Nicole’s Plight!

Nicole sent me the following e-mail… check it out!

So I have my Ph.D. qualifying exam this afternoon. Its an oral exam that determines whether I am worthy enough to pursue a doctoral degree or not. Failing means I have to start looking for a job… tomorrow. Anyways, after trying all yesterday to convince myself I’ll be fine, I wake up this morning determined to relax so I go into the exam with a clear head and not panic. This morning, I was going to have a lazy breakfast, a long shower, and then mosey my way to my office for the exam. I turn on the kitchen sink to rinse an apple but…. no water??? I check every faucet, tap, and toilet. No water whatsoever. I call the landlord, who calls the town. A major pipe in Hadley has burst, much of Hadley is without water for 24 hours. OH NO!!!!! I get on the phone and call every person I know who is close enough to me to use their shower. Everyone’s already at exams or doesn’t have water themselves. I finally get ahold of a friend who has a friend who has water. I go to this stranger’s apartment, not knowing who this guy is, to use his shower in desperation. And now, I’m sitting in my office waiting to be called into the exam happy that at least I don’t stink and have greasy hair, but frazzled none the less.

So what do you think? Is this situation…

a) the result of me using up all of my bad luck for the next month and I’ll be fine? I mean honestly, the one day all of Hadley decides to not have water is one of the two most important days of my Ph.D. career. How much worse can things get?

b) an omen of horrible things to come? Lady luck is not on my side, but hopefully she’ll be around as I start looking for a job tomorrow. Anyone know of any openings for molecular modeling or flame chemistry?

Anyone have any advice for Nicole?

12 thoughts on “Nicole’s Plight!

  • 8/20/2008 at 11:57 am
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    Unlucky things always happen before GREAT things! Do not worr!

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  • 8/20/2008 at 11:59 am
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    Wow, that is some pretty bad luck. BUT! Being someone who has taken this exam, I wouldn’t let outside events influence your outlook of the day. Even though you have probably spent the last few weeks/months “preparing,” that is an inaccurate statement. In fact, you’ve spent the last couple of years preparing, whether you realize it or not. If you’ve passed your classes, and you’re currently conducting some insightful and interesting research on a daily basis, you are ready. Don’t get me wrong, I was a wreck the day I had to take mine, but once it was over, I realized that I was ready all along, even though no matter what I would have never feel like I was. Honestly, the night before my exam, I was reading Book 6 of Harry Potter.

    Don’t let a little water trouble disrupt your focus, you’ll be great! Good luck!

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  • 8/20/2008 at 1:35 pm
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    Update: I finished the exam. It was brutal. I could only answer half the questions. I should find out tomorrow if I need a new job. :-/

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  • 8/20/2008 at 3:04 pm
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    I definitely believe in signs, but not so much in luck. Seems like if it were really a sign, it would have just been your water, though. The only thing I’d take from the H2O situation is that maybe showering the night before future important events would be a good crisis prevention technique. :) Good wishes for the results, and if they don’t go your way, I’m sure something super will find its way to you to fill the gap.

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  • 8/20/2008 at 4:14 pm
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    Contrary to all these glass-half-full people, I’ve found that bad luck travels in packs. Whenever anything bad happens, it’s usually a sure bet that some of its unfortunate buddies are not far behind.
    That said, given the right attitude you can usually just squeak by. However, given your redundant sentence “I go to this stranger’s apartment, not knowing who this guy is” in which you use the word stranger and then immediately define that word following a comma, I hope your concentration isn’t English!

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  • 8/20/2008 at 4:33 pm
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    Cut me some slack Sander! I was nervous at the time! My focus wasn’t on my grammar.

    On the subject of signs and luck: I just ate a fortune cookie 5 minutes ago that said “Good things are being said about you :) .” (Yes, the fortune cookie message actually had a smiley face.) Deliberations on whether we pass or fail is supposedly occurring at this very moment, so if the fortune cookie is correct, all should be well!

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  • 8/20/2008 at 4:37 pm
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    I think it was just a cooincidence – and in the grand scheme of things, not being able to shower isn’t that huge of a deal… then again I hate bathing and only shower every other day

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  • 8/20/2008 at 5:13 pm
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    What if the fortune cookie is wrong! Oh sweet fancy Moses, the architecture of my entire belief system is crumbling! What will we do without the ancient wisdom of 1/2″x1.5″ pieces of paper to tell us how to live our lives? I can feel the laws of the universe breaking apart – up is down, left is right, gravity is disappearing, positively charged particles are attracted to each other, black holes are spewing out cosmic matter and the pope is endorsing abortion! You’d better pass this thing or life as we know it is all over, and I’ll have to give you a pep talk in a couple of days which will really be several weeks ago as time rapidly reverses and accelerates.

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  • 8/20/2008 at 5:48 pm
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    Last update…

    I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Take that Lady Luck! Fortune cookies continue to maintain universal order!

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  • 8/20/2008 at 5:57 pm
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    Nicole: Congratulations!

    Sander: Go eat some cake. You’re pessimism is unappreciated.

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  • 8/20/2008 at 9:12 pm
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    See that? My logic is IMPECCABLE – congrats Nicole, I’m going to eat cake on Mike’s orders.

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  • 8/20/2008 at 10:15 pm
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    I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the support today. It meant a lot. Even Sander’s pessimism, though not supportive, made me laugh and relax a bit.

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