Hooray for funding!

I just found out that I have a real live source of funding for next year! I actually won a competitive fellowship! Woot! It's even enough that I might not have to teach at all next year - just take classes and research. What a novel idea!

Now, the question is, do I want to keep my name in the hat for teaching anyway? I do love teaching and this fellowship allows for some teaching, but these past two years, teaching has been a huge drain on my research time.

If I don't teach, it would be the first time in - jeeze, about 4 years that I haven't taught. Will I remember how life works without it?

Also, on a completely related note, does going to Taco Bell count as celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

Pennies From Heaven

There are actually things that I can do well and that I enjoy doing.

Then there are those that I can't and don't.

Among the latter is the writing of funding requests.

Not only do I have little experience doing that, I'm really bad about selling myself. It's very hard for me to present a image of myself and my research that looks good without laughing a little bit. I mean, c'mon! I can think of a billion better uses for money than giving it to me. Fix potholes, put working tech in the classrooms, teach undergrads how to write, whatever, the idea that I deserve money seems just flat out ludicrous. Now, I know that there is money set aside specifically for people like me, and that if I don't get it, someone similar to me will get it, so it might as well be me. Since, like, you know, there's no way it'll actually get disbursed to fill potholes anyway.

What this all means practically is that I am always procrastinating about putting these things together. And then I end up feeling guilty for writing recommendation requests with RUSH stamped on the top.

Sigh... Well, here goes nothing.