I got the damn research position.
“What research position?” you ask. The one I carefully avoided mentioning in the event that it didn’t work out, or there wasn’t enough money in the grant, or, or, or, anything.
But I fuggin’ got it. What money the NSF grant doesn’t allow (the money is being split between me and another student), the Chemistry Dept. (headed by my current chemistry prof, which may have gone some way in my favor) will provide such that I get the full salary stated on the NSF grant.
Oh my friggin’ god.
So, I will return to Charlotte the last weekend of May (for all the people asking) and immerse myself in analytical chemistry, which I need to know, but haven’t had the class yet. Dr. M knows an environmental chemist up at UNC I could correspond with, should I find myself in that region of the state. Which is highly likely, given that that is where a buddy of mine will be, and that their library apparently r0x0rs various types of s0x0rs. Or it should, for such a big-name school.
It’s a really good thing I’m alone right now, because I’d probably drive anyone who came into the Thorn office right now friggin’ nuts.
At the end of June (the last weekend, in fact), I will haul my ass back out to the Haute and settle in for a long stay–forty (plus) hours a week in lab, mad tweaking on this UV Vis app, and dividing my brain between two research projects. Optimally, I can get housing for $8 a night on-campus, but I missed the deadline and will have to plead my way in. Worse case, I’ll have to pay up to $250 a month plus utilities to stay off-campus with the female student I’ll be doing research with (on one of the projects…).
Insert the fact that I will undoubtedly be sucked into doing Thorn stuff (not that this is necessarily a bad thing), and I’ve got a busy summer. It creates a bit of a problem with getting a job for the month I’m home–who the hell hires someone for less than a month? That’s a month of no income, which leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. If I’m stingy as hell, the research money will more than make up for that, but that still hurts.
But oh my friggin’ god.