For the last few days I have been quite regular at the lab, at least showed up in the morning, went for lunch to the cafeteria with my so sweet colleagues and also progressed a bit in my next research work. This change was brought about because of my student who joined our group a couple of days ago. He will work with me in one project which I had in mind for quite some time now. In case he feels demotivated by watching his irregular supervisor, I did effect some changes in my usual routine in order not to look slipshod. So you can see how much pain one can take when entrusted with responsibility. I will talk about this guy in somewhat detail very shortly; as of now it is too early to pass any judgment. Just one thing that I can't resist at this moment is that the chap is a serious type. Not a little. A lot. Not that I'm complaining. Another thing I must say that this guy is way more self-helped than I expected from a 22 year old landed in a foreign country for the first time.

Well. Coming to my own work. I am embarking on a different kind of work something that involves more mathematics and also calls for collaborative research. I am quite thrilled about that but desperately trying to play it cool because, by now, I am convinced that a romantic researcher is, at best, worthy of sympathy which is the last thing I would like to live with. What really matters in my field, which changes every single day, is how hot your work is. To rephrase it sophisticatedly the question is whether you are in the vanguard of the field or not, whether you are on the leading edge or not, whether you are on the bleeding edge or not.