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.
How I did:
ReplyDelete1. Really finish and submit article. - YES
2. Grant application: check requirements for this stage, make plan, contact possible referees. - YES, YES, NO
3. Teaching prep: keep minimal. - YES
4. Review form for meeting with Head of Department. - YES
5. Book remaining travel for Easter. - YES
6. Life admin: put dates in calendar, cash a cheque. -YES
It should have been a good week, since I had very little teaching and nearly three days free to work on the grant application. But I've been fighting a cold, and I'm finding the longer version of the grant unexpectedly hard to write, plus I'm stressing about who to ask to be referees, as I've been off people's radar for the last few years...
This week:
1. Teaching prep, keep minimal.
2. Work on grant for at least a day.
3. Write abstract for contribution to edited volume.
4. Admin stuff.
5. Feedback on two grant proposals.
6. Read book for book club on Friday.
7. Small house jobs: clean nesting box and buy new bird feeder, clear out some drawers.
I'm sorry about the cold! Have some virtual hot lemonade with whisky. Re referees, they will be glad to hear from you and know that you are getting back into the swing of things!
DeleteJust going to second the fact that if they are people you know, they will be pleased to hear from you. And if they don't know why you've been less active the past few years a one sentence summary (You may not know that...) will be all they need. Anyway, your proposal is SO GOOD that they will be thrilled with it!
DeleteCongratulations on finishing the article! That is worth celebrating for sure.
DeleteGood luck with the new busy week and reviewer emails!
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ReplyDeleteI was not familiar with Persephone Books, so thank you for introducing me! Lots of enticing possibilities in their list, and I love the snowdrop images, especially the Dresser tile design.
ReplyDeleteSnowdrops actually are one of the things I watch for as an indication of spring, though some varieties have started showing up in December in my area during the last decade or two. Crocuses, daffodils, forsythia, and violets are also important seasonal markers for me. My father’s mother planted snowdrops in the yard of his childhood home, where they were apparently very happy, since they multiplied quite a bit. In memory of that, and because the anniversary of my father’s death falls during (or maybe, depending on the year and the progress of climate change) snowdrop season, I’ve planted some bulbs on his grave (followed by crocus, so one or the other generally blooms for his death anniversary). I haven’t seen any shoots yet, but I also haven’t checked for a few weeks (though it’s relatively easy to do; he’s buried in the cemetery that surrounds the church I attend). We had a real freeze in January this year, which is probably slowing things; it’s also possible that I need to refresh the planting, since the cemetery maintenance crew sometimes weed-whacks the foliage prematurely, which tends to weaken the bulbs.
I have a spring birthday, which means that I have a rather clear sense of what should be blooming around that date. I went to college several hundred miles north of where I grew up, and definitely noticed the different timing of milestone blooms. These days, I’m back in the same area where I grew up, but noticing that various things are blooming earlier, and/or, in some cases, very briefly, because the weather often gets much warmer much more quickly. I’m definitely appreciating weather that feels more like a real winter this year. At the same time, I find myself reading books and articles on “bulbs for the south” (aka regions where the weather has historically been more like the weather my region is getting now), looking especially for daffodils that will be happier in our changing climate.
Goals for last week:
--Continue making as much progress as possible on setting up site to hold study leave project documents
Genuine progress. I need to work out one more thing and then I can start adding documents (at which point I’ll be able to figure out how/whether things like displaying images of uploaded files and the transcription interface work – or not).
--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.
1 medium-length walk and some stretching/body weight exercises; no formal weight-lifting.
--Continue trying to figure out workable daily/weekly routines, starting with establishing an end of day/bedtime routine.
Some progress.
--Take advantage of upcoming spell of warmer weather to complete some gardening tasks that got interrupted by cold snap
Done. The most complete achievement for the week.
-- Continue work on packing up & mailing packages (mixture of returns & gifts for family members I didn’t see over Christmas)
Some progress: some packing accomplished; still need to mail.
--Make travel and lodging reservations for upcoming conference; contact friends in conference city
Found a good price on what looks like a nice older/historic hotel convenient to the conference site and also realized that the local historic society has some documents I’d like to consult, which should fit nicely into the day the conference begins if I take an early train; still need train reservations (and need to email friends I’d like to see before I make the train reservation, since that may depend on when they’re free).
Reflection:
DeleteLooking at the above, it was actually a reasonably productive week, all things considered. The medical procedures were definitely an interruption/energy and time drain (and I’m still waiting for results), and between that schedule disruption (and the need for a bit of recovery), wildly fluctuating weather, and wanting to make use of what good weather there was to complete gardening tasks, I definitely got off my exercise routine, though I did manage one very pleasant walk. But I got the gardening tasks done, and I’m definitely making slow but sure progress on the study leave site.
Goals for the coming week:
Delete--Work out the one thing that still needs to be solved before I can begin adding documents to study leave site and add at least one document.
--Assuming that adding a document doesn’t reveal additional issues to be solved (e.g. with display of files), begin setting up/testing transcription function, including creating test user account(s).
--Attend virtual transcription event
--Contact friends in conference city; make train reservation; make historical society reservation
--Get back into pattern of movement: lift weights 3x, regular stretching/body weight exercises, walking and/or stair climb as weather allows (apparently we’ve got another spell of stormy cold weather coming)
--Continue trying to figure out workable daily/weekly routines, starting with establishing an end of day/bedtime routine.
--Mail things I’ve packed; pack some more
--If at all possible, do some work on taxes
I hope you get good medical results! The gardening tasks sound nice and restorative.
DeleteYour discussion of spring bulbs makes me miss the southern new England climate I used to live in!
DeleteI also love daffodils and crocuses (croci?). We have lots in our garden. Also hyacinths. I bought myself one last week for the scent - it didn't last long, but it was lovely while it did.
DeleteHistorically, in my part of the world we don't see significant signs of spring till April, but it has been a mostly mild winter so far, so who knows? I enjoy watching the visible light get longer every day, and a couple of times this week I was up early enough to see the sunrise.
ReplyDeleteI think with most of last week's goals I need to say "'barely' counts, right?" but with that caveat, I've done pretty well, though once again I didn't really think through the week's commitments when I posted goals. The research goals were met this morning . . . .
How I did:
- keep working on revisions to a chapter: YES, about 300 words
- start slides for at least one conference paper: YES, 2 slides
- do some scholarly reading, take notes on the last book: YES, NO
- process at least 4 grad applications: YES (8!!)
- write and post more assignments, post links or files for reading: YES
- gym x4, swim x2, yoga x5: YES.
- Basement Cat to vet: YES. He is doing very well! Such a relief.
ALSO: baked cake for my husband's birthday, served as chauffeur for his night out with friends (dinner at restaurant, dessert at their house), paid bills, sent a couple of e-mails I should have sent months ago, got acquainted with the MLA database's new interface, attended an online Zoom talk.
A result of one of those e-mails is that we will have to wait a year for a foreign trip we were planning with friends, because their first grandchild is supposed to arrive in May, the month we meant to travel. (I hope they don't wind up with another one in 2026 . . .) But that does free up a little more time to work on the two June conference papers.
New goals:
- keep working on revisions to a chapter
- continue work on slides for at least one conference paper
- do some scholarly reading, take notes on the last book
- process at least 4 grad applications (maybe finish?)
- student conferences
- meet with grads
- gym x4, swim x2, yoga x5
- start putting together materials for the Revised Thing
Any research goals met is a win, even if notbon the original timeline, right? It all counts! Hope the week is going well.
DeleteI think more than 'barely counts'!
DeleteSigns of spring: The birds start singing as early as New Year's, and even though most of winter is still before us at that point, it's such a beautiful reminder of the coming new life. Sometime later this month, the sun will suddenly come in through the kitchen window, and it's all downhill into warmth and light from there. (Or so I tell myself: April snowstorms are pretty common around here!)
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1. Find a total of 3 hours to work on book MS. - YES, and made good progress on the problematic chapter 1.
2. Read 2 more chapters of research book (really 1.5, since I'm halfway through one). - YES, finally!
3. One set of inversions. - NO; I kept pushing this back until it was supposed to happen on Sunday, and then I didn't feel at all well (feverish, chills, aches; stomach issues which may be related to whatever the fever was OR to Friday's mega-dose of vitamin B12).
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 - Yes, began, no, yes, yes (on Monday, but fine), yes, I guess? It's still there/it came back.
5. Exercise. Work in at least a tiny little bit of meditation. Have lunch with a friend. - Yes; no because snow closed everything down on our lunch day.
This week:
We leave on Thursday night for the city from which we will fly to Costa Rica on Friday morning, so it's short and intense! I'll NOT put all the getting-ready-to-travel things on here, because those things will just need to happen.
1. Research: Finish reading that book (1 more chapter!); reread chapter 1 edits and enter them into the document (also enter Intro and Preface edits)
2. Finish scheduling online teaching workshop (finding a date is proving difficult)
3. Process journal revision #2
4. Work on organizing Big Giant Event with Famous Writer (happening in April)
5. Two sets of inversions????
Have a great trip!
DeleteMore light always helps! I hope you have a great time in Costa Rica. Microsoft has been showing me a picture of the CR coast lately, and it looks lovely.
DeleteYay for trip! Hope it is fabulous!
DeleteOoh, enjoy Costa Rica! My sister-in-law lived there for a while and loved it.
DeleteThis week I wasn't on campus today (Monday) so I have a spoon or two left to do a TLQ entry this week! Signs of spring - well, the days get longer, so one part of the commute or the other is partially in the light, that's nice. In the UK now the upset of the seasons is such that a lot of "signs of spring" type flowers and stuff are actually quite stressful for me - and I tend to get seasonal depression in later Spring/early summer rather than winter so all in all Spring competes with summer as my least favourite season, but I do enjoy the returning light. Oh, and lambs! New lambs are just delightful even if I'm in a horrible mood!
ReplyDeleteLAST WEEK:
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 yes (birthday card for my dad), yes, yes, 2 days, no
* 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 oops.
we'll leave that there.
2) HOUSE-LIFE CARE
* 75% or more of the weekly minimal chores, tidy up the upstairs landing no, no
* acquire gifts, make card, send package for Dad's birthday yes all done
3) TEACHING AND ADMIN
* prepare teaching for next week & do ViLE stuff yes, mostly
* finish comments on full draft for MRes student yes. PHEW. this should be the last time... until they start turning this into a paper
4) RESEARCH
* prepare forrescheduled project meeting yes (cunning multi-tasking - for my third year project students, I use some class time as "writing retreat" time - and model expectations by also working on my writing. I got 1000 words of rationale and methods for an experiment which is enough to count as my contribution)
* read/comment on latest version of the paper that never, ever ends no, but that was a choice because my brain had gone offline so...
* be on the ball for grad student meetings hopefully I was!
THIS WEEK:
This week is a lighter week, but a bit of a mixter-maxter - tomorrow is a LONG day (9+ hours on campus, with commute on top, AND playing D&D), then Wednesday and Thursday should be shorter days, then Friday I have a Drs appointment - routine, but still an extra Thing. I don't have much to either prepare or mark this week which is nice. But over the course of today several meetings have appeared this week and next which, sigh, need preparation.
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
2) HOUSE-LIFE CARE
* 75% or more of the weekly minimal chores, tidy up the upstairs landing - these should be this week's top priority as it's a lighter work week...
3) TEACHING AND ADMIN
* prepare teaching for next week & do ViLE stuff
* comments on Very Long chapter for senior grad student
* planning meeting with new MRes student
4) RESEARCH
* read/comment on latest version of the paper that never, ever ends
* if possible, spend an hour on reading/writing for vague grant idea
* be on the ball for grad student meetings
I love the way you use writing time in class for your own work! I love it when I can do that. I hope this week goes well!
DeleteWhat is it with meetings and the way they spawn?? They always seem to crop up just when one was happily contemplating a week or a day without them . . .
DeleteThat class writing assignment is brilliant, I am going to try that some time! Hope the level of meetings this week stays mostly u der control!
DeleteI've thought about in-class writing before, but always worried students would feel cheated out of teaching. But maybe I'll try to incorporate it in future. 9+ hours on campus sounds brutal, hope you survive.
DeleteSpring here is stunning, but it does not arrive until at least April. The first signs of spring here are crocus flowers. Daffodils and other things take quite a bit longer. My favourite spring spot is a farmhouse on my way home that has a huge carpet of blue star flowers in early May, it is gorgeous. In May there are also peach and apple orchards in bloom, pinks and whites everywhere, love those! Somewhat relater, those Mary Delaney flowers are amazing, I’ve gone and looked for some of her other work to admire…
ReplyDeleteLast week’s goals
URGENT Student thesis stuff – if I do nothing else at least do this… GOOD START!
Conference prep with students DONE
Campus visit, not really a goal, but whatever… DONE
Exercise 3 times NOPE, ONE WALK…
I did ok for the week, nothing extra got done but the conference was good and all the students were really well prepared. This week is a mess. I am doing a program review (2 days) and we have another campus visit (2 days) so I’m sticking with thesis stuff as the only real research-adjacent goals. Everything else can wait.
This week’s goals
URGENT Student thesis stuff continued…
Midterms, set/give/mark…
Review
Visit
Exercise twice maybe?
I'm glad the conference went well! You're in an excellent climate for bulb flowers.
DeleteHope this week is ok, it sounds intense!
DeleteSigns of spring: I'm not entirely sure here, but trees are beginning to bloom. In the place I normally live, we'd be seeing almond and peach blossoms around now. But there are spring flowers out, though the roses are still in their bare, pruned, naked state. In My Favorite Library's desert garden, the cacti are all happily blooming. The desert garden is weird and wonderful, and I love it in February.
ReplyDeleteGoals from last week:
Vacation/ have fun: Yes. A friend was visiting from the east coast, the national park was gorgeous, and we enjoyed time together. I am sufficiently curmudgeonly that I am glad they have now departed!
Looking forward, I realize that finishing the book ms has me a bit at loose ends, so I need to take this week to get back into my research mojo.
Goals for the week ahead:
-Catch up with email and everything that slid last week
-review ms for journal
-plan for next month or so of work
-figure out paper that was just accepted for March conference
-get back into exercise pattern
-return to healthy eating
-get good sleep
I'll keep looking for signs of spring, too!
So glad that your vacation trip was fun!
DeleteFinishing a book is huge, I think a bit of time at loose ends is a good mental break before diving into something new.
Desert flowers are fascinating!
I think loose ends is to be expected after completing something that big. Glad the trip was good.
Delete