the grid

the grid

Sunday 14 October 2018

September-December Week 6

Last weekend, in a fit of literalizing our metaphor, I ripped out most of the oregano that has colonized my front garden over the last few years. It's amazing how much open space there is now. There must have been other plants there at some point, and possibly some of them will come back next spring now they're not being choked by the oregano. Or maybe I'll plant something if we're still here. Now we're on the verge of frost, so there's not much point, now, in putting anything in.

Do you have a plot that's overgrown, or in which something isn't doing well, that you could rip out and use for something else?

As usual, respond to the prompt if it speaks to you; report your wins; reflect on your losses; post your new goals.

Roll call:

Bardiac
1. Practice a LOT for orchestra rehearsal and lesson.
2. Revisions.
3. Regular exercise, stretching.

Daisy
Next 2 weeks' goals:
1) Get the major figures for Northern Paper finished
2) Do point form discussion sections for each figure
3) Complete figures for co-authored study
4) Write my section for cool joint paper

Dame Eleanor Hull
1. Health: go to bed by 10:30 every night, stretch daily, walk or cardio daily, weights 3x. Massage, or make appt with doc and request referral to physical therapy for neck. Fun reading and self-nurturing acts daily.
2. Research: put in 4 hours and/or write 2000 words; keep up with languages.
3. Teaching: grade two more things (undergrad short paper, grad bibliographies). Design and post assignment for undergrads.
4. Life Stuff: lump bills and form together and do it all at once. Plant something cold-hardy in the newly opened space in the garden. Plan another trip to see my dad.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell
Plan best way to deal with next lithotripsy and recovery.
Revise outline and plans for the rest of October and November.
Write for 3 hours for 5 days.
If writing proves impossible, file, shred, organize for 3 hours that day.

Good Enough Woman
1) Finish stitching leaves onto dress.
2) Finish and submit funding request.
3) Write belated thank you notes to people that hosted us this summer.
4) Read one chapter of SF criticism.
5) Hem my son's curtains. I've been putting this off for over a year.
6) Finish all but one stack of essay by Thursday (eep!).
7) Do more planning for the novel and write at least 300 new words.
8) Hang more pictures in office.
9) Get rid of something from garage pile.
10) Dare I plan to clean out the linen closet? Probably not.

heu mihi
1. Submit Wonder
2. Write x 5, language x 4, sit x 5, exercise x 4
3. Evaluate grant proposal
4. Finish reading diss for Impatience; figure out next steps   

Humming42
submit my portfolio for promotion

JaneB
1) finish last of the deFurballing of the house and hoover ready for when Fluffball is ready to expand his range
2) do late refereeing
3) do straightforward research thing for FocusedWomand
4) clear off my desk at work.
5) type up the patterns for the first two squares of the blanket. Either work on the next design, or start on a re-knit of the one I just did.
6) no refined sugar, make sure I drink enough fluids, and take a minute's standing break every 45-60 minutes of desk time.
7) coffee shop with pen, notebook and fancy coffee!

Oceangirl101
1. Meetings to get Mom's hospice team started
2. Strategize with Mom/therapist about sister's visit
3. Email with prospective student
4. Read graduate student diss chapter and make comments
5. Read and take notes on 2 more books for CH 3 and 6
6. Get Mom's tv moved into her bedroom
7. Exercise x 4 or 5

Plant Girl
1. Finalize my conference paper, get to conference, enjoy/do well at conference. Try not to be shy/awkward at conference.
2. Try to squeeze in FL work in spite of conference travel
3. Keep on top of applications
4. Try to at least think about chapter edits

Waffles
1. Really do need to get that final review done
2. Also really need to give student feedback on their paper
3. Finish PTSD analyses write up 0
4. Do a little shaping of intro for review paper for the journal’s audience
5. Make K revisions.

26 comments:

  1. I'm wondering what I could rip out from my projects or responsibilities, because I'm sure not getting a lot done lately. The problem is that I'm enthusiastic about the projects, just constantly Overcome By Events, and usually the events aren't even that large. I lost a day this week to a bad food reaction, and that was stupid, because if I'd realized what was going on, I could have done something about it. Among all the other things that give me trouble is fructose-in-excess-of-sucrose, which occurs in tinned tomatoes (and the Monash app green-lights tinned tomatoes, but only in "1/5 of a can" without specifying can size, which is stupid). If I'd just eaten some table sugar, I would have been fine, or at least much less sick.

    How I did:
    1. Health: go to bed by 10:30 every night: NO (11-ish still)
    stretch daily: 5/7
    walk or cardio daily: 3/7
    weights 3x: 1x
    Massage, or make appt with doc and request referral to physical therapy for neck: NO (was going to do that the day I felt so awful)
    Fun reading and self-nurturing acts daily. YES
    2. Research: put in 4 hours and/or write 2000 words; YES
    keep up with languages. YES
    3. Teaching: grade two more things (undergrad short paper, grad bibliographies). NO
    Design and post assignment for undergrads. YES
    4. Life Stuff: lump bills and form together and do it all at once. NO: Now TRQ.
    Plant something cold-hardy in the newly opened space in the garden. YES.
    Plan another trip to see my dad. NO.

    New goals, nearly the same as the old goals, I think:
    1. Health: go to bed by 10:30 every night, stretch daily, walk or cardio daily, weights 3x. Make appt with doc and request referral to physical therapy for neck. Fun reading and self-nurturing acts daily.
    2. Research: put in 4 hours and/or write 2000 words; keep up with languages.
    3. Teaching: grade two more things (undergrad short paper, grad bibliographies). Design and post assignment for undergrads (another one).
    4. Life Stuff: lump bills and form together and do it all at once. Plan another trip to see my dad.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And I forgot to relate my big win, though those of you who read my blog already know: my promotion is through at the college level, so all the rest is rubber-stamping!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
      Waffles

      Delete
    2. Super congrats!!!

      Delete
    3. Congratulations, DEH! That is fantastic news! Cheers all around!

      Delete
  3. I wish I could rip out my own doubts and worries and self-judging, and whilst I'm at it make some seriously drastic inroads into the culture of distrust that characterises UK HE - I spend so much time documenting and demonstrating that I am doing things that by the time I get to actually do them I'm tired of it all. growl.

    last week's goals:
    1) finish last of the deFurballing of the house and hoover ready for when Fluffball is ready to expand his range nearly. Fluffball has expanded his range, but continues to be extremely cautious
    2) do late refereeing did one of them
    3) do straightforward research thing for FocusedWoman no
    4) clear off my desk at work.no
    5) type up the patterns for the first two squares of the blanket. Either work on the next design, or start on a re-knit of the one I just did. no
    6) no refined sugar, make sure I drink enough fluids, and take a minute's standing break every 45-60 minutes of desk time. no, ish, I did better this week... at first
    7) coffee shop with pen, notebook and fancy coffee!no

    I started a cold on Thursday, and I'm bad at having colds. It's really thrown me off my stride (such as it was). I am very tired of detail (never my forte) and the number of things that need finishing off...

    goals for next week: might as well just carry over.
    1) do second piece of late refereeing
    2) do straightforward research thing for FocusedWomand
    3) clear off my desk at work.
    4) type up the patterns for the first two squares of the blanket. Either work on the next design, or start on a re-knit of the one I just did.
    5) no refined sugar, make sure I drink enough fluids, and take a minute's standing break every 45-60 minutes of desk time.
    6) coffee shop with pen, notebook and fancy coffee!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd also like to prune my self-doubts and judgments!
      Waffles

      Delete
    2. Oh, I *hate* all the documentation and stupid "training" exercises we have to do (the latest is cybersecurity videos), and I am so with you on the overwhelmingness of having many many things to do even if they are all small, or maybe especially then. Death by a thousand paper cuts.

      Delete
  4. Goals from last week:
    1. Really do need to get that final review done - yeah, still haven’t and have gotten two late notices. I read the paper, and I think it intimidates me a bit.
    2. Also really need to give student feedback on their paper - DONE!!!!
    3. Finish PTSD analyses write up - DONE!!!!
    4. Do a little shaping of intro for review paper for the journal’s audience - DONE!!!!
    5. Make K revisions. - DONE!!!!

    Went to a conference in Las Vegas last week which was fun. I feel a bit embarrassed bc I really liked Las Vegas, which was clearly NOT the opinion of the cool kids. One person said to me, “It reminds me of Epcot Center - fake Paris, fake New York.” To which I exclaimed, “I LOVE THE EPCOT CENTER!” I don’t know - Las Vegas was just such a different world - I found it fascinating. I would hate living there - but a visit? Super fun. Next year the conference is in New Orleans - and I’ve never been there either, so am excited.

    Goals for this week:
    1. Reimbursement paperwork for LV
    2. Finish that darned review!
    3. PTSD paper - revise and send onto collaborators
    4. Revise asthma paper (review)
    5. Finish analyses and figure out journal for quant asthma paper
    6. Take stock of journal review project and push to get it done
    7. Get audio recordings to transcriptionist and figure out what is wrong with backup recorder

    Like JaneB, I’d like to prune my self-doubts and my judgment. I’d very much like it if my self-concept could be a bit more stable and less affected by those around me.

    Waffles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's great to hear that you had a good time. I like Vegas too, because it is so over the top! You have a lot of DONE from last week, so that's great!

      Delete
  5. SERVICE. I just calculated that I have an extra 17 hours of meetings and events (mostly meetings) next week. Not including whatever students I need to see outside of classes. Granted, next week is unusual, but seriously! Too much!!

    Last week:
    1. Submit Wonder - No, but I'm close; will probably do so on Wednesday. I've been at the point of formatting for this particular (rather fussy) journal, so I put in my hours last week just changing footnotes to endnotes, moving Latin out of notes and into the body of the manuscript, etc.

    2. Write x 5, language x 4, sit x 5, exercise x 4 - All but the exercise. My ankle has been sore for months, at least, which I was just ignoring, but then I got a few knee twinges and decided to calm down for a bit. I think that poor arch support has been the major culprit re. ankle, and knee has been basically okay, so I'll start up again shortly. This is a good time to stop with the early runs, though, as it's too dark in the morning (until the time change in a few weeks) for me to get much of a run in before I need to get ready.

    Actually got some extra sitting in because I went to this amazing day-long seminar in which every other participant was a Zen practitioner, so we sat together at several points throughout the day!

    3. Evaluate grant proposal - Yes
    4. Finish reading diss for Impatience; figure out next steps - No (still finishing Wonder)

    This week:
    1. Write x 5, language x 5, sit x 5, exercise x 3
    2. Article review
    3. Submit Wonder
    4. Official abstract for Impatience
    5. Finish reading diss for Impatience; figure out next steps

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope a little rest will do your ankle some good, and I hope that Wonder is off your desk!

      Delete
  6. This prompt speaks to me--maybe sings to me. I am trying to weed out the old projects that no longer resonate with me, the service project that I haven’t tended to in far too long and should pass on, and clearing space for the things I want to tend to.

    I will be brief here, since it’s late and there is serious work ahead of me for the next few days.

    Last week: submit portfolio for promotion: Done!

    This week:
    1 Complete revise and resubmit
    2 Prepare and present Craft
    3 Prepare and present Castle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congratulations! Turning in the portfolio feels so good. Now it is Someone Else's Problem!

      Delete
    2. and congratulations to you on someone else moving that forward on your behalf!

      Delete
    3. Super congrats on submitting the promotion portfolio- things like that take so much time and are so great when completed.

      Delete
    4. Fabulous news that the portfolio is off your desk and on its way! And your culling and weeding projects sound great.

      Delete
  7. Topic: I would love to dig up and destroy with extreme prejudice the imposter syndrome that is lurking in my garden. It’s tough to root out because as a parasitic vine, it entwines itself through all the good plants.There was an interesting article in the Chronicle about imposter syndrome, but of course, now I can’t find it to give the link. Sigh.

    Extraneous projects have taken over a corner with the best soil and sunlight, and I also want them dug up and gone. Colleagues see them and think that I want to continue to work on related projects, and I categorically do not want to do so!

    Last week’s goals:
    Plan best way to deal with next lithotripsy and recovery. Plans are almost completely in place.
    Revise outline and plans for the rest of October and November. November is done; the end of October will get done when I know the impact of recovery.
    Write for 3 hours for 5 days. Wrote for only 3 days.
    If writing proves impossible, file, shred, organize for 3 hours that day. Yes, on the two days I felt too crappy to write.

    Analysis: In addition to feeling crappy a couple of days, I had a fair amount of administrative work to do. We are beginning a new time reporting system, yawn, but I also wrote a support letter for a young, promising colleague’s P&T dossier, which made up for the boring stuff. Figuring out the pre-op physical, the trains, and the hotel stay for the procedure took more time than I would have liked, but is too important to wing.

    Next week’s goals:
    Write for 3 hours as many days as possible.
    Straighten and organize on days I can't write.

    Small goals, but the end of the tunnel is in sight. Float like mist, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Three days of three hours of writing is great! Overall, it sounds like you did well on your TLQ goals this week, despite feeling crappy. And your extension of the metaphor is fantastic. <3

      Delete
  8. You wrote for three days! And you did a lot of shredding! Excellent progress, IMHO.

    Is this the Chron piece you were thinking of?
    https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-to-Overcome-Impostor/244700?cid=wcontentgrid

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you--and yes, that is the article. I figured you'd be able to find it!


    ReplyDelete
  10. I managed to get through my sister's visit over the weekend but it was challenging. Both Mom and I crashed energy wise a bit at the start of the week. For weeding, there are some family distractions/difficulties that I would really like to recuse myself from. Might not be possible now, but over the next year it is a goal. Also want to work on worrying less and being calm more!
    Last week:
    1. Meetings to get Mom's hospice team started- DONE
    2. Strategize with Mom/therapist about sister's visit- DONE
    3. Email with prospective student- DONE
    4. Read graduate student diss chapter and make comments- NO
    5. Read and take notes on 2 more books for CH 3 and 6- DONE
    6. Get Mom's tv moved into her bedroom NO
    7. Exercise x 4 or 5 DONE


    This week:
    1. Read and comment on grad student diss chapter
    2. Email/talk with two prospective graduate students
    3. Skype into workshop meeting that I had to miss traveling to
    4. Liase with Mom's hospice team
    5. Get things done around house- move Mom TV into bedroom, new call system etc.
    6. Exercise x 4
    7. POA stuff at bank, go through security box

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Overall, it sounds like you created balanced TLQ goals and got a lot done. I hope you've recovered some energy and are finding some balance.

      Delete