This week’s title is an homage to the Talking Heads song “Life During
Wartime,” which I can’t seem to get out of my head. This is not wartime,
however, this is be smart, be safe, take care of yourself time. While I don’t
know what anyone’s individual circumstances are, I expect that all of us have
had some degree of unexpected change in our lives during the past week. And
uncertainty is a big part of that right now as well.
I once complained to a dear friend that I had so many things to do and I
couldn’t manage to get things done. She said: the only thing you need to do
today is breathe. Fundamentally, she’s right (she’s also one of the wisest
people I know). Just the same, establishing some goals can establish structure.
And it’s not as though everything already on your list goes up in a poof!
because of pandemic.
What do you want to do / what can you do this week to create some
structure and keep moving forward with what matters to you? Last week’s goals,
along with our carryovers, are posted below. Let us know how you’re doing and
what you have planned.
Daisy
1) Submit thesis evaluation forms for a defense committee
2) Buy new pants for fancy future talk – try again!
3) Set midterms
4) Project reports
5) Abstract volume and program for student conference (also survive
stupid conference)
6) Work on future talk – Finish it and start practicing!
Dame Eleanor Hull
Daily stretching, exercise, 8 hours sleep.
Daily writing (or writing-adjacent activities) toward conference paper.
Class plans for the rest of the term.
Re-design forms.
Do more house-market-prep & gardening.
3 social things!
A whole batch of other life-stuff tasks.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell
Start passport renewal process.
Contact the Office of Research.
Walk the building 4 times a day.
Meditate 2 times per day.
Gather winter coats and boots, tempting the weather gods.
Good Enough Woman (held over)
Work:
1. Get next week's Brit Lit reading done by Sunday.
2. Do most of the prep for next week to clear the way for heavier
grading.
3. Find short stories for independent study student. Create first few
assignments for her.
4. Research/write for 1 hour.
People:
1. Send at least three cards/letters to people.
2. Have lunch with my mom.
3. Float like mist through all four of my son's 4-H activities this
week. Support him.
Wellness:
1. Walk 4x
2. Meditate 4x
3. Skip late-night treat 3x. Fast at least 13 hours 2x.
4. Reschedule appointment that got cancelled.
heu mihi (because we’re thinking
about you being away from home)
1. Enjoy
2. On March 22/23, report back in for TLQ
humming42
1 grade everything to post midterm grades
2 write remaining content for online course I’m teaching
3 keep up with online course I’m taking
4 spend time on organizing structure for collected essays project
5 submit next book review
JaneB
1) I have a five-days-in-a-row=not-in-the-office spell over the coming
weekend. So first goal is to do one CHORE THING and one FUN THING on each of
those five days.
2) do meal prep, and aim for 5 fruit and veg a day, plenty of water, no
bread, and sugar only in high cocoa dark chocolate type stuff.
2a) resist temptation to stay up really really late at the weekend
because my brain wakes up...
3) spend an hour with my NaNo writing, because I enjoy it
4) referee one very overdue journal article and keep building that list
of research obligations…
Karen (held over)
-clear 2 boxes (the ones next to the bookshelf)
-start all course F draft documents
-run x 2, yoga x 3. Wondering if I can fit in a weights session
somewhere in my schedule because I realise I need to work on upper body
strength, but can't see where.
-order wind sock, book in 4 field recording days.
-write up notes from this mornings library trip
KJHaxton (held over)
- prepare assessment guidelines for article assessment
- mark group projects, send materials off for moderation
- aim for 30 minutes per day on professional development application
- collate sustainability paperwork
- aim for 2 x 2 hours of data analysis for engagement project
- work on draft of sustainability paper ( 2 hours minimum)
Oceangirl101 (held over)
1) write/work on book, but mostly Ch 7 3x a week, for 2 hrs each- will
involve some number crunching, creation of figures, writing and some revision
of Ch 3
2) exercise x 3
3) meet with undergrad students/grad that I am advising on lab
projects/independent studies etc.
4) finish syllabi, start BB sites for two courses
Susan (held over)
1. Do required reading, and revise Race/Patriarchy
2. Follow up on last bits for Big Book (we've got 28 of 30
contributors!!!)
3. If time, figure out next steps on Famous Author
4. Take a day off
5. Keep sleep going, and start reading at bed time instead of playing
games.
6. Exercise
7. Keep up with healthy eating
Waffles
1. Tobacco paper
2. Try to get full draft of YRBS paper this week
3. Revise Latinx survey
4. Check in with S team
5. Email MST team
6. Maturing out hypotheses
7. Do stuff for T32 app
"Sometimes the Library gets very secretive about things that don’t actually matter,” Charlotte said.
ReplyDelete“Perhaps they used to matter,” I suggested. “Sometimes rules are put in place to deal with situations that really don’t happen very often. In fact, you can often tell a lot about an institution and the problems it has faced, or the people it has had in charge of it, based on the rules it has made. Then someone retires, but the rules stay in place, and after awhile they’re fossilized tradition.”
“Yes,” she said. “I have noticed that. But it’s difficult to tell the difference between rules that really are going to matter when you get to some particular world, and those that seem like they’re just there to test apprentices’ ability to color between the lines.”
“I have a feeling you like to create your own designs, Charlotte.”
“Well, I did,” she said, “but I’m starting to feel like maybe I should have stayed between the lines, this time. We really don’t get a lot of mentoring, you know. So much of the instruction is online now—I gather that used to be different, and of course the physical training still has to be in-person, but I think they sub-contract that out to retired military from various worlds.” She rubbed her neck in a way that suggested she was remembering combat instruction from the Thalangian Republic’s Special Forces, or similar. “There’s, well, there are a lot of opportunities to do a little field-testing of what we learn online, without it ever coming to the attention of a Senior Librarian.”
If you don’t ask questions, people usually wind up wanting to tell you the thing they had started out determined to hide. Here it comes, I thought.
Serious wisdom here:
Delete"In fact, you can often tell a lot about an institution and the problems it has faced, or the people it has had in charge of it, based on the rules it has made. Then someone retires, but the rules stay in place, and after awhile they’re fossilized tradition."
Thanks! This is what happens when you've been around a long time--these things become clear. Or maybe other people catch on faster than I did.
DeleteI had a colleague who would constantly remind us that sometimes it was best not to make rules to respond to outlier students, because we got too many rules, and they weren't useful.
DeleteMy university has sent all non-essential personnel home. Then on Friday, I had a fever and started showing other symptoms. I need to take it easy this week, but I am part of a few urgent projects and my colleagues are likely to see this time as ideal for getting a ton of stuff done. I can't limit my participation in the projects as it will have negative implications later. So, I will try to keep my goals modest this week - but I also feel so much pressure given that pretty much everyone I know will likely be massively productive during this period. But maybe if I give myself a break this week and try to prioritize my health, I will feel better sooner. I also live alone - and so the thought of having to be quarantined and never being able to go outside or be around anyone is hard emotionally.
ReplyDeleteOn the upside, I plan to try to launch a survey on mental health and COVID-19. Hopefully our IRB is still reviewing applications! I was also invited to be a part of a similar initiative at a super famous university (I interviewed there and got rejected, so it is interesting that it has turned into a collaboration) - which is exciting!
Last week
1. Tobacco paper -DONE
2. Try to get full draft of YRBS paper this week - GETTING THERE
3. Revise Latinx survey -DONE
4. Check in with S team -DONE
5. Email MST team -DONE
6. Maturing out hypotheses -NOT DONE
7. Do stuff for T32 app -DONE
This week
1. T32
a. Cold emails
b. My sections
2. YRBS paper - work on M's edits
a. Waiting on one more set of analyses - not sure if COVID will impair statistician's ability to do that
3. MH and COVID19 survey
4. Relat identities results section
It is hard to be ill alone. But at least your roommate isn't driving you crazy now! Can you set up Skype calls with your colleagues and friends? It would relieve the loneliness for all of you. Even those of us who live with other people we love sometimes want to talk to someone ELSE.
DeleteI hope you feel restored quickly! It's alarming to think that in a time of crisis we feel compelled to be even more competitive than ever, since others will maximize the shift in priorities. I wish that it were otherwise.
DeleteWell that was a very different week than the one we had all planned I’m sure! On Wednesday I was worried about making the student conferences a success, by Thursday morning we made the decision to cancel both, and by Saturday the university and all schools were closed for students, and we are making the switch to online delivery and being encouraged to work from home as much as possible. I’ve cancelled everything for this week, all we’re going to do is try out the online chat features in the LMS for virtual office hours, and then worry about content and stuff later. Exams won’t be in-person either, so massive rethink of those… If I had small classes it would be one thing, but no way on earth am I doing take-home exams for 165 students… Plan B and C and D here we come! This is my guiding document – worth a read for everyone dealing with emergency online migration, also her quiz and test advice in the next post is spot-on: https://anygoodthing.com/2020/03/12/please-do-a-bad-job-of-putting-your-courses-online/
ReplyDeleteSo instead of worrying about course content I’ve organized a baby-clothing and supplies drive to make up boxes of stuff for my large contingent of stressed out, about-to-lose-their-part-time-jobs, pregnant international students so we can give them a little bit of financial relief and something nice before everyone scatters into the wind of isolation.
Last week’s goals:
1) Submit thesis evaluation forms for a defense committee DONE
2) Buy new pants for fancy future talk – try again! FAILED, AND GAVE UP. OLD PANTS WILL DO FINE.
3) Set midterms – NOT DONE AND CANCELLED ANYWAY - TURNS OUT SOMETIMES PROCRASTINATING RESULTS IN ONE NOT HAVING TO DO THE JOB AFTER ALL…
4) Project reports DONE
5) Abstract volume and program for student conference (also survive stupid conference) DONE (THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL!), BUT THEN CANCELLED WHICH WAS ABOUT AS MUCH WORK AS THE ACTUAL CONFERENCE
6) Work on future talk – Finish it and start practicing! NOT EVEN CLOSE
This week’s goals:
1) Deal with on-line migration issues slowly and carefully and without unnecessary drama
2) Distribute baby boxes
3) Work on talk, assumption is I will be able to go, but who knows…
4) Find entertainment for bored child out of school for next three weeks…
Hang in there everyone, stay home if you can, stay healthy, and be kind to yourself and everyone around you!
I also like that "do a bad job" post. Gathering baby supplies for your grads is a very nice idea! I feel like "old pants will do fine" should be a motto for many situations.
DeleteI'm collecting information for what I plan to be a piece on fostering creativity during crisis (as well as how creative industries are trying to respond, like livestreaming concerts and Patton Oswald livestreaming his stand up routine from his front yard). Here's a list from Open Culture: http://www.openculture.com/2020/03/use-your-time-in-isolation-to-learn-everything-youve-always-wanted-to.html and a Google Doc of virtual field trips: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SvIdgTx9djKO6SjyvPDsoGlkgE3iExmi3qh2KRRku_w/preview?fbclid=IwAR2miQxZuM8zX2sd5606zilUB-402qpBat8yhbkrTh40uV_Gs2Dshl4kbCg&pru=AAABcQN2akI*z5rwfbr1g7shydrJbdaq4w
DeleteWell, wow. As Daisy says, not the week we were expecting. Only it sort of was; from Wednesday, I was watching all the closures barreling down upon us, like prepping for a hurricane.
ReplyDeleteOne good thing: a friend in Bergamo and his dad are recovering, though they had fevers and presume it was COVID-19.
How I did:
Daily stretching, exercise, 8 hours sleep. 6/7 stretching, a different 6/7 exercise, maybe 3 or 4/7 for sleep.
Daily writing (or writing-adjacent activities) toward conference paper. NO. 2/7 or so. Conference cancelled. Trying to decide what my writing project is, now.
Class plans for the rest of the term. NO: they need to be different plans, now.
Re-design forms. YES!
Do more house-market-prep & gardening. YES! We listed the house . . . Friday. Our timing is so bad it ought to be funny, but I'm not really there yet.
3 social things! YES! Maybe a bad idea, in retrospect, but probably the last social stuff I'll do for several weeks, so not really sorry that we got out while we could.
A whole batch of other life-stuff tasks. A FEW.
New goals:
Daily stretching, walking, 8 hours sleep.
Daily writing (or writing-adjacent activities).
Class plans for the rest of the term, at least two weeks online, perhaps more.
A service thing.
Tidy my study and closet.
Glad to hear your friends are recovering!
DeleteThat sorting of research priorities is weird. The cancelled conference encouraged roundtables to meet virtually, and I don't know if that's going to happen so I don't know if I need to read all of the other participants' papers.
Be well, stay healthy.
Topic:
ReplyDeleteMy world is certainly in a different place than last Monday. Then, my team met with my professor to discuss our term project. This Monday, the students are on spring break and we are switching to on-line instruction. However, the Libraries (and almost all other campus offices) are open for business. Luckily, no one has come to use Special Collections, and our emeritus who comes to work several times a week has said he’s staying home for the duration. I will rant only for a sentence or two about how the University thinks it has addressed the virus by insisting that the Campus Center restaurants, all the Libraries, and all campus offices where “someone might expect a human being at a service counter” stay open. Sheer stupidity!!
In order to keep things moving, I spent most of the weekend returning my home office to usable space; I also put forward a huge push to declutter the living room and kitchen so that we could lay in supplies, in case we end up at home. Both the Philosopher and I are in the COVID-19 susceptible group with multiple factors, so we plan to request to work from “a temporary alternate work location” (NY State employees cannot work from “home”)--wish me luck.
I want to check on my character, who was dragged out of her office last I saw. I will report later this week on her situation.
Last week’s goals:
Start passport renewal process. Yes.
Contact the Office of Research. Yes.
Walk the building 4 times a day. Yes.
Meditate 2 times per day. Yes.
Gather winter coats and boots, tempting the weather gods. Yes.
Analysis of last week’s goals:
The looming crisis has one up side--it gives me concrete things to do, which helps structure the rest of my day. I got a lot more done this past weekend than I have accomplished in many preceding weekends. Getting my goals done was not difficult, since I was so late in reporting, I kept them small.
Next week’s goals:
Block and finish/assemble the blue scarf, the coat, the remaining two sets of curtains, and the shrug.
Gather the surrogate pages needed to work from home.
Take home or scan articles and books for Illuminated and term project.
Complete passport renewal application.
Walk the building 4 times a day.
Meditate 3 times per day.
Be kind to yourselves, stay centered, and breathe. Float like mist, everyone.
I'm hopeful that your library will be closed! It's more important to protect one another than it is to, well, do library things.
DeleteYour thoughts here remind me of a comment I've seen a few places, indicating that we will come out of this situation different people, or a different society. Maybe there's a way that some of us are able to reset and reprioritize, having a sideways glance at what really matters to us and what doesn't.
Thank you, Linda. I was allowed to work from home for two weeks, so there is some movement. I'm still worried about the people who will be considered "essential employees," which is the discussion going on today. The University of Washington library is open only for pickup of books, requested online and retrieved by a skeleton staff of library employees; that is what every library should do. There is still a notion that everyone needs to have a physical book in hand to do their research and classwork, which is frustrating wnen we are spending millions of dollars for electronic resources, and do the bulk of our work online.
DeleteI also worry about our student workers, who need to work and cannot, and do not have the luxury of a salaried position.
I do hope this will cause a change in perception. I hope it changes what we find important, that health is more important than a person standing at a service desk, that we don't need to watch every single worker at every moment of the day to make sure they are working. This is a fascinating conversation--thank you for the hope that we can reset.
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ReplyDeleteI am accustomed to being home and working from home for long stretches, as I’ve been teaching online during summers and not doing much out in the world. My goal here, as this week’s topic indicates, is to create structure in my life. I’m still working on that, especially in getting some housework integrated into the routine. I have five different calls for papers that I’m interested in coming up at the end of March, and need to figure out where to best focus my attention.
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1 grade everything to post midterm grades: yes
2 write remaining content for online course I’m teaching: no
3 keep up with online course I’m taking: yes
4 spend time on organizing structure for collected essays project: no
5 submit next book review: yes
This week:
1 write content for online course I’m teaching
2 create content for classes that were moved online
3 decide what call for papers to respond to
4 look at DQ and decide whether to revise
It's been three weeks, and I don't remember where my character was.
ReplyDeleteSo, since I last posted, I flew to the UK to give a seminar paper (another paper I was scheduled to give was cancelled due to industrial action). I came home, and immediately got pulled into deciding to cancel a conference of the organization of which I am president. (We did, last Monday.) By Wednesday I was dealing with canceling the last concert of the Symphony season - a biggie with Beethoven's 9th and the Brahms Double Concerto. I've also been taking my mother to some of her IV antibiotic infusions, the last one today... and lots of anxiety about everything.
So to my last goals:
1. Do required reading, and revise Race/Patriarchy YES, seminar went well
2. Follow up on last bits for Big Book (we've got 28 of 30 contributors!!!) DONE, all contributors signed
3. If time, figure out next steps on Famous Author NO
4. Take a day off YES? (several, actually)
5. Keep sleep going, and start reading at bed time instead of playing games. SOME
6. Exercise YES, some
7. Keep up with healthy eating SO-SO...
The last 10 days have been increasingly stressful -- when I came back, my mother's assisted living place had a ban on my entering for two weeks; they have now closed to visitors, so when I took her back today, my guess is that I won't see her for at least two weeks. That was really hard. (We also had a conversation about if she got the virus, which was important but hard too.)
I'm now in pretty strict isolation -- not going out except for groceries, and I'm stocked for two weeks or so. It's funny, because I live alone and actually spend a lot of time alone, but I count on outings, meetings, dinner with friends for a sense of connection. The isolation has me a little anxious.
In terms of work, I've read the revisions to a Ph.D., finished final edits I hope on Violence (the paper that would not die from last summer); dealt with final repairs to my mother's house before it's sold next week; and started the online training on child abuse prevention for church.
I was supposed to leave on Thursday for about 10 days away, and that is not happening, needless to say. So I don't have to write a paper, and I have time.
Going forward, I'm trying to both have manageable goals, and be kind to myself -- I made another batch of marmalade over the weekend in what I called stress domesticity. I've been exhausted mid-day, even when I've had enough sleep. So kindness is my mantra. And breathing.
Goals for the rest of the week:
1. Read book for book review, write review
2. Read ms. for review session (a colleague has a grant to bring people together to discuss her second book, as a kind of surrogate dissertation committee; the in person meeting is now a zoom one.)
3. Do 5 minutes clearing daily, so that stress domesticity is productive
4. Finish stuff for sale of mom's house
5. Read a book for fun (I read a whole lot while traveling, got to get going again.)
6. Get exercise. Down Dog Yoga app is free for the next few weeks, I can walk, etc.
7. Do at least one virtual social occasion daily...
8. Be kind to myself, and others.
Stress domesticity is a wonderful term for our current circumstances. You must be emotionally exhausted, having to cancel two big events that you're deeply invested in and then the difficult situation with your mother. I hope you'll have some space to process some of that.
DeleteAnd bibliophile over here can't help but have a virtual fist-bump on reading for fun. I don't quite have time for fun reads yet but am looking forward to clearing some time for it.
WHAT A WEEK (ten days). Between uncertainty-anxiety and the onset of spring allergies, I've really been struggling with any kind of focus and with doing ANYTHING other than phone scrolling... Guidance in the UK has been pretty awful, and NorthernUni was late to make a decision about shifting to online delivery, but we now know where we are - everything online for the rest of the academic semester (so until June), then reassess.
ReplyDeleteI tried to download the VPN stuff today so I can work using campus software and everything went wrong. Spent most of the day attempting to get my computer to work at all... aargh! we have symptomatic students who have been in our buildings in the last couple of days, and no testing, so given my ability to catch things I'm going to stay away for the next ten days at least - after that most virus on surfaces should have died as buildings will be in Christmas Mode (academics & students allowed in for essential tasks like feeding fish or for no more than ten minutes to pick up materials/objects, but NOT to stay and work) and I should be able to go in and pick up stuff. This all happened so quickly, and with me having a long weekend at home, I wasn't properly prepared...
I'd like to bring some tedious microscope work home with me so I can make progress with research even if I have brainfog (I can do most of my bench-work with a teaching-quality microscope which is insured to go off campus for schools visits and stuff, and it takes very little brain power and can be quite rewarding to see the numbers of things measured add up), especially if this goes on for long.
goals for last week:
1) I have a five-days-in-a-row=not-in-the-office spell over the coming weekend. So first goal is to do one CHORE THING and one FUN THING on each of those five days. maybe two of each, mostly I SCROLLED TWITTER and WORRIED
2) do meal prep, and aim for 5 fruit and veg a day, plenty of water, no bread, and sugar only in high cocoa dark chocolate type stuff.hah hah hah. Did hit the 5 a day and the plenty of water. And I did mealprep for the three days I was in the office last week
2a) resist temptation to stay up really really late at the weekend because my brain wakes up... doing well until. Well. We all know what
3) spend an hour with my NaNo writing, because I enjoy it can't. do. it.
4) referee one very overdue journal article and keep building that list of research obligations… yes and yes, and crossed one thing OFF the obligation list too
goals for the rest of this week:
1) Do one ACTUAL WORK THING, one CHORE THING and one FUN THING every day.
2) aim for 5 fruit and veg a day, plenty of water, no bread, and small amounts of sugar.
2a) start to work out what a realistic schedule might look like (we got the news of closure Monday, we still don't know how it will work, we had to write plans over the weekend which then need to be approved (but haven't been yet so I'm reluctant to make too much of a start on prep)). And I have to do as much as I can NOT to let my sleep schedule drift...
3) spend an hour with my NaNo writing, because I enjoy it
4) keep building that list of research obligations…
Stay safe, be kind, and thank you for being here!
WIth you on the phone scrolling. It's as if I fear that I'll miss something key, even though I'm now following enough med people that I get more freaked out.
DeleteHope you work out your computer issues! And get a microscope. There's something about concrete research that is very satisfying.
Struck with the incongruity of explaining to the rare book community how I had happened across this text, I looked around to make sure I was unobserved, tucked the codex back into its hiding place, and locked the door behind me. Sadly, I had forgotten the security cameras that festooned the ceiling of the stacks.
ReplyDeleteThe next day, I was sitting at my desk, enjoying the sunlight on my face. I heard a noise to my left, near the door, and turning, saw two men in nice suits. “Donors,” I thought, and put on my public face.
My colleague Erica trailed behind them, saying, “Only authorized staff are allowed past the sign in the hallway--that one, back there.”
Just like in the movies, one reached in his pocket, and flipped open the wallet he extracted, showing his ID. However, his words deviated from the movies, as he said, “Hauptmann Perritaz, Pontificia Cohors Helvetica.”
I looked past him at my colleague, and answered the puzzled look on her face, “Swiss Guard. It’s okay.”
Hauptmann Perritaz said, “That would be a matter of interpretation, Ms. Mitchell. You need to come with us.”
Turning to Erica, he asked, “Do you have a room with a lock that we can use?”
Even more puzzled by the request, Erica said, “Well, there’s our conference room down the hall.”
“That will work fine, thank you.” Hauptmann Perritaz politely extended his arm to indicate that I should precede him down the hall. I opened the conference room door with my key, and put my keys on the table.
“I’ll take those for now, thank you.”
I handed my keys to him, and sat down.
“Ms. Mitchell, it seems you have found something of ours.”
Elizabeth Anne, I LOVE this! I LOL'd, this morning. Pontificia Cohors Helvetica, and your colleague's puzzlement. Thank you!
DeleteI'm glad it gave you a laugh, Dame Eleanor.
DeleteWhat a slammer of a week! As I said over at Undine's (notofgeneralinterest.blogspot.com), my concentration is shot, and I spend way too much time on CNN's live updates, although at least I am limiting myself to that and staying out of Twitter and anything that updates by delivering e-mail messages, so when I can close that tab, I can focus a bit. But I'm definitely feeling FOMO, and normally I am delighted to MO, so this is weird for me. There are other complications in my life at present, some involving Sir John shouting down the phone at people. And I'm worried about heu mihi, in India, and what may happen as her family tries to get home.
ReplyDeleteHow are you all?
Lack of concentration is widespread, Dame Eleanor, so you are not alone. My department has been madly emailing each other finding remote work for our student workers, and we now have several projects for all of them, so there was a collective sigh of relief earlier today.
DeleteI'm working from home, as are all the academics on campus at this point. I live in a village popularly nicknamed "professorville," so the internet infrastructure is stretched to its limits at times, but that is a minor irritation--talk about first-world problems! I hope that Sir John can resolve the problems involving shouting, too.
I was thinking about heu mihi, and am hoping that things go well for her return.
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ReplyDelete