2024 Session 1, Week 14

 I was struck reading last week's responses about the mentions of place.  Also, heu mihi, Julie and Dame Eleanor are all traveling for work or pleasure.  It got me thinking about my somewhat ambivalent relationship to travel: I enjoy travel and exploring new places, but I am always grateful to get home.  Are there things you understand differently or think about differently when you are away?  Or are there ways of thinking  that only happen at home?

Goals from last week:

Daisy

FINISH work permit
FINISH paper revisions
Help student with thesis revisions
Help student with thesis data
Sort out field school stuff
Do something fun with friend
Run 3 times

Dame Eleanor

Finish the conference paper
Keep up some semblance of exercise (yoga, walking)
Have fun!

heu mihi

I have goals this week, but they're mostly just about staying afloat, so I'm not going to post them! I just need to try to check off as many of the little necessary tasks as possible....

JaneB

I need to get OUT of waiting mode and I'd like to try to do some of the "not just the basics" things around the house/in terms of self-organising. But I always feel capable of making and following All The Plans later in the evening, it just all goes away overnight and takes a LONG time to come back the next day. And I'm still suffering from the "none of this is appealing or feels worth doing because Everything Is Disasterous and I Am Ineffective" feelings which go with burnout, and also with life under late capitalism. Although working on the Mixed Volume paper was actually quite interesting (we've gone outside our "just the data" comfort zone to also write about how Enlightenment thinking might be causing blind spots in our understanding of what prehistoric peoples were doing and why, and it's finally coming together...).

** self care: Needs changing up somehow because it isn't progressing really. So Daily Journalling is going first, because that at least stirs up the brain sludge, then physical care through movement and food choices and showering regularly and using moisturiser, then care for my environment through routine tasks, then adding in a couple of less routine tasks and paperwork type tasks like financial review and finding out about Access to Work scheme
** Fun - read a novel, start a non-fiction book, knit/crochet, do some art, do some D&D prep, play D&D at least once.
** Work and boundaries - follow up from employment advisor meeting, maintain boundaries and grey-rock the Interim Head of Dept check in meeting, do minimal work hours (I have some grad student meetings)
** work projects - nothing

Julie

On holiday -- goals from previous week:

1. Carry on marking!
2. Expenses claim
3. Figure out travel to conference
4. Prep for Berlin trip
5. House/admin jobs - 1 urgent, 1 important
6. Go to friend's bookshop and buy books for holiday reading.

Susan

1. Finish revisions to introduction to Big Collaboration
2. Read last straggler essays and upload to google drive
3. Do preliminary check on sources for new project and potential research trips this summer
4. Keep up with all the admin stuff
5. Have fun (brunch with friend, dinner with another, and who knows this weekend!)
6. Sleep/ eat / move

2024 Session One, week 13

It seems to be conference season! Some of us have already gone, and I'm setting out today for one of my favorite conferences (why this week's check-in post is going up early). Even though NEWSCOMI isn't contributing anything substantial to the travel, I'm going. In a way it's freeing, knowing that I'm paying for it myself: I can choose what I want to do, where to stay, there's no need to document that yes, this IS the official conference hotel, or worry about whether I have a receipt for this or that. And if I decide that I'd rather skip a session to go sight-seeing, there's not the slightest need for guilt that I'm not doing all the conference things, because it's my trip, not NEWSCOMI's.

So for this week's prompt, if you feel like it, tell us about a magical conference experience! Maybe it's a recurring experience at your favorite annual meeting, or maybe it was a one-time event that worked out perfectly, or a serendipitous happening at a conference. 

Alternatively, feel free to grouse about budget cutbacks at your own personal Scummy U that make it difficult or impossible to travel. There is, after all, bad magic as well as good!

Last week's goals: 

Daisy

• URGENT work permit
• Continue paper revisions, aim for doing the figures first and then getting started on text
• Set lab/final exams
• Finish all term marking
• Sort out field school stuff
• Do something fun with friend

Dame Eleanor Hull

• Exercise: swim x2, cardio x3, trainer x1, yoga x4.
• Work: finish conference paper, upload PowerPoint, prep Latin, order fall books
• Social/outings: trip-related errands, annual physical, dinner with friends.
• Planning: arrange to drop off car for repairs, message VRBO hosts, pack, make sure Sir John has all necessary details.

Heu mihi

• Conference re-set.

JaneB

1. self care: move intentionally three days, do seven household tasks, eat mindfully, make sure I rest as needed, journal daily, find out about Access to Work scheme
2. Fun - read a novel, start a non-fiction book, knit/crochet, do some art, do some D&D prep, play D&D at least once.
3. work and boundaries - employment advisor meeting (from local neurodivergent support charity; advisor is AuDHD like me and used to work in student learning support at my university, so I'm hopeful they'll at least understand some of my context), maintain boundaries and grey-rock the Interim Head of Dept check in meeting, do minimal work hours (I need to email some students, check emails, plus see 4)
4. work projects - Mixed Volume paper's final-final deadline is Tuesday so I've promised to read over it tomorrow (Monday) to try & get SOMETHING off even if it isn't what we hoped for, and I need to write a couple paragraphs for the Consultancy Paper too.

 Julie

1. Carry on marking!
2. Expenses claim
3. Figure out travel to conference
4. Prep for Berlin trip
5. House/admin jobs - 1 urgent, 1 important
6. Go to friend's bookshop and buy books for holiday reading.

 

Susan

1. Return to the introduction to Big Collaboration
2. Chase down the last 3 contributors on my list.
3. Catch up on email.
4. Organize desk
5. Do something fun
6. Eat/ sleep/ move

2024 Session One, Week 12

Well, now we know the various forms of creative procrastination each of us has developed!  Since we're at a university of Magical Instruction, it's good to remember that we all experience magic.  Where do you find magic in your work.  Is it in the initial vision?  Some moment along the way?  Or at the end?  And how do you hold on to it in the less magical parts of research and writing?  

Goals from last week:

Daisy

Start on figures for paper revision
Data analysis for paper revision
Data analysis for student project
Get work permit for summer field area
Last of the concerts
Comments for last thesis
Conference admin tasks

Dame Eleanor

Exercise: cardio x5, yoga at least x4. Swim x2. Trainer x1.

Work: ~3-5 hours/day on research (reading, translating, outlining, writing; focus on conference paper). Order fall books. Schedule one hour on the syllabus. List the "done."

Social/outings: vet run, campus run, book group.

Planning: book trains, message VRBO hosts with arrival times; finish assembling the tax docs; maybe get 2nd estimate on car repair.

heu mihi

1. Write LOR, read prospectus, read & offer feedback on colleague's book proposal
2. Enter ch. 3 revisions
3. Finish France album (so close!)
4. Apply for little tiny professional development thing
5. Read and prep for next week's seminar (I need to start getting ahead; it's the only way I'll survive)
6. Brew beer, re-clean house, and run twice, if I can swing it!
7. Catch up on community service stuff (figure out what to do with some emails for Sustainability Committee; small task for elementary school Yearbook Committee)

JaneB

1 - self care: move intentionally three days, do seven household tasks, eat mindfully, make sure I rest after a few hours. Journal daily, read papers about burnout.

2 - Fun - read a novel, start a non-fiction book, knit/crochet, do some art, do some D&D prep, play D&D at least once.

3 - work and boundaries - occupational health meeting, maintain boundaries and grey-rock the Interim Head of Dept check in meeting, do minimal work hours (this week I have a chapter to comment on and a stack of emails that are high-urgency and need small actions taking)

4 - work projects - nothing

Julie

1. Submit final copy of journal article - formally accepted, just need to add in references removed for peer review
2. Write report on PhD thesis for tedious piece of Spanish bureaucracy (basically a scam where I'm not formally examining, so can skim-read, but still have to read enough to write report, but don't get paid because I'm not formally examining!)
3. Collate scores for recorded presentations & chair meeting to decide prize winner.
4. Carry on marking essays, but don't rush to finish.
5. Mock interview for post-grad.
6. Real interviews for languages post (external panel member, so not too much work)
7. Book theatre trip!
8. Tidy desk
9. House/life admin jobs - aim for 3.
10. Cooking for family on Sunday.
11. Do something creative!
12. Exercise - run x 2, pilates x 1.

Susan

1. Enjoy myself
2. Do enough so that I'm not overwhelmed when I return home.

2024 Session One, Week 11

Let's think about making magic, or if making other things can be magical. This week, I got at least a little bit un-stuck on a must-do task by taking some time to attempt a creative making that I've had on my list literally for years. (PSA: iron-on t-shirt transfers that you've had around for years may not function as well as new ones!) While involved in necessary waiting time for the t-shirt project, I made progress on the must-do. It reminded me that when I used to feel overwhelmed by grading (back in the days of a higher class load and far more students), I'd go bake bread or muffins or scones (also back in the days when I ate grains), and then I'd feel better able to tackle the stacks of papers. 

Do you stress-bake or do other stress-relieving crafts? Could you make time this week to make something for fun, and see if that makes you better able to tackle the things you must? My friend in Magineering says that such activities build up energy that magic can use to help power "brain off" charms and similar devices.

Here's the list of goals from last week. How are you doing?

Contingent Cassandra

Overcome By Events?

Daisy

Get extra sleep if possible
Set up and start academic advising
Practice music for upcoming concerts
Student theses feedback and rewrites
Fun meeting for new joint paper
Accounting for trip
Slightly overdue review

Dame Eleanor Hull

Exercise: cardio x5, yoga at least x4. Swim x2. Trainer x1. See if light weights are okay now.

Work: ignore the syllabus! ~3-5 hours/day on research (reading, translating, outlining, writing). List the "done."

Social/outings: campus run, medieval talk on Zoom, pick up Susan, go to book group, go to party.

Planning: book trains, message VRBO hosts with arrival times; finish assembling the tax docs; get estimates on car repair.

Heu mihi

1. Reread ch. 6 and complete preliminary revisions (basically, make sure that the chapter is really finished)
2. Round of revisions to ch. 3
3. Festschrift abstract of nonsense
4. Return to notes re. ch. 5 and start figuring out next steps...
5. Read and prep for next week's class
6. Process article reviews
7. Exercise like a fiend
8. Read book I'm considering for next year's class (it's short)
9. Clean house
10. Make cookies
11. Write LOR; read dissertation chapter
12. Send email about workshop for grad students

JaneB

1 - self care: move intentionally three days, do seven household tasks, eat mindfully, make sure I do rest after a few hours. Contact employment advisor at the local charity, journal daily, read next book about neurodiversity, GP appointment about returning to work or having a few more weeks to recover.

2 - Fun - read a novel, make some Easter cards, knit/crochet, do some art. Do some D&D prep, play D&D at least once.

3 - work and boundaries - maintain boundaries (possibly push back on Interim Head of School wanting another check in meeting, contact union to check about that), do minimal work hours (this week I have meetings with two grad students in the diary, plus will do email triage)

4 - work projects - nothing.

Julie

1. Revise grant application & work on costings
2. Start marking latest batch of essays
3. Finish watching recorded presentations for conference sessions (on the judging committee)
4. House jobs - aim for 3
5. Book theatre weekend
6. Exercise if back recovered enough - run x 2, pilates x 1

Susan

Do some more work on introduction; deal with any essays that come in late
Send out list of admits to faculty - write to admitted students
Look over program for conference, make plans
Enjoy myself
Eat/ sleep/ move

2024 Session One, Week 10

 Last week's discussion of rituals was great, but the real energy came around JaneB's suggestion of a "Brain Off Button".   Most of us could use that.  It is possible that some clever undergraduate in Magineering will figure it out!  Until then, I thought we might celebrate the relatively small tasks that end of feeling like we've done something big.   Sometimes these are things that hang over us even though they will take only about an hour or less; sometimes they haven't even been on the list but when we do them we feel extraordinarily accomplished.  

Goals from last week: 

Daisy:

Learn new and review old music for upcoming concerts
Urgent lab work day, send off samples
ALL the student thesis rewrites
Make and give conference presentation, enjoy conference
Make and give student event presentation

Dame Eleanor

Exercise: cardio x5, yoga at least x4. Swim x1. Trainer x1.

Work: do something on sample syllabus for 1 course proposal; ~3-5 hours/day on research (reading, translating, outlining, writing); prep for Latin group; finish Alms section; conference paper work.

Social/outings: Zoom with conference collaborator; eye exam; read book for group next week.

Creative: write out story climax idea/scene (may not have time for this, but it's a nice thing to keep around).

Planning: finish April trip arrangements; assemble tax documents

heu mihi

1. Get set up for spring break writing: reorient myself with my current chapter and/or think through ch. 5 some more; try to make some kind of progress on the floundering abstract of nonsense
2. Students: Read advisee's prospectus, take care of an incomplete, bunch of little things for my class
3. Send next issue of journal off to the press
4. Start ch. 3 revisions

JaneB:

1a - move intentionally three days
1b - do seven household tasks (check list in my bullet journal)
1c - eat mindfully
1d - make sure I do rest after a few hours
1e - read one book on neurodiversity
1f - the decluttering woman cometh, so I need to brace for that! Some VERY dusty bookcases are going to be purged...
2a - spend some decent fiction reading time, do some doodling, knit/crochet
2b - do some D&D preparation for a game I run, play D&D
3a - maintain boundaries, do minimal work hours (no meetings in the diary for the coming week, so will just aim to do email triage once)

Julie:

1. Revise grant application to make use of positive feedback from colleagues.
2. Talk to research support staff about costings.
3. More meetings, but last week of term.
4. Try to do some other bit of research/writing if time.
5. Restorative stuff
6. Exercise: run x 3, pilates x 1
7. House jobs: aim for 3
8. Book theatre weekend for summer with friends.

Susan 

1. In theory everyone is supposed to get everything on big collaboration to us by Friday. So most of my time this week will be on that.
-- work on introduction
-- start work on illustration table in the form they want it
--read and deal with essays that come in late
--zoom meeting with co-editor
--communicate with authors who are late
2. Administrivia: there are meetings on several subjects that need attention. I will chair one tomorrow, and need to do it with friendliness and grace
-- reach out to admitted students about questions
3. Find time to plan time at conference in great midwestern city. What sessions will I go to? Which museum will I go to when I play truant?
4. Deal with necessary phone calls, schedule cat for boarding, etc.
5. 3 journals
6. Take a trip to the dump with stuff in garage. Maybe go to storage unit for a preliminary scan of the challenge there.
7. Test drive one of the cars I am thinking of buying when I get rid of the current car.
7. Something nice/fun. Eat/sleep/move

2024 Session One, Week Nine

Using magic is tiring! Even talking to fairies, or tossing a charmed object that someone else has enchanted, takes its toll on the person wielding it, let alone the enchanter's energy. Mostly in History and Literature of Magic, our jobs have only the normal stresses: reading, grading, writing, preparing classes, trying to hold the attention of students who would rather be doing applied work than learning about old stories. But sometimes we have extra magic-related expenses of energy, and then it's very important to replenish properly. The applied users have their rituals to raise and store magical energy, but the rest of us have to think about how to tend our energy levels. Sleep is an obvious method, and so is meditation; spending time outside is good, as is listening to music, making art, writing in a journal or on a fun project, creating something, spending time with pets or friends.

What energy-restoring ritual would you like to create this week?

Contingent Cassandra (held over)

 --Begin work on conference paper (probably due to panel chair in early March, so it’s time)

--Engage in some sort of purposeful movement – short or long walks, stretching, weight-lifting, stair-climbing, and/or gardening – at least 5 out of every 7 days

Daisy

More visits

More grading

More fixing data issues

More thesis comments

More thesis rewrites

Dame Eleanor Hull

Exercise: cardio x5, yoga at least x4.

Work: sample syllabus for 1 course proposal; ~3-5 hours/day on research (reading, translating, outlining, writing); prep for Latin group; finish Alms section.

Social/outings: attend live presentation at LRU library; take Basement Cat to vet.

Creative: find files on old desktop; write out story climax idea/scene (may not have time for this, but it's a nice thing to keep around).

Planning: make April trip arrangements; make eye exam appt for me; assemble tax documents.

heu mihi

1. Exercise some; sit some

2. Read grad student's chapter

3. Initial assessment of two journal submissions

4. Find reviewer(s) for other journal's submission

5. Read 3 articles for research

JaneB

1a - move intentionally three days

1b - do seven household tasks (check list in my bullet journal)

1c - reduce (lets be realistic here) refined sugar for Lent

1d - make sure I do rest after a few hours (I think that's part of what has messed up my sleep...)

1e - read one book on ADHD, 7 types of rest for burnout recovery reading

2a - spend some decent reading time, do some doodling, knit

2b - do some D&D preparation for a game I run, play D&D

2c - sort out cards and gifts for Mothering Sunday (Sunday 10th in the UK) and my Mum's birthday (which is next week, sigh)

3a - maintain boundaries, prepare for Review, do minimal work hours (one grad student meeting in the diary, possibly one more if it can be scheduled), & check for Gossip

4a - anything that comes up re: future graduate students (I've had another enquiry!)

Julie

1. Viva tomorrow, write up joint report with external.

2. Finish marking (due Thursday).

3. Write final lecture for next week.

4. Two PhD chapters for different students.

5. Short report on research trips last term for funder (due Thursday)

6. More meetings.

7. Nephew's birthday present.

Susan

1. Read revised chapters as they come in, upload

2. Spend a coherent 2-3 hours on the introduction

3. Write the VERY LATE review. (I have just emailed the journal and said it would arrive by next Monday.)

4. Maybe do some journals or decluttering

5. Plan March trip to conference and friends

6. Do something fun

7. Eat/ Move / Sleep

2024 Session 1, Week 8: Midterm check in

 I do hope the ghouls are under control.  They may be minor, but they are clearly annoying, and they definitely set up barriers.   There's clearly no easy solution, but I wonder if anyone has any good fairies around. They are just fairies, so have limited powers, but their small acts render life at least pleasanter (see the extra slice of cake in the break room), and sometimes actually easier.  Alternatively, Dean Tabitha and Associate Dean Fluff are available for purring sessions.  

Today is mid-term check-in, so I'm going to list session goals first, and then last week's goals.  As a reminder, it is FINE/GOOD to change your goals mid-session.  Maybe one goal was unrealistic? Maybe a new project has cropped up that is more interesting or more time critical that you want to take on.  Etc.  The rule is to BE KIND TO YOURSELVES.   

Session goals

Contingent Cassandra

Professional:
--Write conference paper (due to the panel chair, if the usual patterns hold, in early March). (This is related to the study leave project, and I suspect might lead to an article, but is not one of the formal “deliverables” described in the leave proposal).
--Finish creating Omeka site to hold documents related to study leave project and begin populating it (my plan is to spend at least a bit of time on this each week, even if it’s only adding or preparing to add one document).
Personal:
--Engage in some sort of purposeful movement – short or long walks, stretching, weight-lifting, stair-climbing, maybe bike-riding – at least 5 out of every 7 days (preferably more, especially if I choose one of the shorter options some days). I actually made some progress on this over the break, so here, too, I’m trying to build/maintain momentum.

Daisy 

2 Special Volume papers
1 revision of post-doc paper
1 small invited paper, my part is important but not huge
1 languishing-from-long-ago paper
2 internal grant applications
1 medium-sized external grant application

Dame Eleanor

- Finish off two chapters that are close to done (I think!)
- Outline a conference paper that will form the base of the least-done chapter
- Write the translation-oriented conference paper
- Make the Big MS List, with links, and engage in related correspondance
- Establish and maintain a tidy, organized study
- Plant up the new Native Plants Bed
- Detangle the grass and the sedum from each other in front bed
- Plan new course(s?) for next year
- Set up sewing machine and do some sewing

heu mihi

1. Book project: Finish draft of chapter 6; plan chapter 5; first revisions of chapters 3 and 4; finish up revisions of chapter 2 (possibly this week).
2. Conferences: One paper (due March 5), one brief and easy roundtable presentation (May).
3. Article revision--should be quick; I just want to add in a recently-read essay--due March 1.
4. Abstracts: One is drafted, due Feb. 15; one is nowhere, due April 1.
5. Health and fitness: Adjust exercise routines monthly in order to accommodate weather and daylight. Run 3-5 times/week; attempt to do some stretching before bed; one yoga class/week.

humming42

Draft and submit Squares proposal.

JaneB

1) Survival and personal and environmental self-care habits - health focus, with health defined broadly
2) Fun - making sure that every week I spend quality time with at least two of the activities that refill the well.
3) Workplace Boundaries - formally agreeing appropriate accommodations, navigating a phased return which focuses on my wellbeing not the immediate needs of the school, and never going more than 20% beyond the hours I am scheduled to work by my GP (which is... hard, because even at my normal full time I do at least 50% beyond my hours in term time).
4) Care and Feeding of the research - mixed volume submission, R&R for the never-ending paper, R&R for the many author paper, senior grad students' immediate papers (Consultancy and Method), processes for three PhD students (Consortium, Northern and Exotic).

Julie 

1. Teaching: write three new lectures, everything else is same as last year, so try to keep prep to a minimum.
2. Read and examine PhD for early March (4th since the summer - I tried to say no).
3. Revise and submit grant application.
4. Do some research and writing, however minimal.
5. Health & fitness: work on establishing better sleep, get as much exercise as weekly schedule allows.
6. Self-care/fun: try to make space each week for reading fiction/TV/baking/other relaxation.
7. Book holidays - Berlin trip at Easter, think about summer plans.

Susan

Goal #1: Get Big Collaboration and Famous Author out and on their way to publication.
Goal #2: Finish way very late book review of book I want to read
Goal #3: Start playing with my next project, yet unnamed, but the "Rest of my life project"
Goal #4: Keep program moving, keep working effectively with people
Goal #5: Plan next year at My Favorite Library, where I will have a research fellowship
Goal #6: Keep up with exercise and relatively healthy eating
Goal #7: Do things to have fun

LAST WEEK'S GOALS

Contingent Cassandra

Daisy

All the grading
Record missed lectures
Post assignments for rest of term
Two thesis reviews and comments
Journal review
Data processing for student work
Fix embarrassing mistakes in data work
All the hiring stuff
Read undergrad thesis and edit/comment

Dame Eleanor 

Exercise: swim x2 or x3, cardio + weights x3, yoga at least x4.
Work: sample syllabuses for 1 course proposal; ~3-4 hours/day on research (reading, translating, outlining, writing); prep for Latin group; attend a Zoom talk. Stick to work schedule except for day of dentist appt.
Social: attend a friend's live presentation; go to a funeral.
Creative: write out story climax idea/scene (may not have time for this, but it's a nice thing to keep around).
Planning: make trip arrangements; make eye exam appt for me.
Technical: turn on old desktop, look for creative files and tax-related stuff.

heu mihi

1. Journal catch-up: read new article; copy-edit article for next issue
2. Website edits--get around to them!
3. Prepare for and give professionalization workshop on Friday
4. Um...my research...remember what it was about? Read at least 3 articles/chapters, touch chapter 6.
5. Graduate students: Comment on draft intro to prospectus; read 1/2 of other student's chapter.

humming42

JaneB

1a - move intentionally three days
1b - do seven household tasks (check list in my bullet journal)
1c - reduce (lets be realistic here) refined sugar for Lent
2a - spend some decent reading time and do some doodling
2b - do some D&D preparation for a game I run, play D&D
2c - POST sister's birthday gifts and aunts card
3a - maintain boundaries, do minimal work hours (a couple of graduate student meetings are already in the diary, & I will need to check for Gossip after Friday when the new externally appointed Head of School visits. plus Interim Head of School is using my work email for all correspondance about my absence even though I am supposed to do no work, which to me means do NOT touch the email as that is the main cause of urgent work...
4a - meet with Senior Grad Student and Consultant about Consultancy Paper, meet with External Institution Graduate Student

Julie

1. Teaching prep (last week of seminars!)
2. More marking
3. Finish reading mediocre thesis and write report ahead of viva next week.
4. Submit article
5. Meeting with colleagues to discuss grant application.
6. Read book for book club on Saturday.
7. Host friends for dinner on Friday.

Susan

1. Read co-editors revisions to introduction, revise again
2. Finish uploading what we have (mindless task, but necessary)
3. Start substantive revisions on last chapter of Famous Author/ take account of articles just read
4. Have meetings re admissions
5. Meet with grad students
6. Eat/Move/Sleep
7. Do something fun

8: do some more decluttering or journals