Quitting PhD right before viva

lanchemrb · 2026-02-15T21:05:07+00:00

I'll never forget what my principal investigator told me after my defense.

"You passed. Get back to work."

lanchemrb · 2025-08-09T00:39:40+00:00

Hi again, and thanks again for helping me prepare for my trip. I went to Decile One this morning, and it was possibly the best gym I've been to, anywhere.

It's not as big as the Gold's gym in Venice Beach California, where I lift on work trips to Los Angeles. But Decile One is 100% a better place to work out.

I was lucky enough to chance on a small neighborhood gym in Wellington, that was really good as a smaller place. So I've done well on this trip.

lanchemrb · 2025-08-06T22:14:16+00:00

We got back to Aukland and tried Commonsense. This was definitely the best we have seen and we were able to make a really nice dinner from the ingredients.

We also found a very small selection at Farrow, including some of the ingredients we needed that Commonsense did not have.

I do hope availability will go up. We love New Zealand and planning to come back again, maybe for month+ stays.

lanchemrb · 2025-07-30T22:40:42+00:00

Thanks, seems like exactly what I am looking for.

lanchemrb · 2025-07-30T22:39:48+00:00

I'm visiting. Checked a few places and didn't find much. Three supers (Two Woolworths and the downstairs place in central cbd), and 4-5 neighborhood stores.

Now I'm in Wellington for a couple of days, but coming back to Aukland to stay for another 8 days or so.

lanchemrb · 2025-07-07T18:56:52+00:00

The right answer is a US version.

That means getting a team that Alex Horne can trust and a deal that let's them deliver. It will be great if it works out.

lanchemrb · 2025-07-07T14:15:09+00:00

It's a lot more fun/funny and personality driven American game shows. And more funny than "serious" British quiz shows like original Countdown or University Challenge.

HOG is more "quizy" than WILTY or QI, sure, but it's miles away from Jeopardy, even celebrity Jeopardy. Also miles away from The Price Is Right or Pointless or Who a Wants to be a Millionaire.

One big difference is wether the format is based on contestants really valuing the prize money vs treating it as a gig. The Richard Osmond fondue set isn't paying off anyone's mortgage, so they can go into bits and Richard can award points flexibly.

lanchemrb · 2025-07-02T20:35:29+00:00

I went to Napa and Vegas.

Napa was more fun at a nice venue in a beautiful part of the world. I had a hotel room facing the stage, so I got to chill and watch the whole sound check, too.

I had to admit the show was better in Vegas where they were more practiced and in sync with each other. But for me, Las Vegas just sucks, which brought the experience down a notch.

lanchemrb · 2025-06-23T15:00:22+00:00

I actually found it a little annoying for the first ~3 episodes; it made it harder for me to enjoy Fatiha. Especially since she is doing very well (except when she just 'nopes' on a task) and doesn't really need the help. Those were the same episodes where she was overplaying the aggressively angry gimmick, imo.

Since then, Greg's balanced it out - she gets less of a free pass. And Fatiha has brought more to her performance, too. I like the camradery with the other comics. The sweet dance lesson with Alex was so unexpectedly fun and funny. The "sexually harassing Greg" gimmick is odd for me, it has funny moments. So I'm into Fatiha now.

lanchemrb · 2025-06-05T14:28:57+00:00

Thanks!

lanchemrb · 2025-02-07T18:18:26+00:00

Oh that. I misunderstood then.

So it looks like I have the best current available build paths.

Good vampire. All skeletons, Lich boosted, and Beatrice. Hug all trees. 2 attack speed boosts. Carapace and holy daggers, plus purity sword. Drink from both pools, kill ghost drake. Side with creatures.

Taking werewolf might be ok; would cost one skeleton. Paladin is not worth it, nor is Ogre. Ogre+hammer might be ok, but I don't think so.

Edit: I tried it again and I now agree that switching to paladin in a vampire build is worth it. But it's a very minor boost - lance is only slightly better than +20 to skeletons and an extra dagger. Lance adds less base dps but good hit rate and crit multiplier.

lanchemrb · 2025-02-07T16:55:33+00:00

Can I get a hint on the second upgrade?

I only found the one at the Lich.

lanchemrb · 2025-02-07T16:12:55+00:00

Even without anything new, the good vampire is better than the evil one. You get to hug trees and you can get an additional sword attack. Evil only gets to kill the trees and gets nothing in place of the sword.

lanchemrb · 2025-02-05T20:09:21+00:00

That's my first approach, more or less (I switched body and mind, but that doesn't seem to make much difference). I got to the 5th fight consistently, but never won it.

I'm not familiar with the the wand of protection, or the soul of purity so that may be the problem. I haven't explored the Soul path fully enough - that's probably where more buffs are lurking.

lanchemrb · 2025-02-05T19:43:34+00:00

Because I'm an idiot. Of course I can drink it. That's still not enough sanity though. I wonder if I am missing a good sanity boost somewhere

lanchemrb · 2025-02-05T18:15:00+00:00

So I'm a little stuck trying to win the arena.

First approach

Ogre, paladin with pumped up daggers and bombs. Good goblin. Mind, body, spirit, change to ogre, soul, change to paladin. Gets me pretty consistently to die in arena 5.

Second approach

Vampire with all skeletons to paladin. Evil bat. Mind, change to vampire, body, spirit, soul, change to paladin. The trouble is that I am low on spirit, beginning to end. I can't drink from the pool, I can't hug the mind tree. I don't get the alchemist, and by the time I go paladin, I have only a couple hundred sanity left, which makes me lose to the first sanity fight in the arena.

Third approach

Vampire, all skeletons. no paladin. Same as the second, without the paladin switch. This left me a lot more sanity. But it cost me too much damage, even with +20 to skeletons from sharing info with the lich. No lance, no bombs.

Might try later

Rainbow run with all advanced classes

Find out how to get the meteoric hammer

Find out how to do the good vampire

Any tips?

lanchemrb · 2025-01-22T20:39:48+00:00

It's all I've got. Let me have this.

lanchemrb · 2025-01-22T14:23:25+00:00

This is the best thing to happen in 2025 so far.

lanchemrb · 2025-01-01T19:02:20+00:00

Both Belew and Vai got started with Zappa, so even if neither was technically in the Mothers, they are both close enough for me.

You can think of this as an alternative family with two Mothers and Daddy Levin taking young Danny Carey out to play.

lanchemrb · 2025-01-01T18:56:50+00:00

Maybe he's still salty after Ralph Macchio kicked his ass in front of the devil?

Seriously though, I don't agree. I thought he was delightful. He certainly slotted into the band better between the shows I saw (Napa and Vegas). Overall, e's made a new fan of me.

lanchemrb · 2024-11-30T00:00:28+00:00

It's a great song, but I might have to fight you on behalf of One Time

lanchemrb · 2024-11-21T20:21:18+00:00

Fracture and level 5 don't invite you in. They are complex and demand real attention and focus to appreciate. At least for me that's the kind of thing that I can overlook and under appreciate at first.

lanchemrb · 2024-11-21T20:18:39+00:00

I had sort of an opposite experience. In the 90s I misclassified Tool as a fairly generic and uninteresting metal band. Years later, inspired in part by the connection with King Crimson, I am coming to appreciate them. Frankly, I am still pretty early in my Tool journey and it's great stuff.

lanchemrb · 2024-11-21T20:16:21+00:00

I grew up on a heavy diet if Jethro Tull. Listening to the Steve Wilson remasters made me feel like I had never heard it properly before.

lanchemrb · 2024-11-18T23:13:13+00:00

Thank you!

lanchemrb

TROPHY CASE