Six Weeks of Work

I have now worked at my new job for six weeks. If you can't tell already by the frequency of my posting, my new job is quite a bit harder than my old job.

The main difference is that I have a lot more responsibilities. As a postdoc, I just had to make sure that my boss (and maybe my indirect boss) was happy. Now, I have to make sure that my boss, his boss, another indirect boss, my old boss, my old indirect boss, and the users of math software on the supercomputers are all happy.

I've spent quite a bit of time installing math software lately. One user needed some software installed, but after I installed it, it turned out that the software exhibited some sort of error sometimes. So I installed a new version, minus a particular optimization that had the reputation for causing troubles, but it still made the same error. Luckily, I had installed an even less optimized version, and although it is a little slower, it does work without any problems.

I'm glad that I have this job, but it sure does eat up a lot of my time! I've had to cut back on blogging because my highest priority is my family: not only do I provide an income for them but I don't want to miss out on spending time with them. Most evenings I don't bring my computer home, which helps me to avoid succumbing to the temptation of getting on the internet. So I think you'll be hearing the most from me on the weekends or occasionally on weekday mornings.

Note to supercomputing course fans: I'm almost done with the next installment, but it's taken me a while to get it just right. Please pardon the long break between posts.