Last quarter 2020: Week 7: Midterm check-in

Because I doubled up on Week 1's, it's actually our 8th week, which I'm hoping makes sense for a midterm check-in week, because I remain utterly devoid of the elegant literary-artistic-architectural prompts to which DEH has accustomed you. I haven't even caught up on the comments from last week.

I'm afraid that I've also lost track of our guiding metaphor(s). 

But, since it seems to be a museum or something similar, how about this? You're in the middle of a very large museum--think the Louvre or the Met, someplace far too big to absorb in a single visit. You've wandered deep in, through the exhibits of Chinese ink drawings and porcelains. Now you find yourself in a sort of upper atrium, with paths opening in every direction: early American portraits, Dutch masters, Egyptian artifacts, whatever you want. Which way do you go, knowing that you're unlikely to find your way back to this juncture and get the chance to explore the galleries not taken? And how do you feel about committing to one pathway over the others? Will you try to wander back and keep your options open?

That seems like an apt-ish metaphor for the midterm check-in, doesn't it?

So: Report back on last week's goals, but also--if you want--let us know how your session goals are fitting you right now. Is there anything that strikes you as risible? Or even just uninteresting? Remember, there's no shame in abandoning items on the to-do list. Liberate yourself if you need to. Or, if there's something that you can't abandon, this is a chance to remember it and recommit.

And if you don't have session goals listed here, that's okay! Just tell us what's up and how you're doing.

Session goals (apologies if I'm missing anyone):

Daisy:

Session goals:

1) Finish and get rid of the Albatross Paper
2) Learn and do some computer-based analysis with fancy tool for new paper and local grant
3) Get DEI program approved and instituted in my professional society
4) Deliver excellent graduate course for new project students.

Priorities:
1) Health for household – mental and physical.
2) Two research projects: local grant and Albatross. The rest will putter along by themselves mostly so these are the ones that need the most focused attention.
3) Be excellent for my good people and help them as much as I can, be those child or co-authors or grad students or the good colleagues
4) Be good enough for/with everything and everyone else.

Dame Eleanor Hull:

Look after my health first.
Do a decent job teaching, and be kind to students.
Revise essay; try to make progress on book, and do at least a bit of language work every week.
Get boxes out of storage unit.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell:

spend my research leave at a nearby archive to do a final check of my critical edition against the exemplars;
finish the article that grew from a presentation I gave;
pull together a good literature review of the flavor of digital humanities that interests me;
walk more, eat better, meditate when I wake up at 3am, and write every day;
be more positive about life.

Research:
Incorporate research from hoped-for archival trip into the critical edition.
Finish one article, preferably Illuminated, although Flowers is a close second.
Finish the annotated bibliography on critical editions and digital humanities.

Life:
Achieve 10,000 steps a day.
Achieve 60% better meals.
Improve positivity about life.

heu mihi:

1. Research: draft an article by summer 2021; prepare a grant proposal by mid-summer 2021
1a. (Re)read NunG books 3-5
1b. Research relevant theology on death in the 13th c.
1c. Situate readings of nuns within theological context
2. Draft my part of intro to collection
3. Language: Make some progress. Aim for 3x week, any length of time.
4. Life: Exercise, yoga twice a week (any length of time), sit some amount every week
5. Watch Pride and Prejudice by myself in the newly fixed-up basement.
6. Try to do at least one of each week's Big Tasks on Monday or Tuesday, to keep them all from piling up on the weekend.
7. Relax into what happens. Change or abandon goals as needed.

humming42:

1 write a tiny project piece every week
2 spend time with a creative piece every week
3 write weekly blog posts
4 finish writing that online class
5 keep up with teaching things

 

oceangirl101:

1. Complete book and submit to press!!!! This will entail final writing/ edits on Ch 8, a bit of data crunching for Ch 7, a final read througth and polish of the entire thing, plus copy edits and figures and the bib. I think its doable.
2. Maintain a realistic notion of what is doable this semester in terms of teaching. Be gentle with myself.
3. Exercise 5x a week
4. Eat healthy
5. Advise several students on new projects, get bits and pieces of data/writing needed to collaborators for CNH paper, Canoe paper, and Adze paper
6. Paperwork for aunt to go into state system (I am her POA)
7. Buy porch furniture to make outdoor space comfy
8. Do smell retraining therapy each day in the hopes of getting smell and taste back

 

Susan:

1. Survive the teaching, and maybe figure out how to own it? I'm beginning to figure out how to manage class, and am grateful to the students who will turn on cameras so I get some feedback! Last week I figured out how to pre-assign students to breakout rooms and I wanted to break out the champagne. I have tried to make the assignments for students what they can manage, and to be flexible. It's just hard.
2. Finish chapter 2 of Famous Author, by working at least 15 minutes every week day.
3. Keep making progress on getting rid of stuff/ fixing house.
4. Keep walking or getting exercise. I have just ordered a Very Expensive piece of gym equipment, but everyone I know who has it raves. I hope it gets me through the winter when "It's dark when I wake up and want to go out so I don't go walk". We'll see.
5. Read for pleasure -- a litte?
6. Do something enjoyable weekly with friends. (mostly not face to face...)

Last week's goals:

Daisy:

1) Work on local paper every day this week and actually make progress
2) Continue dealing with Society thing
3) Lecture recordings again (missed a few)
4) Prepare remaining assignments for all classes and post
5) My intentional thing for the week: coffee office hours with a few students who desperately need contact (these walking meetings, one person only, outside, in the wind, with parkas, so definitely safe!)

Dame Eleanor Hull:

*Health: daily cardio and stretching, weights x 3, try to eat carefully and sleep enough.
*Teaching: Grade 2 sets of discussion board posts, 2 sets of papers.
*Research: make plan for addressing revisions; some time on both dead and live languages; some other reading.
*Service: work on exam-related document for dept., prep for Monday meeting.
*Admin: do two online trainings and get them over with.
*Fun stuff: read, bake something, make Halloween cards for great-niblings, set up new Moleskine.
*House/life: sort and file papers.

*Track time, at least roughly.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell:

Enjoy the second half of the archive trip.
Transcribe notes from this half of the archive trip.
Get passport picture.
Read and annotate one article in the digital humanities bibliography.
Read fun book.
Walk 2x7; meditate 1x7; write 2 hours x 5; something positive 1x7.

heu mihi:

1) Exercise regimen, language x3, sit x3
2) Teaching: Record 3 lectures, transcripts for 2 lectures (4 transcripts total), last 2 PowerPoints.
3) Research: Notes on Vol. 4 of NunG; read the article that's been open in my browser for 10 days
4) Service: Gen Ed review, catch up on editorial work

5) Look at outside source for teaching upcoming new book 

humming 42:

1 work on creative piece
2 write weekly blog post
3 grade every day
4 work on November conference paper
5 revise and resubmit book review

oceangirl101:

1. Work on book edits 2 hrs
2. Work on co-author paper edits 2 hrs
3. Prep for student defense
4. Exercise x 3
5. Vote
6. Stretch/meditate/bath x 2 to try to regulate sleep

Susan:

1. 2 hours on Famous Author
2. Admin: read big proposal
3. Admin: start reading ms. for promotion review
4. Teaching: chart student progress, contact stragglers
5. Add one week ahead in each class, define final infographic project
6. Financial record thing that will be a PITA
7. Keep walking: I feel better
8: Some reading
9. Get to bed early