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S11.E17: The Athenaeum Allocation

Bort

By Bort
in The Big Bang Theory [V]

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CleoCaesar

CleoCaesar

12 hours ago, fan94 said:

He's not a professor (no PhD), but yeah, the rest I agree with.

 

(Well, I am not sure how much the research staff gets. I don't think any of them are professors.)

That's a good point (I'd forgotten about Howard's lack of a Ph.D.).

The show doesn't seem to know what the guys' jobs are. Wasn't there an episode where they fight each other for tenure and there was a teaching requirement? So they do research, publish, and teach. (They also mentioned something about Sheldon or Raj being a "junior professor", which isn't even a thing. There's assistant professor, associate professor, and professor.)

I was bored and went on Glassdoor to see faculty salaries at Caltech are.

Assistant Professor   $138,478 per year

Associate Professor  About $147k - $165k

Professor                   About $155k - $166k

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ZuluQueenOfDwarves

ZuluQueenOfDwarves

14 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

That's a good point (I'd forgotten about Howard's lack of a Ph.D.).

The show doesn't seem to know what the guys' jobs are. Wasn't there an episode where they fight each other for tenure and there was a teaching requirement? So they do research, publish, and teach. (They also mentioned something about Sheldon or Raj being a "junior professor", which isn't even a thing. There's assistant professor, associate professor, and professor.)

I was bored and went on Glassdoor to see faculty salaries at Caltech are.

Assistant Professor   $138,478 per year

Associate Professor  About $147k - $165k

Professor                   About $155k - $166k

Howard wasn’t up for tenure. He was just enjoying the rivalry between the other three. 

AnnaRose

AnnaRose

5 hours ago, ZuluQueenOfDwarves said:

Never understood why Leonard couldn’t treat Penny to the hotel and flight, and spend his free time with her, but bring Sheldon along to CERN, provided Sheldon made his own accommodations. Penny didn’t give a damn about the collider, and Sheldon wouldn’t have cared about what they did in their down time. 

Yeah, I remember thinking the same thing.

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FinnishViewer

FinnishViewer

Quote

There’s a lot of things that would mean the world to people but that doesn’t mean you should treat your friend horribly, his girlfriend horribly then pout like a child till he got his way. 

After what Leonard, Howard, and Raj did during the North Pole expedition I can forgive Sheldon's behavior a lot.

Quote

Remember when Leonard was going to Sweden and tried explaining why Penny was coming and not Sheldon? Yeah, proves you can’t reason with Sheldon inspite of his claims to dealing with things logically.

To Switzerland :)

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

1 hour ago, Maricopa said:

Are we sure? I thought all astronauts had PhDs.

Nope (https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Requirements.html), just a bachelor's. Now that you mention it, wouldn't Howard have likely been awarded an honorary doctorate by now while giving a you-too-could-design-a-space-toilet-and-become-an-astronaut graduation speech somewhere? —not that I want to hear Sheldon going on about it not being a real PhD. 
But I'm guessing an honorary doctorate or his having been an astronaut would have given Howard a salary bump to acknowledge the value to the university of his astronaut street cred (or would that be space cred?).

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sigmaforce86

sigmaforce86

17 hours ago, fan94 said:
On 3/9/2018 at 8:21 AM, sigmaforce86 said:

how Leonard wanted that club for himself

I don't get it. The club wasn't Leonard's. All Sheldon wanted was membership.

 

He could've asked them himself, but all he was asking from Leonard was a favour. He could've just refused to do it for Sheldon.

I guess it's because Sheldon doesn't share unless it's by his rules.  Thinking of things like the episode with Sheldon forced to take a vacation - It's Leonard's car but Sheldon forbids using the radio, Sheldon sneaks into the car but still has to pop up to yell at Leonard for singing to his own radio.  Multiple gang goes to the movies episodes where they can't go to certain theaters if there's no red vines and the slushie vs. slurpee debate, or when he showed up uninvited on Leonard's movie date then tried to get Leonard to move one seat over because of the "acoustic sweet spot".  Or the limo-bus trip to Vegas without Sheldon but he hid in the bathroom so he could come anyway.

Yup - Leonard definitely needs a back bone, he needs to tell Sheldon "No" more often put his foot down and stick to it.  There was one movie episode where they did go without him because it was the only solution but most of the time they give in to Sheldon's little tantrums.  So I guess my original thought was not just that Leonard wanted the club to himself to be able to go and have a nice quiet dinner with Penny or a few friends but also that he didn't want the drama of constantly going up against Sheldon who would either invite himself or just show up and want to join him.  And, of course Sheldon inevitably making plans for dinner there and just telling Leonard they're both going because he needs a ride and Amy isn't available (regardless of Leonard's plans).    It is still the cowards way out for Leonard, the adult solution would have been to both join but clearly tell Sheldon at this one place they will always participate separately; but Leonard's character never seems to do that with Sheldon and when he does he doesn't stick with it (I'd give him about a 3% stick to his guns and 97% give in to Sheldon success rate)

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MissLucas

MissLucas

1 hour ago, sigmaforce86 said:

I guess it's because Sheldon doesn't share unless it's by his rules.  Thinking of things like the episode with Sheldon forced to take a vacation - It's Leonard's car but Sheldon forbids using the radio, Sheldon sneaks into the car but still has to pop up to yell at Leonard for singing to his own radio.  Multiple gang goes to the movies episodes where they can't go to certain theaters if there's no red vines and the slushie vs. slurpee debate, or when he showed up uninvited on Leonard's movie date then tried to get Leonard to move one seat over because of the "acoustic sweet spot".  Or the limo-bus trip to Vegas without Sheldon but he hid in the bathroom so he could come anyway.Y

That list is not even complete - don't forget the dinner table! I completely get that Leonard wanted for once a place where he and Penny could visit without the drama Sheldon brings along. Sure he could have picked a place that was out of Sheldon's comfort zone - but why exactly? Why is he supposed to bend over backwards all the time? And why couldn't Sheldon pick up the phone and ask for membership if he wanted it so desperately? He's normally quite keen on proving that he can achieve tings Leonard can't. 

Granted this was hardly Leonard's finest hour but in context of their relationship understandable.

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msani19

msani19

(edited)

I mostly find Sheldon's treatment of his so-called friends to be appalling. He rarely does something thoughtful for any of them unless there's a benefit to him. Does he care for or even respect any of these people? With that said, I really can't understand why these people are friends with him at all. If Sheldon is such a chore to be around, well stop being around him! Sheesh. 

In the real world, Sheldon, at best, would have a few acquaintances. His behavior towards Amy has marginally improved but he's still an awful person. If Sheldon was interested in joining that club he would have looked into it himself, instead of insisting, as usual, that his whipping boy Leonard investigate. 

Edited by msani19
typo
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rmontro

rmontro

21 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

or when he showed up uninvited on Leonard's movie date then tried to get Leonard to move one seat over because of the "acoustic sweet spot". 

Yeah, what a selfish you-know-what.  Even if there is such a thing as the acoustic sweet spot, what grants him the sole privilege of being entitled to sit there?

 

11 hours ago, msani19 said:

I mostly find Sheldon's treatment of his so-called friends to be appalling. He rarely does something thoughtful for any of them unless there's a benefit to him. Does he care for or even respect any of these people? With that said, I really can't understand why these people are friends with him at all. If Sheldon is such a chore to be around, well stop being around him!

As Howard as put it before:  "We like Leonard".  If something happened to Leonard, I'm not sure that Sheldon would continue to be involved in the social group.  I could see Howard, Raj, Stu, and Bernadette hanging out in their own group more often - that happens a lot already now.  Maybe I could see Penny still seeing him, especially if they stay neighbors.  Or he may get grafted into the group because he's Amy's husband.  But definitely, I think if something had happened to Leonard in the first few years of the series, Sheldon would be out.

The real mystery is why Leonard is so chummy with Sheldon.  I guess it's because he likes being a doormat - due to his upbringing.

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DrSpaceman

DrSpaceman

2 hours ago, rmontro said:

Yeah, what a selfish you-know-what.  Even if there is such a thing as the acoustic sweet spot, what grants him the sole privilege of being entitled to sit there?

 

As Howard as put it before:  "We like Leonard".  If something happened to Leonard, I'm not sure that Sheldon would continue to be involved in the social group.  I could see Howard, Raj, Stu, and Bernadette hanging out in their own group more often - that happens a lot already now.  Maybe I could see Penny still seeing him, especially if they stay neighbors.  Or he may get grafted into the group because he's Amy's husband.  But definitely, I think if something had happened to Leonard in the first few years of the series, Sheldon would be out.

The real mystery is why Leonard is so chummy with Sheldon.  I guess it's because he likes being a doormat - due to his upbringing.

I always theorized the similarity between Leonard's mom and Sheldon has a lot to do subconsciously, or maybe not so subconsciously, with why they are friends. 

Trying to achieve some measure of acceptance from a "mom" like figure?  And being able to get back at her/him in small ways at the same time. 

On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 11:44 AM, anna0852 said:

Staying home might not be being discussed in the context of not wanting to leave the kids but at what point daycare costs mean it's cheaper for a parent to stay home. It's been my experience that the second kid is usually the Tipping Point at which the second income is just going to daycare costs and that it is actually cheaper for one parent to stop working.

I assume they will just have Stuart move in with them and take care of the kids at some point.  Would make the most sense, for them and the show. 

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Driad

Driad

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman said:

I assume they will just have Stuart move in with them and take care of the kids at some point.  Would make the most sense, for them and the show. 

Stuart still has his business, but probably that is most active after school, evenings, and weekends.  Maybe he could take care of the kids in the mornings, and someone else in the afternoons.

LoneHaranguer

LoneHaranguer

On 3/9/2018 at 7:54 PM, retired watcher said:

He doesn't know he has an impediment. Remember the Siri episode?

He knew, but he didn't think it was an excuse for Siri not to understand him. I can see his point; a voice recognition system on a personal device like a phone should have had a voice-training feature so that it could learn how its owner pronounces things.

CherryAmes

CherryAmes

(edited)

Once again I feel like I was watching a different episode from the rest of you!  I liked this show and understood how Leonard, Howard and Bernadette all felt.  I thought there were some great lines and I liked that they brought back Kripke to be Sheldon's nemesis once again.

Edited by CherryAmes
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Katy M

Katy M

1 minute ago, DrSpaceman said:

Or just hire someone to work at the store so he doesn't have to be there all the time. 

I don't think his business brings in enough money for him to hire help. 

Besides, if Howard's point of view is that he wants to raise his own children, that means he wants to do it, or alternatively Bernadette.  Not Stewart.  But, then I guess that theory kind of got blown out the window by what actually happened in the epi.

displayname

displayname

(edited)
1 hour ago, Katy M said:

You don't need a PhD to be a professor.  But, I don't think he's a professor because he doesn't teach clases.

Well that doesn't seem to be true except for anecdotal cases.

 

https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8428/professorship-without-phd-in-the-united-states

 

You could be a lecturer without a PhD.

Edited by fan94
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BlossomCulp

BlossomCulp

(edited)

I loved the whole conversation between Bernadette and Howard in the nursery "I would get seriously mutilated for you" and the line Amy had “Yes, it’s like that Shakespeare sonnet, ‘Shall I compare thee to a day that’s also a really weird math problem?’”  heh.   Loved Penny in this episode too. Her comment "that was a 'hey Leonard want to go to the gym, yeah'" which made me laugh.  I also liked that Raj had some good lines., as did Kripke and Leonard.  Hmm, lots of good lines this time around!

I also totally liked that Bernadette and Howard fought over wanting to stay home not having to stay home.  Nice save. writers :).  And it made a lot more sense than if they'd made it a purely financial decision.

Edited by BlossomCulp
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theatremouse

theatremouse

True story: I've literally had the conversation Amy and Sheldon had about the date, minus the Shakespeare joke, but I have a friend who is a math nerd who will occasionally explain why certain dates are "good" and that whole explanation Sheldon did is something I've heard before. Watching that scene was really weird for me (because other than "math nerd" it would have never occurred to me to see similarities between this person and Sheldon). Or there was a glitch in the simulation that is my life and it wasn't supposed to repeat that rant with both a real person and on my TV...

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CherryAmes

CherryAmes

(edited)
32 minutes ago, BlossomCulp said:

I also totally liked that Bernadette and Howard fought over wanting to stay home not having to stay home.  Nice save. writers :).  And it made a lot more sense than if they'd made it a purely financial decision.

Same here.  I found that whole storyline realistic and funny.  I loved Bernadette wanting to go back to the office where no one pees on her!  I suspect they are setting things up to bring in a nanny - which makes sense for them with two small babies - and will probably be comic fodder for yet another woman Stuart and Raj can fight over!

Edited by CherryAmes
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CherryAmes

CherryAmes

On 3/9/2018 at 12:22 PM, Pop Tart said:

It's funny. Last week I wasn't liking Bernadette at all because I thought she was being such a bully, but it seems most thought she was more so in this episode and I didn't see it at all here. She was right to be skeptical about how well Howard would do all by himself with the babies, he immediately called in Raj to help and took a nap, and at her job she was delighting in being at work, but didn't say anything horrible to anyone. So I liked her a lot better last night then last week.

So much this.  I really didn't know what to expect from Bernadette because I had read a lot of the posts here before I saw the episode but I honestly don't see the hate.  Bernadette is being a pretty normal, exhausted young mother in this episode.  It made complete sense to me that she would be torn between wanting to be home with her babies and wanting to be back at work (been there, done that) and as you say Bernadette wasn't being mean, she was being realistic when she was skeptical about stay at home Howie!  His heart may be in the right place but he has consistently shown that he can't be trusted to manage the housework on his own, let alone the housework and two small babies!

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DrSpaceman

DrSpaceman

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

I don't think his business brings in enough money for him to hire help. 

Besides, if Howard's point of view is that he wants to raise his own children, that means he wants to do it, or alternatively Bernadette.  Not Stewart.  But, then I guess that theory kind of got blown out the window by what actually happened in the epi.

It seems the idea of either one of them raising the kids without help is out based on how the episode ended. 

Frost

Frost

In one of the Bob Newhart episodes, Leonard admitted that he and Sheldon are both sort of broken and they need each other.   There have been a lot of scenes over the years of Leonard and Sheldon enjoying the same things - buying the sword together, playing various video and board games.  I don't think their friendship is that hard to understand.  Obviously the show plays up the disagreements and friction for comic effect.  For all that, I get jarred sometimes by a scene where one or the other seems to feel a real dislike or disdain for the other one because it feels more like a writer issue, not the characters I see every week.  Leonard not only keeping his membership in the club a secret, but actually enjoying the fact that he's outright lying to Sheldon about it was one of those scenes that jarred me.  The scene with the two of them resolutely cleaning out toxic waste barrels together because they had been bested by Kripke seemed much more in character.

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

1 hour ago, SmithW6079 said:

But only Sheldon gets away with his bad behavior time after time after time after time ad nauseum.

So, given Sheldon's chronic bad behavior, would Leonard lying to Sheldon about his gaining access to the not-so-exclusive Athenaeum be a passive-aggressive, "getting even" kind of move (as Leonard claimed when found out by Sheldon), or is Leonard just not letting Sheldon "get away with his bad behavior" in at least one little corner of the universe that Leonard can share with Penny? 

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