Hello everyone!
Toys!
Today we are frivolously talking about toys.
Office toys, writing toys, reading toys, all sorts count. Because sometimes we act like toddlers, sometimes we feel like toddlers, and sometimes the world around us is filled with toddlers...
The inspiration for this was a run through a large
store a few days ago, when I saw THESE!
And I don’t know who else would agree, but I think
a rainbow-coloured pack of Sharpies would be absolutely awesome! There was even
one that came in 56 colours! I didn’t buy them because I thought I should be
sensible, but I just finished the biggest pile of revisions in history and I am
thinking of going back for the 12-pack at least... If I wait till I finish the
next batch maybe the 24??
What weird item makes you happy in your office?
On second thoughts... Maybe my inner toddler shouldn't get hold of Sharpies....
Report in with the usual format for goals for last week, new goals, and discussion.
allan
wilson
1. Finish current lab work run
2. 300 words a day on the mammal paper, for 4 days
3. write letter to editor
4. exercise for half an hour, at least 6 days
5. get to bed by 10pm every night
6. reward myself by finishing biological measurements (for a project I love)
7. explore possibility of new location for biological measurements
2. 300 words a day on the mammal paper, for 4 days
3. write letter to editor
4. exercise for half an hour, at least 6 days
5. get to bed by 10pm every night
6. reward myself by finishing biological measurements (for a project I love)
7. explore possibility of new location for biological measurements
Contingent
Cassandra
1. Try to keep up/build on the exercise habit
2. Try to keep up the bedtime routine
3. Continue work on boxes (another storage run and/or some packing/mailing, whichever fits in better around other things, including the weather)
4. Go grocery shopping; make soup
2. Try to keep up the bedtime routine
3. Continue work on boxes (another storage run and/or some packing/mailing, whichever fits in better around other things, including the weather)
4. Go grocery shopping; make soup
Daisy
REVISIONS!!!!
Danne
Do one PhD-related
task a day to prepare for the probation review
Write fiction EVERY
DAY
Cook good things for
loved ones
Elizabeth
Anne Mitchell
1) Set up a half-hour planning meeting with myself
for my writing--another hint from the tenure group.
2) Use some of the resistance techniques to get a few more footnotes done.
3) Figure out bribes that motivate me to work.
4) Move like water, float like mist
2) Use some of the resistance techniques to get a few more footnotes done.
3) Figure out bribes that motivate me to work.
4) Move like water, float like mist
Earnest
English
1. Research: Check second galleys. If possible,
write a bit, read a bit. No stress.
2. Health: Good sleep. Good food. Good supplements. Don't stress. Take good care of self.
3. Family: Call piano teacher and put the lessons off until we can deal with them. Be with family when I'm with them, as much as I can.
4. Gardening/Herbalism: Consider blueberries. Start some seeds downstairs soon?
5. Work: I have a lot of grading that has been put aside because of all these meetings I've been going to. I've got to get on a good grading clip. I also really need to try not to get sucked in to big dramas at work whether via email or in meetings. Move like water, even when fire is what's coming at me.
2. Health: Good sleep. Good food. Good supplements. Don't stress. Take good care of self.
3. Family: Call piano teacher and put the lessons off until we can deal with them. Be with family when I'm with them, as much as I can.
4. Gardening/Herbalism: Consider blueberries. Start some seeds downstairs soon?
5. Work: I have a lot of grading that has been put aside because of all these meetings I've been going to. I've got to get on a good grading clip. I also really need to try not to get sucked in to big dramas at work whether via email or in meetings. Move like water, even when fire is what's coming at me.
Good Enough
Woman
1) New Outline for Intro
2) Write 500 words of intro
3) read 40 pages of primary source
4) read one chapter/article
5) print chapter 1
6) Help son with gaming problem
2) Write 500 words of intro
3) read 40 pages of primary source
4) read one chapter/article
5) print chapter 1
6) Help son with gaming problem
heu mihi
1) Absolutely COMPLETE draft of talk
2) Start Article S
3) Go to conference and have fun staying with friend
4) Class prep for next week
2) Start Article S
3) Go to conference and have fun staying with friend
4) Class prep for next week
Humming42
1 do scheduling for conference papers and extended
abstract
2 read two essays for lit review for conference papers
3 write to important contact for conference paper
2 read two essays for lit review for conference papers
3 write to important contact for conference paper
JaneB
1) bed before
midnight, and ensure sufficient protein and fruit & veg in diet (even if
accompanied by too many carbs and sweets) - continue to limit dairy (helps
reduce cattarrh and general phlegmy disgustingness)
2) an hour of time
spent with Picky Paper
3) something fun,
e.g. guilt free novel reading BEFORE quiz grading!
Karen (from 7)
1. Exercise x3
2. No crazy late
nights
3. Hold Friday
afternoon writing time
4. Move like water
and calmly get all the pieces in place for beginning of semester.
KJ Haxton (from 7)
1. Finish very short
article on Loop project
2. Finish hat number
3
3. Get scary data in
order to tackle second scary twin paper.
Kris (from week 5)
1. Finish the paper
and send to group for comments
2. Pitch a short
piece to the media
3. Sort out
commitments to grant I don't like.
4. Keep up to date
with my admin & leadership responsibilities.
Susan
1. Finish taxes (well, I meet with the accountant tomorrow, so...)
2. Read colleague's book for merit review (TRQ, really)
3. Prize books (this is now TRQ).
4. Exercise 4 times
5. Get regular sleep
1. Finish taxes (well, I meet with the accountant tomorrow, so...)
2. Read colleague's book for merit review (TRQ, really)
3. Prize books (this is now TRQ).
4. Exercise 4 times
5. Get regular sleep
I LOVE Sharpies! I got a 12 pack rainbow of the extra fine ones for Christmas and they just make me HAPPY, simple, uncomplicated happiness. I have been eyeing the 56-pack for a while too...
ReplyDeleteMy niece loves all kinds of coloured pens in sets (they all have to be 'correctly organised', however) and has recently discovered 'manga pens', basically fibre tipped pens for colouring in in an adult 'professional' way - they come in really great colour selections, like "skin tones" or "nature" or "fantasy world", and they are mostly DOUBLE-TIPPED for extra detail as needed (I love my double-tipped Sharpies, even though I only have them in black - the coarse end writes on sample bags and beakers and boxes and the labels on the outside of folders, the fine end writes on slides and pots and notebook pages and tie-on labels, and they seem to last for ages...).
And then there are NOTEBOOKS. Oh, notebooks, how I love you...
What's not to love right? Definitely buying at least a 12-pack when the next batch of revisions are done!
DeleteI first met the double tipped Sharpies last summer in the field, and the party chief said nobody had ever gotten so excited about the office supplies :) There's just no other writing implement that is quite as satisfying...
I use the double-tipped sharpies in the garden, and also usually have on around the house. And if one end runs out before the other, I just tape it closed to remind myself and carry on.
DeleteMy favourite office toy is covered above, but I also love post-it notes, quite out of proportion to their actual usefulness.
ReplyDeleteAnt notebooks... Love buying notebooks and looking at them and thinking about them, but I rarely use them. Not sure why?
Goals for the last couple of weeks have been just revisions.
One paper is completely done and getting sent off after one last read later tonight and tomorrow, and the other one is about 3 days away from being out of my hands. I cannot tell you how much I hate both of them right now! Well, you probably understand without explanation, which is nice!
This week's goals:
1) Finish last bits of paper 2
2) Start putting together conference data for upcoming talk with photographs and descriptive stuff
3) Get a little ahead in teaching prep for the next couple of weeks
4) Take "revise and resubmit paper" out of file and look at it to see how bad the rewrite is going to be, and make a plan.
And for fun, go buy Sharpies if I get the paper done!
Use that as notes and outline for paper
I hope the papers are sent (or are nearly sent off) and that you'll be celebrating with Sharpies ASAP!!!
DeleteNot a toy, exactly, but I work in a building with exposed (painted) concrete blocks on the outer wall. Each block is just the right size to hold a picture of a gargoyle detached from one of those smallish square monthly calendars that are sold in bookshops. So I have indoor gargoyles in my modernist(ish) building. They keep falling down, but I still enjoy them (and a couple include bonus snatches of aerial views of Paris from the top of Notre Dame).
ReplyDeleteThere's also a concrete squirrel which used to live under my grandparents' birdfeeder, and then moved down to the home in which I grew up, and somehow ended up in my office during the exodus occasioned by the sale of that home to a developer. I'm not quite sure why he's still there, except I haven't thought of a better place, and I do enjoy him (though heaven knows what my students think; he's usually sitting just above their right ears when we have paper conferences), and he was definitely getting old enough that he (she?) needs to be an indoor squirrel anyway.
Last week's goals:
Delete1. Try to keep up/build on the exercise habit
2. Try to keep up the bedtime routine
3. Continue work on boxes (another storage run and/or some packing/mailing, whichever fits in better around other things, including the weather)
4. Go grocery shopping; make soup
Accomplished:
1. It's a gradual process, but I seem to be doing more each week, even if I wouldn't call it quite a "routine," or perhaps even a "habit" (then again, this week was anything but routine -- lots of meetings, because the contingent faculty are invited to participate in all aspects of the search for our immediate boss but the actual vote, and of course it is politic on multiple levels to take advantage of the opportunity, and I have). We we'll say yes on this one.
2. Pretty well on this one, too.
3. Boxes? what boxes? Oh you mean those over there? I was meaning to do something with them, soon. (So, no).
4. Yes to both (still need to freeze the soup).
Looking ahead: this will be another meeting-heavy week, and I really need to get much more grading done than I did this week if I'm going to get much of a break out of spring break (and/or stay on top of things so that I have some leeway if/when a crisis hits*). I've also still got to write the conference paper I mentioned (even though I'm not going to the conference). So I think this will be a week for minimal TLQ goals, with the intent of ramping up focus on taxes and boxes the week after this coming one (aka spring break).
*The good news/bad news for the weekend is that I got to visit my father in his apartment for the first time (my stepmother had, up to now, insisted on meeting outside the apartment, and trying to figure out how to get past the threshold without major conflict took up a lot of emotional energy this week), but it was because he was having a very bad day -- so much pain that it consumed all of his attention until my stepmother and brother finally found the right med combination, which relieved the pain but also knocked him out (and by then, he really needed to sleep anyway). So he couldn't leave the apartment, and I got to come in (but couldn't really do more than let him know I was there, and then chat quietly with my brother and stepmother once he fell asleep). I have no idea whether yesterday was an episode of the sort that come and go or a new stage of his decline, but it doesn't look like he has much time (or, if the pain often comes on this strong, like any of us will want him to have much more time). I've been afraid that everything, both family- and work-related, might hit in April; the other good news/bad news pairing is that family matters may reach a peak in March instead. And they're not really taking up much of my time, per se, just a lot of energy. And I feel profoundly ambivalent about all the tradeoffs mentioned above, and many other aspects of the situation (other than simply wanting to spend time with him in whatever way is possible,and to support my brother and stepmother in whatever way that is possible). All I can think of is to keep going forward, one step at a time, regularly reminding myself of where my priorities lie, while also keeping up with teaching and pursuing some not-strictly-necessary professional activities (such as the search participation and a couple of internal grants a group of colleagues are proposing) when they don't interfere with other priorities (because my life will continue, and the professional things I'm doing have the capacity to make it better/more bearable, or at least keep it from getting worse).
So, the minimalist TLQ plan for the coming week is:
1. Try to keep up/build on the exercise habit
2. Try to keep up the bedtime routine
3. Freeze soup; grocery shop as necessary
Just sending warm wishes your way in a difficult process. I know about the emotional energy!
DeleteI hope your exercise, sleep, and soup help you keep moving forward in all of the ways that you need to.
DeleteOh, and I'm thinking that squirrel is just enough to keep the students curious. And slightly wary (but in a good way).
DeleteGood thoughts and wishes for you.
DeleteToys? I like notebooks. I like making notebooks, in fact, and have several waiting in the wings. It's always hard to start writing in a particularly lovely one (handmade or purchased), but I'm never sorry once I do.
ReplyDelete(One of the things I'm looking forward to doing this summer is setting up a place to do my bookbinding and actually making some things--including getting back into paper-making, which I was enjoying quite a bit a year or two ago.)
Last week's goals:
1) Absolutely COMPLETE draft of talk - DONE
2) Start Article S - Not done at all! Ignored! Oh well!
3) Go to conference and have fun staying with friend - DONE to excess; we were up until 3:00 on Thursday night drinking cognac. I do not recommend doing that if you plan to attend sessions the next afternoon (or are in the toddler-inflicted habit of waking up by 7am).
4) Class prep for next week - DONE ENOUGH
Goals for this week:
1) Finalize, ish, the talk
2) Actually start Article S
3) Read a chapter of CS
4) Read for next week's seminar
Sounds like you had a great night with your friend. I hope you recovered from the consequences quickly.
DeleteI don't think I've ever had cognac.
Cognac makes me stupid :) But it is absolutely worth it!
DeleteToys: Yes to notebooks! I am a fan of Moleskin, but I like all kinds of notebooks and journals. I have two brand new ones, and I'm going to have to decide which one to crack open next for my PhD notes.
ReplyDeleteAs for pens, I've been using Moleskin pens for my PhD notebooks (along with some Pentel [I think that's what they are] mechanical pencils). For grading, I love my Pilot G-2 07 gel pens in LOTS OF COLORS! (I don't use red for grading, of course. Mostly green, purple, and blue.)
Last week:
1) New Outline for Intro. DONE. And it think it JUST MIGHT WORK!
2) Write 500 words of intro. YES. I'm counting outline stuff for this.
3) read 40 pages of primary source. NO. Damnit.
4) read one chapter/article. YES
5) print chapter 1. NO. Will do it this week.
6) Help son with gaming problem. NO. But I helped him with his science project.
This week:
1) Print, read, and plan revisions for Chapter 1.
2) Write 500 words for intro.
3) Read 50 pages of primary source material.
4) Read 2 articles/chapters
5) Have (and help) kids do major room cleaning next weekend. And also plan something fun for us to do (in addition to cleaning) if hubby is ends up going dirt biking for the weekend.
6) Maintain boundaries with the sudden emergency service work for the department.
That is a lot done this week! I'm going to have to try writing in notebooks, love the idea, but never do it in practice...
DeleteToys!
ReplyDeleteI develop favorites. My current favorite pen is a G2 07 blue, which I have bought countless refills for (hard to find in stores so I order them online). I also have many other colors of these though blue is my favorite. I also write regularly (except this week) in a notebook and must have one of my preferred notebooks that have smooth paper for that. For grading, I also go through fads, but I've stuck to pencils for a while now. This is because I write a lot on student papers and being able to erase is really helpful so I can revise my comments. (I used to feel bad about this but now I see that students seeing that I revise my comments can help show the use and power of revision.)
Last Week's Goals
1. Research: Check second galleys. If possible, write a bit, read a bit. No stress. NO: I didn't stress about it, but I also forgot about the second galleys. Must do this today, if possible.
2. Health: Good sleep. Good food. Good supplements. Don't stress. Take good care of self. YES.
3. Family: Call piano teacher and put the lessons off until we can deal with them. Be with family when I'm with them, as much as I can. DIDN'T CALL PIANO TEACHER. DID HOMESCHOOLING WITH SON TWICE DURING THE WEEK.
4. Gardening/Herbalism: Consider blueberries. Start some seeds downstairs soon? NOTHING DOING.
5. Work: I have a lot of grading that has been put aside because of all these meetings I've been going to. I've got to get on a good grading clip. I also really need to try not to get sucked in to big dramas at work whether via email or in meetings. Move like water, even when fire is what's coming at me. HAD TROUBLE GETTING GRADING MOJO GOING; BETTER NOW.
Analysis
I did not get a lot done on the grading front during the Snow Days last week, but I did get a lot of homeschooling and family-focused time; I have to remember that's tiring too, so expecting me to spend tons of time with Son and then grade is just too much. There was also lots of service work, but I managed that pretty well, even keeping my organizing sheet updated and everything.
This Week's Goals
1. Research: Work on galleys, without fail! Otherwise, dip a toe into Big Project, either through writing or reading.
2. Health: Call doctor and schedule an appointment for this week. Supplements, baths, eat, take good care of self, don't stress.
3. Family: Call piano teacher. Homeschool when possible. Keep on top of things.
4. Gardening/herbalism: Seriously: blueberries? Starting salad seeds in basement?
5. Work: Get on top of grading this week. Keep up with zillions of service projects.
Have a great week, everyone!
Fresh blueberries are the best. They are delicious, and they also make me think of the children's book "Blueberries for Sal," which I love.
DeleteOn a side note, it seems that your service work energizes you. Do you think that's true?
I'm also curious about the service question... I think for me the answer is "sometimes?"...
DeleteTopic: Toys! I love fountain pens, and have a small collection of about a dozen. There are several that I have filled with colored ink so that I can revise and edit by color. Blue is for rewording, green for additions, and purple is for things that need to be researched.
ReplyDeleteI also have a large box of color pencils and several coloring books. One is for tranquility, another for creativity, but to be honest, they are all helpful for calming the mind and allowing stress to be replaced by creativity.
Finally, notebooks--I love them, but like heu mihi, I struggle to write in them. Unlike heu mihi, I rarely win the struggle! I realized in January I had to stop buying them until I started writing in them, so I am close!
Last week’s goals: 1) Set up a half-hour planning meeting with myself for my writing--another hint from the tenure group. Yes, it felt weird, but was a productive exercise.
2) Use some of the resistance techniques to get a few more footnotes done. Yes, the fifteen-minutes a day deal seems to work for me.
3) Figure out bribes that motivate me to work. Yes, knitting, and reading fun things seem the best bribes.
4) Move like water, float like mist. Better than I expected!
Analysis: The planning meeting is a hard habit to establish, as it feels self-indulgent and wasteful. I do realize it is what Stephen Covey talked about, in that one has to sharpen the saw from time to time in order to continue cutting down trees. I spin my wheels for a shorter time during the week after investing the half-hour, but I do think that daily assessment of what needs to be done the next day will make me more efficient.
The hint about doing some dreaded task just fifteen minutes a day seems to have worked as well. Not only did I do more than fifteen minutes on the footnotes, but I spent fifteen minutes clearing clutter and filing, which I truly despise; even though I didn’t do more than fifteen minutes, it was fifteen minutes I wouldn’t have done otherwise.
Bribes work for me, especially promises of being allowed to knit for a small break, or to read a chapter in a novel.
Next week’s goals:
1) Finish each day with a short planning meeting for the next day.
2) Revise footnotes for 15 minutes a day.
I also love fountain pens. I was ridiculously happy to find diamine shimmertastic ink just before Christmas - fountain pen ink with sparkles! And I have about 8 different colours :)
DeleteOoooh, shimmering ink! *runs off to search*
DeleteI have a box of eight colors which I got for Christmas a few years back, and nearly swooned when I opened it!
I have never really used fountain pens. Any favorite brands I should investigate?
DeleteI use Lamy Nexx fountain pens with fine nibs because they have a large grip that means I can hold them and write comfortably. They aren't the most elegant or sophisticated but I struggle with handwriting so need specific styles of pens.
DeleteLamy is a good "starter" fountain pen, because they are easy to hold and write with. If you like a smaller size pen, I like Waterman, as well.
DeleteFountain pens, notebooks...yep all of that! My favourite office toy at the moment is the large rock that sits on my windowsill. It's just the right size to fit into my hand and I spend a lot of time holding it when thinking.
ReplyDelete1. Finish very short article on Loop project - done!
2. Finish hat number 3 - done but so badly, need to pull it back to the brim and redo. I cast on too many stitches to work the decreases properly.
3. Get scary data in order to tackle second scary twin paper. - really struggling with this.
This week:
1. map out revisions to acronym report
2. tackle a pile of marking that I've put off
3. finish sorting out the craft stuff in the spare room
Congrats on finishing the short article!
DeleteI have tons of rocks too, some to look at and some to play with absently when thinking, the river pebbles are nice for that!
Deleteallan Wilson:
ReplyDelete1. Finish current lab work run -YES
2. 300 words a day on the mammal paper, for 4 days -NOT ONCE. I opened the file one day, that was it.
3. write letter to editor -NO, but hopefully today as this is now TRQ
4. exercise for half an hour, at least 6 days - MOST DAYS I did something, but unfortunately ate enough chocolate to cancel our the benefits
5. get to bed by 10pm every night -SOMETIMES. I had a few days where I had to unwind first
6. reward myself by finishing biological measurements (for a project I love) -YES.
7. explore possibility of new location for biological measurements -YES.
A mixed week for me. The worst bit was losing control of my eating and plying myself with chocolate. Stupid, but it felt necessary at the time. And my exercise is pretty low intensity and minimal, so I think if I can focus back on that it will help get me feeling more positive and less tired. I don't really have a desire for sharpies or anything right now - My favourite thing in my room at work is my bird nest collection, and my favourite new thing is a really old set of big wooden drawers I managed to scrounge from someone else. I have used these to put lots of lab and field stuff in, so my room looks much tidier, and I love the feeling of being uncluttered.
Goals this week:
1. Exercise with more mental commitment, 4x
2. Fix guitar
3. Begin map making process
4. Letter - and send off MS
The drawers sounds fabulous. My home office and my kids' room could benefit from some charming clutter holders like that.
DeleteI hope this week has just the right amount of chocolate.
Both the drawers and the bird nest collection sound great.
DeleteI have no professional reason to pick up bird nests, but when I lived in a larger house, I occasionally did anyway (making sure they were no longer in use first, of course).
I went craft shopping with a friend last year, and she handed me a package of colored gel pens. I haven’t done much crafting, but the pens go so very well with the planner and notebooks in which i try to keep track of my life and take note of what gets done. There are stickers too. I think I ended up teaching because I always loved stocking up on back-to-school supplies.
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1 do scheduling for conference papers and extended abstract: yes, with modifications
2 read two essays for lit review for conference papers: yes, with modifications
3 write to important contact for conference paper: no
I scheduled work on conference papers and manuscript-related tasks. I chose not to write the extended abstract after having a different abstract accepted. That will be a revision of a conference paper, but I do want to devote the time needed to write an excellent article.
I read part of an article for conference papers and then started reading a book that is related to the manuscript and the paper revision.
Shyness is getting the better of me trying to write to Important Contact. But I can’t put it off any longer, so it moves forward to the week ahead.
Week ahead:
1 Write to important contact fearlessly
2 Organize notes for conference panel
3 Read one chapter or essay for lit reviews
Good luck with the fearless writing part, that just sounds cool!
DeleteToys? I swoon over filing systems. I can spend hours in the office supply store deciding which file/presentation case is perfect to hold the notes for my class. (I like one with multiple pockets, so I can keep track of notes, readings, syllabus, etc.) And I always put things in file folders. I've played with various notebook systems (the ones with round disks that allow you to add and remove pages easily) but somehow file folders are my modus operandi.
ReplyDeleteLast weeks goals:
1. Finish taxes (well, I meet with the accountant tomorrow, so...) DONE / a few minor details to finish, but. . .
2. Read colleague's book for merit review (TRQ, really) DONE
3. Prize books (this is now TRQ). Two out of three
4. Exercise 4 times Three.
5. Get regular sleep Mostly
I was doing really well until Saturday, when my mother had to go to the ER. That late afternoon/night meant I didn't finish the prize books, and I didn't work in the garden, which was going to be my exercise for the day. And, since I got to bed at 1:30 AM on Sunday, and got up at 7 to go to church, it also meant that my sleep was not good. Nor was it any better last night, when I stayed up late preparing my class because I'd spent time at the hospital. Fortunately, this is going to be a short hospital stay, so this should not hang over me.
The week ahead has some busy days, so I'm going to be restrained in my goals.
Goals for next week:
1. Finish prize book
2. Send revised prospectus to another press
3. Read ILL book that needs to be returned
4. Exercise 4 times
5. Look at essay that needs to be revised and plan revisions
I suppose that weekends like that are when we really do need to move like water. I hope you're able to catch up with sleep and TLQ this week, and that your mother stabilizes.
DeleteOh, and for real toys, I collect Shakespeare tchochkes. It's semi-conducted to my actual work, but I have finger puppet, bobble head doll, etc all in my office. And a Shakespeare key ring.
DeleteSomeone gave me a Shakepseare Lego that is now in my office. You need one of those!
Deleteooohhh....
DeleteGood week despite challenges, combination of congratulations and hang in there!
DeleteSorry to hear about your mother's hospitalization. I'm just beginning to adjust to the anything-may-happen-anytime quality of my own situation (but I'm not the first-line caregiver, which makes it a bit easier, though also harder in other ways). And yes, disturbed sleep schedules tend to have several-day consequences.
DeleteAnd I'm also intrigued by the idea of Shakespeare Legos. I wonder whether they've done any other literary figures? Maybe a Transcendentalist or two? A Lego Margaret Fuller would be nice. Or perhaps an Ahab and Moby Dick pairing?
2 weeks ago:
ReplyDeleteDo one PhD-related task a day to prepare for the probation review
-I did this for two weeks on end, Sundays included.
Write fiction EVERY DAY
-I did it for a week!
Cook good things for loved ones
-Done: I made a couple of good meals for my partner, scheduled a cupcake party with friends, and am deep into Ethiopian cuisine.
Last week:
I passed my probation review! This was all I wanted for that week.
This week:
Locate the books my advisor recommended to me
Start reading daily again
Write fiction at least three times
I use Moleskine notebooks for everything. I have 29 of them just for the thesis (thin, 60-page ones). I invariably use a Waterman fountain pen with brown ink. And I have an Etsy owl on my desk who goes by the pompous name of “Lectern.”
Congrats on a great TLQ week! And congrats on passing the probation review! Sounds like you might deserve a new Moleskin.
DeleteAnd I want an owl with a pompous name. Or some kind of creature (now that I read about your owl and CC's squirrel). Must ponder this.
Kudos!
GEW, I have a tortoise on my desk, named Perseverance, a gift from a friend when I was writing my dissertation. I think you need a creature!
DeleteI have a stuffed toy prehistoric animal named after a favourite archaeological site on my desk, from my PhD days... you clearly need a creature!
DeleteAnd I have an origami dinosaur (who once lived on my desk and now lives in a ball jar somewhere in storage) who accompanied a number of my grad school cohort, including me, to their dissertation defenses (he flattens and unflattens fairly successfully, and all evidence suggests that he is an effective guardian/talisman even when flattened and slipped into a briefcase, purse or similar).
DeleteSo, yes, creatures who watch over Ph.D.s are a good idea. I've also got an owl somewhere (a replica of an owl associated with Athena found somewhere at Bath, if I'm recalling correctly) who used to watch over my bedroom.
I definitely need to get some stuff out of storage.
Dinosaur that folds and travels with you is a brilliant idea! He needs to come out to play!
DeleteThanks! Yes, we all need little animal helpers.
Deletegoals, I think last week's
ReplyDelete1) bed before midnight, and ensure sufficient protein and fruit & veg in diet (even if accompanied by too many carbs and sweets) - continue to limit dairy was quite good, then I went into the field (literally a field on this occasion) to show some methods to my newest grad student, and I hurt my foot, and it hurt and I was mad at myself and I spent the weekend eating All The (Tasty, Unhealthy) Things. And then I got on the scales. And am Not Pleased with myself, not at all. Sigh.... back on the slightly-healthier-living bandwagon this last couple of days, but it's so demoralising...
2) an hour of time spent with Picky Paper yes, and another one today. I still don't like it or really know why I don't like it...
3) something fun, e.g. guilt free novel reading BEFORE quiz grading! er... does eating all the tasty, unhealthy things count? No? Well, I did some novel reading, and played a TON of Candy Crush (I should never, ever be allowed near match-3 games. they are ridiculously addictive to me).
analysis
My foot is fine until it's totally not fine (several times a day) - I get this wierd cramp which feels almost like an itch inside my bones, that's the best way I can describe it, and it feels like my foot/ankle are going to stop working or go numb any moment, and it hurts in a 'achy but totally might go to really painful any moment hah you wait' way, and then it wears off again. I've had similar feelings before with a ligament injury and towards the end of a bout of tendonitis, and am pretty sure it's basically an attack of "I hate those boots you made me wear, I hated standing around, I hated being used to drive the ergonomically-awkward van, I hated it when you tripped on that tree root, and I think I'm going to come over all peely-wally every time I remember how horrible the whole experience was. oh, and those trainers with the natural motion insert you wear for days with lots of standing? They remind me of those nasty boots you made me wear, so I'll randomly stab at you when you wear those, even though there's no option to change until you get home. And I'll refuse to tolerate any other shoes for a full day either. Serves you right!" attitude on its part. It's the foot of the leg with the dodgy hip joint, so it starts off with a disadvantage...
And I'm over the cold, honestly, totally over it... unless it's a damp and cold day, or I go into a faintly dusty or overly dry or over heated space (such as my office or the computer lab I teach stats in), or talk for more than a couple of hours (such as when I teach several classes), and then I start to wheeze and cough and lose my voice. But I don't feel actually ill any more and my tissue-usage rate is back to winter-normal, so that's good.
I'm also a bit less depressed-and-stressed than I was, possibly hormonal, possibly the removal of the cold virus, possibly the longer days, possibly just time and getting more sleep now I don't wake myself up coughing every hour or two. AND it's nearly time for 'study week' (when one year group of students ALL go on week long visits to beaches - all Beach Scientists in NorthernUni are required to spend a week at a beach at this point in their degree programme - and because this involves about half the staff travelling with the students, the rest get a week off classes to focus on reading, catching up on missed sessions, and working on mid-course assignments. Final year students often use the time for work on their projects, other years often go home, or to visit friends/partners in other cities, and for those of us who have the year free from travelling it's a very welcome and necessary breather. I don't travel with this group any more, I do statistics-for-the-whole-second-year for half a semester instead, and I think that is a great trade-off).
Deletegoals for what is left of this week
1) sleep at sensible times, eat better, be nice to my foot
2) three hours working on a paper with DrVisit (it's back on my desk for a complete rewrite, but a full draft exists, and it's a nice coherent set of data with a simple, useful story to tell), one hour on Picky Paper.
3) two days OFF at the weekend, without TLQ or TRQ, but hopefully with reading, napping, housework and soup-brewing to set me up for a healthy and productive Reading Week...
TOYS
I also like post-its, far in excess of the amount I actually USE them, and all manner of pens really, and I love acquiring all the stuff to set up a new organisational system. They rarely last...
Actual toys: my office has several, including a knitted cat and a ridiculous bright orange sequinned elephant given to me by past students, a plush neuron for days when I am feeling especially thick, a toy cat with magnets in its paws which scrambles up the filing cabinets or table legs. There are also lots of random objects made out of paper, paperclips etc. when my fingers feel fiddly, some good rocks, a large box of dried beans (running your fingers through dried beans is a lovely feeling - they're officially a teaching aid, for some exercise about randomness and sample size, but mostly I play with them), part of a bear skull, some good sticks (driftwood bits I liked), interesting feathers, photos and postcards and... well, stuff. This week, also quite a few bananas for some reason, think i keep having plans to eat healthy snacks then don't fancy the banana at all, but leave it there so it won't get bruised coming home and going back again...
Basically my office is a sort of badly organised magpie nest, with books not twigs lining the sides. And I wouldn't want it any other way.
TLQ goal number three sounds fantastic! I hope you get to it. And I wish I could visit your office.
DeleteI also love the sound of your office!
DeleteWhen you use a genuine service, you will be able to provide instructions, share materials and choose the formatting style. Toy
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