Make Sure That You Whisper

So I have this new toy. It's like something that I just need to keep playing with. I don't think that I'll every really settle on a color scheme.

Anyway, today's commentary is about the rumor mill and living in a fishbowl. I'm going to intentionally leave things vague, in case someone I'm not expecting to read my blog reads my blog.

So I'm sitting in my class last week, just sort of zoning out before class when one of my classmates comes up to congratulate me on getting an article published. Now, my response if one of minor shock. First, I hadn't gotten anything published. While I was in the process of getting a journal submission together with my professor, it was far from done. We had gotten a nice e-mail from the journal editor about how he thought that our work would fit the bill for this special issue that they were putting out. I mean, I was really excited about this, but I hadn't really gone off and told any of my classmates. I think that I may have mentioned something off hand to two of my professors, but didn't think much about it.

But sure enough, after my first classmate comes up, another classmate comes over and offers his congratulations, and I need to explain again that we were still far from having an article published. I just sort of shrug and chalk it up to the ol' water cooler conversations. Of course this week, another guys, who was in a different program, but was in one of my classes came up to congratulate me, as well. And I was just chagrinned. And to top it all off, I just figured that all of the guys who had commented to me were also first year students, that it was just a little something that the first years had caught wind of.

So earlier today, one of the 3rd years (a real superstar in this program - does great research, really on the ball) comes up to shake my hand and compliment me for getting something out to a journal in my first year in the program. And all I could do was just smile and shrug. I didn't really know how the word travelled, but it was out there. Oh well.

Ordinarily, this would be all fine and dandy, but I was thinking about the added pressure that's on me to make sure that we get an article out there now. Ouch. If this one falls through, this will not be so hot. As if I didn't have enough pressure going, anyway. I guess that I can deal with that this time.

But the thought of having this sort of thing for the next 3 or 4 years? That's not particularly appealing. I guess that it's a fact of life that people gossip, and word travels fast, both good and bad. And we're a small program where everyone knows everyone, and everyone interacts with everyone. I think that this happens in the workplace, too, but it's sort of new to me. My academic programs were always sort of afterthoughts, so I never really interacted with a whole lot of people, so I wasn't a part of the rumor mill. At least, if I was, it never really got back to me.

The moral of this story? I don't think that I could ever live in a small town. That, and for once, I need to be more guarded with my words. The things that you say, no matter how little, may come around to haunt you. And similarly, the things that you say may affect others in ways that you don't necessarily see.

Anyway, this weekend, I need to get a lot of work done (I actually need to get working on this journal submission, as well as term papers and other work). You probably won't hear from me for a few days. Be good. Until later...

-Chairman