Top Left Quadrant: Summer Session Week 10

Sunday 12 July 2020

Summer Session Week 10

Hello everyone!

I hope you had some peace and quiet and fun with all the gifts Susan collected last week! I loved all the contributions. This week we’re going to take it one step further…

We’re having a garden party potluck this week for TLQers, past and present! We have a large garden with plenty of seating (I have something like DEH’s new one in mind!) so we can all have appropriate space… We have a patio with shade and a very sunny one too for the lizards among us… It is mid-summer, so warm with a nice breeze, and because this universe is the magical one, there are no mozzies or blackflies or whatever blood-sucking insect your area specializes in! And hammocks... We have hammocks... So, all we need is food and drink and party games. Bring your favourite summer drink (ideally a home-made concoction, extra points for edible flowers or something odd in it!) or food of any kind or lawn/pool games and share!

Here are the goals from last week – Happy to see that “fun” comes up frequently!

Daisy

1) Crush the interview!!!!!!
2) Take a few days OFF
3) Finish data processing
4) Start stretches and rehab again
5) Fun thing for child: local road trip with dad while I’m interviewing so they are out of the house
6) Fun thing for me: not going on said road trip and being alone in the house for the first time since March

Dame Eleanor Hull

Work 3 hours a day, four times, with some on each of reading, teaching, service.

Regular exercise, stretching, safe eating, fun things.

~2 hours a day unpacking and/or life admin.

Keep track of what I'm doing so I don't wonder where the day went.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell

Really follow up with co-editor.
Contact Office of Research for extension of grant-funded travel.
Read two articles on one of the presentation topics.
New writing 1 hour x 5.
Proofread 1 hour x 5.
Troll through earlier files for inclusion in current pieces.

heu mihi

1. Read at least the first part of the 3rd chapter of the diss (ideally the whole, very long chapter)
2. Finish Mary book
3. Write 30 minutes a day x 5
4. Arrange cat care for trip; make various medical appointment-related calls (nothing dire, just regular maintenance that needs to be rescheduled)
5. Reread Fairy Tales and revise as needed

humming42

(Carried over)
1submit two essay peer reviews
2 write 500 words for Tiny Project/online class
3 prep summer online classes to start Tuesday
4 spend 4 hours on Square
5 submit latest book review

JaneB
1) getting to bed before midnight and spending a few minutes at least in the yard every day
2) finish all the slides and practical activities for the sub field workshop
2a) Do 5 items on my list which have rolled over for at least two weeks...
3) maybe do an hour on the horrible paperwork. Maybe not.
3a) make a list of the teaching prep I know about right now.
4) do at least one Summer THing off my fun ideas list!

Susan

1. Start reading next ms to review
2. Read more on online teaching and figure out tech for videos
3. Get at least two more weeks of class outlined
4. Keep walking
5. Read for fun
6 Keep a good sleep schedule
7. Enjoy family time...

oceangirl101
1. Medical appts to get ready for surgery
2. Number crunch and write second to last bit of Ch 7
3. Read diss chapters for three students (seems never-ending)
4. Swim x 3, weights x 2
5. Cook and eat well
6. Fun x 2

35 comments:

Dame Eleanor Hull13 July 2020 at 17:01
What fun! I'm in. I'll offer fizzy water in assorted flavors (I like grapefruit), with nasturtium flowers to float in it and look pretty. (For all my blogworld shouts of "champagne!" on every occasion when there's anything at all to celebrate, I've mostly given up alcohol IRL because it's too hard on my gut. More's the pity. I like the flavors, but the aftermath isn't worth it.) For a party game, I offer "Bring Your Own Book." http://www.bringyourownbook.com/ We've played this over Zoom with friends, with slight modifications of the rules to adapt to not all being in the same place.

How I did:
Work 3 hours a day, four times, with some on each of reading, teaching, service. YES. The teaching-online class is actually proving useful.
Regular exercise, stretching, safe eating, fun things. MOSTLY: another bad reaction from I know not what, but I took drugs and got it under control. Ranitidine (Zantac) is the most effective drug for me---related meds like Famotidine and Cimetidine don't do a damned thing, while Prilosec makes me feel worse---and I can't get it anymore, so I hoard what I have.
~2 hours a day unpacking and/or life admin. YES, on average.
Keep track of what I'm doing so I don't wonder where the day went. MOSTLY: I still wish, at the end of the day/week, for something more like hour-by-hour accounting, but I know I wouldn't keep up with that, so I just try to record major accomplishments.

New goals:
Work 3-4 hours a day, five times, with some on each of research, teaching, service.
Regular exercise, stretching, safe eating, fun things.
~2 hours a day unpacking and/or life admin.
Keep track of what I'm doing so I don't wonder where the day went.

I hope it's a good week for all of you! This group is so helpful, and it's especially nice in these times of relative isolation to have some longevity here, a piece of online life that is on-going and customary rather than a new thing substituting for RL. Thank you all for being here.
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Daisy13 July 2020 at 18:28
What to bring to our garden party? I will start with a big barrel of fruity, non-alcoholic, fizzy lemonade with raspberries and mint leaves floating in it. That will go nicely with the chocolate-covered strawberries, and fresh fruit salad. Then there will be lots of things that can be put on a bbq – from portabello mushrooms to fresh sweetcorn and fresh fish from the docks. And a case of cider from our newly opened local cidery would work nicely too!
And for a party game – my daughter’s sprinkler and slip’n slide – adults have just as much fun with those once they get going!

Last week’s goals:
1) Crush the interview!!!!!! DONE, went really well, now out of my hands
2) Take a few days OFF DONE, took a day to catch up on urgent things I had been ignoring, and then did very little for 2 days…
3) Finish data processing NOPE
4) Start stretches and rehab again SOME
5) Fun thing for child: local road trip with dad while I’m interviewing so they are out of the house SUCCESS
6) Fun thing for me: not going on said road trip and being alone in the house for the first time since March MAJOR SUCCESS – it was glorious being all by myself! I had a whole 36 hours where nobody (except the cat) asked me for food. I had beer and chips for dinner, twice!

This week’s goals:
1) Prepare and deliver invited science talk about local work, this will be fun!
2) Finish the data processing that has been languishing in the dark
3) Dust off neglected paper near end of week
4) Exercise in a way that does not damage
5) Fun thing for child: individual friends in backyard and beach trip
6) Fun thing for me: giving fun research talk, and backyard visits with my friends

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heu mihi13 July 2020 at 18:34
I will contribute homebrewed beer (a Belgian Abbey-style ale that I made is just ready for drinking, and is delicious) and my favorite easy spread: Havarti cheese with dill, scallions, and plenty of mayonnaise, all mushed up into a delicious cracker-topping.

Last week:
1. Read at least the first part of the 3rd chapter of the diss (ideally the whole, very long chapter) - 1st part done
2. Finish Mary book - Yes, Sunday evening!
3. Write 30 minutes a day x 5 - Sort of. I did 5 30-minute sessions, but over only 3 days.
4. Arrange cat care for trip; make various medical appointment-related calls (nothing dire, just regular maintenance that needs to be rescheduled) - Done
5. Reread Fairy Tales and revise as needed - Done; I think it's ready enough

I also cut off all of my hair and was persuaded by my eight-year-old to repaint the walk-out basement, both the guest bedroom and the sort of common-space room. We're almost done. The view of the Hill of Ferns and Flowers and the Compost-Blocking Flower Bed (pictures to appear soon on my blog) is now much more nicely framed! Some neighbors have promised to GIVE us a whole set of midcentury modern bookcases and cabinets which will really dress the space up, too.

This week--a few things you need to know.

First, my son is at Farm Camp from 9-3 all week. HOORAY. They have very careful covid guidelines and very few campers, so it should be safe, and he neeeeds some interaction outside the family. We also need him outside of the house.

Second, we leave for the beach on Saturday, so there's all the pre-beach stuff to do.

Third, I have 9 (maybe 10) advising appointments between now and Wednesday afternoon.

Fourth, I have decided that I need to start thinking more clearly about my classes so that I can avoid stressing about them. I've scheduled a teaching consultation on Wednesday to discuss my online-conversion plans.

So, my goals:
1) Finish chapter 3 of the dissertation (about 70 pages to go)
2) Put in at least 1 hour a day on teaching prep
3) Spend 30 minutes writing x 2 days
4) Yoga x 2
5) Use my remaining time to read some stuff, relax a bit, and get ready for our trip.
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oceangirl10114 July 2020 at 13:56
The week has not started out well as I managed to pull my hamstring walking over the weekend. Ugh.
Last week:
1. Medical appts to get ready for surgery Yes
2. Number crunch and write second to last bit of Ch 7 Yes
3. Read diss chapters for three students (seems never-ending) Did 1.5
4. Swim x 3, weights x 2 Yes
5. Cook and eat well ok
6. Fun x 2 ? Can't remember :(
This week:
1. Write up second to last section of Ch 7 and number crunch
2. Read another diss chapter for student
3. Get final figures ready for article submission
4. Exercise x 2 and rest up knee/hamstring injury
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Susan14 July 2020 at 18:56
Oh, coming to the picnic, I'll add some vodka lemonade with a bit of lavender floating in it (lemonade made from my lemons, lavender from the garden. Then I think I'll bring a pasta salad -- probably one with scallops, red peppers, and feta. If not that, some cold poached salmon with a cucumber dill sauce. Not sure about the game, though. (I love to cook, and am deeply frustrated that I can't entertain...)

Goals from last week:
1. Start reading next ms to review YES, about half way
2. Read more on online teaching and figure out tech for videos: yes to thinking, no to tech
3. Get at least two more weeks of class outlined NO, but I woke up this morning from a dream with ideas.
4. Keep walking YES
5. Read for fun SOME
6 Keep a good sleep schedule PRETTY MUCH
7. Enjoy family time... YES

It's funny, I forgot the biggest thing on the agenda, which was operation reorganize office and set up new desk. Which I've done, but it took most of Saturday and a good bit of Sunday, and I'm waiting on a key part to finish. The process uncovered some historical treasures, and lots of stuff that should have been thrown out years ago. And I am happy: my office looks bigger, and I think I will be able to keep up with things.

Otherwise, I had a good time at my brother's, even though the only thing I did outside their house was to go to the Scandinavian furniture warehouse for 20 minutes to get my new desk. It was a different scene. We had a meeting with our provost, which showed how incompetent our admin is. (The faculty were pretty frustrated.) Cases in my region are growing rapidly, so we've gone back to "only if you have to be in person", and the workshops on redesigning courses are next week, a month before classes start. Which is why I'm dreaming about course design.

Goals for next week:
1. Finish project office reorganization: list two bookcases to get rid of them, put the casters on when they arrive, and then finish going through the piles that got dumped in the living room.
2. Get Course 1 outlined, so I've done as much thinking as possible before next week's workshops
3. Read the rest of book ms.
4. Spend three hours one day on Famous Author
5. Read for fun
6. Have one visit with a non-work friend
7. Keep walking
8. Try to keep healthy sleep schedule, especially since the cats are determined to wake me up at 5 AM.

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Elizabeth Anne Mitchell14 July 2020 at 21:02
Topic: Count me in for the garden party! I will bring iced mint tea, for the heat of the day, and a bottle of Jameson's to warm up for the evening. I think this would be a great group with whom to play trivia, so I would bring some version--it would be great to find one of the versions played in bars and restaurants.

Last week’s goals:
Really follow up with co-editor. Yes. Asked for a virtual meeting/call and sent a list of questions/topics.
Contact Office of Research for extension of grant-funded travel. Yes. Sent followup email.
Read two articles on one of the presentation topics. Yes.
New writing 1 hour x 5. x4
Proofread 1 hour x 5. x6
Troll through earlier files for inclusion in current pieces. Yes, and found three more article ideas.

Analysis: I'd like to bottle the last week, please. Seriously, I want to find why strategies I've tried before crashed and burned, but worked this time. I suppose I was ready to do them. I set goals and timers, and took breaks by cleaning house. The Political Philosopher is dealing with his stir-craziness by organizing the garage; needless to say, he is a brave man. At the end of June, we finally got everything out of the storage unit we've had since we moved four years ago, so there is a ton of stuff to go through. *Cue horror movie music* I honestly think that writing was an escape from going through storage stuff, while doing mindless tasks, like deciding which baking pans had fought valiantly but lost the battle, was an escape from writing.

Next week’s goals:
Outline Illumination and Sources presentations to find the gaps where I need to read and write more.
Contact archive about when I will be able to visit to do research.
Take notes on one central article for illumination and sources. x3
Continue cleanup of paper and electronic files. 1 hour x 5
For fun: play around with the drawing app that a friend recommended.

I agree completely with Dame Eleanor's feelings about this group. I realized last week that I've been helped and grounded by this group for several years now, well beyond the very helpful accountability piece of it.

Thank you all for encouraging fun, both in other pursuits and with our writing--the research fairy, mammoth, Bollox, and talking cats as recent examples.

Float like mist, everyone.
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JaneB14 July 2020 at 22:04
Lovely! I'm bringing my Granny's home made lemonade:

peel the zest from 3 big lemons (or 2 lemons and 3 limes) very carefully with a sharp knife so there's no pith. Put the peel in a bowl with 1.5 teaspoons of tartaric acid (if you can get it) or cream of tartar will do and 6 tablespoons of fine sugar, in a large bowl. Toss together. Pour over 3 pints of boiling water, cover with a weighted muslin (or something more modern) and leave to stand for several hours until room temperature. Squeeze your citrus fruit and add the juice and pulp to the bowl, stir. Strain into a couple of jugs, cover and chill. Serve with extra sugar on the side for the sweet-toothed.

In fact, if we're in a hurry, let's just have citron presse. Citron presse is divine...

And whilst I'm popping to France in this fantasy world, I'm going into a Breton supermarket and buying a lot of bottles of the kind of mildly alcoholic cider they make there that never makes it to places outside the region and costs at most 3 euros a bottle. That stuff is bottled sunshine!

And to eat, well, I make an excellent potato salad, and I've been experimenting with sicilian polenta cakes lately (I had no flour for three months and I needed to bake), so I'll be bringing a rich and not very sweet dark chocolate polenta cake with raspberries and a thick greek yoghurt to serve, and some minature Lincolnshire Lemon tarts which are just big enough to balance one raspberry on top and give the Research Fairy enough of a sugar overdose he has to go sleep it off in a leaf hammock. The baking/cooking part of getting ready for a party is a decent part of the fun of it...

And for a game, hmmm, I'm going to bring some old, old friends that don't require any movement from the hammocks or lizard-rocks. It's time for "The Minister's Cat..." - and for the classicists among us. the game we played in Latin class at the end of every term "Hannibal Alpes transiit cum..."

As things cool down and we feel like moving, I think this would be a fantastic group to play Consequences with! (the version where you take a sheet of paper and write a bit and fold the top over then pass it around for 8 steps or so, then read out the results - [A] met [B] at [C]. [He said] [she said] [he did] [she did] and the consequence was [D].)

I had a bad week last week - the University reached my level of tolerance, I think, and reached the "behold the field" point. And I was tired and I have toothache which might be postural or might not (or psychosomatic since the dentist rang to ask if they could postpone my routine checkup due to reduced capacity with the pandemic and all and I said cheerfully that my teeth were fine, so...). And I ate things I shouldn't've eaten and ran completely out of get up and go. Trying to mostly be on leave this week, but I'm co-running a workshop NEXT week and we're being asked at very short notice to make a variety of teaching decisions and the messaging doesn't make sense.

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humming4215 July 2020 at 00:53
So good to see you all here with cheer! I have a terrific sweet tooth and have been craving doughnuts for a few weeks, but I don’t think that would be the right garden party treat. I will bring a fruit salad with bananas, grapes, berries, and melon. I hope it wouldn’t be redundant to have pina coladas or margaritas. And my favorite party snack, pita chips and hummus.

I’m suffering with Big Distraction, which is taking the form of some creative writing that has a very strong pull for me right now. It’s a pleasure, but I do need better balance. Especially since it’s probably a good time to start sketching out my Fall classes since they’ll be primarily online.

Previous weeks:
1 submit two essay peer reviews: no
2 write 500 words for Tiny Project/online class: yes
3 prep summer online classes to start Tuesday: yes
4 spend 4 hours on Square: no
5 submit latest book review: yes

This week:
1 submit two past due essay peer reviews
2 keep up with grading summer online classes
4 spend 4 hours on Square
5 submit next book review
6 organize and deliver online freshman seminar
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Sunday 12 July 2020

Summer Session Week 10

35 comments: