Week 12: Savor

As we come around toward the last bend in this particular road, I hope everyone is getting through the bumpy parts.

I read Paul Monette’s book Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir this weekend. It was a truly beautiful book, as Monette writes the story of his last two years with his beloved partner. What moved me so was how grateful they were for each other and for so many things we always take for granted, from walking the dog to having friends over for dinner to feeling a cool morning breeze on your skin.

And I thought well, it would benefit me to be more mindful of what I savor. To stop for a minute and enjoy it. So your challenge for the week: anything you might look forward to savoring this week?

Goals from last week follow. Those who (like me) have missed a week or two, please join in with new goals as you wish.

Bardiac:

Draft the paper. Period. (Everything else is to some extent or another more urgent for someone.)

Dame Eleanor Hull:

Self: resume calendar use; stretch twice daily, cardio or a walk 6x, weights 3x.

Research: finish and upload a chunk of translation; scholarly reading at least 3x.

Teaching: catch up with writing assignments; plan ahead.

House/Life: get tax stuff sorted and to accountant; keep plugging away the sorting and tidying.

Good Enough Woman:

1) Pay bills.

2) Some minor sewing for daughter's costume.

3) Write/brainstorm on novel for one hour.

4) Start taxes.

5) Finish comp essays by Thursday.

6) Exercise twice.

heu mihi

1. Write 4 hours (on Wonder); contact writing group about Silence

2. Get organized for professional society task

3. Read grad student's essay/spend 2-3 hours on grad student writing

4. Meditate some amount

Week 11: Un/inspired

The title of this post really just refers to the fact that I can't think of an interesting prompt (or a prompt of any kind), but it might also describe how I'm feeling about the endlessly cold weather, the return to classes (and meetings) this week, etc....

So as to stop my whining, however, I'll turn it around (and add the slash to the title) and ask you how you keep yourself going when the inspiration itself just seems to flag?

Bardiac:
1. Make some plans for spring break (including a guest dog and a friend coming to do a reading when classes begin again).
2. Start writing the section of my project that I worked so hard on at the British Library.

Dame Eleanor Hull:
Self: stretch twice daily, cardio or a walk 6x, weights 3x, do some fun reading.
Research: finish and upload a chunk of translation.
Teaching: give points to some in-class writing, do post-break planning including writing or finishing two assignments.
House/Life stuff: tax prep; final de-cluttering of house; call plumber and electrician (or delegate calls).

Good Enough Woman:
1) Grade a medium stack Wed-Sun (7-10 essays each day).
2) Walk 2x, Yoga 1x.
3) Write/brainstorm for novel 90 minutes.
4) Spend hour on article.
5) Pay bills.
6) Help son get oriented for PSAT.
7) Help daughter with costume.
8) Get mammo and ultrasounds done. (I'm cheating b/c I already did this today!! But I want credit.)

heu mihi:
1. Write 10 hours. (My major spring break task.)
2. Read a lot, mostly fun-teaching things.
3. Meditate more than last week.
4. Query a press for novel.
5. Start next batch of beer.
6. Misc. school stuff: grade 2 stragglers, rec letter, clean up email, evaluate proposal.

humming42:
1 grade like a madwoman
2 prep for conference organizing next week
3 write to Snow editor
4 work on Jewel article
5 check in with book editor
6 work on Happy Music abstract

Week 10: Spreading the joy

I confess that I’m an RSS junky: I probably spend far too much time looking at and reading posts from blogs and various websites on Feedly. A recently follow is http://centuriespast.tumblr.com/, where throughout the day I am treated to a marvelous array of museum artworks. I also appreciate the pinned message from the pseudonymous hosts: “If you are unsatisfied with your Centuries Past experience IN ANY WAY please see the guard at the front desk for A COMPLETE REFUND of your admission fee.

Your hosts into collective [un]consciousness of centuries pasts.”

So I thought I would paste here one of the images from centuries past that really made my heart sing. You are invited to offer up a favorite painting, photograph, object, etc. to spread the joy.

Happy change of seasons and change of time for those of us in the US that are not in Arizona or Hawaii. I am grateful that our spring break is the first week of Daylight Savings Time to have the opportunity to properly adjust my natural rhythms to the manipulation of time.

Wishing you the sweet and the savory in whatever proportions serve you best.

Last week’s goals:

Bardiac:

1 Prepare Thursday presentation

2 Set deadlines / create research plan

3 Grade as much as possible before spring break

Dame Eleanor Hull:

Self: stretch twice daily, cardio or a walk 6x, weights 3x, find something fun to read over spring break.

Research: finish and upload a chunk; possibly toy with something else.

Teaching: grade a set of papers, finish an assignment, do some post-break planning.

House/Life stuff: clear necessary areas for more repairs that are happening this week; tax prep; final de-cluttering of house.

Good Enough Woman:

1) Don't stress about being away from the kids while husband and I are at a weekend faculty retreat. They are big kids and will be fine.

2) Write 90 minutes, one way or another.

3) Walk 2x. Yoga 1x.

4) Tidy campus office, 30 minutes.

5) Read three SF stories.

heu mihi:

1. Exercise as much as I reasonably can given state of health; don't feel guilty if I can't make my prepaid yoga quotient for the month.

2. Prep query materials for novel

3. Write 30 mins x 5: 1) polish and send off conference paper; 2) plan Wonder

4. Meditate some amount

5. Grade the rest of the things; other misc. pre-break teaching prep (get together a prompt and two readings)

6. Read something to do with Time & Space

humming 42:

1 Prepare Thursday presentation

2 Set deadlines / create research plan

3 Grade as much as possible before spring break

JaneB:

1) spend 20 minutes a day on housework

2) read a novel

3) stop constantly checking my work email on strike days as I'm not answering it so there is no point checking…

Susan:

1. Start working on images to go with keynote

2. Do at least one read/edit of keynote, now that I know how it ends.

3. Keep reading

4. Try to catch up on sleep (from being VERY jet-lagged)

Week 9: How's It Going?

Egads! Week 9? We're well over halfway through this iteration (which ends, I think, on April 1--is that right, humming42?). Anyway, it seems like a good time just to ask how things are going this time around.

If you want to go back and check on your session goals, here's the link to that post: Week 0. Goals are in the comments. I'm not going to post them all here because we'll be doing that anyway for the final check-in, and perhaps you don't want to go back to your goals--maybe you've changed your goals (in which case, feel free to talk about it!), or would prefer to just reflect on how you're feeling about this session so far. Have you learned anything about your own work habits? Are you sick of your projects? Dreaming about something new? Muse, vent, rant, reflect away!

Last week's goals:

Daisy:
1) Prep next 3 weeks of teaching
2) Spend time planning and doing accounting for grants

Dame Eleanor Hull:
1. Self: the usual stretching, exercise, safe eating; get a massage.
2. Teaching: grade one set of papers; finish a writing assignment; prep something interesting for lower-div class.
3. Research: languages; upload a translation chunk; finish last MMP revisions and send that off.
4. Life Stuff: collect tax docs and list deductions; paint back stairs; do one other house thing.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell:
1. Two hours x 5 on the sabbatical.
2. Walk 2.0 miles a day.
3. Three hours x 4 on the grant.
4. One hour x 4 on the novel.
5. Some craft project for one hour per day.

Good Enough Woman:
1) Make mammogram and ultrasound appointments.
2) Make oil change appointment (thanks for the reminder DEH!).
3) Pay taxes?
4) Read 2 SF stories.
5) Write 15 minutes, 5x. (Any kind of writing)
6) Walk 2x, Yoga 1x.
7) Do minor tailoring for daughter's dress for the dance (by Thursday at the latest!)

heu mihi:
1. Finish revising novel
2. 30 minutes of writing x 5. Tasks, in order of priority: (1) finish conference paper, (2) revise Silence, (3) plan for Wonder
3. Misc: Read grad document and prepare for meeting; apply for teaching thing; CC proposals; follow up on admin tasks
4. Meditate some amount
5. Grade all the things
6. Yoga x 2 and running x 3

humming42:
1 LRP abstract on Thursday
2 Presentation on Friday
3 Daily recherche
4 Set actual deadlines for March (so I don’t spend spring break just reading novels)

Susan:
1. Finish a good draft of keynote
2. Read dissertation draft chapter
3. Walk twice? 
4. Work on 7 hours of sleep