I've been learning the hard lesson recently that "the truth will out," no matter what it is. Even if you'd like to avoid the truth, or pretend things aren't as they actually are, or you think it will be less painful to gloss over the truth - it's really not. Better to 'fess up and confront the truth, as early and as often as possible.
For instance - this year I am helping organize a conference. The same one I helped organize last year, actually. I am in charge of getting four panelists for my assigned panel, and a case study speaker. I was supposed to be researching potential panelists, and sending out invitations, in November of 2010. If the conference is in March, you want to start early.
But I wasn't on my game.
I got distracted, I wasn't motivated, and I just plain didn't get it done. I did SOME work, but a pretty pathetic amount.
And suddenly I had the conference organizers on my tail, wondering what was going on, and where are my panelists?
At first I brushed it off, saying, I'm working on it, it's December and the holidays slowed me down - but don't worry! I'm on top of it! Things are coming together! Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!
But now it's January. And I'm applying the painful lesson that the truth is always better than avoidance.
I sent an email to the conference organizers. I said, I'm sorry, I've been slacking off my work. Here's what I've done, it's not much, and here is where I honestly am. I asked for help. I outlined what I needed, and asked for some assistance. And I offered to volunteer extra time during the "calling" phase, where we contact people in the database to see if they want to register this year.
And you know what? It was worth it. My conscience felt so much better after I had laid out exactly where I stood. I felt a little sad that I didn't keep up with what I had promised, but at least nobody was being mislead, and everybody was on the same page with the real situation.
So here's hoping that this inspires you this week - stick to the truth, in personal and professional life. No varnishing, no avoidance, just reality. 'Fess up. It's always the right choice.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Anatomy of a PhD Defense
I remember the first time I went to a PhD defense. I had just finished my first semester as a grad student, and I still had no idea how the graduate student culture worked. I had no idea what to expect during a doctoral dissertation defense.
Now, I'm old and cynical. I started to lose track of the people I knew that had graduated, so now I keep a list of defenses I have attended. This morning, I attended my tenth defense. (I have more friends that have graduated, but sometimes I can't make it to the actual event.)
I was walking over to the room this morning with two first-year grad students. Today was the first defense THEY had ever attended. I started to explain the typical procedures, and I just had a clear sense of time marching on. All things turn over, all new things become old and then new again...
Man, I really am getting old.
But one of the benefits of age is also (hopefully) wisdom. And if not wisdom, at least the ability to draw comparisons. I've seen a fairly wide range of things happen at defenses. :) So I thought I would describe a typical defense, at least as it works in Mechanical Engineering at World's Best School.
Preparation
First, let's get one thing straight. You KNOW you are going to pass. Your committee of advisors won't let you set a defend date unless you are ready. You can be positive that you'll get a check on your thesis card at the end of the day. But you would like to feel that you nailed the presentation, that you handled all the questions with authority and grace, and that you truly earned your degree. Really, you are fighting for the "Check Plus" instead of the "Check".
So you will probably stress about it anyway. My lab has a student seminar series, run by the students, for the students. Students volunteer to present their work, sometimes to ask for help with their research, but most often in preparation for a) a conference talk b) the qualifying exam presentation, or c) a defense. So often, you will give your presentation to the students first, so that you feel confident on defense day.
The choice of classroom to defend in is also key. If you choose a room in the main engineering building, you are liable to get a lot of random professors "dropping in" to listen. "Drop-ins" tend to ask questions. Hard questions. Off-the-wall questions. Questions you are not prepared for. You don't want drop-ins. :) So it is in your best interests to pick a room that is off the beaten path. Ditto for the time and day (Friday afternoons, everybody is looking for something not-work-related to do... so Monday at 9am is much better), but you don't have much control over that. It's hard enough to get your three committee professors to all have an hour and a half free to slot you in!
The Introduction
On the day of your defense, your advisor will give you an introduction. Some advisors just say, "Here is my student. They have done well. Student, please begin." But it is more common, and a nice touch, for your advisor to introduce you with a quick review of your graduate career, and perhaps an anecdote or two. For instance, one professor recalled the time that his student set the lab on fire. "Despite which," the professor was quick to add, "I am pleased to announce that subsequent experiments fared much better."
Who Attends
The only people who MUST attend are your committee members. Although this morning, one of the committee members had to video conference in from Japan. And another time, the student's actual advisor wasn't even in the room - he had to Skype in from California! That instance was actually the most extreme case I know - that student had three very hard-to-schedule committee members. They were always traveling, or teaching, or otherwise busy. So even after three separate committee meetings, and the defense, he NEVER had all three people physically in the same room. Now that, my friends, is talent.
In addition, anyone at the university is allowed to attend, and the defense announcement is sent department-wide. (See note on choosing classrooms to avoid too many drop-ins...) So your classmates, your friends, and any student who saw the announcement and found it relevant (or who wants to procrastinate from research) will be there.
And usually (excepting matters of national security) the event is open the the public as well. So your family, girlfriend, or anyone else you can convince to sit through a detailed technical presentation can be there as well. In one case, a very popular social student had an entire cheerleading section at his defense. They actually brought little cardboard cutouts, of a "D" and a white picket fence. (Get it? D! Fence!) That, for the record, I thought was a bit unprofessional...
Finally, there may be students who were your friends and graduated ahead of you. It's actually kind of a mini-reunion at some defenses, with alums coming back to support and congratulate you. Again with the sense of time marching on... the world continually turns. :)
Presentation
Generally the presentation is in PowerPoint, but I saw one student do his using a presentation class of LaTeX called Beamer. If you don't know what TeX is, or you do but you wish you didn't, don't worry... in some company, I don't admit I'm that big a nerd either...
You want to shoot for 50 minutes of presentation, and then leave 10 minutes for questioning. I saw one student only take 35 minutes for presenting. That's a problem. That simultaneously makes it look like you didn't do very much, and leaves you open for 25 minutes of interrogation.
At the end of the presentation, make sure to give acknowledgments. I saw one student cry during acknowledgments, just from overwhelming emotion. I wouldn't recommend that.
When you take questions, your goal is to a) understand the question, which sometimes is no small feat, then b) come up with a satisfactory answer, preferably a "yes/no" with a reason, or a "depends" with supporting examples. Then, crucially, your job is to c) quickly take the next question before your carefully crafted aura of expertise is further assaulted.
If you make it through all questions, everybody claps again. Then everyone except university professors are dismissed from the room.
Post-Presentation
Technically any university professor can vote on whether or not you passed, but usually only the committee members will stay to deliberate, and (see Preparation section) you KNOW how they will vote. But they still have to follow proper procedure, so they cloister themselves in the room while everyone waits outside.
You and your friends stand outside the room, discussing amongst yourselves. We hypothesize that the professors actually discuss the weather and their kids for ten minutes, just to make a good show of it. Whatever they actually do, in a short amount of time they peek out the door, and you have to go back inside. They shake your hand, congratulate you, and tell you that you passed.
Then, triumphantly, you return to your friends - Doctor at last!
Post-Defense Reception
There is always a reception with snacky items afterwards. Hey, any excuse to eat, right? Normally it falls on the girlfriend or wife to take care of the reception arrangements, so you can focus on your presentation. I've actually done two receptions (including today), for friends that don't have significant others or family close by. Hey, I did it for my TA class, and all the time for my RA duties, so I'm an expert!
The reception usually also includes drinks - but different students have different styles. When a Mormon labmate graduated, we had sparkling cider. Another student (now on Wall Street) just skipped right to the other extreme and brought vodka! Champagne is most common, and that's what I did today. We polished off three 750mL champagnes at 11am. :) And one and a half orange juice cartons. Mimosas, of course...
Post-Post Defense
-The post party (if any) also depends on your own personal style. Sometimes there is no post party later that night. Sometimes, as in the case of the student who took seven years to graduate, the post party lasts well into the wee hours of the next morning. :) Sometimes the party waits until the weekend.
But whatever your own style, however you prepare, however you handle the questioning, however you celebrate, here's the thing - YOU ARE DONE!
I promise, it does happen. People do graduate. I've seen it, ten times now. May it be me some day, too. I raise my champagne glass - To a successful future defense for all of you, dear readers!
Is this how defenses go in your experience? How does it work in your department and school?
Now, I'm old and cynical. I started to lose track of the people I knew that had graduated, so now I keep a list of defenses I have attended. This morning, I attended my tenth defense. (I have more friends that have graduated, but sometimes I can't make it to the actual event.)
I was walking over to the room this morning with two first-year grad students. Today was the first defense THEY had ever attended. I started to explain the typical procedures, and I just had a clear sense of time marching on. All things turn over, all new things become old and then new again...
Man, I really am getting old.
But one of the benefits of age is also (hopefully) wisdom. And if not wisdom, at least the ability to draw comparisons. I've seen a fairly wide range of things happen at defenses. :) So I thought I would describe a typical defense, at least as it works in Mechanical Engineering at World's Best School.
Preparation
First, let's get one thing straight. You KNOW you are going to pass. Your committee of advisors won't let you set a defend date unless you are ready. You can be positive that you'll get a check on your thesis card at the end of the day. But you would like to feel that you nailed the presentation, that you handled all the questions with authority and grace, and that you truly earned your degree. Really, you are fighting for the "Check Plus" instead of the "Check".
 |
| Figure: But let's be honest. You wouldn't be at World's Best School unless you always fight for the Check Plus. |
The choice of classroom to defend in is also key. If you choose a room in the main engineering building, you are liable to get a lot of random professors "dropping in" to listen. "Drop-ins" tend to ask questions. Hard questions. Off-the-wall questions. Questions you are not prepared for. You don't want drop-ins. :) So it is in your best interests to pick a room that is off the beaten path. Ditto for the time and day (Friday afternoons, everybody is looking for something not-work-related to do... so Monday at 9am is much better), but you don't have much control over that. It's hard enough to get your three committee professors to all have an hour and a half free to slot you in!
The Introduction
On the day of your defense, your advisor will give you an introduction. Some advisors just say, "Here is my student. They have done well. Student, please begin." But it is more common, and a nice touch, for your advisor to introduce you with a quick review of your graduate career, and perhaps an anecdote or two. For instance, one professor recalled the time that his student set the lab on fire. "Despite which," the professor was quick to add, "I am pleased to announce that subsequent experiments fared much better."
Who Attends
The only people who MUST attend are your committee members. Although this morning, one of the committee members had to video conference in from Japan. And another time, the student's actual advisor wasn't even in the room - he had to Skype in from California! That instance was actually the most extreme case I know - that student had three very hard-to-schedule committee members. They were always traveling, or teaching, or otherwise busy. So even after three separate committee meetings, and the defense, he NEVER had all three people physically in the same room. Now that, my friends, is talent.
In addition, anyone at the university is allowed to attend, and the defense announcement is sent department-wide. (See note on choosing classrooms to avoid too many drop-ins...) So your classmates, your friends, and any student who saw the announcement and found it relevant (or who wants to procrastinate from research) will be there.
And usually (excepting matters of national security) the event is open the the public as well. So your family, girlfriend, or anyone else you can convince to sit through a detailed technical presentation can be there as well. In one case, a very popular social student had an entire cheerleading section at his defense. They actually brought little cardboard cutouts, of a "D" and a white picket fence. (Get it? D! Fence!) That, for the record, I thought was a bit unprofessional...
Finally, there may be students who were your friends and graduated ahead of you. It's actually kind of a mini-reunion at some defenses, with alums coming back to support and congratulate you. Again with the sense of time marching on... the world continually turns. :)
Presentation
Generally the presentation is in PowerPoint, but I saw one student do his using a presentation class of LaTeX called Beamer. If you don't know what TeX is, or you do but you wish you didn't, don't worry... in some company, I don't admit I'm that big a nerd either...
You want to shoot for 50 minutes of presentation, and then leave 10 minutes for questioning. I saw one student only take 35 minutes for presenting. That's a problem. That simultaneously makes it look like you didn't do very much, and leaves you open for 25 minutes of interrogation.
 |
| Figure: No check plus for you. |
When you take questions, your goal is to a) understand the question, which sometimes is no small feat, then b) come up with a satisfactory answer, preferably a "yes/no" with a reason, or a "depends" with supporting examples. Then, crucially, your job is to c) quickly take the next question before your carefully crafted aura of expertise is further assaulted.
If you make it through all questions, everybody claps again. Then everyone except university professors are dismissed from the room.
Post-Presentation
Technically any university professor can vote on whether or not you passed, but usually only the committee members will stay to deliberate, and (see Preparation section) you KNOW how they will vote. But they still have to follow proper procedure, so they cloister themselves in the room while everyone waits outside.
You and your friends stand outside the room, discussing amongst yourselves. We hypothesize that the professors actually discuss the weather and their kids for ten minutes, just to make a good show of it. Whatever they actually do, in a short amount of time they peek out the door, and you have to go back inside. They shake your hand, congratulate you, and tell you that you passed.
Then, triumphantly, you return to your friends - Doctor at last!
Post-Defense Reception
There is always a reception with snacky items afterwards. Hey, any excuse to eat, right? Normally it falls on the girlfriend or wife to take care of the reception arrangements, so you can focus on your presentation. I've actually done two receptions (including today), for friends that don't have significant others or family close by. Hey, I did it for my TA class, and all the time for my RA duties, so I'm an expert!
The reception usually also includes drinks - but different students have different styles. When a Mormon labmate graduated, we had sparkling cider. Another student (now on Wall Street) just skipped right to the other extreme and brought vodka! Champagne is most common, and that's what I did today. We polished off three 750mL champagnes at 11am. :) And one and a half orange juice cartons. Mimosas, of course...
Post-Post Defense
-The post party (if any) also depends on your own personal style. Sometimes there is no post party later that night. Sometimes, as in the case of the student who took seven years to graduate, the post party lasts well into the wee hours of the next morning. :) Sometimes the party waits until the weekend.
But whatever your own style, however you prepare, however you handle the questioning, however you celebrate, here's the thing - YOU ARE DONE!
I promise, it does happen. People do graduate. I've seen it, ten times now. May it be me some day, too. I raise my champagne glass - To a successful future defense for all of you, dear readers!
Is this how defenses go in your experience? How does it work in your department and school?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Hello to OnlineClasses Physics Geeks!
If you are visiting through this list of 50 Awesome Blogs for Physics Geeks, welcome!
I am honored to be among the list of blogs, which include some of my own favorites. Cosmic Variance is already on my RSS feed, as is Bad Astronomy.
I am sure I am not a physicist. The closest I come is perhaps trying to defy it - when trying to lift a mattress over a balcony, perhaps, or hoist an AC out of a window by myself.
But I do a lot of science, and the grad student experience is pretty universal (why else the terrifyingly accurate humor of PhD Comics?)
I also do a bunch of cooking, and I try to keep a steady stream of adventures in my life.
I'd love to hear who you are, and I hope you stick around to share in the ride. :)
I am honored to be among the list of blogs, which include some of my own favorites. Cosmic Variance is already on my RSS feed, as is Bad Astronomy.
I am sure I am not a physicist. The closest I come is perhaps trying to defy it - when trying to lift a mattress over a balcony, perhaps, or hoist an AC out of a window by myself.
But I do a lot of science, and the grad student experience is pretty universal (why else the terrifyingly accurate humor of PhD Comics?)
I also do a bunch of cooking, and I try to keep a steady stream of adventures in my life.
I'd love to hear who you are, and I hope you stick around to share in the ride. :)
From the Email Queue Today
I am subscribed to the World's Best University school-wide email list for the selling and giving away of goods. If you can put up with the volume of emails to your inbox, you can snag good stuff, often free. Given the eclectic set here at this university, there's no telling what technological gadgetry or random widget may come up. Or, there's things like this....
___________________________________________________
Subject: [Selling] box of 36 large crickets
To: selling@worlds_best_university.edu
Sigh, misunderstandings.
$4
___________________________________________________
Ah, just imagine the backstory....
___________________________________________________
Subject: [Selling] box of 36 large crickets
To: selling@worlds_best_university.edu
Sigh, misunderstandings.
$4
___________________________________________________
Ah, just imagine the backstory....
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Problem with Milk
I like milk. I don't drink very much, but I like it. And if I want milk for something, there's very little that will substitute. Water into coffee? Orange juice with a chocolate chip cookie? I think not. (Actually, my cousin has put Mountain Dew on cereal, but that's a line I just won't cross). When you want fresh milk, you want fresh milk.
However, there is a problem.
If I buy the half gallon in the plastic carton, it will last a week and a half. A gallon lasts a week and a half as well, because it has the same packaging. But it takes me two weeks to drink even the half gallon, so it spoils before I can use it.
If I buy the quart, it comes in a paper carton, and it doesn't seal as well so it spoils in four days. But it takes me a week to drink. So it STILL spoils before I can drink it.
So now my engineering brain kicks in.
"What this really is," my brain considers, "is a constant rate problem."
Miss Outlier drinks milk at a rate of gallon/month, or quart/week.
I can't buy an amount of milk that I can drink before it spoils!
And in addition, we are not considering complicating factors of, say, price of milk per quart, or hassle cost for buying smaller amounts more frequently. If we added that in, heavens! The problem just gets worse.
And in the meantime, I'm standing here in the kitchen with cereal in a bowl, and no fresh milk. Tragedy.
I posed this problem to a friend (who, for the record, easily can put away a half gallon a day), and the reply was -
Well, Miss Outlier, drink more milk!
However, there is a problem.
If I buy the half gallon in the plastic carton, it will last a week and a half. A gallon lasts a week and a half as well, because it has the same packaging. But it takes me two weeks to drink even the half gallon, so it spoils before I can use it.
If I buy the quart, it comes in a paper carton, and it doesn't seal as well so it spoils in four days. But it takes me a week to drink. So it STILL spoils before I can drink it.
So now my engineering brain kicks in.
"What this really is," my brain considers, "is a constant rate problem."
Miss Outlier drinks milk at a rate of gallon/month, or quart/week.
But the milk spoils at a different rates, which using our data points, is given by the figure below. Also, there is a lower limit to the amount of milk you can buy (nobody sells it by the teaspoon!).
So what's our problem? Well, here's the issue.
And in addition, we are not considering complicating factors of, say, price of milk per quart, or hassle cost for buying smaller amounts more frequently. If we added that in, heavens! The problem just gets worse.
And in the meantime, I'm standing here in the kitchen with cereal in a bowl, and no fresh milk. Tragedy.
I posed this problem to a friend (who, for the record, easily can put away a half gallon a day), and the reply was -
Well, Miss Outlier, drink more milk!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Once-A-Year Chores
Today has been a day for doing the pesky To-Do items. We all have items like this, right? I can't be the only one. These are items that only have to be done once in a blue moon - but although done infrequently, they must be done. These are important, but not urgent, so they languish on the To-Do list.
But I am done with the languishing. Also, it is snowing outside, so I want to stay in from the outside. Also, I don't feel like working today. Reasons enough!
So, today I have:
- backed up my computer. Seriously, did you see this news article? Stupid scientists in Oklahoma didn't back up years worth of cancer research and then - wait for it - of course they lost the data. That's just asking for trouble.
- made vegetable stock from all the scraps in my freezer. Sadly, no beets, so it is not pink.
- updated the general journal for my business. Gotta keep the accounting on the up-and-up!
- cleaned all my leather items (boots, jackets, skirts, purses). Given that winter here in Boston is brutal, a little protector/cleaner does wonders. If I'm going to pay for a real leather jacket, I plan for it to last me years!
- imported all photos to my photo storage drive for safekeeping. I'm a bit obsessive over this after I once nearly lost my photos...
- taken stock of the items in my freezer. Sometimes I forget what I have stashed away. Case in point - this morning I found a bunch of frozen waffles. Can we say waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for lunch? Yes please!
- mopped and vacuumed my floor. I suppose this is not supposed to be a once-in-a-blue-moon activity, but let's face it... it is. So there. You can judge if you want, but today the floor is clean.
- got out my sewing supplies and fixed a hole in my coat pocket. And then since I was on a roll, I went ahead and cleaned out the whole sewing pile, by fixing a ripped skirt and a torn beltloop.
- finished reading a magazine that has been languishing on my bedside table. Miss Outlier very much loves Asimov's Science Fiction. It is a crying shame that I have a backlog of three months of issues to read.
- scheduled lunch with some old friends. It is so sweet to catch up with friends. Friendships should be cherished, and I am determined that I won't let people I care about drift away through neglect.
As always, it surprises me how little time some of these things take. I mean, 20 minutes is all it takes for some of these items. I think to myself, I waited that long - for THIS? For the amount of mental clarity I gain from cleaning up shop, it's well worth the day I'm taking off.
May you also find 20 minutes to cross off a pesky To-Do item!
But I am done with the languishing. Also, it is snowing outside, so I want to stay in from the outside. Also, I don't feel like working today. Reasons enough!
So, today I have:
- backed up my computer. Seriously, did you see this news article? Stupid scientists in Oklahoma didn't back up years worth of cancer research and then - wait for it - of course they lost the data. That's just asking for trouble.
- made vegetable stock from all the scraps in my freezer. Sadly, no beets, so it is not pink.
- updated the general journal for my business. Gotta keep the accounting on the up-and-up!
- cleaned all my leather items (boots, jackets, skirts, purses). Given that winter here in Boston is brutal, a little protector/cleaner does wonders. If I'm going to pay for a real leather jacket, I plan for it to last me years!
- imported all photos to my photo storage drive for safekeeping. I'm a bit obsessive over this after I once nearly lost my photos...
- taken stock of the items in my freezer. Sometimes I forget what I have stashed away. Case in point - this morning I found a bunch of frozen waffles. Can we say waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for lunch? Yes please!
 |
| Figure: Well worth taking a day home from the office to do chores. |
- got out my sewing supplies and fixed a hole in my coat pocket. And then since I was on a roll, I went ahead and cleaned out the whole sewing pile, by fixing a ripped skirt and a torn beltloop.
- finished reading a magazine that has been languishing on my bedside table. Miss Outlier very much loves Asimov's Science Fiction. It is a crying shame that I have a backlog of three months of issues to read.
- scheduled lunch with some old friends. It is so sweet to catch up with friends. Friendships should be cherished, and I am determined that I won't let people I care about drift away through neglect.
As always, it surprises me how little time some of these things take. I mean, 20 minutes is all it takes for some of these items. I think to myself, I waited that long - for THIS? For the amount of mental clarity I gain from cleaning up shop, it's well worth the day I'm taking off.
May you also find 20 minutes to cross off a pesky To-Do item!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
SantaCon 2008, 2009, 2010
It began, as most great ideas do, at the lunch table. It was fall semester 2007.
"Hey you know what my friend told me about?" began the ringleader. "New York city has an event every year called SantaCon. He goes every year. And Boston has one too - it's coming up in December."
The table ringed with raised eyebrows asked the obvious question - "Uh... SantaCon?" we quizzed.
"Yeah, a bunch of people dress up as Santa and go on a pub crawl around Boston. It starts at noon and goes until they shut the town down. You want to go?"
Well, obviously.
And so it began. Five of the guys teamed up to get Santa costumes wholesale on the internet, patting themselves on the back for scoring full, red-velvet-black-boots-white-fur, quantity-discount ensembles for $25 a piece. I didn't go that year (2007), but epic stories from that SantaCon lasted all the way to the next summer.
When 2008 rolled around, you bet I was in. And of COURSE the guys were in again. They had already bought the costumes, it would be a shame not to get a second wear out of them! I didn't have a costume, but I figured a red shirt and black dress with boots and a belt ought to at least get me Santa's helper status. I was designated photographer, so I present to you the SantaCon 2008 group of guys:
The pub crawl starts at noon, where I insisted that we have lunch. Woman needs a burger at noon, not a beer... or so I feel, at least.
We met the organizer of the Boston SantaCon:
And stopped to take a picture in front of Boston City Hall:
We ended the night by taking a non-scheduled stop at Border Cafe. It was well past dinner time, and I felt that food was needed instead of more beer. Can you tell I don't operate well when I'm hungry? :) When the restaurant owners saw us walk in, they insisted that we meet a large party in the downstairs. The guys played Santa for the laughing and delighted patrons, and we all got free appetizers!
In 2009, after enduring two years of stories from SantaCon, more labmates were convinced to join. This year I borrowed a legitimate costume from a friend.
Cute, right? Well it looked cute when I was among the hundreds of other Santas, but you do get some funny looks as you travel around town. It's particularly disconcerting for people to see Santa on the T... (in Boston, the subway is known as the "T.")
We again started with lunch. Lunch is always a good idea.
There were still characters to keep the day interesting. :)
And "Asian Santa" reprised his appearance for the third year in a row!
The bars were again packed with Santas, throwing off the poor regular patrons just looking for a quiet Saturday out and about.
Random people would come up and stop us on the street, asking to take a picture. We thought it was funny for the first two, or three, or five... but by the tenth person that asked us to take a picture, we got a little tired of it! But when kids came up to talk, we always played the part. Nothing like making a kid's face light up!
And, to keep to tradition, we again ended the night with late dinner at Border Cafe. Chips and queso for the win.
The bars were always packed. This year the event was so big, that the Santas had to spread out among four or five bars at once just to hold everybody. The more the merrier!
Lunch stop!
There will always be chartacters. Life is no fun without characters. :)
Wrapping up SantaCon 2010 in Harvard Square.
I think now that my lab has done this four years in a row, it's safe to say it's an established tradition. I've enjoyed going, and it really is a bonding and morale-building experience for us as labmates. Of course, we talk about research...... right? Yeah, not so much. :)
And this year, we even made the news!
http://www.cctvcambridge.org/_SantaCon_in_Cambridge
I'm the girl in the bright red dress.
Cheers to SantaCon, and to social events with friends!
"Hey you know what my friend told me about?" began the ringleader. "New York city has an event every year called SantaCon. He goes every year. And Boston has one too - it's coming up in December."
The table ringed with raised eyebrows asked the obvious question - "Uh... SantaCon?" we quizzed.
"Yeah, a bunch of people dress up as Santa and go on a pub crawl around Boston. It starts at noon and goes until they shut the town down. You want to go?"
Well, obviously.
And so it began. Five of the guys teamed up to get Santa costumes wholesale on the internet, patting themselves on the back for scoring full, red-velvet-black-boots-white-fur, quantity-discount ensembles for $25 a piece. I didn't go that year (2007), but epic stories from that SantaCon lasted all the way to the next summer.
When 2008 rolled around, you bet I was in. And of COURSE the guys were in again. They had already bought the costumes, it would be a shame not to get a second wear out of them! I didn't have a costume, but I figured a red shirt and black dress with boots and a belt ought to at least get me Santa's helper status. I was designated photographer, so I present to you the SantaCon 2008 group of guys:
The best part about any social event is the people you share it with. The guys in these photos are all characters in their own right, and life will be an adventure whenever they get together. You may recognize Eehern, my travel buddy to Chicago. After the seventh double-take from random passers-by, Eehern just shrugged and said, "Well that's what I get for being an Asian Santa!"
The other fun part of this event is seeing all the OTHER Santas. There were several hundred, and when we "crawled" between bars, the procession was quite a sight.
We met the organizer of the Boston SantaCon:
And stopped to take a picture in front of Boston City Hall:
SantaCon 2009
In 2009, after enduring two years of stories from SantaCon, more labmates were convinced to join. This year I borrowed a legitimate costume from a friend.
Cute, right? Well it looked cute when I was among the hundreds of other Santas, but you do get some funny looks as you travel around town. It's particularly disconcerting for people to see Santa on the T... (in Boston, the subway is known as the "T.")
We again started with lunch. Lunch is always a good idea.
There were still characters to keep the day interesting. :)
And "Asian Santa" reprised his appearance for the third year in a row!
The bars were again packed with Santas, throwing off the poor regular patrons just looking for a quiet Saturday out and about.
Random people would come up and stop us on the street, asking to take a picture. We thought it was funny for the first two, or three, or five... but by the tenth person that asked us to take a picture, we got a little tired of it! But when kids came up to talk, we always played the part. Nothing like making a kid's face light up!
This year it wasn't snowing (thank goodness), so the picture in front of City Hall was much more pleasant.
And, to keep to tradition, we again ended the night with late dinner at Border Cafe. Chips and queso for the win.
SantaCon 2010
This year was the third year I've done SantaCon, and the fourth year my lab has done it.
The group of my friends that goes keeps getting bigger every year! Some students have graduated, so we don't have the same people, and unfortunately not as many Santa suits this year. But at least we were all wearing hats, that counts right?
The bars were always packed. This year the event was so big, that the Santas had to spread out among four or five bars at once just to hold everybody. The more the merrier!
Lunch stop!
There will always be chartacters. Life is no fun without characters. :)
Wrapping up SantaCon 2010 in Harvard Square.
I think now that my lab has done this four years in a row, it's safe to say it's an established tradition. I've enjoyed going, and it really is a bonding and morale-building experience for us as labmates. Of course, we talk about research...... right? Yeah, not so much. :)
And this year, we even made the news!
http://www.cctvcambridge.org/_SantaCon_in_Cambridge
I'm the girl in the bright red dress.
Cheers to SantaCon, and to social events with friends!
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