tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post8443972863367263851..comments2024-03-29T00:34:24.152+00:00Comments on Top Left Quadrant: June-August Journey Week 5JaneBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17779448611795379774noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-5442793908446383302018-07-15T16:33:08.043+01:002018-07-15T16:33:08.043+01:00Hey, getting a DONE on something as all-encompassi...Hey, getting a DONE on something as all-encompassing as number 4 is still a great achievement! Own it! (and maybe have an extra scoop of ice-cream/glass of G&T/whatever your go to it's summer treat is as well)JaneBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17779448611795379774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-26403241947508981612018-07-15T16:31:46.520+01:002018-07-15T16:31:46.520+01:00External people are such a pain! Empathy...External people are such a pain! Empathy...JaneBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17779448611795379774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-49900379055658347382018-07-15T16:30:15.251+01:002018-07-15T16:30:15.251+01:00I think this is a HUGE advantage that academic par...I think this is a HUGE advantage that academic parents have - good parenting forces you to spend some time at a different pace and in a simpler world. And "society" is fine with you doing that. As a single solo, I kind of feel required to hide that I spent a few hours playing legos, unless I borrowed my neice or at the least had a friend over!JaneBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17779448611795379774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-57231385519872368742018-07-15T16:28:02.480+01:002018-07-15T16:28:02.480+01:00I like to think of my projects as critters I want ...I like to think of my projects as critters I want to spend time with, as... not entirely passive objects, but active creations.<br /><br />All the "F" named papers are from Project F (which employed Former Post Doc F, or PDF, for several years) which I think will be with me until I retire, quit or die in harness at this rate :-( - I've tried to choose names I want to spend time with for that. Ferret - I really like mustelids, they are small and fierce and independent and charming and playful, and Ferret SHOULD have been a fun, easy paper (sigh. Co-authors). Foxes are amazing adaptors and fit into the modern world just as well as the wildwood - Foxy hopes to slide some pretty basic science into a high-octane part of the field which is to my mind more show than substance. Picky paper needs precise thinking to produce the best paper it can be, but will (hopefully!) persuade a certain group of side-liners to be LESS picky about the methods we choose. Touchy is assessing how reactive a simulation is to small changes in inputs - so sometimes it takes wild offense at a tiny thing and produces way-out-there results. Gallimaufrey review involves a lot of people, with co-authors from four continents, and at least half-again as many opinions, and I like saying the word Gallimaufrey.<br /><br />The only issue I have is that these names get too attached to the project in my head and sometimes I say to former-PDF "any news about Ferret?" and then have to back-track and cover up! She knows I sometimes find it hard to word, she still likes to remind me about the "I need a yellow writey thing" incident (I needed a pencil and my brain was focused on a science problem, and the phrase did eventually get me a pencil, so... Yellow because the cheap brand the university supplies is yellow-coated in both wood-cased and mechanical forms for those who were wondering).JaneBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17779448611795379774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-1423119950354042782018-07-15T16:17:18.238+01:002018-07-15T16:17:18.238+01:00That is a very good description of my projects! G...That is a very good description of my projects! Gallimaufrey in particular has fangs and talons from the corner of one's eye but is all fluffy and adorable viewed straight on.<br /><br />The late lamented Furball's "house name" was Squeaky due to her somewhat rusty and inadequate vocalisations (she had a purr, a tiny squeaky gate rusty miaow, a "musical grumble" and a full-on siamese-style multi-tonal "wooooooooaaaaaaoooouuoonnnnnggg", but no mew or meow), the naming part of my brain just doesn't... run along normal lines.JaneBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17779448611795379774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-7371505569714801172018-07-15T12:59:47.111+01:002018-07-15T12:59:47.111+01:00Its been a bit of a struggle to get back into writ...Its been a bit of a struggle to get back into writing mode now that I am home. This happens every time I get sucked out of writing and then have to re-enter- I go through several days of uncomfortable tension, of not wanting to write, of only wanting to organize thoughts, or outline, or read, etc, etc. Then I finally write and its a relief. Hoping that day is today!oceangirl101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-22569568620949757172018-07-15T12:56:51.399+01:002018-07-15T12:56:51.399+01:00Thanks to both of you for your support. It does he...Thanks to both of you for your support. It does help to hear from others that this process (caring for elderly parents, aunts etc.) is time consuming and that the time we lose caring for them is acceptable collateral damage. I never really had grandparents or others to watch age, they all died when I was young. So its new territory to travel and emotionally and physically exhausting at times, but necessary too. oceangirl101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-90589809393076060012018-07-14T23:15:43.498+01:002018-07-14T23:15:43.498+01:00Congratulations on the R&R! That’s very good n...Congratulations on the R&R! That’s very good news. I’m glad you’re hanging in through the family stuff, and I hope it gets easier with practice rather than harder as your nerves wear down.Dame Eleanor Hullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375888639449362655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-25836563950520880182018-07-14T23:13:27.376+01:002018-07-14T23:13:27.376+01:00I’m refusing to have colonoscopies. No family hist...I’m refusing to have colonoscopies. No family history, no symptoms, so I’m just not up for it as a screening thing. Dame Eleanor Hullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375888639449362655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-61951843784569358962018-07-14T23:11:14.845+01:002018-07-14T23:11:14.845+01:00The garage is done. It’s the garden where work was...The garage is done. It’s the garden where work was minimal.Dame Eleanor Hullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375888639449362655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-33043874201399549482018-07-14T20:56:40.208+01:002018-07-14T20:56:40.208+01:00Yes, I need to jettison some things. The good news...Yes, I need to jettison some things. The good news is that I found out yesterday that the article I submitted in May got an R & R with generally positive reader reports! This is my first R & R with good potential for publication! However, they need revisions by August 15th. I don’t return home until July 24th, and there will be competing obligations, so I think I need to clear some decks.<br /><br />Mostly, I think I need to jettison the fiction writing goals related to item #1 and change that to REVISE ARTICLE, and I might need to switch up the reading goals. I’ll keep the health and household goals. <br /><br />Goals from two weeks ago:<br />1) Keep working on healthful-ish food choices. Look for fiber and veggies on menus.<br />2) Write short story (eep!)<br />3) Do daily push ups and squats (10 of each)<br />4) Move like water / float like mist (but also be willing to be the stone in the river sometimes?) as I enter the intense family time that will begin on Friday (double eep!)<br /><br />HA! #4 took everything I had, so that’s the only one I can call DONE. <br /><br />Since it’s Saturday, I’ll wait until the next post to include goals.<br />Good Enough Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16531793545583712309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-70631726499600882018-07-14T20:36:06.317+01:002018-07-14T20:36:06.317+01:00With a wedding and a move this summer, you have a ...With a wedding and a move this summer, you have a lot going on! In those situations, regular habits are comforting and helpful to self-care but, potentially, difficult to come by. I usually let big events (and even small ones) up-end just about all of my routines. I hope that you're either able to keep your routines or find a way to "move like water" when you can't. It sounds wise to think carefully about workload and deadlines.<br /><br />I hope you have a great week!Good Enough Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16531793545583712309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-28579616183362610242018-07-14T20:29:03.842+01:002018-07-14T20:29:03.842+01:00The "do less / do more" paradox is exact...The "do less / do more" paradox is exactly it. I think I have to approach it like a teeter-totter--alternating which I do. Still, we all know the ways teeter-totters can go wrong.<br />Good Enough Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16531793545583712309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-27500203130216291902018-07-14T20:25:35.176+01:002018-07-14T20:25:35.176+01:00I hope the colonoscopy prep and procedure went wel...I hope the colonoscopy prep and procedure went well. I'm facing my first one this fall, so I sympathize!Good Enough Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16531793545583712309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-54256686313887453502018-07-14T20:24:24.748+01:002018-07-14T20:24:24.748+01:00Asking for space and quiet can be surprisingly dif...Asking for space and quiet can be surprisingly difficult but can be so necessary.<br /><br />I will echo the others on the cleaning help. Our cleaners just do surface stuff every two weeks, but even that helps my husband and I feel like we are, at least somewhat, keeping things together.Good Enough Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16531793545583712309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-58967572397318214402018-07-14T20:21:17.093+01:002018-07-14T20:21:17.093+01:00Huzzah for the translation review! And, really, fo...Huzzah for the translation review! And, really, for having a good TLQ week overall!<br /><br />(I have garage cleaning in my future, so I am inspired by your progress even if it's minimal.)Good Enough Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16531793545583712309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-72137679457470070782018-07-12T19:28:33.210+01:002018-07-12T19:28:33.210+01:00Here's what OceanGirl wrote on 10 July: "...Here's what OceanGirl wrote on 10 July: "I had to go out of town to engineer getting my Mom's sister into Memory Care. She was being resistant. So my goals this week were to get her agreeable to moving in, to meet with the Memory Care facility to make sure they have space, and to start behind the scenes work to get all the admitting paperwork done. On the work front, I printed out Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (latter is only partially completed) of the book to copy edit while I am gone. On health/balance front, my hope was to work out 3x a week and to get a massage. I managed to meet all my goals but the book copy editing has been slow- I finished c. 20 pages of full edits on Ch 6 and started copy editing the foreign words (glottal stops, italics) in each chapter."<br /><br />I would say that in the circumstances, you did fantastically well, and I envy your powers of concentration.Dame Eleanor Hullhttp://dameeleanorhull.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-46539167531881797552018-07-12T19:24:13.537+01:002018-07-12T19:24:13.537+01:00I must do my own back stretching; that bit that af...I must do my own back stretching; that bit that affects my ankle is acting up again. You make an excellent point that doing a little is still worthwhile.Dame Eleanor Hullhttp://dameeleanorhull.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-40379039539884034922018-07-12T19:22:33.775+01:002018-07-12T19:22:33.775+01:00I'll go back and look at your earlier posts; t...I'll go back and look at your earlier posts; thanks for pointing them out. I agree with Susan: it's very hard, much harder than it seems like it "should" be in terms of time etc. My mother had Parkinson's that included dementia, and my dad is now in assisted living (which is a step up from the nursing home where he spent the winter), not to memory care yet, but that will likely come up eventually. Take care of yourself, and if it helps, you have my permission to write off the time and vegetables as acceptable collateral damage.Dame Eleanor Hullhttp://dameeleanorhull.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-54300136711058187172018-07-12T19:18:59.869+01:002018-07-12T19:18:59.869+01:00"Mostly" and "sort of" answers..."Mostly" and "sort of" answers show that you are making progress! Take all the wins you can get. Reach must exceed grasp, or what's a heaven for?Dame Eleanor Hullhttp://dameeleanorhull.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-11288835597706027472018-07-12T19:17:12.786+01:002018-07-12T19:17:12.786+01:00You're doing fine. You have 58 awesome weeks t...You're doing fine. You have 58 awesome weeks to go! There will be time for writing and practicing. Right now, your trip west is quite reasonably your main focus; you need to prepare for it physically, mentally, and logistically. So put your energy there. After the trip you will be refreshed and in a good position to get back to work and home/garden tasks.Dame Eleanor Hullhttp://dameeleanorhull.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-74096109139353382922018-07-12T19:09:05.006+01:002018-07-12T19:09:05.006+01:00Oof! I would think that with 26 projects, you woul...Oof! I would think that with 26 projects, you <i>would</i> have to spend a lot of time on project management. I find it hard enough to deal with two or three projects. And certainly being a dumping ground for other people's unhappiness is very draining. I was much struck by this quotation from a Psychology Today article, which Clarissa posted on her blog: "One of the kindest things you can do for the people you love is to develop more emotional autonomy. Managing your own emotions, anxieties, and feelings of self-worth gives other people back their lives." <br /><br />I wish there were a store where one could buy emotional Gore-Tex.Dame Eleanor Hullhttp://dameeleanorhull.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-10414201412235341912018-07-12T14:39:40.784+01:002018-07-12T14:39:40.784+01:00I am super late to the party!
Last week:
1) Revis...I am super late to the party!<br /><br />Last week:<br />1) Revise the results and introduction section for Aim 1 paper - NOT DONE<br />2) Revise the results for a marriage recognition paper - NOT DONE<br />3) Draft IRB for new grant (yay! it's a small grant to do some piloting with my own sample!). DONE<br /><br />Last week was challenging because I felt like priorities got shifted by external people. So instead of focusing on my work, I felt pressed to focus on others'. I decided to make a list of all of my projects and separated them by my projects and other people's projects (my mentor did not like these categorizations, oddly enough!). I counted that I am currently juggling 26 research projects. No wonder I feel overwhelmed constantly and never feel like I am making any progress! <br /><br />This week has been challenging in another way - I feel like I am having interactions with people in which they just dump their bad feelings onto me. For example - we decided we wanted to do a survey of postdocs to learn what our needs and concerns are. I took the lead and spent a TON of time on making the survey, programming the survey into qualtrics, beta testing it, haranguing everyone till they completed the survey, analyzing the data, and writing the report. One postdoc in the group isn't technically in our school, but gets included in things. They asked if they should still do the survey -and I said, "Yes! Please do!" After I got all the data, I realized I should only report their data in some parts of the report. I let them know that so that they weren't surprised when they read the report, and they wrote back that they felt like I had disrespected them and their time by having them do the survey. I apologized and then they wrote back that they accepted my apology and felt better for having expressed their feelings to me. Well, that's great for them! But like - I spent a ton of time on the survey and I did it because I want to help make things better for all of us. I wanted them to complete it so that all voices were incorporated. WTF?<br /><br />Anyway, it has been a week full of stuff like that where I get blindsided by people's unhappiness (including my roommate last night). <br /><br />Thanks for letting me vent. Goals for this week are focused on trying to get some of my 26 projects off my plate. Sometimes I feel like most of my time is spent on project management - is this typical? It's exhausting.<br />This week:<br />1. Take stock of journal review project and email team<br />2. Take stock of where we are for august presentations and make a plan<br />3. Take stock of PTSD paper and make a plan<br />4. Take stock of YRBS paper and draft intro<br />5. Circle back with VA suicide team<br />Waffleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10529248813060681101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-29031379891275378412018-07-12T00:03:32.946+01:002018-07-12T00:03:32.946+01:00I'm sorry you're dealing with that -- it&#...I'm sorry you're dealing with that -- it's really hard. (My mother has had a stroke, and is in assisted living, so I know...)<br />Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716705206734059708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-41917355202393316382018-07-11T18:32:07.119+01:002018-07-11T18:32:07.119+01:00I had a bust of a week. Here's what I'd p...I had a bust of a week. Here's what I'd put on my list:<br />1. Exercise. One good bike ride, one good hike.<br />2. Weed the damned garden AS IF!<br />3. Write 5 pages Nope, alas.<br />4. Practice Some... but not every day...<br />5. Finish scrapbook. One thing done!<br /><br /><br />This week is half over, but I feel like I need to restart my sabbatical now. So that's what I'm going to put.<br /><br /><br />1. Exercise.<br />2. Weed the damned garden<br />3. Write 5 pages<br />4. Practice<br />5. Plan trip out west!Bardiachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11846065504793800266noreply@blogger.com