We are split on the Friday/Sunday thing, so here I am on a Sunday... As I'm trying to move towards not working on weekends, I will also try to move to Friday, and just accept a short week.
In the past few weeks we've imagined our magical potions, and thought through how we will tame the monster, with even a special release of the Magical Monster Fence (MMF). But like most adventure stories, we all feel alone in these struggles. Who are the companions - real and/or imagined - who will help you on your way, whether they help maintain the fence, share ideas for online teaching, or just share their struggles. For me, the saving grace of this time has been the sense of companionship, of people reaching out and staying in touch.
In addition to the various monsters, Daisy suggested a couple of really useful looking books, and I'm highlighting them here in case anyone missed them and -- like me -- needs to read them: Small Teaching Online by James Lang and Teaching Online by Claire Howell Major, available free online. I also was delighted to find another reader of Angela Thirkell!
So -- the usual: reflection (if you want) on this week's topic, last week's goals and goals for the week ahead.
Last week's goals:
Daisy
1) Try Again: Finish all accounting submissions for term
2) Open neglected paper and start over with the figures
3) Help student with defense presentation, yay!!
4) Write late report for internal grant
5) Practice keeping teaching stuff in its scheduled place
6) This week’s fun thing: outdoor trip outside of neighbourhood, we’re allowed to go to trails or local beaches under some conditions now
Dame Eleanor Hull
2 hours academic work per day.
Order fall books; other admin tasks; take notes on an ILL book; 15 min/day dead language.
Life stuff: bills, med forms, lists, packing.
Elizabeth Ann Mitchell
Finish R&R for team paper.
Finish review of journal article.
Schedule time for help posting the presentations.
Schedule time for bibliography, footnotes and glossary.
Be kind, reach out.
HeuMihi
1. Read 2 Nunnery articles
2. Finish training for first-year advising and submit my availability online. (Did I tell you that I agreed to do first-year advising again? I get paid, some, but it's SO NOT WORTH IT, and I'm filled with chagrin.)
3. Bucket o' bishop
4. Read two chapters of Big Honkin Book
5. Write one paragraph about why my new project matters
6. Do one of my Good Things every day
Humming42
1 write and submit book review
2 submit 2 essay peer reviews
3 meet daily writing goals for Tiny Project
4 catch up on writing class and mooc (relevant to my secondary if somewhat obscure research trajectory)
JaneB
1) self care whilst
2) mopping up from last week's workshop, planning the outputs, and attending a meeting of the Learned Society
3) sorting out plans for the launch of the community effort (next Wednesday)
4) completing all the marking of second and third year work which has been submitted by now (I think that's just 5 project plans and 10 extended essays...).
5) Make More Lists
OceanGirl101
1. Number crunch for section of Ch 7 and write 1,000 words
2. Meet with three research students via ZOOM about summer research, meet with postdoc
3. Exercise x 3
4. Aunt's taxes
5. Look for Tahitian teacher-
Susan
1. Finish chapter, start next chapter
2. Get book orders in
3. Get back to walking, other exercise
4. Read for fun
5. Go to bed at a regular time
Companions---well, all of you. Some RL friends; last week I had socially-distanced walks with two different local friends, and it was so lovely to see them. Sir John and the RL cats, of course, who combine to become the Talking Cats accompanying my long-suffering scout. I like to remind myself that I have a lot of company in the going-online struggle, starting with English-department colleagues at LRU, extending to LRU colleagues in other departments, and going on to other colleges and universities across the country and the world. In terms of my story, these are the army Scout is scouting for.
ReplyDeleteHow I did:
Nothing awful happened last week, but it was hard anyway; I lost a few days to fatigue, anxiety, and some food reaction I don't understand (well, I have a dire suspicion, which will be very annoying if that's what it is). I think I managed to do some work on three days, and that felt like a triumph.
IOW, I kept the mammoth from stomping the research fairy, but it was a whale of a lot of work to do so (see what I did there?), and I just found a smudge of spangled mud that's making me worry that the fairy has been thoroughly trampled. The mammoth-extension paddock? Rumor has it that it got diverted to someone wrangling a manticore. Par for the course, around here. Wrong-size equipment has shown up; the Talking Cats are inspecting it warily and deciding how best to put it to use (for naps, obviously, but inside or on top?).
OK, how I did, really:
2 hours academic work per day. 3x
Order fall books; other admin tasks; take notes on an ILL book; 15 min/day dead language. NO, NO, YES (3x/3 chapters, not done yet), YES (4x).
Life stuff: bills, med forms, lists, packing. YES, NO, SOME, 2 boxes (wrong-size equipment . . . need to get more boxes of smaller size, for books).
New goals:
3 x 2 hours academic work.
Order fall books; finish taking notes on an ILL book; 15 min/day dead language.
Life stuff: med forms, lists, packing, take some stuff to campus office so I know where it is.
Days lost to fatigue & anxiety... perhaps the COVID19 normal? But frustrating none the less.
DeleteYay for all the YES things you have, that's no small feat with a move going on...
DeleteI have heard tell of a shadowy organization that diverts monster-wrangling supplies... Your replacement fence has been dispatched, I hope it arrives intact.
The research fairy is alive, she's just hiding in the next field over, she'll come back if you put out cookies perhaps... She's tougher than she looks!
Much sympathy with the suspected food reaction--I have been there, and it is not a nice place at all! And three days IS a triumph in those circumstances. Jane's admonishment to be kind extends to yourself, as well.
DeleteI also LOL'd at your taking things to the office so as not to lose them. Good advice! I am still looking for some of the "Open Me First" boxes that the movers buried in the garage somewhere. I have threatened to pack all those things in suitcases next move, but the campus office solution is so much better for some things.
Right now my companions are a very chatty seven-year-old, a husband who whistles all the time, and a cat who won't stop meowing. Admittedly, they're all quiet in front of some Bugs Bunny cartoons at the moment, but I am feeling a deep yearning for silence and solitude today! (Mostly I'm not as churlish and grumpy as this.)
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1. Read 2 Nunnery articles - done; actually read 3
2. Finish training for first-year advising and submit my availability online. - done
3. Bucket o' bishop - done
4. Read two chapters of Big Honkin Book - done - read 4 or 6 or something
5. Write one paragraph about why my new project matters - done
6. Do one of my Good Things every day - 5/7
This week:
I have managed to assign myself 16 essays/chapters this week. Of those, four MUST be read. Beyond that, I'm going to try to make it a "fun" "game" to get as close to 16 as possible.
1. Read the 4 essays for Journal
2. Read up to 12 others (2 for Nunnery, the remaining 9 chapters of Theoryish Book, and 1 very long chapter of Big Honking Book)
3. Track down evasive advisee
4. Write a paragraph about why I am qualified to write my current project
5. Bucket o' bishop
6. One of my Good Things daily
I'm getting tired of reading.
That is a lot of done things for the week, congratulations!
DeleteI like the game/challenge aspect to the reading list! That is a lot of reading though... Good luck!
I've managed to identify the versifying child as Edith Graham, so the book with the line "now the Bishop is in hell" must be one that features her in youth. Maybe Peace Breaks Out, but I'm not sure. I've been relying on the Angel Thirkell Society's pages (http://angelathirkellsociety.org/), since my fiction is packed.
DeleteI have always found it sad that reading gets tiring even when one is reading much better stuff than the garden-variety freshman essay. I like the game aspect, and will be interested in how it goes.
DeleteCompanions are so necessary! I have a really good crew of friends and colleagues, I’ve been hosting weekly happy hour or coffee sessions and lots of them are dropping in regularly to say hi. I’ve been texting and calling lots of friends from outside of work as well. I’m normally pretty happy to live a large part of my social life by text, usually for busy reasons, so this is kind of a seamless transition. My daughter is great company too, we are very much alike so can be locked up together for a long time and exist on reading and lego and board games!
ReplyDeleteNot a bad week at first, but end of the week was pretty blah.... I tried to run it off, and lo and behold, I injured myself. It is oddly one I’ve never had before, and when I looked it up it the consensus was “you’re a lot older than you were last time you ran seriously so this is your wake-up call before doing permanent damage”… So, starting now I have a new stretching and rehab regimen that I will be very good about following because I hate most forms of exercise except for running and if I lose that I will be very very unhappy… (My inner whining toddler says “but stretching is boooooring and warming up is a waste of good time and I don’t wanna”… But outer adult has put foot down so we’re doing it…) I think I need a distraction for the next few weeks, I’m toying with a 30-day challenge of some sort involving strengthening exercises, it might provide enough motivation to stick with it!
Last week’s goals
1) Try Again: Finish all accounting submissions for term DONE
2) Open neglected paper and start over with the figures OPENED, AND SHUT IT AGAIN…
3) Help student with defense presentation, yay!! DONE
4) Write late report for internal grant DONE
5) Practice keeping teaching stuff in its scheduled place SORT OF…
6) This week’s fun thing: outdoor trip outside of neighbourhood DONE, except the beach was freezing and the wind blew so hard kid’s toy boat rode out to sea and the water was too cold to safely save the it…tears ensued… Most beach trips are better than that one but at least we tried and had some fun with socially distant friends!
This week’s goals
1) Finish editing awesome paper for main co-author so he can submit it!
2) Make three new figures for neglected paper
3) Daily stretching and injury rehab
4) Write late report for internal grant
5) This week’s fun thing for kid: bring home surprise ice cream from favourite shop
6) This week’s fun thing for me: student’s Masters defence and virtual champagne for that!
I used to run, but knee challenges (that arose right around my 35th birthday) turned me into a walker...
DeleteI have never run willingly, apart from when playing hockey. And it was whilst playing hockey that I stood on a ball buried in mud, turned my foot around so I could see the sole of my boot, and although I didn't actually break anything, I messed up most of the ligaments in the ankle of my "good" leg (I have hip dysplasia in the "bad leg" and more recently had a slipped-on-stairs-with-suitcase thing which damaged some knee ligaments not quite badly enough for intensive treatment, but badly enough that they regularly comment). Plus even as a small child I had the coordination and gainliness of a small elephant crossed with a moose (you know how moose run as if every leg is doing its own thing? Turns out it's a lot less effective for a biped to do that)...
DeleteSo I'm something of a grumpy hobbler! :-)
Ouch ouch ouch ouch!!! Just thinking about that made me cringe...
DeleteI run partly because I also lack co-ordination in all other sports, I was always the kid who got the cricket/basket/tennis/rugby ball right between the eyes... So I will be really good about rehabbing this injury properly! It does seem to be responding rather well, reminds me of a physiotherapist once who said she always just loved it when people came in with fresh injuries and didn't wait for them to get better by themselves first...
Oh, Jane, I echo Daisy's cringe! I can't run, either, but due to nothing so cringeworthy.
DeleteDaisy, I can somewhat relate to having one thing (walking, for me) that works well for exercise. I have had months where I couldn't even do that, and it was difficult. Good for you doing the stretching routine despite hating the thought.
Sorry about the lost boat--those things are really tragic when one is young.
Topic: My boon companions? As Dame Eleanor said, all of you are important in my array of companions. IRL, I have the three men in my house who run the spectrum from “Chatty Cathy” Philosopher--some of you may be old enough to know that infamous doll--to “the world is awful and scary, and I will retreat from everyone” Historian, with Political Philosopher yawing to and fro between the two approaches. Not that I am perfect in this instance, either. The neighbor across the street had a very nice she-shed delivered last Thursday. I sat on my porch and stared longingly at it, because I want some alone time so desperately. However, I fly back and forth from isolation to wanting to chat up the neighbors with Tasmanian Devil intensity.
ReplyDeleteTo focus on the positive, those three men take very good care of their wife and mother, respectively. My sons especially are intuitive about when I am frantic to get some email written or some syntactical thing tacked down before I lose my sanity, but that makes it tricky when that coincides with a time they need to talk about something. They do return the favor, which is really nice--someone brought them up well!
I do have meetings with colleagues a few times a week, which is often a good thing. Also, I have a fiction writing group that is very helpful with my sanity. We have virtual write-ins once a week, and often a virtual cocktail party on Fridays. They even forgive me when I write academic stuff during the write-ins, although, oddly, they never ask me to read aloud what I’ve written.
Last week’s goals:
Finish R&R for team paper. Yes, it is at the publisher.
Finish review of journal article. Yes, it is also at the publisher.
Schedule time for help posting the presentations. Yes, I’ve set a time later this week.
Schedule time for bibliography, footnotes and glossary. Yes, time is blocked as unavailable for meetings and so on.
Be kind, reach out. Okay at being kind, but I was also often grouchy, and didn’t reach out as much.
Analysis: My ability to focus on work that is not all that fun was stunning this past week. I enjoy reviewing, and also enjoy editing, but to be honest, was dreading the R&R of the class paper. The reviewers wanted complete reorganization of the paper, which was fine BUT since it was in an unusual (to me) reference form (engineering, where only numbers are assigned, and the references page is in numerical, not alphabetical order), I was dreading moving things about to the desired degree. I procrastinated for more than a day, but when I finally sat down and started, I was surprisingly efficient and focused. I even reviewed the article for my editorial board as a break! Who was that organized, focused woman?? Of course, I finally descended from the garret like an extra from Tarzan versus the Molemen, and had to reintroduce myself to sunlight and my family.
Next week’s goals:
Follow the schedule for bibliography, footnotes and glossary.
If the above works well, add proofreading the edition to the schedule.
Post two of the presentations.
Update the third presentation with what I scrawled the night before the talk.
Send a birthday card to my sister.
Be kind, reach out.
I hope all of you are shoulder to shoulder with your companions, beating back the monsters. Float like mist, everyone.
Yay for all the goals achieved this week! Always so nice to have the paper become the publisher's problem, enjoy the feeling!
DeleteWonder if one can bottle the magic of focus you had this week? Would be an excellent addition to our potion shop...
I like the idea of the virtual writing sessions!
DeleteAnd your "float like mist" has become such a mantra of this group, it's lovely to hear it regularly!
Focus potion? That does sound great, doesn't it? And yes, it was great to hit that submit button!
DeleteDame Eleanor, I highly recommend virtual writing sessions. One friend's husband got a job in Philly, so they moved away a few months ago. We message each other, set a timer, and report back, on word count, or what we're working on. We often work through problems then.
The writing group has a visual component while we chat, but we turn off the video while we write, and turn it back on when we report. We tend to do 20-30 minute sprints. It is nice to have the visual contact if someone has a personal zoom or webex account.
My weekly real-life writing group has gone on-line using a similar format - we meet once a week, chat for half an hour or so online, agree goals, sign off and write, then call back 90 minutes later (2x40 minute sessions with a ten minute tea, wee and stretch break) to talk about how we got on and usually to set some sort of prep-for-next-time goal for the week in between. Tomorrow we're going to try a writing day with 4 writing sessions between chats, and leaving the technology on whilst we write (I'm probably ducking out after three to go to a meeting). I'll report back on how that goes! And with the chat bits being less than 40 minutes, we can use free zoom for the whole group!
DeleteJane, that's a great way to get around the zoom time restrictions. I'll be very interested to know how tomorrow goes.
DeleteHi all! I'm back after a hiatus. After I got sick, one of my two cats fell ill and I had to say goodbye to her. It was devastating. It's been challenging to really stick to goals and lists. But I forced myself to make a to-do list this am and need to really get back to things. I got a faculty job offer on Friday, which should be a good thing, but it's very hard to make a decision during a pandemic and there are some things that really complicate that decision. My other option is to stay where I am and go back on the market in a year. So, items 1-3 below are to help me figure that out.
ReplyDelete1. Make a pros and cons list
2. Talk to mentor
3. Email director - any way to start earlier?
4. Asthma paper R&R
5. Prep for COVID and MH meeting
a. Data sharing
b. Paper ideas
c. Paper proposal form
6. Figure out follow up schedule for COVID study and put in calendar
7. Admin supplement
8. YRBS paper
a. Make to do list
9. IRIE paper
a. Make to do list
Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear about kitty. It's really horrible when they go, it's somehow less complicated to love a cat than a person and the pain is purer. However much it's the most loving thing to do, letting them go is terrible.
DeleteAnd congratulations on the offer - it means you are hireable! - but commiserations on trying to make hard choices in very difficult conditions... wishing you some clarity and headspace to make the decision.
Good luck with decision making: it's really hard to decide to move when you can't go someplace. It's hard to evaluate the intangibles that contribute to pros and cons.
DeleteRIP kitty. As JaneB said, saying goodbye is hard.
So sorry about kitty. It's so easy to love them so completely, losing them becomes devastating.
DeleteWelcome back, and lots of sympathy for kitty. They are such important parts of our lives.
DeleteThat is wonderful about the offer. So many of the searches I know about around here just simply got cancelled, I'm glad yours went to an offer. Hard choices, but in this climate it is wonderful to have a good option!
Oh, goodness, you've really been through the bad news/ good news/ decision-making wringer---poor you. Much sympathy over the cat. How's your other kitty taking it?
DeleteAs above--I'm so sorry about your cat. That's really hard.
DeleteBut congratulations on the job offer, whether or not you end up taking it!
So sorry to hear about kitty. Our companions so easily nestle into our lives and hearts, and leave such a gap when they are gone.
DeleteAnd I agree with the comments above, even if you choose not to take the job offer, enjoy that you were asked. It can serve as an antidote when you are feeling down.
Thank you for the support. My other kitty has become massively clingy - we can never be apart, apparently. It's particularly odd given that we never really are since we are still on lockdown! I worry about how she will cope when I have to go back to work - though I think that is still months out.
DeleteWally
Well, that was a week. And this is another week, after a weekend of political slapstick horror show, and the collapse of lockdown, and general angst-and-anger inducing Stuff. Work remains uncertain, I fall behind, I am creaky (having a lot of issues with ankle swelling, at specific times of the month, which are doubtless the hot weather, the sitting (on the non-ideal chair), the relative lack of movement (I keep hurting my toes :-( but I AM doing stuff), worry (as in, this probably happens normally but I'm extra noticing it because my anxiety has decided it is now going to be at a constant simmer so I'm more reactive) etc. etc. (and Covid poundage due to anxiety eating, grrrr).
ReplyDeleteLast week's goals:
1) self care (I probably get a B- for self care this week. There was exercise, and there was chocolate. There were nights of staying up far too late and work days with sensible use of regular breaks) whilst
2) mopping up from last week's workshop, planning the outputs, and attending a meeting of the Learned Society yes, pretty much. I can't actually remember who is doing what when and appear to have given up notetaking but we did a lot of stuff
3) sorting out plans for the launch of the community effort (next Wednesday) aaargh. Do not work with people who are too much like the parts of you you dislike and work hard to overcome. our group has Quiet Shy Smart guy who lets everyone walk all over him, Super Scatty Man who cannot follow an agenda, keeps bringing up things we're going to talk about later in case we forget, and sends 5 or 6 emails all claiming to be urgent and with at least one contradiction at very odd times of day, Competent But Paranoid Woman who tends to think people are dissing her and over-promises because she doesn't trust other people to do stuff then gets mad with other people about expecting too much when things don't get delivered, and Vanisher who tends to pop up every three days to throw a spanner in the works. And me. They're all nice, the event is tomorrow, it will be OK. Or I will accidentally pull the plug out on my internet router and go lie in the dark with my feet raised
4) completing all the marking of second and third year work which has been submitted by now (I think that's just 5 project plans and 10 extended essays...). and a report. JUST. Took me DAYS. I can't brain, especially not focused braining on stuff that makes me sad and grumpy and guilty, like grading
5) Make More Lists made some lists
This week:
1) self care whilst
2) making more lists
3) launching the community effort and sorting out followup
4) completing all the marking of first year work which has been submitted and is super overdue.
5) finish one small section of FlatProject1.
1) self care whilst
2) mopping up from last week's workshop, planning the outputs, and attending a meeting of the Learned Society
3) sorting out plans for the launch of the community effort (next Wednesday)
4) completing all the marking of second and third year work which has been submitted by now (I think that's just 5 project plans and 10 extended essays...).
5) Make More Lists
Companions: Well, the faithful Fluffball is a floofy idiot but he is good natured. And affectionate. All the various peoples in my computer and down my phone (you, and friends and family and colleagues, and all of that). The people in my head (I am slowly reading last year's NaNo preparatory to trying to do some writing again, so some of them are MY made up people as well as people from books I read at some point or media I consumed (Tony Stark's eyeroll is definitely in my repertoire a lot, and I would love to borrow his snark) who just kind of hang around for years).
DeleteWho knew you could be isolated with just a mog for over 10 weeks and still get peopled out most days? I do appreciate modern technology but I also unappreciate it.
Anyway, must go do journal and go to bed as community thing starts early tomorrow because the various anxious people want us to log in an hour before and check the internet is still working or something and I being a doormat went along with it.
"Political slapstick horror show" is as good a description of the UK circus as I've seen. We have a different one here, but just as much of a horror show.
DeleteI relate strongly to be being peopled out even though there is one ever present person. Remarkable how much digital communication can nag at you. I try to follow the "don't check your email until," but I can't not check it. Something in my professional upbringing says I should not let things sit, lest they fester.
DeletePeopled out is definitely a thing even when they are online! I can see this being a real issue for teaching next term, I'm going to monster-fence teaching interactions extremely carefully or I will be a raving lunatic by the end of the first month...
DeleteIf it helps, some folks I know who attended the community workshop said it was fabulous :)
I feel like dealing with people over Zoom or similar is worse than in-person, because there's so much more effort involved in reading/presenting body language with tiny delays, and limited eye contact. Maybe I'll try voice-only and see if that helps at all. But anyway, yes, easily peopled-out here, too. And it's getting worse, the longer we're socially restricted. Yesterday I visited f2f for an hour with two friends, and then had a short chat with a grad student when I went to pick up/drop off things at my office, and that felt like a long day of meetings!
DeleteGiven the way we're going in the UK and my concerns about going on campus even if we DO offer some in person classes next year, I'm going to be an agoraphobic hermit welded to my chair by the end of this (well I would be if my chair was more comfortable...).
DeleteThat's really cool Daisy! We got some lovely positive messages too after the event and Tw1tt3r seems happy, so hopefully we can really get this off the ground.
Daisy, I will be delighted to use monster-fence as a verb! Most excellent.
DeleteJane, you are in the right group to complain about getting peopled out, as I will join the chorus. In fact, Dame Eleanor has clarified some of my discomfort with zoom meetings. I rely on nonverbal cues a lot--actually had a therapist long ago tell me I rely on them too much--so I feel at sea on zoom. And if the person isn't visible, but just has the black screen with the person's name, that really creeps me out.
DeleteI was on a zoom meeting last week where people actually were nodding and engaged. It made such a difference. I led a meeting where people were not interrupting each other, cutting each other off, talking over each other - and I wasn't really sure that was possible!
Deletethat was me, Wally, above!
DeleteIt's funny in this time of isolation, I feel as if I have lots of companions. A colleague and I will test out some options that link with our LMS; friends meet regularly on zoom; people call each other. That this global group is all facing the same challenges makes it feel if not more manageable, at least less lonely. We're all in this together is on this issue at least, true. In addition to my academic friends, my family is there (through zoom) also church friends and others. And the cats, of course, who have their own needs, but are basically happy to have me not leave home at all.
ReplyDeleteEven when I get cranky about our administration, which is treating teaching like everything -- including faculty -- is plug and play, I have friends who react the same way. Actually, faculty are not interchangeable. Sigh.
How I did:
1. Finish chapter, start next chapter NO
2. Get book orders in NO
3. Get back to walking, other exercise WALKING YES, other exercise no
4. Read for fun YES, some
5. Go to bed at a regular time 5 nights
I made slow progress, and at least figured out what I needed to do to finish the chapter, and got most of the books I need electronically, but I really want REAL BOOKS. Grumble grumble. (In our meeting with the provost, I asked when the library would be open, in any form...) I ruminated on the book orders and the course, and think I'm beginning to see how I'll shape it, but no orders yet. I did get myself back to walking, aside from the day when I'd eaten something that disagreed with me, and did a pretty good job on sleeping. I also started a few domestic tasks, contacting people who might take the very dirty carpet out of my bedroom and put in new floors. So not a wash out, but still...
Goals for the rest of this week:
1. Really finish the chapter
2. Get book orders in
3. Keep walking (it will be have to be early the next few days, as we're above 100 this week)
4. Read for fun
5. Pick up knitting
6. Go to be early so I get enough sleep.
Our public library (but not university library) started a pickup service--since the catalog is online, you can order whatever you want and do a drive-up pick up. I'm reviewing electronic of books right now, and it's rather awful, so I have much compassion there!
DeleteSometimes the "figuring out what to do to finish" a task is the hardest and most frustrating step, and after that falls into place the rest goes much more smoothly... For me it is figuring out the structure of a paper/chapter/argument, and involves many iterations and experiments, after which things flow better.
DeleteKeep walking and enjoy the cool early mornings!
Walking and sleeping are very worthwhile! I'm doing well on the first but still lousy on the second, and I know I'd be so much happier and more efficient if I were sleeping better, so give yourself a lot of credit there!
DeleteI do love the MMF. I recently came to understand the shift from “pets” to “companion animals.” After many years without animals in my house, I am ever grateful for my birds and my cat. They are kind, wonderful company. They also create some much-needed structure.
ReplyDeleteI message a lot with my son, who has gone back to school. We talk about what he’s reading and writing about, among other things, and he inspires me to get to work. I have many beloved friends on Facebook who serve as good touchstones for me, and I am grateful just to see them there. But I check in with you all more than I do there.
Last week:
1 write and submit book review: yes
2 submit 2 essay peer reviews: yes
3 meet daily writing goals for Tiny Project: some
4 catch up on writing class and mooc: some
This week:
1 write and submit two book reviews
2 submit one more essay peer review
3 write and submit conference abstract
4 write presentation for online conference next week
Happy to hear the MMF is working! I particularly enjoy the part where I'm not feeling guilty for using it...
DeleteYay for getting something going on Tiny project, the beginning is often the hardest part, hope it will go well now that it is in progress.
I like your term of companion animals. We often referred to both our dogs as emotional support animals.
DeleteAnd kudos for getting things done, with the aid of the MMF!
Hi All,
ReplyDeleteI had a hard end to the week with a bad reaction to giving plasma. But I am hanging in there. My daily companion is my cat who likes to march on my laptop, its an eternal battle. I have started taking social distancing walks with two friends. I also have a series of graduate friends with whom I zoom with collectively. But the way the days blend into one other makes for what might seem like a long summer - I likely will feel very differently about this come July.
How I did:
1. Number crunch for section of Ch 7 and write 1,000 words Yes, wrote words but not sure if I met a 1,000 word goal
2. Meet with three research students via ZOOM about summer research, meet with postdoc Yes
3. Exercise x 3 Yes
4. Aunt's taxes No
5. Look for Tahitian teacher Started
This coming week:
1. Work on last current bit of Ch 7, re-read Ch 6 and outline rest of Ch 7
2. Copy edit page proofs
3. Read draft of co-authored paper
4. Meet with 3 students and postdoc to mentor research
5. Start work towards becoming DGS in July
6. Exercise x 2, walk x 5
7. Do aunt's taxes
8. Find Tahitian teacher
Glad that you are on the mend after rough reaction.
DeleteI find the blending of days quite challenging too, and every time I think of keeping it up for several months I feel the urge to run away, so I'm trying not to think about it too much. Scheduling fun outside things is definitely a big help, your walks with friends are a great example of that!
Oops posted twice... Oh well...
You wrote words, met with students, and reached your exercise goals! That's a great week.
DeleteSorry to hear about the reaction--that must have been unsettling at best .
DeleteTime is even more elastic than usual in these times, and it is difficult to keep a schedule in mind.
Glad that you are on the mend after rough reaction.
ReplyDeleteI find the blending of days quite challenging too, and every time I think of keeping it up for several months I feel the urge to run away, so I'm trying not to think about it too much. Scheduling fun outside things is definitely a big help, your walks with friends are a great example of that!