meeting with Herb

I hadn't had an 'official' meeting with Herb since July or something so yesterday we got coffee and talked about what's going on in my academic life. He said he thinks my review is shaping up well, which is good to hear. I thought I was getting weird vibes from him during the lab meeting but I guess it was all in my head. I wasn't going to let myself get too worried about it, but this meeting was reassuring.

As advising styles go, Herb is very hands off. If you're not self-directed and motivated, he's not going to be much of a help. His style so far is working well for me because I have some clear ideas of what I want to do, and he is generally pretty good at helping clear the path (once you decide where the path is going).

We talked about my review a bit, who should write letters of recommendation for my NSF GRF application, the novel methods I want to use next summer in Ukenzagapia, and who I need to talk to about the methods. Oh, we also talked about when I should do my prelims. Apparently prelims here aren't the grueling "weeding" process that some programs have, because Herb and Leo both keep saying I'll have no problem with them. Leo wanted me to do them this fall! Herb and I were talking about March. Sometime in March. So this fall I need to officially get my committee together and schedule a meeting before the end of the semester so I know what to prepare for the spring. Herb said there's no reason for me to wait until next year, so I need to get them done before I leave again for Ukenzagapia and before our wedding in April. I still don't know what exactly I'm supposed to do for prelims, but I guess that's why I'll have a committee meeting (so they can tell me).