Squirrel!

I don't want to bore you with repetition of doctoral work. It's hard. And time consuming. There. You're updated now.

A few years ago I attended a workshop on incorporating humor in presentations. It was hilarious, especially when one presenter described that he has ADOS: attention deficit...ooh shiny!

Now, you might think this isn't really that bad to have, this ADOS. It's not, in most cases. Especially if you are a bird that likes to collect shiny things (male bower birds have been observed collecting iridescent beetle exoskeletons to impress the ladies. hubba hubba). I've seen grackles sitting on top of the side mirror of the van I drive for work staring at her/himself and wiping his/her beak on the mirror. This is unpleasant when attempting to drive around town and see out of the side mirror.

I was introduced to a new type of ADOS called SOS when at my colloquium week. This SOS is not the "I need help now" kind. Instead it's "Shiny Object Syndrome". Sounds remarkably similar to ADOS. Now, this tends to rear its ugly head when it's least desired, like when a paper is due. But the problem is, there is always a paper due. I don't think ADOS or SOS are really bad things. I think of it as a way for my brain to take a break from consciously concentrating on various philosophical topics...like research methods. But it's not a complete shut down. The human brain needs time to process. Sometimes something completely seemingly unrelated can spark fresh ideas or perspectives. Did you watch the TV show House? Like that, only less angry drug addict and more crazy PhD student with a very full life.

In fact, a conversation with a good friend brought an interesting new application of SOS. Squirrels. There was a delightful movie in 2009 about an old man who didn't want to leave his house and so inflated a ridiculous number of balloons and flew away. Some might say this is a kid movie. I argue it's only labeled a kid movie if you aren't a kid at heart. I am most definitely a kid at heart. Anywho, in this movie there is a marvelous dog named Dug. Dug, and the other dogs in the movie, are frequently distracted momentarily by SQUIRREL!

But then the dogs returned to the task at hand...err, paw.

I plan to embrace my SQUIRREL! moments, allow my brain the time to process, enjoy the moment, and move forward with tasks at hand.