I like reading, and learning about lots of things. I play games, like Scrabble, that require a working brain to be good at. Are these such awful things? Recently a coworker criticized me for playing Scrabble via the internet in lab - not because I was wasting valuable research resources for (God forbid) pleasure purposes, but because one shouldn't enjoy activities that tax one's brain. I say bah - if I'd rather read "Ivanhoe" than "Us Weekly," and would rather play Scrabble than stare blankly at a computer screen while the machines are taking and recording data for me, does that make me a bad person? Maybe a weird person or an elitist or some other such nonsense, but not bad or wrong.

Valentine's Day

Another day celebrating (sort of) St. Valentine is approaching. This day, for many, serves as an excuse to pay extra money for their significant other. For me, it is a reminder of my past attempts and failures, as well as my current situation. As if life as a graduate student isn't already stressful and ego-deflating enough.