Embodying gratitude (week 14)

 It always feels strange to be posting around the time of Thanksgiving when it isn't my celebration, and yet is so ubiquitous in the virtual world (and can I briefly complain about non-US companies jumping on the whole Black Friday sales thing - why do we need yet more marketing spam in the world?).

Nonetheless, coming closer to the end of the year is a good time to reflect on all those who  have accompanied, carried or otherwise supported us. To consider what it means to be in connection and in community, and how we can still hold that close even when in disrupted and difficult times. What gratitude are you carrying, and how do you feel it? How might you embody gratitude?

Daisy

1) Continue with revisions for paper related to poster. FOREVER apparently…

2) Catch up from being away with life stuff and doctors and vets and things

3) Go through Albatross paper material and send things to coauthor for help

4) Plan grad classes for rest of term and early January

5) Catch up with Baby Albatross coauthors and talk about plans

6) Do something fun with friends

Dame Eleanor Hull

Health: yoga x6, weights x3, medium walks, bed by 10:30 at least 5x.

Research: start putting together chapter; study both dead languages; read a book.

Teaching: do some spring prep.

Life Stuff: renew car registration, finish joint account admin, finish pockets and replace buttons on a cardigan.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell

Enjoy the drive as much as possible.

Eat better than I’m tempted to do, sleep more, relax, and enjoy the family time.

If there is down time, continue the list of next steps for the AYU (as-yet-unnamed) article.

heu mihi

1) Conference paper

2) Submit WH manuscript!!

3) Review 2 Gen Ed proposals

4) Record lecture for next week

5) Read 2 articles

6) Exercise

7) Celebrate husband's birthday!

humming42 (carried over)

1 submit three book reviews

2 submit article review

3 work on mentoring program application

4 catch up on grading

5 as noted, draft some lines every day

JaneB

Once my grading arrives, do a little grading every day. Be KIND - to students, to myself. Drink more water, move some more, take time to breath. try to work out what is going on with the grant we actually got, but can't start due to paperwork issues.

Karen

Teaching - get exemplar page prepared for review

Research - get 2 postgrads through milestones and celebrate!

Self and Home - yoga x 3, music practice, keep up good sleep habits.

Susan

1. Enjoy family time

2. Finish Book for blurb

3. Grade next batch of papers

4. Eat well

5. Sleep

AND/OR

1. Finish blurb book

2. Grade new set of papers (paper #3)

3. Have fun with family

4. Eat well

5. Relax

Working with the seasons (week 13)

We have artificial light, temperature control measures to warm or cool our indoor spaces (and even, sometimes, our outdoor areas), and office/classroom jobs with their own termly rhythms and deadlines. We don't have to take much notice of changing seasons, except insofar as they offer more or different work (plant, weed, rake, shovel, put up or take down decorations) that gets added on to our 'real jobs.' And yet most of us do notice and respond to the length of days, the weather, the flora and fauna that bloom and reproduce, or die back and re-focus activity. 

What is your energy like, this November? How would you organize your time if you could go with the flow, adjust your life to the changing season? 

Here are your last goals; let us know how you did, and what you'll tackle in the coming week.

Daisy
1) Continue with revisions for paper related to poster.
2) Road trip to go see co-authors and grad students, 4 days away in total
3) Association meetings and letters
4) Small online conference
5) Enormous pile of grad student feedback

Dame Eleanor Hull
Health: yoga x6, weights x3, very short walks, bed by 10:30 at least 5x.
Research: finish topic sentence outline of chapter; study both dead languages; read a book; scan some essays.
Teaching: grade undergrad papers.
Admin: find a piece of paper I need to claim some $.
Life Stuff: write to my dad, renew car registration, joint account admin, Scotchguard suede boots, finish pockets.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell
Pack for the trip.
Make a list of what we will need to get for the puppy, both for the drive home, and the first couple of days at home.
Pull together a list of next steps for the AYU (as-yet-unnamed) article.

heu mihi
1) Conference paper
2) Submit WH manuscript!!
3) Review 2 Gen Ed proposals
4) Record lecture for next week
5) Read 2 articles
6) Exercise
7) Celebrate husband's birthday!

Humming 42 (carried over)

1 submit three book reviews
2 submit article review
3 work on mentoring program application
4 catch up on grading
5 as noted, draft some lines every day

JaneB
prep for as much of the next two weeks of teaching as possible

Karen
Teaching - get exemplar page prepared for review
Research - get 2 postgrads through milestones and celebrate!
Self and Home - yoga x 3, music practice, keep up good sleep habits.

Susan
1. Read ms for blurb
2. Read material for promotion case
3. Grade papers (batch #2)
4. Submit Program Review
5. Start planning Thanksgiving
6. Reorganize bedrooms for visitors
7. Work on things for symphony fundraiser
8. Enjoy concert on Sunday

Week 12: Change

 For the last few weeks, we've been thinking about change.  Those of us in the northern hemisphere are watching the daylight fade, while Karen is preparing for a new garden and summer.  I'm re-entering the world after a (very mild) case of COVID.  In the US we've just gone through twice yearly agony of the time change, so the evenings are closing in ever earlier. The month or so before the solstice is a time when change outside seems faster. What changes are you observing? How does the world outside affect you, or your students?  How can we make friends with the changes that are hard? 

(Maybe one sign of all the change is how quiet things were here last week!) 

Goals from last week:

Daisy

1) Continue with revisions for paper related to poster
2) Send samples out, do office organizing session
3) Keep doing modelling work for new paper
4) Accounting for all Fall trips
5) Write several association documents and official letters
6) Something fun with friends!

Dame Eleanor

Health: yoga x6, weights x3, very short walks, bed by 10:30 at least 5x.
Research: keep working on chapter organization; study both dead languages; read a book; scan some essays.
Teaching: grade grad papers.
Admin: find a piece of paper I need to claim some $. Meeting prep.
Life Stuff: write to my dad, renew car registration, joint account admin, Scotchguard suede boots, finish pockets.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell

More vaccines, including COVID booster.
Work on NaNo project at least three times a week.
Write at least 250 words a day on the as-yet-unnamed article that I reverse outlined a few weeks back.
Finish reading about the 18th century Belgian collector.

heu mihi

1) Complete article revisions??
2) Do what I can with co-authored introduction (WH intro)
3) Read two articles
4) Review/revise/whatever upcoming conference paper, which I basically sort of already gave and simply do not care about anymore
5) Exercise

Humming 42 (carried over)

1 submit three book reviews

2 submit article review

3 work on mentoring program application

4 catch up on grading, since there are assignments due this week

5 as noted, draft some lines every day

JaneB (carried over)

Goal this week - do my job well enough, and rest in between

Karen (carried over)

Teaching - finish off current unit by releasing feedback and submitting results; finish scaffolding map and start revisions to unit outline

Research - set up writing group (outcome from a lovely cross-discipline event hosted by nearby-department), 1 pomodoro on documentation

Self and home - yoga x 3, go bushwalking this weekend.

Susan (carried over)

1. Actually finish the grading!

2. Get draft of fellowship proposal done, sent to letter writers

3. Revisions of self-study as I get comments from others (Probably Friday, maybe Thursday)

4. Try to keep some mild exercise up while recovering

5. Visit Mom, try to help her get better

6. Sleep

7. Do fun something 

  

Remaking the space (week 111

One of the more visible ways I've been welcoming the light in through the shift to spring and outside has been the final tackling of the decade-deferred front garden, which has just turned into a wild ramble of the darwinian survivors from occasional attempts at planting. Enlisting a chainsaw, a large box to deliver uprooted plants to a friend, many wheelbarrow-loads for the compost, and reclaimed railways sleepers in search of a new home, I now have a space that will get some light and is ready for new plantings to take shape. This bed is going to be a native garden, creating habitat for birds and insects and hopefully geckos finging safe spots to bask in the sun.

Change in light is change in mood is change in space. This week, I'm inviting you to reflect on how the changes many of your reflected on might be aided by a change in space (real or metaphorical). Is it time to nest in, to clear out, to set a place at the table for the ones we want to welcome in?

Daisy

1) Finish with revisions for paper related to poster

2) Get analytical time booked and organized, for me and for grad students

3) Finish last left-over bit of grad student feedback

4) Attend enough of conference to feel useful, do required talking at fancy events (remotely!)

5) Do modelling work for new paper

6) Get sleeping back on proper schedule!

Dame Eleanor Hull

Health: yoga x6, weights x3, very short walks, bed by 10:30 at least 5x.

Research: keep working on chapter organization; study both dead languages; read a book; scan some essays.

Teaching: grade undergrad papers.

Admin: whatever comes up.

Life Stuff: write to my dad, renew car registration, joint account admin.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell

More medical appointments--one this week, and pneumonia and flu vaccines.

Work on NaNo project at least every other day.

Read up on the Belgian collector for the other collection--possible article?

heu mihi

1) Rough in article revisions


2) Read two essays


3) Read & comment on grad student's prospectus


4) Exercise more than last week


5) Grade most of the latest batch of essays

humming42

1 submit three book reviews

2 submit article review

3 work on mentoring program application

4 catch up on grading, since there are assignments due this week

5 as noted, draft some lines every day

JaneB

Goal this week - do my job well enough, and rest in between

karen (carried over)

Teaching - finish off current unit by releasing feedback and submitting results; finish scaffolding map and start revisions to unit outline

Research - set up writing group (outcome from a lovely cross-discipline event hosted by nearby-department), 1 pomodoro on documentation

Self and home - yoga x 3, go bushwalking this weekend.

Susan

1. Actually finish the grading!

2. Get draft of fellowship proposal done, sent to letter writers

3. Revisions of self-study as I get comments from others (Probably Friday, maybe Thursday)

4. Try to keep some mild exercise up while recovering

5. Visit Mom, try to help her get better

6. Sleep

7. Do fun something