeting with my Advisor [two actually!!]. 

3) Made a plan for what to work on, moving forward.

GT: I have been working through a Couch to 5k app, I just finished week three, and I am about to start week four (Fig. 2).

PTM: 5 weeks from now I will be able to run a 5k without stopping.

This point of all research is so exciting. The literature search; where each paper brings you closer and closer to the answer. Now the question... the question is one of two. One - "Who has the answer?" The literature search may prove that my research questions have already been answered. OR Two- "Will I have to answer the question?" It may be my turn to learn something new and write a paper on it.

Fig. 3 Research Thoughts

Post #1 Start positive. Stay positive.

Fact: I am in LA this week for the first public Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission Science Working Team (SWT) meeting.

This meeting is a chance for those working on the teams to interact with scientists that are using the MMS data, which went public back on March 1st. 6 months people have been working with the Phase 1a data. (Phase 1a was MMS's first dayside past of the Earth's magnetopause [Fig. 1]. Phase 1b, MMS's second pass of the dayside, starts on September 26th)

Fig. 1 MMS orbit plot for Dec. 1, 2015. The Sun is to the left,.

Fact: I gave a 12 minute presentation on the cold ions that appeared on the leading and trailing edge of an apparent flux transfer event (FTE).

This was my first talk given in a public setting. I have given talks to the greater Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI) team via telecon. This was for sure different. I was nervous, as per usual, but I wasn't ripped to shreds. Then again, I wasn't even poked. No questions or comments from the peanut gallery.

Positive Thinking Moment (PTM): They were stunned silent by my awesome presenting skills, [Fig. 2].

Fig. 2 This might be a bit dramatic

I have found that in the course of my graduate school career I have had moments of absolute dread. The moments where it is hard to believe that I am going to make it out alive.

Fact: The goal of this blog is to focus on the good things and keep my mindset positive [Fig. 3].

Good Thing (GT): LA really does have beautiful weather.
It has been the mid to upper 70s all week, with sunny skies. I wouldn't say this trip is making me a "LA Devotee" but I am enjoying the break from East Coast humidity.

Fig. 3 Idea courtesy of my friend, Lo.