I spent three years modeling Milankovitch cycles, watching orbital patterns predict our next freeze. The math is beautiful. The implications keep me awake. My advisor calls it 'fascinating research.' I call it staring at humanity's expiration date every day. Grant reviewers want 'practical applications.' How do you make an ice age practical? Last week, another funding rejection. 'Not immediately relevant,' they said. Tell that to the ice core samples sitting in my freezer, holding 100,000 years of climate secrets. I pipette in silence now. The data screams that we're living on borrowed time—either burning up from greenhouse gases or freezing in the next glacial cycle. My models can't decide which apocalypse wins. Someone asked why I still care. Honestly? Because someone has to count the years we have left. Even if no one wants to listen. #Science #ClimateScientist #AcademicBurnout