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
Hi all. All changes are hard at the moment. I'm not doing very well. Last week I had a bad migraine-like headache, pushed through its arrival on Wednesday to take part in an online seminar, lost the battle, had to call out on a field trip (which I feel bad about especially as I was not sure if I'd cope with it due to my anxiety being very bad at the moment and my joints very creaky, so part of me thinks I wished the headache into existence), and it persisted into Friday then I had a "migraine hangover" over the weekend, and my sleep was completely thrown off, and I am still not really back over that. Last week was reading week, I "only" worked 50% extra over the official hours I supposedly work, and I still feel like rubbish. I have all of the coming week's teaching prepared but little else. So I guess I did the surviving...
ReplyDeleteI need to move more, eat better, put myself a little higher up the list, but whenever I don't feel under immediate work pressure, all I want to do is nothing. Sleep, scroll on my phone... I have lured myself into reading an already read book today which is progress, of a sort. Not helping with any of the chores or self-care type stuff, but.
So my goal remains basically survival - more quantifiably, I want to prep for as much of the next two weeks of teaching as possible - because next week I get a LOT of grading in, and would like to be able to get started on it as it arrives rather than leave it.
I feel like I'm just about coping in terms of supporting my first and second years (except for the ones who aren't engaging, but that is their choice, really) but feel bad for my third years - I'm using some of last year's recordings, which is NOTHING, but for some reason my brain is not rational about this stuff. Sigh!
WHine whine whine!
I'll be over here, putting together a cheese plate to go with the whining...
In these circumstances, surviving is absolutely a win and you should take it. And also be kind to yourself in knowing that survival mode and mentality means that is really hard to switch out into the longer-term thinking of self-care.
DeleteUsing last year's lectures is completely okay! You're doing more than enough. Please do take care of yourself in whatever way works--and don't feel guilty about not taking care of yourself in some sort of "right" way, whatever that would mean....
DeleteDefinitely use last year's lectures and whatever else you can recycle! I hope you can get your sleep back on track. Everything is so much easier with good sleep.
DeleteI'm very glad your case of Covid was mild! Hope your and your mother's recovery continues smoothly...
ReplyDeleteYes, may your recovery go well and all things be well.
DeleteAgreed! I hope this week goes better.
DeleteSo last week was just one of those weeks - Honours examinations on a different campus, big end of year event and prep for it, and kid 2's birthday to top it off. This week has some other major postgraduate milestones that I'll be supporting, but also has working from home (away from the building site) and time to read with focus.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic for this week, I think my students, colleagues and I have all hit change fatigue. I can't think of one thing apart from one colleague, in my work life that is the same as it was two years ago - organisational structure, curriculum, research frameworks, physical space - all changed or changing - and of course, with 'change consultants' to support us meaninglessly while the university pretends that resilience doesn't mean just keeping on pushing till everyone is broken. And I really hate that forming a selfish, self-protecting bubble seems to be the only way through when empathy and kindness and radical hope just seem to be invitations to find another way to expose a vulnerability that can be used against you. (Sorry, my cynical side is showing this week)
Goals for last (couple of) week:
Teaching - finish off current unit by releasing feedback and submitting results; finish scaffolding map and start revisions to unit outline - yes, done
Research - set up writing group (outcome from a lovely cross-discipline event hosted by nearby-department), 1 pomodoro on documentation - yes, done
Self and home - yoga x 3, go bushwalking this weekend - no bushwalking, and not likely till the weather behaves and we get through concert season. Some yoga.
This week:
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.
Oof. Here's hoping that you find some peace this week--or at least some distance from the aggravating and cynicism-inducing stuff.
DeleteI'm almost never in favor of exposing vulnerability, so my advice is not to worry about being cynical! Growing up with two older brothers taught me a few things . . . some people call that family-of-origin issues, I guess. It all depends on your perspective.
DeleteI'm waiting for the change to winter, to real cold--this low-40s business isn't cutting it. Not that I love the cold per se, but I feel ready for the true change of season, perhaps in part because it will make feel more like the semester is ending! Fall is hard; we don't get a break until Thanksgiving, at which point I manage to convince myself that the semester is in fact over--when it isn't.
ReplyDeleteLast week--was a little crazy; my son had Thursday off school, my husband was out of town Thursday-today, and my parents were visiting Friday-Sunday. I had to be extremely organized about cooking, housework, and real work. I'm rather proud of how I did.
1) Complete article revisions?? - YES, submitted
2) Do what I can with co-authored introduction (WH intro) - Sent back to co-author; we plan to submit the MS this week
3) Read two articles - NO, didn't really start
4) Review/revise/whatever upcoming conference paper, which I basically sort of already gave and simply do not care about anymore - NO, did not do, MUST do this week
5) Exercise - Run x3, yoga x1
This week:
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!
Congratulations on finishing the article revisions and also on staying organized through visitors and no husband! That sounds like a great week.
DeleteThe time change is a big one for me, every single day I notice that the sun is disappearing earlier and earlier! I try to remember that very soon things will turn around and get lighter every day even though it will still be getting colder for quite some time. The time change really messed up the cat too, she was pretty unhappy with the delayed meals all week. I would tell it that it is kind of comforting to know that nothing stays the same forever, but it would just give me a dirty look!
ReplyDeleteLast week’s goals
1) Continue with revisions for paper related to poster ONGOING
2) Send samples out, do office organizing session NOPE
3) Keep doing modelling work for new paper NOPE
4) Accounting for all Fall trips NOPE
5) Write several association documents and official letters DONE
6) Something fun with friends! DONE
I have no idea where this last week went. It was busy and generally confused… Some are like that, so many little things that take time eventually added up to lots of it! I’m going to postpone the accounting and modelling, no way that is getting done with trip. But then next week I can do the accounting for all the trips together.
This week’s goals
1) Continue with revisions for paper related to poster. FOREVER apparently…
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, they’ve been busy!
Yep, I too really notice the times of sunrise and sunset. For some reason I don't so much mind sunrise coming later, but the earlier dark is painful. Hence all my cozy reading of kids' books!
DeleteI think what's really hard for me is that the mornings stay dark much longer (and actually keep getting darker after the solstice.)
DeleteThe time change has made it much easier to go to bed earlier. I prefer having longer days, and am calculating how long till the time starts going the "right" direction again, but it does seem like the right thing to be doing is sleeping.
ReplyDeleteHow I did:
Health: yoga x6, weights x3, very short walks, bed by 10:30 at least 5x. YES, x1, YES, x4 (twice by 10).
Research: keep working on chapter organization; study both dead languages; read a book; scan some essays. YES, progress! Kept up with Latin group, one study session on Greek. Book? Not a scholarly one; essays, no.
Teaching: grade grad papers. YES.
Admin: find a piece of paper I need to claim some $. Meeting prep. NO, and meeting cancelled so NO but for good reason.
Life Stuff: write to my dad, renew car registration, joint account admin, Scotchguard suede boots, finish pockets. NO, NO, SOME, NO, NO.
Other: did a jigsaw puzzle with Sir John, read several mid-century juvenile novels, spent Sunday afternoon napping (most unlike me). Vet visits both Mondays: Glendower has lymphoma, and we're trying chemotherapy, hoping he'll respond well and go into remission.
NEW GOALS (very like last week's):
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.
For full disclosure, I must admit that I am no fan of change. I think my attitude is due to most of the changes in my life in the last decade not having been good ones, so I no longer embrace the excitement of change. The best path I have for embracing change is to look at the good changes that have happened—finally getting back to rare books, in a supportive and friendly department. I also need to look at the opportunities afforded by change; in the new situation, I am encouraged to write, after years of being told that my job was essentially clerical. And since I have tenure, the snotty remarks about the “weird stuff” I write on no longer bugs me.
ReplyDeleteObviously, my embracing change is still a work in progress, but at least I can see a path to it.
Last week’s goals:
More vaccines, including COVID booster. Yes, yes, and yes.
Work on NaNo project at least three times a week. Only two times.
Write at least 250 words a day on the as-yet-unnamed article that I reverse outlined a few weeks back. Only three times.
Finish reading about the 18th century Belgian collector. Yes. He’s a fascinating person.
Analysis:
I had a reaction to one of the vaccines, which just felled me for a few days. I’ll happily live with a day or two of fever and pain, but it does put the kobosh on plans. I also have to fight the impulse to hibernate—I don’t know if heu mihi wishing for colder weather made it happen here instead of her neck of the woods, but I had to haul out the heavier coat, although thankfully not the parka as yet.
Also, I have been doing a thorough cleaning of my campus office. Everyone else has carpet in their offices, and it is being replaced (after 22 years, so you can imagine it’s past due!). Everyone must empty bookshelves and half of their file cabinets. I’ve found it a good reason to go through my file cabinets and bookcase, even though my little corner is tiled. I’m trying to be brutal, so it’s taking some time.
Next week, I will be visiting our daughters and grandchildren, so my writing time will be limited.
Next week’s goals:
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.
For my American colleagues, I hope the last rush before Thanksgiving break is good for all of you. Karen, I hope you continue to feel better after your brush with COVID. Jane, like many of us have said, please don’t be so hard on yourself!
Float like mist, everyone.
Enjoy your family visit!
DeleteWell, the time change happened while I was in quarantine, which was oddly nice. I had two days when I felt really crappy (but no fever, really just a bad cold) but otherwise was fine. Quarantine was like being in a cocoon. But my students have been so quiet this semester --in ways I think it's been harder than last year because stuff is semi-normal but not quite, and everyone is tired and having trouble concentrating. I teach at 9 AM, and I often walk into the classroom to find the blinds drawn and no lights on, and students sitting in the dark as if they are still trying to sleep. I'm completely befuddled by it.
ReplyDeleteHow I did over two weeks:
1. Actually finish the grading! YES
2. Get draft of fellowship proposal done, sent to letter writers YES
3. Revisions of self-study as I get comments from others (Probably Friday, maybe Thursday) YES
4. Try to keep some mild exercise up while recovering YES
5. Visit Mom, try to help her get better YES< when I could!
6. Sleep YES
7. Do fun something ON ZOOM ONLY
So, I actually did pretty well, even while sick. Grading was really hard, but I made myself do it. I got the fellowship proposals out. Who knows whether I'll get one, but it was good to write the proposal! I'm not going out much -- now I can visit my mother who has *finally* started coming back to herself, and I go to campus. I've sent the program review out for final review by my colleagues, and have almost all the appendices organized. It will be submitted next Monday and I will be DONE.
In the bad news department, the painter who was going to paint the bedroom where I've had the floor redone couldn't do it this week, so I have to figure out how much of the room I can put back together so that my brother, SIL & nibblings can sleep in rooms that are not complete chaos. Moving furniture twice is not fun!
Goals for the week ahead:
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