Since it's a long session this time, we're just now at the halfway point. W/r/t your own term, YMMV. For USians, Thanksgiving throws things off with a break late in the semester. At LRU, this always makes things awkward, with everyone including faculty pretty much braindead and longing for it all to be over after T'day. Anyway, I have about 4 weeks left in which to do actual teaching before holiday-brain kicks in for all my students.
The theme this week is Tackle A Problem: Unforeseen Complications Result. In other words, it gets worse before it gets better. What will you tackle in your house, and what could possibly go wrong? (At least two of you can blame it on Frank! We may all have our own Franks after this week.)
I expect your comments will be three-or four-parters: response to the theme (if you feel like it); checking on your session goals (if you can bear it); and then reporting on last week's goals and setting new ones for the coming week. Session goals appear first (names in colour); last week's goals appear second (names bolded but not coloured).
Midterm check-in on session goals:
JaneB
SELF CARE:
* keeping up an intentional movement habit
* saying "let me think about it" whenever I want to say yes. Even for
good things.
* doing non-work things every week - reading, 1-2 creative things, 1-2 social
things which can be online/a call
LIFE ADMIN/ENVIRONMENT
* financial stuff - end session with a clear path to a decision about the next
few years
* finish the Living Room Project, maybe start the Flooring Project
TEACHING/WORK ADMIN:
* be two weeks ahead of ViLE/teaching prep for as long as possible, and never
less than one week.
* have the basics in place (e.g. ViLE, weekly outline) for next semester by the
end of this session
* as part of new admin role, have the same sort of level of understanding of
all the programmes in the School as I currently have for my home cluster
* get through all the new appraisal system nonsense (I now have more
"devolved responsibilities", and the new online system is annoying,
slow, and not really compatible with an academic's work - one size fits no-one
in administrative software form).
RESEARCH:
* complete all the modelling and have a first draft for the modelling based
project
* get the darn collaborative paper revised again and resubmitted (and I really
hope accepted!)
* be realistic about what I can contribute to the policy reviews and to the big
annoying project
* progress at least two other research related projects (I'll make a list for
myself this week of where everything I have now is at for checking at the end
of the session).
Julie
1. Research
i) Big Article: finish draft (carried over from last session), get feedback,
hopefully submit to journal.
ii) Paper for conference end of October: haven't started yet.
iii) Revisions/proof checking of other article and chapter as and when needed.
iv) Research leave report (due start of term)
2. Teaching
i) Big new first-year team-taught module, for which I am convenor: organise
ViLE site, herd other tutors, finalise readings for my seminars, write two
lectures this term.
ii) Small first-year module (one seminar group): teaching this after several
years' break. Revise old version to fit new format, update readings, maybe
rethink assessment.
iii) Second-year module: organise ViLE site, update reading list, remind myself
of content.
iv) Plan seminars and submit reading suggestions for two other modules, for
which I am giving one seminar on each next term.
v) Meet with dissertation students (nine so far and counting), read proposals,
check in regularly.
3. Admin/citizenship
i) Mentoring for three colleagues, one new.
4. Life admin/house
i) Ongoing financial stuff
ii) Finish organising study (I just got a new height-adjustable desk, finally,
and ergonomic chair): frame and hang pictures, organise papers.
iii) Ditto spare room: finish decluttering, get new chair.
iv) Clear more stuff from garage
5. Kids
i) Get daughter to university, adjust to not having her at home.
ii) Be present for son, who has an intense year with important exams at the
end.
6. Self-care/fun
i) Read
ii) Journal
iii) Exercise: keep up running (maybe join a club), try to find weights or
pilates class that works with schedule.
iv) TV: finish the Vuelta, watch new episodes of a couple of favourite series
once released (works well with ironing/sorting laundry)
v) Really try to get to bed at reasonable times.
vi) More creative stuff: cook new recipes, bake, carry on with painting by
numbers, cross-stitch.
Susan
Research:
1. Write papers, push ahead with reading microfilms I scanned last spring.
2. Try to figure out where this project goes -- a short book, a long article,
or??? I have lots of tidbits, but I'm not sure I have anything coherent, and
I'm sure in some of my papers I'll talk about that. Because the tidbits are
about important things, and are also (to me) interesting.
LIFE:
I return to my new condo in two weeks after over two months away.
1. Finish unpacking
2. Figure out what I shouldn't have kept and figure out how to get rid of it
3. Make the place my home, a place I can easily live and host friends and
family
4. Start building community in my new place, figuring out my new networks
OTHER:
Get back into regular exercise
Heu mihi
in addition to staying afloat:
1. Work: Create a committee to brainstorm ways of keeping our department alive
(I'm calling it Departmental Revitalization) and have something to show for it
at the end of the semester.
2. Writing: Complete draft of messy novel, which means writing about 30,000
words (I just rounded the corner on 50k). That's roughly 2500-3000 words/week.
3. Survival and self-care: Exercise 4-5 times a week; sit more than 0 times;
read and knit for fun
4. Submit TLQ responses on Monday at least 75% of the time!
Dame Eleanor Hull
Research:
- final revisions on W and get it gone
- draft of festschrift essay
- draft of handbook chapter
Teaching:
- stay on top of frequent small assignments for grad class
- devise reasonable final exam for that class
- have fun with other class
- read dissertators' chapters promptly
- write syllabuses for potential future classes
Admin:
- keep up with committee work but keep it in its place
Life Stuff:
- do something with friends/family at least once a month
- make my study habitable
- make some measurable progress on cleaning the garage
- hire other people to do at least 2 house-related projects
Daisy
One first-author journal paper
Two student journal papers
Three exercise sessions per week
Something fun every week
Teach well
Be a decent Head
LAST WEEK'S GOALS:
JaneB
SELF CARE
3x20 minutes of movement
reading, 1-2 creative things, 1 social thing online
LIFE ADMIN
Look at possible sofas
Don’t get lots more stuff
Start Christmas Lists
TEACHING/WORK ADMIN
Finish all slides for fifth week lectures, sort out sixth week materials
Survive this week's classes
Do "cold spot analysis", sigh.
Nag people to reply to review emails
work out how to make software let me do reviews
RESEARCH
Process more model outputs
Make list of all the other ‘ongoing stuff’
Systematic Review meeting
Resubmit re-re-rewrite of the group paper I got cross about in late September
Do comments on version two of paper for not-my-grad-student
Julie
1. Prep for three lots of seminars.
2. Finish writing lecture
3. Finish writing presentation for workshop and deliver it.
4. Meet with one mentee, go to long and pointless meeting.
5. Final check of article proofs
6. House/life admin: son's doctor's appointment, maybe ring dentist, sister's
birthday.
7. Self-care/fun: ha ha ha. Enjoy time with daughter who is home for a few days
at the weekend.
Susan
1. Finish the paper!
2. Unpack 4 more boxes in my office so that I can close the closet.
3. Exercise?
4. Enjoy time with colleagues, and enjoy new conference group
Heu mihi
1. Write 3000 words
2. Exercise
3. Sit twice
4. Ad hoc committee work
5. Nominate friend for an award
6. Take a weekend day off
Dame Eleanor Hull
- work on both M and S projects this week
- 2 "write first" mornings, 3 "exercise first" mornings
- assorted grading & teaching prep
- do one annual training
- get back to latest round of editing tasks
- clear at least one surface in my study
- work both W and F afternoons to clear the weekend for a road trip/party
Daisy
Read and edit student paper
Read and edit student chapters
Marking
Data prep for coauthors
Sample processing
Exercise 3 times
