People:

I'm tasked with helping two other undergrads get their calculations and theory straight. It pains me to say it, but the contrast between normal and individual track on physics is just staggering. I wouldn't say that it feels like putting someone from AP course into a remedial class, but it's close at times. One knows almost nothing about the group theory so while I was explaining that, the other took those two hours to attempt solving a filtered diffraction problem. Note the 'attempt', it was wrong and he couldn't see why. So there was more explaining to him while the other one was solving group theory problems I left her. Again, not without mistakes but with a depressing lack of rigour.

I spent about forty hours in total (last and this week) on helping them and I only feel more and more like an arse. It takes conscious effort to not ask either of them "what were you doing for the past two years?" It's exhausting on every possible level. I have to take my own work to home with me. There's not a single twenty-minute span in time when I can focus on it without them orbiting around.

Is that a glimpse into the world of a PhD student?

Books:

Postwar was depressing. And intriguing. In an unexpected way, it was uplifting. I would even go as far as to say fascinating and worth revisiting. Which brings me to a few questions: How the hell is it even possible for teachers to make history boring?! Are they required to complete something akin to kolinahr before taking a class on their own? The contrast between history in school and history told, apparently, anywhere else is simply mind-boggling.

The rest goes slowly, but consistently, forward. Hindered by the stuff I talked about earlier. I might have to go the audiobook route.