Update

So creepy post-doc has been leaving me alone, for the most part, this week. Just a few emails. Two of them yesterday morning were kind of obnoxious. He had sent an email Sunday night where he said he'd taken some pictures of himself and decided that I was right - he really wasn't attractive and had no business talking to someone like me. I responded saying that wasn't necessary, he was making me uncomfortable and being manipulative. He replied he didn't see how he was being manipulative - he was agreeing with me. Whatever. He also sent me two kind of odd emails last night. He likes photography, so he went and photoshopped 2 of the pictures on my website to clean them up. He did a fine job cleaning them, but it makes me a little paranoid that he's spending so much time with pictures of me. Anyway, I didn't respond, and I haven't heard anything from him. I haven't seen him this week, and he hasn't communicated with me at all this week, so I'm feeling better...

Work Problems

So this post-doc in my group at work has decided that he's in love with me (and has even suggested that we make out). I've tried to make it clear I'm not interested in him, that I have a boyfriend I'm not planning on breaking up with anytime soon. And that his asking me to make out makes me uncomfortable. He takes it badly, and persists. "What if you didn't have a boyfriend, would we ever have a chance?" My response: no. "Why?" Because I'm not physically attracted to you. That hurts his feelings; he can't accept it. So now I'm a superficial bitch. But a bitch he's in love with. He's called me - whines for 1.5 hours, trying to convince me that we'd make a great couple. He alternates back and forth between being a decent guy and an asshole. Sometimes he's a little vindictive - is an asshole about my paltry publication record, mocks my boyfriend, tries to convince me that he's a better guy than my boyfriend. Sometimes he's okay but will toss in jibes trying to make me feel bad. I'm stubborn. His jibes and reaction make me even more assured that I don't want him, will never want him, and now frankly wouldn't care if something bad happened to him - it would be a relief, since then I wouldn't have to deal with him.

So what to do? Tell my manager? Warn him first? Ignoring him hasn't worked. Telling him I'm not interested hasn't worked. I've only been working for 2.5 weeks. How did things escalate this quickly?! Am I completely blameless? I don't think so. My humor can be crude and can occasionaly toe/ cross the line. But before he decided he was in love with me, if I thought he found something offensive, I'd apologize, step back. I just wish he'd give me the same leeway.

Quick post

1) I totally want to get my hands on this Nature article by Ben Barres that's getting lots of press. Ben's a transgender neurobiologist at Stanford, and he talks about gender discrimination (and the fact that it exists!) from the perspective of someone who has actually been on both sides of the gender divide.

2) I was reading the Parade section this weekend and read an article about Uma Thurman. She has a quote I love: "As much as I've felt like giving up, I've just pushed through. It doesn't mean I'm not a quitter. I'm a super-quitter. I'm dying to quit all the time. But I do put one foot in front of the other and just keep moving."

I also saw her on tv once where she proclaimed that she was a "champion sleeper." :)

what a way to make a living...

working 9 to 5 (or 9:30-6:30, as the case may be) is EXHAUSTING. i'm busy from 8am-8pm, including an hour total commuting, 8+ working, and 45min-ish of animal care (walking the dog (which is also partly me time), feeding, watering, petting, etc). i spent so long at the computer today that i can hardly talk this evening - my mind is numb (although for some reason it's easier for me to write than to talk, dunno why).

otherwise, the job is going okay. it's a little isolating, but it's getting better as i start to meet more people. and i'm finally making some breakthroughs that'll let me start making some amount of progress. i wouldn't really mind normally, but since i'm only here for 8.5 weeks total, i don't want to waste too much time. my group is pretty nice, so the one person who's kind of overseeing and leading what i'm doing speaks really quickly and has an accident, so i have a little trouble understanding him. but i think that's getting better too.

i'm sure i wanted to say something else, but i can't because i'm just too tired. though i did find a good study supporting the fact that i like to get 8+ hours of sleep a night. :)