Thought of the Day
February 7, 2017
I started blogging in a fit of anger about some aspect of the grant-funded scientific research career or other.
In the course of venting a lot of spleen about things that were bothering me, I met a lot of new people, virtually and eventually in real life.
These people taught me a lot of interesting stuff. Some career related, some scientific, some just plain old life.
It has been an interesting decade.
Thanks. To all my Readers and Commenters over the years.
Thank you.
DrugMonkey 
February 7, 2017 at 7:13 pm
Well if you are hanging up the posts, thanks.
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February 8, 2017 at 4:28 am
You’re welcome.
Please don’t stop…
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February 8, 2017 at 9:00 am
Scene:
A fluorescently light room in CSR without snacks, faces around the rectangle lit up by computer screens while reviewers are frantically re-reading their reviews while ignoring the grant being discussed so they can sound informed when it’s their time to perform. Looking around, Philapodia sighs and types into the “Leave a Reply” box:
“This used to be my specialty. You know, I was good in a study section. They’d send me in there, and I’d do it alone. And now I just…
But tonight, our little stack of reviews, our pile had a very big night — a very, very big night.
But it wasn’t complete, wasn’t nearly close to being in the same vicinity as complete, because I couldn’t share it with you. I couldn’t hear your voice or laugh about it with you. I miss my — I miss my Drug Monkey.
We live in a cynical world, a cynical world, and we work in a business of tough salespersons, er… I mean scientists.
I need you. You — complete me.
And I just had —
DM: Shut up. Just shut up.
You had me at Georgia font.
You had me at Georgia.
”
End scene
fin
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February 8, 2017 at 9:14 am
Yo, DM. Thanks for the 10 years of help and insights. You’ve been a big help.
Now, stop with the suspiciously valedictory posts. We need you now more than ever.
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February 8, 2017 at 1:28 pm
DM, you have made our little corner of the universe a better place. Sincere thanks.
10 more years!
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February 8, 2017 at 2:02 pm
10 more years, 10 more years . . . (at least the next 4-8 please)!
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February 8, 2017 at 3:20 pm
Thank you for your support.
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February 8, 2017 at 8:51 pm
Dude, this maudlin shittio is over the top.
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February 8, 2017 at 11:45 pm
Thanks DM. Thanks to other commenters who make this an outstanding hangout.
Having said that, physioprof is right.
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February 9, 2017 at 9:44 am
Thank you. I have learned a lot reading from this blog, from the posts as well as from the comments and discussions.
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February 10, 2017 at 1:23 am
Thanks. Your blog helped me a great deal as this career thing evolved. Sometimes you reinforced my own thoughts. Sometimes you forced me to confront uncomfortable truths. Sometimes you were a virtual hand to hold when things were down. Your posts–and the those that commented and told of their experiences and gave their advice–priceless. If you are retiring–I’m wishing you blue skies, warm seas and someone to share the fun.
I’m with physioprof–this post and the one on the previous post. We’re in Trumpland now–the big bold alternative universe. It won’t be long until he turns his ire on those who generate the data that refute those alt-facts. We need to march–and we need people like you to lead.
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February 10, 2017 at 11:11 pm
You know, DM, your commentary sometimes really ticked me off.
We will probably never find agreement on referencing formats or junior faculty on study sections.
But Dude, you brought something important in general and I hope you don’t quit.
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February 14, 2017 at 3:40 pm
” The lamps are going out all over DrugMonkey land, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time”
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February 15, 2017 at 7:42 am
You’ve helped a lot more people than ever commented. I do hope you stick with us.
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February 17, 2017 at 11:04 am
Bueller?
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February 21, 2017 at 10:15 am
I keep coming back here, waiting for a new post…
Please don’t leave us, DM!
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February 21, 2017 at 12:10 pm
I’m also going through an extinction burst.. I really hope this isn’t the end. I’ve read/lurked this blog since I started grad school in 2009 and have really enjoyed the topics and conversations.
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February 21, 2017 at 1:41 pm
I see Drugmonkey is still alive on twitter.
He just posted this:
“Maybe I’m weird but I’m actually annoyed when authors didn’t cite their own related prior work. I like to track back on a topic of interest.”
I’m not a complete twitter neophyte, but close. I can find his posts, but can anyone tell me how to follow a conversation?
So he tweets that, presumably other people tweet back, kind of like if he posted here and there’s a conversation, right? How can I follow it on one page, just like here.
Oh god, this is a metaphor for my research. I just can’t keep up with the new technologies and I’m falling behind.
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March 1, 2017 at 3:06 pm
Yup, DM has been sucked into the Twitterverse, where <140 character word vomit is considered "conversation" and nuance is non-existent, and he doesn't appear to be coming back. I guess this is the nail in the coffin for Scientopia.
Fucke, Twitter gives me a headache.
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March 2, 2017 at 2:50 pm
Whoa. Really? I need this blog. I don’t understand twitter. I need my blog posts. This is the community.
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March 8, 2017 at 12:30 pm
Still nothing? Is it really over? I’m gutted 😦
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March 8, 2017 at 9:37 pm
First Female Science Professor, then Drug Monkey. Damnit
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March 17, 2017 at 10:27 am
come back please.
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March 20, 2017 at 10:26 am
Boy o boy, that budget proposal sure looks austere…..
What nothing??…
meh
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March 29, 2017 at 10:47 am
I get that after 10 years you’re tired of this blog, and Twitter is a lot more fast-paced and exciting (but less than useless to a lot of us). But honestly, dude, you just up and abandoned a good size virtual community that you’ve developed over a long time with no warning, a community that a lot of people have come to rely on for actual discussion about things that are important for our careers. You’ve left us all hanging without even the courtesy of saying “hey, it’s been great but I’ve decided to focus on other things. Good luck!”. Dick move, man.
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April 5, 2017 at 4:54 pm
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April 11, 2017 at 3:16 pm
Anyone else keep coming back to look for more comments on this thread? ^ What Philapodia said… it’s sort of an overly dramatic dick move to leave your community hanging like that. You might have given to us over the years, but we gave to you, too.
Twitter sucks. There’s no depth.
Grrr.
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May 3, 2017 at 5:44 pm
Today is the day to come back here, DM! Twitter is fun and all, but the discussion here is much more serious, no? So much to unpack: GSI, budget increase, etc…
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May 27, 2017 at 10:24 pm
I miss this blog. I set up a subreddit to enable similar discussion on Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/NIHfunding
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May 27, 2017 at 10:27 pm
I miss this blog. I set up a subreddit to enable similar discussion on Reddit
I can’t post the link here, but go to reddit and the subreddit is called NIHfunding
You can construct the url from www “dot” reddit “dot” com “slash” r “slash” NIHfunding
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June 6, 2017 at 12:42 am
“Rat in a drain ditch, caught on a limb, you know better but I know him.
Like I told you, what I said, Steal your face right off your head.
Now he’s gone, now he’s gone, Lord he’s gone, he’s gone.
Like a steam locomotive, rollin’ down the track
He’s gone, gone, nothin’s gonna bring him back, he’s gone.”
If he’s gone where the wind don’t blow so strange, I wish he’d taken us with him.
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August 26, 2017 at 8:14 pm
Twitter is Millennial zero-attention-span bullshit (not that it stops the orange boomer from using it). For all the the GenX posturing that he liked to do, he’s abandoned the actual GenX medium of blogs where actual thoughts rather than soundbites are discussed.
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January 11, 2018 at 1:44 pm
I’m an assistant professor at a public university with few NIH funded researchers. This blog has served as my “Trusted Senior Mentor” on all things NIH. I learned so much about grantsmanship, the NIH review process, and interpreting reviewer comments from your posts and the accompanying discussion in the comments. Today, I received the NoA for my first R01 — stopping by to drop this note of thanks!!
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January 17, 2018 at 10:21 pm
Congratulations on the award!
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