Manicminer, hope the new doc works out! Be honest, that's the best way to figure out how they're going to handle things.

As for a hero, this is going to sound obscure and weird and academic, but... Susan Leigh Star. When my advisor asked whose work I wanted to emulate, Leigh was my immediate answer. Her 1995 piece with Ruhleder on an "Ecology of Infrastructure" is simply brilliant, one of my favorite articles ever. And she was a real-life hero - I got to meet her in person a couple times, and she even complimented my work the first time we met. She was as warm-hearted as she was brilliant. And she had visible tattoos! She made me think, OK, if Leigh can be an academic success, then so can I! Sadly she died quite young, very abruptly, due to medication interactions.

Leigh's husband and I get along famously; last time we met for a drink, he said that I remind him of her, which was one of the finest compliments I've gotten in ages.