lab stress

Determining actual dates for this fall's Japan trip is surprisingly stressful! It doesn't look like I need a visa (less than 90 days, not being paid for work), but they're telling me that room reservations are hard to get and then asking me for specific days I want them. I want to be flexible so we can get something! I said flexible, suggested days, and said flexible again, which I think should both get the point across and allow them a starting point.

And my head hurts, I have a bunch to do today, and there's a postdoc candidate visiting. But having PI back in town helped kick me into a more motivated mode yesterday. We're going to rush to publication on the (latest) project that wouldn't die, which is both a stressor and a relief.

Teaching helped too; I'd been putting it off, because argh dealing with humans, but the undergrad is a good and clever one and I like teaching. It went great.

what?!

I have to pay tuition in Japan AND at my home institution for fall. So ridiculous! Theirs is less than $400 a month, at least.

ETA: Also, Japanese bureaucracy is loony. They need:

- name of the grant
- acceptance letter of the grant
- full information of the grant, the amount of scholarship, duration and so on
- title of your research in Nagoya University with brief summary
- academic background from elementary school with enter/graduate year and month
- current address
- address of your parent’s home (in the case of emergency)
- certificate of school enrollment and a grade report

Elementary school?! And what are they going to do, mail my bones to my parents in a box?