2025 Session 1, Week 6

Posting a bit later than usual - I assume it doesn't matter too much to the US members of TLQ but apologies to JaneB. This was a busier Sunday than usual as we went to see a live screening of Macbeth, which was great, but it has meant my usual Sunday sit-down was pushed back to now.

It's damp and cold here, and February for me is a tougher month than January, so today's prompt is, not very originally, thinking about signs of spring or other things that remind us that winter won't last forever. I think I'm not the only fan of Persephone Books on here - for anyone who hasn't come across them, they are a small independent publisher here in the UK who specialise mostly in republishing forgotten novels by women, especially inter-war fiction, in beautiful editions. They also publish a monthly 'letter' online and a daily 'post' which you can sign up to as an email alert. The posts always have a weekly theme. I love them, because they are often quirky, or original and usually come with pretty pictures, so it's a nice start to the day finding one in my inbox. This week's theme was snowdrops:

https://persephonebooks.co.uk/blogs/the-persephone-post

My favourite is the Mary Delany one, mainly because I love the idea of starting something creative in your 70s. There are snowdrops out here in a lot of gardens, and for me, that's usually the first sign of spring.

So, for a prompt, what signs of spring do you look for each year? Or what else reminds you that winter won't last forever?

Next week will be mid-session check in already!

Last week's goals:

Heu mihi

1. Find a total of 3 hours to work on book MS.
2. Read 2 more chapters of research book (really 1.5, since I'm halfway through one).
3. One set of inversions.
4. Administrative madness: Process journal revision; begin organizing online teaching workshop #1; review grad student evals from fall; finish and send out newsletter; revisit graduate student apps before Monday; Gen Ed review; deal with email mountain
5. Exercise. Work in at least a tiny little bit of meditation. Have lunch with a friend.

Dame Eleanor

- keep working on revisions to a chapter
- start slides for at least one conference paper
- do some scholarly reading, take notes on the last book
- process at least 4 grad applications
- write and post more assignments, post links or files for reading
- gym x4, swim x2, yoga x5
- Basement Cat to vet

Daisy

URGENT Student thesis stuff – if I do nothing else at least do this…
Conference prep with students
Campus visit, not really a goal, but whatever…
Exercise 3 times

Susan

Vacation/ have fun

JaneB

1) SELF-CARE (recovery and self-kindness)
* habits: something creative, D&D, read a novel, intentional movement 15 minutes x 3 days, a social thing
* Specific things - make sure I eat at least 5 portions of at least three types of fruit/veg a day and don't dive into the bread-and-butter-and-biscuits beige comfort food pit too deeply
2) HOUSE-LIFE CARE
* 75% or more of the weekly minimal chores, tidy up the upstairs landing
* acquire gifts, make card, send package for Dad's birthday
3) TEACHING AND ADMIN
* prepare teaching for next week & do ViLE stuff
* finish comments on full draft for MRes student
4) RESEARCH
* prepare for rescheduled project meeting
* read/comment on latest version of the paper that never, ever ends
* be on the ball for grad student meetings

Contingent Cassandra

--Continue making as much progress as possible on setting up site to hold study leave project documents

--Keep moving, given constraints of weather and a couple of scheduled medical procedures: lift weights 1x and walk and/or climb stairs as weather, time, and energy allow.

--Continue trying to figure out workable daily/weekly routines, starting with establishing an end of day/bedtime routine.
--Take advantage of upcoming spell of warmer weather to complete some gardening tasks that got interrupted by cold snap
-- Continue work on packing up & mailing packages (mixture of returns & gifts for family members I didn’t see over Christmas)
--Make travel and lodging reservations for upcoming conference; contact friends in conference city

Julie

1. Really finish and submit article.
2. Grant application: check requirements for this stage, make plan, contact possible referees.
3. Teaching prep: keep minimal.
4. Review form for meeting with Head of Department.
5. Book remaining travel for Easter.

6. Life admin: put dates in calendar, cash a cheque. 

2025 Session 1, Week 5

Sounds like it's been a difficult week for many people - commiserations and hoping this coming week is better. I started this week with churning anxiety about finishing my journal article, on top of a whole bunch of other things, including a tax return (which I hate doing) and teaching a topic which I don't really feel I have a strong grasp on. It's to first-years, so knowing the basics is usually as much as I need, but every year I breathe a sigh of relief at getting through without being found out. (Every year I vow to read up more on the subject, and of course every year I fail to do so.)

Normally, churning anxiety induces paralysis, especially when it comes to writing, and for a while, that's how it felt. Then somehow, I don't quite know why or how, a gear shifted and I found I was calmer. I kept going back to the article every time I had a couple of hours free. In the other gaps, or in the evenings when I was tired I did the other stuff, including the tax return, which I did alongside cooking dinner one night.

I haven't quite finished the article, but I enjoyed the writing process, once the paralysis eased. I will be scrambling to finish it and submit it tomorrow, hopefully before the editors start chasing me. But although I haven't ticked off that goal yet, I feel better about the article than I would have done if I'd let the anxiety take over and just churned out words as quickly as possible. Instead I got to sink into the writing and spend time looking through sources again, and finding other things to say.

All this is a long-winded introduction to this week's prompt, which is about celebrating the process of working towards goals, rather than the completion of the goals. We tend on here to make lists and report each week on how many things we've crossed off, and there's good reason for that. But for this week, may also reflect on something you didn't complete in the time you set, but where the process of working on it felt like an achievement in itself. Something where you got more out of doing it than you might have expected, or learned something along the way.

Susan

1. Do ALL THE THINGS, SUBMIT MANUSCRIPT
2. Keep up with some kind of exercise / healthy activities
3. Keep up with morning prayer
4. Clean the house
5. Do something nice at the weekend.

Contingent Cassandra

--Finish reading documentation and exploring models for project site; make as much progress as possible on setting up site to hold study leave project documents; creating tracking spreadsheet for documents; and adding at least one document to site.
--Keep moving: lift weights 3x and walk and/or climb stairs regularly as weather allows.
--Continue trying to figure out workable daily/weekly routines, starting with establishing an end of day/bedtime routine.
--Take advantage of upcoming spell of warmer weather to complete some gardening tasks that got interrupted by cold snap
-- Continue work on packing up & mailing packages (mixture of returns & gifts for family members I didn’t see over Christmas)

Heu mihi

1. Re-review grant applications and submit ratings
2. Read next 1/3 of book I need to read + 35 pages of Italian book
3. LOR for excellent grad student
4. Do one more inversion practice before the month ends!
5. Draft program newsletter
6. Get ready to teach again!

Dame Eleanor

- keep working on revisions to a chapter
- do some scholarly reading
- process at least 4 grad applications
- write and post assignments, post links or files for reading
- gym x4, swim x1, yoga x5
- talk to someone about the expectations for the Revised Thing

Daisy

Two long-ish writing sessions with no other activity (booked them on calendar)
Exercise 4 times
URGENT Student thesis stuff
Major admin task
Conference prep with students
Class adjustments
URGENT 2 grant applications

JaneB

1) SELF-CARE (recovery and self-kindness)
* habits: something creative, D&D, read a novel plus three chapters of crusades book, intentional movement 15 minutes x 3 days, a social thing (a long thank you/catching up letter to an old friend)
* Specific things - make sure I eat at least 5 portions of at least three types of fruit/veg a day and don't dive into the bread-and-butter-and-biscuits beige comfort food pit too deeply
2) HOUSE-LIFE CARE
* 75% or more of the weekly minimal chores, tidy up the upstairs landing
* write and send an appropriate condolence card/letter to Uncle (I find these things HARD)
3) TEACHING AND ADMIN
* marking - first year essay one, first year essay two, all the "had an extenstion" third year essays, moderation and spreadsheet admin stuff.
* prepare classes for next week and do ViLE stuff
* stay in my lane!
* go through full draft for MRes student and comment lightly.
4) RESEARCH
* final final proofs of accepted chapter
* prepare for project meeting
* read/comment on latest version of the paper that never, ever ends
* try to be positive and productive when meeting new research student (whose start was postponed due to the (still not fully resolved) job uncertainty within the School).

Julie

1. Finish article and submit!
2. Finish teaching prep.
3. Read 4,000 words of student's dissertation by Friday.
4. Essential admin stuff.
5. Tax return: due Friday!
6. Book Easter travel

7. Son's birthday: bake cake, finish wrapping presents, celebrate! 

2025 Session 1, Week 4

 This week's prompt is cake! It's inspired partly by Susan's lemon drizzle cake last week and partly by the fact that one of my tasks for tomorrow is to bake a cake for my son's birthday. I like baking, but find it stressful doing it for special occasions, as I am not a naturally gifted baker. Tomorrow's cake, thankfully, will be covered with chocolate ganache sufficient to hide almost any defect.

So in the spirit of thinking about treats, what is your favourite cake, particularly when you need a pick-me-up? Do you have a go-to cake to bake for others, or a favourite cake that someone else makes for you? Feel free to share recipes! Mine to eat would be lemon drizzle. My neighbour gave me a wonderful one recently, which I think was the Mary Berry recipe. The best cake I have ever baked for someone else was honey and almond, for my father's birthday, but I've only done it once and now am under pressure in case it isn't as good next time!

Last week's goals:

Dame Eleanor

- keep working on revisions to a chapter
- do some scholarly reading
- process at least 4 grad applications
- finish syllabus
- gym x4, swim x1, yoga x5
- buy more marmelade*

JaneB

1) SELF-CARE (recovery and self-kindness)
* habits: something creative, D&D, read a novel plus three chapters of crusades book, intentional movement 15 minutes x 3 days, a social thing (a long thank you/catching up letter to an old friend)
* Specific things - make sure I eat at least 5 portions of at least three types of fruit/veg a day and don't dive into the bread-and-butter-and-biscuits beige comfort food pit too deeply
2) HOUSE-LIFE CARE
* 75% or more of the weekly minimal chores, tidy up the upstairs landing
3) TEACHING AND ADMIN
* marking - all on time third year essays, all extension-having second year essays, first year labs, first year essay one.
* go through coming semester and make teaching preparation plan
* stay in my lane!
* prepare all of next week's teaching and the ViLE for shared module
* stretch goal: go through full draft for MRes student and comment lightly.
4) RESEARCH
* add accepted chapter to university tracking system
* postpone everything else to future weeks

Julie

1. Coursework moderation.
2. Teaching prep: keep minimal
3. Finish full draft of article (due end of January, and next week is busy).
4. Plan January birthdays: mother, son, nephew, brother (in date order).
5. Plan Easter travel.

Daisy

Dust of student thesis tasks and finish at least two major bits
Exercise 4 times
Visiting speaker stuff
Meeting with co-author about paper plans
One section of new/old paper

Heu mihi

1. Preliminary review of research grant applications, even though I now think the process is bizarre
2. Start whipping article into shape
3. Read 1/2 of book that I need to read for article
4. Edit and finalize syllabus
5. Journal catch-up
6. 35 pages of Italian novel

Susan

1. Fix references, spellings and formatting
2. Set up spreadsheet for illustrations
3. Start working on maps
4. Keep up with exercise: 3 days strength, 3 days walking or yoga
5. Keep doing morning prayer
6. Sleep, eating
7. Finish cleaning balcony
8. Make sure I do something nice at the weekend.

Contingent Cassandra

--Set up site to hold study leave project documents; create tracking spreadsheet for documents; add at least one document to site.
--Finish & send email to local-organization leaders
--Answer long-neglected email (I’ll probably see the author at an event on Saturday, so that’s an incentive)
--Figure out a relatively quick way to figure out whether fellowship application makes sense (I think probably not, at least this year, but it might be worth an hour or two’s investigation of the catalog of the relevant archive); write application and solicit letter of support if so
--If time, check out institute possibilities and schedule application-writing if relevant (this could wait for a week or two)
--Keep moving: lift weights 3x and walk and/or climb stairs regularly as weather allows.
--Continue trying to figure out workable daily/weekly routines, starting with establishing an end of day/bedtime routine.
-- Pack up & mail packages (mixture of returns & gifts for family members I didn’t see over Christmas)

2025 Session 1, Week 3

 

Hope everyone had a good week. I'm very conscious that tomorrow is inauguration day in the USA and, though we tend to keep political declarations out of this space, my sense is that none of us are happy about the next incumbent of the White House. We have also talked a lot on here about how for many of us, January, February and March are a slog to get through, for various reasons.

So, for today, do you have words you come back to in difficult times that inspire or comfort? A poem, a prayer, a song, a mantra? I had a lot of poems up in my temporary corner-of-the-spare-room-office in lockdown, but the text I would choose is the one above: from one of Barbara Kingsolver's essays. (If I could only choose one favourite author, she would be the one.) Her advice to focus on a 'single glorious thing' is advice I have come back to many times. Feel free to share a 'single glorious thing' of your own if words aren't what does it for you. 

Last week's goals:

Heu mihi

1. Read AA's book
2. Finish syllabus; set up webpage
3. Keep plugging away at article: Review some scholarship; maybe hit 4k of ideally non-garbage words
4. Exercise x6, sit x??
5. Begin reviewing research proposals (after Wednesday)

Susan

1. Read Famous Author aloud, to catch repetition and bad phrasing.
2. Meet with editor about illustrations
3. Enjoy seeing colleagues when the library opens on Wednesday
4. Get back to exercise - walk, yoga, strength
5. Do expenses, tax stuff
6. Make sure there is something nice next weekend

Dame Eleanor

-keep working on revisions to a chapter
- do some scholarly reading
- attend one in-person meeting
- process at least 4 grad applications
- finish syllabus
- gym x5, swim x1, yoga x5

JaneB

1) SELF-CARE (recovery and self-kindness)
* habits: something creative, D&D, read a novel plus three chapters of crusades book, intentional movement 15 minutes x 3 days, a social thing (a long thank you/catching up letter to an old friend)
* Specific things - make a PLAN for reading the autistic self-care book
2) HOUSE-LIFE CARE
* 75% or more of the weekly minimal chores, tidy up the upstairs landing
3) TEACHING AND ADMIN
* marking - second year essay (all that were on time), if possible start third year essay
* go through coming semester and make teaching preparation plan
* stay in my lane!
* finish chapter for senior grad student
4) RESEARCH
* edits for edited volume chapter

Daisy

Exercise 4 times
Do all winter course advising
Finish three reviews
Finish delayed analytical preparation
Lingering volunteer tasks for community group
Conference planning, meetings, reports

Contingent Cassandra

--Lead study leave related group discussion for which I’ve been preparing
--Hold planning meeting with leader for next month’s discussion
--Follow up as necessary on emails I wrote last week & anything else that arises from discussion I’m leading; answer one that’s been sitting in my inbox for way too long
--Write email sharing plan for study leave project with leaders of organization on which it focuses
--Do at least rough planning re: what I can realistically get done between now and the end of the semester, and what I will do when.
--Start log for study leave project & related activities
--Check on fellowships/institutes to which I might apply; make plans to apply if appropriate
--Visit local site with tangential link to Study Leave project
--Lift weights 3x; walk as weather allows, including one new route if possible; experiment at least once with hall-walking/stair climbing in apt building
--Begin work on establishing a bedtime routine, including screens off two hours before lights out and a wind-down activity such as reading, listening to something, and/or handwork (probably mending for the moment) (this may be tough because of evening (online) meetings, but should become more possible later in the week, so at least make a start).
--Pack up & mail some packages (mixture of returns & gifts for family members I didn’t see over Christmas)

Julie

1. Finish marking.
2. Teaching prep
3. Research: at least one day on article.
4. Evaluate proposals for summer workshop (committee meeting Tuesday)
5. Exercise: run x 3, pilates x 1, walk other days.
6. Start some travel planning.

2025 Session 1, Week 2

 

Hope everyone has had a good week. Here it has been extremely cold by UK standards. We had snow last weekend followed by rain, before the temperatures dropped, leaving patches of snow that were frozen solid and ice everywhere else. It's been a week of beautiful winter days: cold, frosty but bright sunshine. I've been outside every day, if only briefly some days, just to soak it up. I love bright cold days much more than mild but damp or foggy.

Today's prompt is the not very original one of thinking about light and how we can find as much of it as possible to get through the winter, when many of us feel low energy. The photo above is from a walk yesterday to a nearby ruined medieval priory. I didn't capture the light on the frosty ground as well as I wanted, but hopefully you get the idea. Ideally I would have captured sunrise or sunset, but that would have taken too much planning.

So feel free to share similar photos, or to tell us about how you find light at the moment. Do you get to see sunrise or sunset on the way from/to home? Does the light come into your study or office at a particular time of day? Do you have a favourite place to sit where the light is good?

Last week's goals:

JaneB

1) SELF-CARE (recovery and self-kindness)
* habits: something creative, D&D, read a novel plus three chapters of crusades book, intentional movement 15 minutes x 3 days, a social thing (a long thank you/catching up letter to an old friend)
* Specific things - make a PLAN for reading the autistic self-care book
2) HOUSE-LIFE CARE
* 75% or more of the weekly minimal chores, tidy up the upstairs landing
3) TEACHING AND ADMIN
* marking - first year report (all), start second year essay
* go through coming semester and make teaching preparation plan
* stay in my lane!
* read some papers and a chapter for senior grad student if possible (may not complete because...)
* read a whole thesis and write a report for an external examination of a PhD (due later this week)
4) RESEARCH
* go through all my emails and make a plan!

Dame Eleanor

- keep working on revisions to a chapter
- do some scholarly reading
- attend three meetings, one in-person
- process at least 4 grad applications
- draft syllabus
- gym x5, swim x3, yoga x5

Susan

1. Revise lecture, make sure slides are right, practice it
2. Start next round of edits to Famous Author, especially since I figured out how to do references. (It's being published as a trade book, and accessibility is key.)
3. Recover from my time at big discipline conference in the city of my birth...
4. Get going on exercise goals
5. Do something fun on the weekend, don't just panic.

Daisy

Exercise 4 times
Start sample archive project
Sample processing
First week’s lectures and labs
Meet grad students and make term plans

Heu Mihi

1. Make a good start on the essay: Aim for a messy 3000 words (I started the week at about 1200 from the abstract and notes, so this isn't un-doable)
2. Write up a paragraph for this administrative thing
3. Write and send my response to the readers' reports
4. Finish reviewing graduate applications
5. Exercise x 6, sit x whatever I can manage

Contingent Cassandra

--Prepare to group discussion that is at least tangentially related to study leave project; write related publicity and outreach emails
--Keep up with exercise to the extent that weather allows
--Do something new/different/active

Julie

1. Research - at least 2 days on article.
2. Draft exam questions by Wednesday.
3. Carry on marking.
4. Christmas decorations away, tidy up house, do one financial thing, book opticians' appointments for kids.
5. Catch up on a TV series with kids.

2025 Session 1, Week 1

The Three Magi, Byzantine mosaic c. 565 from Ravenna, Creative Commons, chosen for no other reason than that I liked it (and thought the medievalists might)

 Happy New Year, everyone and welcome to the first session of 2025! There won't be a theme as such, as I don't have the imagination and creative streak of other session hosts. Instead, I will make things up as I go along, with prompts vaguely inspired by particular dates, the seasons changing, and any other random ideas that come along.

For this first session, please feel free to introduce yourselves, especially anyone new (we would love new people to join), and post some goals for the session and for this first week back. Following the pattern of previous sessions, we'll run for 14 weeks, which takes us up to w/c 7th April. Hopefully that works for people. It fits very nicely with (school) term dates here.

If people would like a prompt for the session, today is the eve of Epiphany. In Spain, where half my family is from, Epiphany is the day for gifts, traditionally brought by the three Kings. The evening before, the kings process through the streets and kids go out to meet them. So let's think about gifts. In the absence of strange men bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh, we may have to be the givers as well as the receivers. What can you gift yourself this session? Doesn't have to be a pile of money, incense or soothing oils, though all of those sound nice, and doesn't have to be three things, but something that fits with being kind to yourself as we slog through winter.

Best wishes for 2025!

 Hello everyone!

Just wanted to pop in and send everyone all the best for 2025, may it be filled with joy and peace and fun!

Hope your holiday season has been restorative even with the inevitable ups and downs, and that you have had plenty of time with friends, family, cats, good books, and many cups of tea!

Daisy