Alexander's

My professor is a gentle one. He makes funny jokes, never raises his voice, never seems genuinely angry and he does not have a wip.[^1] Still there are some people that call him slave driver or an equivalent thereof. Whenever I hear that I always wonder why. Really the only thing you can hold against him is his ambition and a slight caffein addiction that goes hand in hand with massive sleep depravation.

JJ: The conference was great! We are really onto something! I have so much new work!
A: ...
JJ: I think I'll have to cain you to the desk with a ten meter long chain, so you can still reach the fridge and water.
JJ: +dry laugh+
JJ: How is Aurelien?[^2]
A: I've seen him today. He said he got a lot of work done.
JJ: And you believe him?
A: I'm in no position to judge his work, but he told me so earlier.
JJ: You know the nice thing about physics is that everything can be given a number.

Yes he is a funny one and the cardinal rule is to never take him too serious.

JJ: Oh and please try to sum this up in a presentation until tomorrow.

It is 16:00, I have a Japanese presentation tomorrow morning -- that is not yet finished -- summarizing all the physics stuff he wants me to will take at least a day, maybe more, and although the wedding was great I didn't really sleep all that much on the weekend.

A: I'm not sure I can have a decent presentation by tomorrow.
JJ: If you don't want to be chained to your desk you better have.
JJ: +dry laugh+

I smiles a happy smile, because I know it's a joke, but the sudden darkness in his gaze sucks the joy right out of my bones. I gulp and start to work -- until 23:45 -- I don't want to miss my last subway. Not because we don't have beds here in the lab -- we do -- not because I don't have a change of cloth -- I do. right here in my desk, next to the shower gel and the toothbrush -- no it's because I got a feeling that tonight all the beds will be taken by some of the japanese guys and I don't want to sleep on the hard floor.

The next morning, after a refreshing three hours of sleep, I give my japanese presentation, finish some work for the professor and then try to find a way to justify why I probably did less work than he expected.

In the middle of my stumbling explanation, that feels more like an extra hard test than a presentation, for he has far more questions than I have answers, the door opens and one of the assistants comes in -- triumphantly waving a printout of a map around.

I've tried to call Uchino and he doesn't answer the phone, but his house is close, so I send someone[^3] to get him.

"Uchino didn't order the parts you asked him to" the professor explains with a soft voice and a gentle smile. I can feel a sudden chill in the room, that makes me shiver involuntarily. In the distance, through the window behind him, lit by the last rays of the vanishing sun, a slave-hunting expedition crosses the soft green grass before the famous Todai clock tower.

His melodious voice is like a gentle pat on my head "Thank you. Your work was very good" and all the gloomy thoughts vanish like clouds driven away by a warm summer breeze -- honestly I didn't do that much work. It just is a pleasure to work under a professor that nice. Other people have to stay in the lab late, come on the weekends, never see their professor and when they do he is just complaining and giving them new work. Not me! I see him almost daily -- even on Christmas Eve he comes to listen to our presentations -- and he always has some nice words for me. I stand up -- happily -- and start to float out of the room.

JJ: Please try to find out [that thing we have no clue about] and then maybe we can talk about this tomorrow morning?
A: But ...

The the slight clinking sound of the heavy chains, the quiet moaning of rowing slaves as the wip cracks over their heads and monoton beat of the rowing drum lets my words fade away before they can even reach my lips.

It might be hard, but I'll try my best.

I bow and leave the office -- for my professor is a gentle one.

PS: No pictures at the moment. My hard drive with all the pictures on it died.

[^1]: At least I have not seen it yet [^2]: Aurelien is the second foreigner in the lab [^3]: There are times when I wonder exactly how close some of the people here are connected to the Yakuza and I say this only partly joking