Second blog alert! Stay tuned for increased activity on this site in the coming weeks.
FEATURED SONG
Be Careful by Cardi B from her new album, Invasion of Privacy. This song has been stuck in my head for the last week.
LPSC 2018
I wasn’t expecting the 49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference to have much of an impact on me. It’s my fourth LPSC. I planned to attend a few talks, present my poster, chair my session, and hide in my hotel room. Instead, it was unexpectedly fantastic. Here are the three big reasons why.
- It was productive. I received honest and constructive feedback on my poster presentation. The critics agreed with one of my committee members that I should be able to wrap up (and write up) the project soon. I’d like to have a draft by the end of the fall semester at the absolute latest. I also entertained a few discussions about future opportunities too. I’m over half way through my PhD, so people have started to sniff out my post-graduate school plans. The next natural step, if I choose to remain in academia, would be a post-doctoral position. I have to admit I was surprised and happy that people either assumed I would be applying to work with them or dropped hints that they’d be looking for post-docs like me soon.
- It was socially stimulating. I caught up with friends who I hadn’t seen in months (or longer). One of the curses of my field is that everyone is spread all over the world, but one of the blessings is its small size, so everyone attends the same conferences and reconnects on the regular. I also made new friends and acquaintances! That means potential colleagues and collaborators.
- It was fulfilling and inspiring. I chaired a session, something I’d thought about doing for a year or so, and it was fun and easy. I enjoyed feeling like I belonged to the community and had a hand in the conference. I intend to volunteer to chair again. This is the first conference that has inspired me to write a short story. A variety of factors probably inspired me, including seeing friends actualize their dreams the previous week in New Orleans and being more sensitive to the challenges of women and POC in STEM. As a result, I produced a short story titled “That Girl Debbie”, which you will be able to read on this site soon.
All in all, LPSC was a huge success! I’m really looking forward to next year (if I’m not abroad).
Advice: It’s easy for graduate school to make you cynical and resentful. I dwelled there for a number of years until recently. I was certain this conference would be another annoyance on the long road to a career in STEM, but I left a space in my mind open for the unexpected. And it paid off dividends. So much of graduate school, and STEM in general, is a mental exercise in fortitude, self-esteem, and determination.
SHORT STORY
I will be posting my latest short story, That Girl Debbie, here on my website in the next week or so. I will also submit it to a writing contest for a chance at publication. Don’t worry, that contest is totes okay with you posting it to a personal website or blog. Regardless of whether or not I win the contest, it will be nice to have my work read. I don’t think this story is my best. It’s different from the topics I generally write about. For years, I struggled with not wanting to be viewed or labelled as a ‘black author’. I don’t want to write about black plight and suffering. However, I felt this story was a great way to parse my own emotions and convey the experience of people of color in science to a wider audience.
That Girl Debbie combined with the novel I’m working on has inspired me to revisit the archive of short stories I’ve been sitting on for years. I easily have one or two dozen short stories (most are first drafts) dating back a decade. A lot of them are crap, but some are salvageable. As a result, I’ve started reaching out to people about editing these stories. My goal is to submit at least two more short stories to writing contests and/or for publication. There’s no reason the rejection of my manuscripts should be restricted to science!
Advice: If there’s something you want to do and there are no obstacles, then just do the damn thing. I’ve been putting off writing this novel and editing my old short stories for over 6 years. I finally made up my mind and decided it was important enough to me to invest time and energy into it. Whether it’s a simple DIY, an unfinished poem, or a new diet, just try working on it. You just might surprise yourself.
PRIORITIZING YOURSELF – NO PATIENCE
It’s hard. Prioritizing yourself can feel selfish and mean. It’s tough. It can make you feel like you’re missing out. But the reward is an internal feeling of satisfaction–a feeling that can manifest as relief and peace of mind. I’ve spent the last year prioritizing myself. It’s always been a struggle with my social phobia and social anxiety. I’ve always had a need to impress people I admire. Sometimes these people are good for me. Often times, it’s the opposite. This may sound counterintuitive, but good people can be bad for you. We’re so caught up in avoiding bad people that I think we fail to realize that sometimes we encounter good people who aren’t good for us. Those individuals are caring, smart, fun, and entertaining. But over time they drain us and bring out our least desirable traits. Well, I’ve lost patience for them. I’m done investing copious amounts of time and energy on people (in many cases, perfectly nice and good-hearted people) who don’t add much to my life anymore.
Advice: Don’t be afraid to cut people off or put distance between yourself and them. The older we get, the less patience we have for bull and the more we seek fulfilling relationships. History, location, and work can often bind us to people. But if those people aren’t working for you, let them go. You can remain nice, cordial, and supportive of those individuals. But don’t let unwanted passengers capsize your canoe (just made that up).
CURRENT SHOWS
Currently watching: Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta (s7); Moonlight Mile; Occupied (s2); Scandal (s7)
Recently finished: Jessica Jones (s2); Occupied (s1)
Thank you for reading! Please subscribe to this website for updates on postings. My next official blog posting is scheduled for Thursday, May 10th. There will be other postings in the meantime. Until next time….
The Planetary Novelist 