the grid

the grid

Saturday, 10 May 2025

Midyear session 2025 week 0

Hello there! It seems like time to have some announcement of a new session. I hope things have been going well during the time since the last "real" session wound up (and thanks to Susan for doing the intersession posts). The end of my term seemed like a mad scramble, and I dropped some small balls like sending congratulatory e-mails to students who won awards, but all the big stuff got done (so far as I can tell . . .) and I've just attended graduation. 

JaneB and I both offered to host for the summer, but we've had no further discussion of whether we're sharing or what. That's one reason to have a Week Zero. Another is that you may just be finishing up a term, or not yet done, or have done so a few weeks ago and be on holiday; one way or another, you might want some time to think about goals for the next session, rather than starting right in.

I'm thinking of a cooking/recipe theme for this session, both literal and metaphorical. On the metaphorical level, at Week Zero we don't even have a meal plan, just a mass of ingredients: staples in the cupboards, stuff in the fridge that needs to be used up, some bags of groceries that someone else shopped for, through which we're searching for what we need and finding various things we didn't put on the list ourselves. 

So, stop by in the comments to introduce yourselves and give us some idea of the ingredients you're working with this time. Next week we can think about the actual meals we need to produce/goals for the next few months! Right now, it's just "What's on your plate?" or "Oh dear, here's this Jerusalem artichoke I'm going to have to do something with." Feel free also to make suggestions about how long this session should run, though I'm thinking of winding up around mid-August. 

Newbies or returners very welcome! Come hang around the kitchen and have a drink while we take inventory of the ingredients.

Tuesday, 29 April 2025

Intersession week 4

 Sorry for the late posting -- a friend was visiting over the weekend and I had NO TIME!  

But, since we did lots of fun things, tell us one fun thing you did in the last week, something that gave you pleasure.

Goals from last week:

JaneB

- mark three final year projects and at least two questions from first year short answer quiz
- get caught up on dishes
- read an entire novel and an entire non-fiction book as a MINIMUM

Daisy

ALL the admin things - I have a two-page list...
Finish all grading
Read new thesis chapters
Do a bunch of analytical work for upcoming talk/paper (THIS IS IMPORTANT!)

Susan 

1. Finish restructure of chap 6/7 into 6/7/8
2. At least look at Epilogue and think about how to split (this is less difficult)
3. Do Conference submission
4. Finish expenses
5. Weights x2, Yoga x1, walk x 2
6. Enjoy activities with friend from home who is visiting this weekend.


Monday, 21 April 2025

Intersession week 3

 Posting a bit late, as I got caught up in cleaning the house and making dinner for some friends.  

I hope everyone had a good Easter/ holiday weekend.  Did you get a chocolate Easter egg or Easter bunny? Is it as good as the one you imagined?  

Goals from last week:

Contingent Cassandra

--Continue recovery, including completing assigned PT exercises, adding back in walking and other leg-focused exercises as feels appropriate, humming and other gentle vocalization
--Continue leisure reading
--Write/submit at least brief written comment re: DEI resolution
--Maybe a bit of drawer and/or paper sorting if I'm feeling up to it

heu mihi

This week:
1) Read 4 more chapters of the manuscript (let's be ambitious)
2) Request or track down library books for abstract due 5/30
3) Process journal revision
4) Read honors thesis draft
5) Stay on top of grad student's exam prep documents
6) Finish fundraiser emails (probably with the help of a colleague who's much better at this kind of thing!)

Ughh I want everything to be DONNNNNNNE.

Susan

1. 2 more chapters at least. With luck, figure out the 3rd, which I need to split
2. 2 image requests
3. Do panel submission for conference
4. One more set of expenses
5. Weights x 2, Yoga x 2, walk

Monday, 14 April 2025

Intersession, Week 2

 I don't know about everyone else, but now I need to buy myself some easter candy (I think I'm more of a bunny person than an egg person, but no one buys them for me, so it becomes one more way to take care of myself!

I hope people have had a good week, and Contingent Cassandra's surgery was as uneventful as possible (or just having the expected events, anyway).  And I know some people are on holiday this week, so I hope you enjoy it!  

If you feel like it when you check in, tell us one nice thing that happened this week.

Articulated goals from last week:

Susan

1. Revisions of at least next two chapters of Famous Author. If there is time after doing 2-4, start on the third.
2. Request at least 2 of the needed images for Famous Author
3. Do the Panel Submission for next year's conference.
4. Do at least one set of expenses.
5. Weights x 2, yoga x 2, walking

Daisy

A thesis defence and resulting corrections
Exam marking
Grant application to finish

heu mihi

1) Send off Alignment essay (or whatever I'm calling it)
2) Read intro + 2 chapters of the manuscript I'm reviewing (it has 12 chapters, so they're short)
3) Look into building permit for our new deck
4) Draft emails for fundraiser

Contingent Cassandra

--Get through surgery and begin recovery
--Do a bit of leisure reading
--If I'm feeling up to it, follow and participate in campus discussions of current issues (including an anti-DEI resolution coming up on the docket for one of our governing board's committees next week)

Julie

Enjoy holiday without laptop!

JaneB

Wait for goals


Monday, 7 April 2025

NOT REALLY A SESSION WEEK 1

 So this is very informal for those of us who find it helpful to keep setting goals.

For this week, please let me know how long you think this will be helpful -- through April? Mid-May? 

If you want to set session goals, do, but I'm just thinking this is more just a weekly thing. 

Anyway, what's on your desk for this week? 

Sunday, 6 April 2025

2025, Session 1, Week 14: the end. Easter eggs!

So this is the last week of the session, dictated by my kids' school term and our imminent holiday on Saturday, but I know it's not quite the end for everyone else. So I'll post everyone's session goals below so people can do the usual reflection on what worked/didn't work, in the knowledge that there can be an extension to the session if anyone wants to keep going. Feel free to post goals for this final week or weeks, maybe with an eye to 'parking on a downhill slope' for the next session.

Dame Eleanor asked last week if we could all have badges for 'surviving Janfarch'. More than badges: everyone can treat themselves to a virtual (or real) Easter egg. What would be your perfect Easter egg? Dark or milk chocolate? Hollow or filled? Or what other gift would you like to reward yourself with?

*********************************************************************************

JaneB

1)      SELF-CARE (recovery and self-kindness)
* Maintaining good habits - something creative every week, D&D related time every week, reading regularly, intentional movement, something social with a non work person even if it's a typed conversation.
* Specific things - reading & journalling through the "self care for autistic adults" book I didn't do last session.
2) HOUSE-LIFE CARE
* Habits - 75% or more of the weekly minimal chores, 1 small additional environment thing a week
* Specific things - researching for the changes I want to make to my downstairs living spaces this summer, keeping up with garden trimming as and when spring comes along, creating some better financial habits

2)      TEACHING AND ADMIN
* successful teaching delivery (which has to happen, but it will take a good chunk of time each week so it's going in...)
* productive engagement with teaching redesign process (whilst pushing for my needs to be met e.g. being allowed to take time to think about decisions not make them on the fly, information in writing, etc.)
* stay in my lane! (especially with the further reduction in hours and the big research project having finally started).
* support senior grad student - submission is early March - and external Research Master's student - submission is mid March - plus other students, but these two are the priority until late March.
4) RESEARCH
i) measurable progress on at least two papers - two, because this session is almost 100% teaching weeks for me (there is the inter-semester marking week, and the week when the second years are on their overseas trips, but those are realistically going to also be structured by teaching-related needs.
ii) find out my commitments in the small cog in a big project situation and meet them as I can around my own capacity

Julie

1. Research (TLQ)
i) Write article for end of January deadline.
ii) Write longer version of grant application for 1st March deadline.
iii) Spend remaining small grant money.
iv) Figure out some research for after 1st March.
2. Teaching
i) Marking: finish current batch, do next batch mid-February.
ii) Keep teaching prep as minimal as possible.
iii) PhD students: R has submitted, so just viva guidance; I is writing up, needs carrot; M has extended yet again, needs big stick.
3. Admin
i) Usual round of moderating other colleagues' marking, being a good citizen etc while also saying no as much as possible.
4. Kids
i) Meet with teachers, advise on subject choices, try not to lean too heavily on them.
ii) Usual ongoing work of parenting - try to do this with minimal shouting/resentment.
iii) Encourage family time: films, reading together, make travel plans.
5. House
i) Essential financial stuff
ii) Small jobs, but no impossible goals.
6. Fun stuff/self-care
i) Sleep!
ii) Exercise
iii) Healthy eating.
iv) Read.
v) Creative stuff
vi) Make travel plans for Easter and summer.

Daisy

Exercise regularly
Finish one new paper, one old one (feels like there should be a borrowed one and a blue one too…)
Shepherd department through hiring process for critical position (more than one if we get lucky)
Get my lab and sample archive organized
Teach well and refresh key lectures
Support grad students to finish projects
This week’s goals
Exercise 4 times
Start sample archive project
Sample processing
First week’s lectures and labs
Meet grad students and make term plans

Susan

1. Polish and give big public lecture on January 15
2. Submit almost final text of Famous Author to press on Feb 1, and do whatever further edits are needed after my editor and reviewers read it.
3. Get maps done for Famous Author
4. Get image permissions for Famous Author
5. Take care of whatever I need to do on Big Collaboration (we're waiting on a few more contributors to cut their essays to the required length, and then it's in production, so it will be dealing with the copyedited ms.
6. Pick up work on the Rest of My Life project when i recover from January.
7. Keep up with exercise, do more walking
8. Read for pleasure
9. Do fun things

Heu mihi

1. Good habits: Continue with exercise regimen; practice inversions three times a month; reintroduce meditation into my life to any extent
2. Read 1 Italian book (I've just ordered "L'amica geniale" from our local bookstore!)
3. Finish reasonably polished draft of article due in April (for workshop)
4. Final revisions to book manuscript
5. My actual job: Create online teaching supports for grad students; work on data to advocate for an administrative change
6. Finish two in-progress knitting projects and make progress on my big new fun one

Dame Eleanor

- make measurable progress on two research projects
- manage teaching and GTAs effectively
- gym and yoga 5x/week (each)
- be adequate at committee assignments

Contingent Cassandra

--Make substantial progress on Study Leave project (which has multiple components and possible outcomes, so one of the things I need to do soon is some more detailed prioritizing and planning)
--Continue exercise habit
--Work on other self-care activities, especially identifying leisure activities that are truly restorative
--As time allows, make progress on making my home more livable for me, and workable for having guests over (I've lived in a one-room apartment for the past 17 years, and, while it has its attractions, and at this point feels like home, it's also both overcrowded with stuff and in need of some repairs, replacements, and updates, starting with the fridge and stove).

Sunday, 30 March 2025

2025 Session 1, Week 13

 It's now officially spring here in the UK since the clocks went forward last night. It is also getting warmer and there are daffodils everywhere, and hyacinths and magnolia starting to bloom. I hate losing the hour, but the longer evenings are definitely compensation.

This is the last week for goal setting as next week is the last in the session, so we'll review session goals, as usual, and maybe look ahead to next session. Volunteers for hosts welcome!

Today's prompt is stolen from a question a friend asked on Facebook last week, and is just for fun: If money were no object, what would you treat yourself to each week or month? The one restriction is that the treats have to be ephemeral, not lasting objects, so for example, fresh flowers each week, a regular supply of fancy chocolate, a massage...

Last week's goals:

Daisy

Admin catch-up
Read student chapter (different one!)
Last concert for season
Document planned course changes
Grant application

Heu mihi

1. Reread ch. 1; deal with ch. 2 OL text if the library gets it to me this week
2. Send lots of email reminders and Zoom links for various things
3. Clear up a couple of notes-to-self in Alignment
4. Return to exercise, again

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
2) HOUSE-LIFE CARE
* 75% or more of the weekly minimal chores
* sort out the BOTTOM of the stairs area
3) TEACHING AND ADMIN
* prepare for submission of undergrad research projects (I get to administrate all of it this year - yay. not.)
* feedback on postgrad chapter (it's never-ending)
* start timetabling planning if possible (make list of what I need to think about, at least)
4) RESEARCH
* do at least two items on the Consultancy Paper list
* referee an article
* read for stupid research assessment thing duty which I do not want to do. Pout.

Susan

1. Read and trim paper for this weekend
2. Read essay for seminar tomorrow
3. Do several admin type things so they are DONE.
4. Pull together material for potential award.
5. Sleep
6. Keep reading for fun.

Dame Eleanor

- grade things
- graduate applications, process
- grant application, read/comment

Julie

1. Build a bridge!
2. Read through corrections to a thesis I examined last year.
3. Informal queries about PhD examiners for student.
4. Self-care: exercise, sleep, read, journal.

5. Life admin: renew health cards for Easter travel, research summer travel plans, do small to medium house jobs.