Apologies for late posting! Through the Magic of NUSCOMI, we've made it through 16 weeks. As we do our final check-in, what magic (good or bad) did you experience in this session?
As always, we will reflect on both last week's goals, and session goals. And we need volunteers for the next session.
Daisy
PAPER REVISIONS x2
Pack/prepare for field school
Help student with revisions
Dame Eleanor
- Keep "working hours" of 9-12 plus a couple of hours in the afternoon, most days
- Exercise as energy allows
- Do some fun and/or restful things
heu mihi
1. Send out preliminary queries to publishers with whom I might meet at Kalamazoo
2. Host a visiting speaker on Wednesday, including multiple meals etc. and remembering to write an intro for her talk
3. Put notes from recent administrative-y conference into Teams file
4. Gen Ed review
5. Prepare for and attend abstract workshop on Thursday
6. Prepare/draft my part of a publishing workshop to take place next week (which will also shade over into my Kalamazoo roundtable)
7. Contact presenters on the panel I'm chairing with the usual reminders
8. Finish up provisional graduate student teaching schedule
JaneB
** self care: Journalling, physical care through movement and food choices and Boring Stuff, care for my environment through routine tasks, adding in a couple of less routine tasks and paperwork type tasks like financial review, Physio appointment.
** Fun - read a novel, start a non-fiction book, knit/crochet, do some art, do some D&D prep, play D&D once (the game I play in rather than run is taking a week off).
** Work and boundaries - arrange next employment advisor meeting, advocate for myself and grey-rock the Interim Head of Dept check in meeting, do limited work hours (1 grad student meeting, three undergrads to meet, day on campus, feedback on a post-doc's grant application text, start marking dissertations, sort out timetabling requests for next year, try & get my computer sorted (my work computer is not working, has to go to the help desk in person so... colleague says this usually takes weeks to get sorted))
** work projects - nothing
Julie
1. Finish marking!
2. Application to funding committee
3. Library requests
4. Read at least one library request
5. Work on grant application.
6. Read colleague's book introduction for workshop
7. Meet 2 PhD students
8 Two exam preparation sessions
9. Exercise
10. Life admin: eye test, orthodontist for son, look up flights for daughter's summer plans.
Susan
1. Loose ends on Big Collaboration
2. Take time on Friday for Famous Author
3. All the adminology stuff (chair meeting, contact people, do ALL THE THINGS)
4. Do something fun (outdoor Shakespeare, other)
5. Garden: pick lemons, make juice, and maybe cake; pick grapefruit and start grapefruit-cello. Pull up weeds
6. Eat/ sleep/ move
SESSION GOALS
Contingent Cassandra
Professional:
--Write conference paper (due to the panel chair, if the usual patterns hold, in early March). (This is related to the study leave project, and I suspect might lead to an article, but is not one of the formal “deliverables” described in the leave proposal).
--Finish creating Omeka site to hold documents related to study leave project and begin populating it (my plan is to spend at least a bit of time on this each week, even if it’s only adding or preparing to add one document).
Personal:
--Engage in some sort of purposeful movement – short or long walks, stretching, weight-lifting, stair-climbing, maybe bike-riding – at least 5 out of every 7 days (preferably more, especially if I choose one of the shorter options some days). I actually made some progress on this over the break, so here, too, I’m trying to build/maintain momentum.
Daisy
2 Special Volume papers
1 revision of post-doc paper
1 small invited paper, my part is important but not huge
1 languishing-from-long-ago paper
2 internal grant applications
1 medium-sized external grant application
Dame Eleanor
- Finish off two chapters that are close to done (I think!)
- Outline a conference paper that will form the base of the least-done chapter
- Write the translation-oriented conference paper
- Make the Big MS List, with links, and engage in related correspondance
- Establish and maintain a tidy, organized study
- Plant up the new Native Plants Bed
- Detangle the grass and the sedum from each other in front bed
- Plan new course(s?) for next year
- Set up sewing machine and do some sewing
heu mihi
1. Book project: Finish draft of chapter 6; plan chapter 5; first revisions of chapters 3 and 4; finish up revisions of chapter 2 (possibly this week).
2. Conferences: One paper (due March 5), one brief and easy roundtable presentation (May).
3. Article revision--should be quick; I just want to add in a recently-read essay--due March 1.
4. Abstracts: One is drafted, due Feb. 15; one is nowhere, due April 1.
5. Health and fitness: Adjust exercise routines monthly in order to accommodate weather and daylight. Run 3-5 times/week; attempt to do some stretching before bed; one yoga class/week.
Humming42
Draft and submit Squares proposal.
JaneB
1) Survival and personal and environmental self-care habits - health focus, with health defined broadly
2) Fun - making sure that every week I spend quality time with at least two of the activities that refill the well.
3) Workplace Boundaries - formally agreeing appropriate accommodations, navigating a phased return which focuses on my wellbeing not the immediate needs of the school, and never going more than 20% beyond the hours I am scheduled to work by my GP (which is... hard, because even at my normal full time I do at least 50% beyond my hours in term time).
4) Care and Feeding of the research - mixed volume submission, R&R for the never-ending paper, R&R for the many author paper, senior grad students' immediate papers (Consultancy and Method), processes for three PhD students (Consortium, Northern and Exotic).
Julie
1. Teaching: write three new lectures, everything else is same as last year, so try to keep prep to a minimum.
2. Read and examine PhD for early March (4th since the summer - I tried to say no).
3. Revise and submit grant application.
4. Do some research and writing, however minimal.
5. Health & fitness: work on establishing better sleep, get as much exercise as weekly schedule allows.
6. Self-care/fun: try to make space each week for reading fiction/TV/baking/other relaxation.
7. Book holidays - Berlin trip at Easter, think about summer plans.
Susan
Goal #1: Get Big Collaboration and Famous Author out and on their way to publication.
Goal #2: Finish way very late book review of book I want to read
Goal #3: Start playing with my next project, yet unnamed, but the "Rest of my life project"
Goal #4: Keep program moving, keep working effectively with people
Goal #5: Plan next year at My Favorite Library, where I will have a research fellowship
Goal #6: Keep up with exercise and relatively healthy eating
Goal #7: Do things to have fun
I adjusted goals at mid-term; it looks like everyone else kept theirs (Daisy even added one!). Here's the cut-back version, and even so, I have not done very well:
ReplyDelete- Finish off two chapters that are close to done (I think!): Let's cut this down to ONE chapter, so I have time for some other things! NO: still in progress.
- Outline a conference paper that will form the base of the least-done chapter: KEEP, stress on Outline. NO, not started (moving into Urgent quadrant, though).
- Write the translation-oriented conference paper: essential, becoming urgent. YES, DONE and DELIVERED.
- Make the Big MS List, with links, and engage in related correspondance: KEEP, and actually start working on this. NO.
- Establish and maintain a tidy, organized study: HA! Let's scrap this one. You never know, maybe I'll have a fit of procrastination and it'll come to pass, but I'd rather not have this as a goal. GOOD THING I DUMPED IT.
- Plant up the new Native Plants Bed: KEEP, that's for April. NO, b/c I was away for a good hunk of April, and then sick for another week.
- Detangle the grass and the sedum from each other in front bed: KEEP, start work on warm days. NO.
- Plan new course(s?) for next year: KEEP---this one I have actually started! IN PROGRESS (2 courses).
- Set up sewing machine and do some sewing: KEEP, because I really would enjoy doing this---sometime! NO.
Well, that's depressing. Eyes bigger than stomach, I suppose. Let's look at the past week, because that's much better:
- Keep "working hours" of 9-12 plus a couple of hours in the afternoon, most days. YES.
- Exercise as energy allows. YES (walks, yoga, no gym).
- Do some fun and/or restful things. YES (reading, watching cycling with Sir John, made a GF lemon-drizzle cake that turned out very well).
So, what have I done/what has been happening this session? Maybe I've done things not captured, or dealt with Events that got in the way of work. My MIL fell and had to move to assisted living; this required very little of me directly, but since I'm my husband's support staff, so to speak, I took up some slack at home. I probably did a lot more fun reading and baking than usual. Putting together tax documents this year was emotionally difficult b/c I had to face money I inherited from my father, and there is a 787's worth of baggage there. It seems like I did a lot of errands and stuff that I might have put off if I weren't on sabbatical, did perhaps more socializing ditto, also booked a complicated trip and went on it, and dealt with a car accident that was not my fault but required repairs to my car. Creatively, I attempted to make paper from cotton rags (failed, but at least I tried) and succeeded in making a set of t-shirts for the translation team. Until the trip to France, I wasn't sleeping well much of the time. During the trip, I slept with the aid of drugs, and that seems to have re-set me both w/r/t sleep and, to some degree, digestion, which makes me think I am in general far more knotted up with anxiety than I let myself realize and I should try to do something about that. I've done well with exercise, and enjoy working out with my trainer, so there's that.
Once again, it is clear that I don't do very well with too many things on my plate! It's easier to make progress on one project than on several. I'm not sure what to do about this when I have a batch of really interesting things I'd like to be working on.
Thank you all for participating in the North of the East Wind State College of Magical Instruction Ad Hoc Research Support Group this time around, and now let's get to the champagne, brownies, savouries, and other party food! A toast to all of us, and a hot buttered toast (okay, mostly the butter) to Dean Tabitha and Ginger George!
My bad for not catching the mid-semester resets! But I increasingly think that we need to remember the sabbath part of sabbatical: we always think we can do EVERYTHING we can't do normally, where what we need is rest (social events, reading for pleasure, etc>) And dealing with inheritance stuff is hard, for many different reasons.
DeleteSo I think it's been a good session for you!
That sounds very productive in the important stuff at least. Anxiety is very sneaky, it can move in and make you forget it's there until something changes a lot...
DeleteA very busy session, and lots of things that look small but take lots of time and mental energy... Glad you had some time for good things and a great trip too!
DeleteYay for excellent snacks and party time!
Thank you for the kind comments! And I have taken action on the one-thing-at-a-time problem by withdrawing from the June conference. Removing that deadline means I can line up several projects to work on in stints of 2-4 weeks solely devoted to each, with, I hope, much less anxiety and thrashing.
DeleteA lot going on that threw things off course, but you'll get there. And still a lot done. Glad you had the Paris trip to end on.
DeleteOh, my. End of session. I'm going to start with goals from last week. I think for me the magic is that I kept going.
ReplyDeleteGoals for last week.
1. Loose ends on Big Collaboration YES?
2. Take time on Friday for Famous Author SOME
3. All the adminology stuff (chair meeting, contact people, do ALL THE THINGS) SOME
4. Do something fun (outdoor Shakespeare, other) SOME
5. Garden: pick lemons, make juice, and maybe cake; pick grapefruit and start grapefruit-cello. Pull up weeds YES/YES/NO (cake) / YES /No
6. Eat/ sleep/ move YES/NO/ SOME
It was a meh week. Mostly good, but I've been sleeping badly so after 4 hours of sleep and a cool day, I skipped outdoor Shakespeare. Had fun day planned on Saturday, but my friend's cat had a medical emergency, so we were just going to have dinner, but then I got a sore throat/headache -now becoming bronchitis- so that didn't happen. I planned to do lots of useful house stuff, and most of that didn't happen. But I think Big Collaboration is mostly done; and I looked at the ILL book that was due yesterday and will scan the relevant articles. I am overwhelmed by all the end of semester stuff, some of which I picked up as vice-chair of a committee because the chair went AWOL. That's a lot of moaning: you can tell I don't feel well.
Session Goals:
Goal #1: Get Big Collaboration and Famous Author out and on their way to publication. YES: Big Collaboration is almost ready to go to production -- maybe a bit more on introduction. I've been in touch with various publishers about Famous Author, and they want me to expand it. So figuring that out. I will have time for Famous when I feel big collaboration (which has lots of deadlines set for us) is out of the way.
Goal #2: Finish way very late book review of book I want to read
YES. Was cranky about book, but I think my review was fair,
Goal #3: Start playing with my next project, yet unnamed, but the "Rest of my life project"
NOT REALLY, but have promised to do a conference paper related to it, so there will be something to say by November.
Goal #4: Keep program moving, keep working effectively with people
YES. Sometimes a slog, but . . .
Goal #5: Plan next year at My Favorite Library, where I will have a research fellowship
I have a place to live, I've got house/cat sitters for my house, but other than that, are you kidding?
Goal #6: Keep up with exercise and relatively healthy eating
Mostly, though exercise has been touch and go.
Goal #7: Do things to have fun
YES, I think I did that relatively well.
So I'll call that a win, even though I'm not where I wanted to be...
That sounds like a very good session! Arranging the place to live and house/cat sitters sounds like a lot of progress on next year's fellowship, to me. I'm sorry you're not feeling well, and hope that clears up soon.
DeletePlace to live and a house/cat sitter is basically the main things right? I would definitely count that as a win. Everything else will come when it needs to.
DeleteLots done this session, and many of those will bear fruit later so great investment in future successes!
Sounds like a great session. Having a place to live next year already is surely a big win. Hope you feel better soon.
DeleteDefinitely sounds like the essentials are in place for the trip!
DeleteHello everyone, and well done on making it this far - we've earned those treats for sure!
ReplyDeleteLAST WEEK:
Most things fell by the wayside because last week I started a return to work (technically for two half days, in practice more - I did email and associated tasks for about two hours Monday, was on campus 6.5 hours plus commuting and getting up very early for propitiation of the parking fairy Wednesday then worked from home for 5 hours Thursday and a few oddments on the other days) - it took ALL my spoons and I have been struggling the last few days with pain and fatigue partly because the joint issues, as ever, hated the driving to and from work and sitting at work and not getting to lie down during the day, causing hobbling around rather which gets in the way of EVERYTHING. I did go to a physiotherapist appointment (on Tuesday, and that involved checking the range of movement of joints etc. so did not exactly set me up well for the next day of commuting), and she was very very nice, but no clear answers - I have referrals to wait for, and to go back if it gets worse (spoiler - with commuting it is very likely to get worse). But heyho, could be a lot worse!
** self care: Journalling, physical care through movement and food choices and Boring Stuff, care for my environment through routine tasks, adding in a couple of less routine tasks and paperwork type tasks like financial review, Physio appointment. was pretty limited - did the physio appointment but only did a few routine tasks, and limited movement to gentle stretching because OW. Also been struggling with food partly because Interim Head was... on FORM with the dismissive comments and invalidation of my experience and opinions even though we only met for half an hour. The urge to just quit on the spot and hide under the duvet until the bailiffs come was HIGH. Partly probably hormones, plus being very fatigued - I am struggling to persuade my system that when I am hit with a wave of weary/brain fog, the answer is NOT refined carbohydrates, but that has been my bad habit for a very long time... and I am not very easy to train...
** Fun - read a novel, start a non-fiction book, knit/crochet, do some art, do some D&D prep, play D&D once (the game I play in rather than run is taking a week off). read two and a half novels (painful joints plus a new release landing on my kindle spurred that on), non-fiction book started today which doens't quite count, did knit, no art, did D&D prep and played once. Which actually doesn't look too bad
** Work and boundaries - arrange next employment advisor meeting, advocate for myself and grey-rock the Interim Head of Dept check in meeting, do limited work hours (1 grad student meeting, three undergrads to meet, day on campus, feedback on a post-doc's grant application text, start marking dissertations, sort out timetabling requests for next year, try & get my computer sorted (my work computer is not working, has to go to the help desk in person so... colleague says this usually takes weeks to get sorted)) NO, ISH - trying to ignore all the implications and sit on my reactions and cope with her telling me what I should be experiencing e.g. "the physio makes you better" when I said I was stiff from the joint manipulation, "everyone feels like that" with regards to work social stuff (no, I am pretty sure everyone is NOT having panic attacks in the toilets, there'd be a longer queue and fewer torturous events in that case), "I know you say you've been exercising but now you're back at work you'll be moving more and that will solve your issues" (I was born with hip dysplasia and have multiple old injuries which caused permanent damage, plus she is not a physio or a medical doctor). And other gems, like "well if you have fatigue, you can take a 15 minute nap with your head on your desk (and your door open, of course)" - erm, no idea what medical fatigue is, also, I need to lie down to reset my back not curl up awkwardly in my chair, plus, just, NO. Sorry, ranting!
DeleteMet grad student, 3 undergrads, several colleagues, delivered laptop for fixing, fed back on the application, worked on timetable requests, did not get to dissertations
** work projects - nothing yes
SESSION GOALS
Well, it's been an interesting session! I was doing phased return until late Feb, then off on sick leave because the return wasn't acceptable to Interim Head, and now I'm trying again. Interim Head has been a major source of stress and distress, but at least she IS interim (and a colleague confirmed she's been similarly upsetting to him about different issues, just... no tact, no kindness, no ability to accept that other people have different needs and experiences which are equally valid). ShoutyPants moved in (and is settling in quite well). I got my formal autism diagnosis, and finally started to engage with the medical system about my joints issues. I feel slightly less burnt out and exhausted, but only slightly, and I also feel more strongly that perhaps this job is done with me. And kind of wish I'd applied for the voluntary exit scheme. UK HE is going up in flames, in a major contraction, so if I can wait it out there'll likely be another one along soon, or formal redundancy. So - a big session, but little actual academic work!
1) Survival and personal and environmental self-care habits - health focus, with health defined broadly pottering along here. The house is slightly tidier, it has a cat again, and I have persisted in paying attention, with varying degrees of success, to the self and environmental care aspects. I'm giving myself a C+ for this - a solid pass but with no furbelows
Delete2) Fun - making sure that every week I spend quality time with at least two of the activities that refill the well. yes, I've done well at this - thinking about different kinds of rest has been useful, and although I'm feeling that keeping this up as I shift my limited energy resources to returning to work/commuting is going to be challenging, I did well during THIS session. A- - minus because there's been reading blocks and some very minimal effort weeks, but overall, I achieved this goal
3) Workplace Boundaries - formally agreeing appropriate accommodations, navigating a phased return which focuses on my wellbeing not the immediate needs of the school, and never going more than 20% beyond the hours I am scheduled to work by my GP NOPE, NOPE and NOPE. But I have done better than I would have done five years ago, and I persist. Still grading myself a D though- some evidence of effort, but not sufficient to demonstrate basic competence!
4) Care and Feeding of the research - mixed volume submission, R&R for the never-ending paper, R&R for the many author paper, senior grad students' immediate papers (Consultancy and Method), processes for three PhD students (Consortium, Northern and Exotic). Mixed Volume went in late but did go in, Former PDF and I dragged it over the line rather shabby but at least DONE and we aren't entirely displeased with it which is about as good as you get when submitting something you've been hacking at for over a year sometimes, started but now stuck again because Primary Author has a new job and a Minor Author has decided it needs rewriting to make it "more REF friendly" but not actually said what that means, and since they used to be the boss of Primary Author and are their main referee/gatekeeper of several publications not yet out but needed to pass probation at new job, Primary Author is having a panic about needing to appease them when they know and I know this paper cannot be made more REF-sexy, because... it isn't. Many Author paper is accepted and in press. Consultancy has had a little more work on it, Methods has had none (well, we have an idea of what to add to it), largely because Senior Grad Student has also been quite ill AND relocated, and is slowly easing themselves back into work. The three PhD student applications took a lot of energy and yielded no students, despite all the promise, which feels like another sign from the universe that I am being moved towards an exit (I have 1.5 years left supervising both Junior Grad Student and Part Time Masters student). Or that I am just feeling pessimistic. So some progress here, mostly not actually requiring much from me! I'll give this a nice solid B.
I think dealing with interim head is a major accomplishment of this session. I am never sure whether it's a good thing to know she's equal opportunity clueless... I think the D+ is a bit unfair to you - it's hard when you are working with someone who is rigid and unimaginative.
DeleteSo glad Shouty Pants is settling in, so that you have another cat!
ShoutyPants is surely an unalloyed good, and it's good to hear that you've got some solidarity about Interim Head (even if it's in a misery-loves-company sort of way, that's so much better than feeling you're the only one being treated badly). It's also a big thing that you have a diagnosis and are getting help with joints etc; I know a bunch of that is still in progress and may take awhile to see results, but progress is good! I hope Interim's time in office ends soon, because she really sounds like the sort of person people write in to Ask A Manager about. Also I hope that you soon get a really good incentive-to-retire package, unless Interim gets replaced with someone understanding and helpful who makes academic life look much more manageable.
DeleteShoutyPants is a huge win, for you and for him too. I'm sure he is thrilled to have a wonderful home and will earn his keep in cuddles and purring!
DeleteIf you are getting a D- for the work boundary stuff InterimHead is definitely getting an F... So sorry you had to deal with all of that on top of everything else.
Way to go on building in some fun activities on a regular basis too!
I really hope Interim Head's days are numbered, as she sounds clueless. Hoping the return gets a little smoother. ShoutyPants sounds like he may be able to work a little magic for you at least.
DeleteShoutyPants is slowly getting more demonstratively affectionate - I was on campus all day today and he was VERY pleased to see me back, and has spent the whole evening watching me and coming up to rub on me every half hour or so...
DeleteAnd yes, Interim Head gets an F for sure! Today was my weekly check in and it wasn't TOO bad - the main ick points were a) telling me I have to fill out the stress audit form which says "do not share this with others, fill it out individually and then use it as the basis for a discussion with your manager" and share it with her so she can fill out her paperwork (i.e. NOT have a discussion, which, well, as she will spend it telling me everyone else finds things stressful and denying my lived experience, well, at this point I don't care much), b) ignoring what I have been telling her for weeks and what is written on my return to work form to tell me that I have ONLY been off with stress therefore why are we talking about reasonable adjustments for neurodivergence again, c) saying she can't see the point of putting reasonable adjustments in writing especially as the new Head of School may well not like them anyway and d) saying it was ridiculous to think of only working my nominal 30 hours a week because we are salaried and get paid "a lot" to "just do the work" and if that means evenings and weekends, well, we get paid a lot to do it (we do not get paid a lot, at least us part time non full profs do not get paid a lot, it's in the upper quintile for the UK (c. top 20% of earners) but just because a lot of people are struggling more doesn't make it enough to buy more than my best efforts for certain parts of the day). So it was actually quite a decent meeting as it was much less about my personal inadequacies for once...
And another colleague dropped in today to ask how I found having an ADHD diagnosis, whether it was worth it to me, because he's on the waiting list for one himself...
I do have a fairly good outline of a D&D themed session for the "summer session" and would be happy to set that up and run it, unless we want a break from imaginative prompts etc. or someone else is keen to lead?
ReplyDeleteI would love that!
DeleteThat sounds awesome!!!
DeleteThank you for all the weather magic you sent this way for my field school! The weather has been great! Very cold but that is fine, that’s what winter parkas are for… Last year it was also freezing but actually rained horizontally every single day so this is a huge improvement! Spirits are high and everything is pretty fun…
ReplyDeleteLast week’s goals
PAPER REVISIONS x2 ONGOING
Pack/prepare for field school YES, and STILL THERE…
Help student with revisions ONGOING
Session goals:
2 Special Volume papers BOTH ACCEPTED WITH MINOR REVISIONS, YAY!
1 revision of post-doc paper NOPE
1 small invited paper, my part is important but not huge DONE
1 languishing-from-long-ago paper GOOD PROGRESS, ONGOING
2 internal grant applications DID TWO, GOT BOTH
1 medium-sized external grant application DID IT, REJECT
Added: Get three thesis student through final copies and defenses before mid-April ONE DONE, ONE DEFENDING NEXT WEEK, ONE DELAYED FOR PRE-DEFENSE MAJOR REVISIONS
This has been an interesting term. Session goals went ok – the two major papers are a huge win, and the internal grants are great for students. I feel like I spent a lot of it crazily overwhelmed, but I did get a lot done. I am not happy with how some of my teaching went but I have good ideas on how to adapt my current courses and improve a few of the new ones I did this term. Some of the adaptations after last year worked well and are keepers.
The magic had nothing to do with anything I did this term, but I’m going to count it anyway because it came out of work done in previous sessions and has been complained about extensively over the years… In absolutely spectacularly great news, the results came out for the giant, demoralizing, awful, national funding body grant application I did last session, and I got funding for the next 5 years. I am beyond relieved and thrilled. It just takes the pressure off beautifully, and frees up a lot of brain space to actually do things rather than worrying about paying for stuff… It is not enough for everything I want to do or for all the students I have, but it goes a really long way! And not going to lie, the external validation and recognition after literally years of rejection for this program is nice too! Stubborn for the win!
As far as my certificate in Chaos Goblin Control… I have decided it should be a pass/fail course, so I am giving myself a pass. I’m also awarding myself a trophy for “not being desperately rude to people who kind of deserve it”, a medal for “taking one for the team and teaching field school (which has been super fun)”, a certificate for “patience with students” and a damn cookie for the nice concerts and managing to have some fun with people I really like 😊
Thank you Dame Eleanor and Susan for wonderful hosting! We appreciate the fun and humour and encouragement!
Whoa! Woot! Wow! Five years of funding from national body, that is so fantastic! Well done, not only for getting it but for sticking to it and going on applying after getting rejections! Extra champagne over here---and you know we're going to tap you for help with Chaos Goblin Control now that you have your certificate!
DeleteYay for funding for 5 years! That's huge. Also, a reminder that we break things into sessions, but most projects do not finish in 12-16 weeks. (I am regularly beyond annoyed at the "How to write a journal article in 12 weeks" model.) And I think you've had a great session, and bonus points for not being rude to people who deserve it!
DeleteCongratulations on the funding! That's so great.
DeleteWow! A lot of good news in there! Congratulations!
DeleteSession goals:
ReplyDelete1. Teaching: write three new lectures, everything else is same as last year, so try to keep prep to a minimum. -YES (ish). Wrote the lectures, not sure prep was always minimal.
2. Read and examine PhD for early March (4th since the summer - I tried to say no). - YES (was actually quite efficient with this one)
3. Revise and submit grant application. - Some progress, but not submitted.
4. Do some research and writing, however minimal. - NO
5. Health & fitness: work on establishing better sleep, get as much exercise as weekly schedule allows. - NO, YES (most weeks)
6. Self-care/fun: try to make space each week for reading fiction/TV/baking/other relaxation. - YES on reading and TV. A bit of baking. Started a paint by numbers but haven't got very far.
7. Book holidays - Berlin trip at Easter, think about summer plans. - YES
There is a lot of 'yes', but mostly stuff that had to happen. For next session, I need to focus on putting more stuff in that doesn't have to happen, since that's kind of the point of TLQ. I think I have made some progress on self-care: I've read a lot of fiction since January, found a couple of series to watch, and tried to keep an eye on energy and mood. Sleep still needs work. But this was always going to be a tough term, so like Susan, I think the magic is survival, but also getting stuff done which it turns out other colleagues haven't always been. No judgment, they may well be dealing with stuff I don't know about, but it's comforting that I don't stand out in the dropping balls stakes.
Last week:
1. Finish marking! - YES (but more has arrived, and will continue to do so for weeks)
2. Application to funding committee - YES (no response until July)
3. Library requests - YES
4. Read at least one library request - NO
5. Work on grant application. - NO
6. Read colleague's book introduction for workshop - YES
7. Meet 2 PhD students - YES
8 Two exam preparation sessions - YES
9. Exercise - YES (run x 2, pilates x 1)
10. Life admin: eye test, orthodontist for son, look up flights for daughter's summer plans YES x 3
Also marked MA dissertation I had forgotten about and was due Thursday, and had to write a plagiarism report for one of the essays I marked (sigh).
I think during the semester even continuing to think about research and things that don't need to be done immediately is very hard. Getting stuff done is good, and also good (or not) to be reminded of people who do not get stuff done.
DeleteLooking at your session, I would say it's a win. And I hope that you now have a bit more time to do the things that don't have to be done yesterday!
It's so hard to keep teaching prep minimal if you have any care for your students at all or take your teaching seriously.
DeleteIt does sound like a pretty solid semester and week (despite the plagiarism report), especially considering the current state of UK HE. Sometimes there's only a few tiny gaps for TLQ in the week - part of the value of this group for me, as well as the company, is the incentive to plan how to use those tiny gaps productively/for good rather than wasting them trying to decide what I should do or letting them fill up with bottom right corner stuff (which is what happens to me....)
Definitely a lot of things going on, and a lot of things done! You also managed to build in some fun and travel and exercise and restorative activities in a very busy time, so hats off for that! All will pay off in spades long-term...
DeleteFor all of us...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/writer-math
That is awesome.
DeleteI love this!
DeleteFormerPostDoc and I definitely got to the faking our own death stage with Mixed Volume Submission this session!
DeleteUgh, this has been A Semester. Today is my last class (next week's actual last class will be an asynchronous paper proposal/draft workshop, since I'll be traveling to Big Conference). The class was fine, although I feel like it flew by without actually covering anything somehow. Everything else has been madness! And I'm not really sure why/how! There were the graduate student crises, and then just a lot of other...management.... We're currently drafting a letter in response to a manifesto/letter demanding that we support graduate students' rights to academic freedom in These Challenging Times. Which, I mean, of course, we do. Apparently manifesto-demand-letters are just a very popular genre right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm disappointed, frankly, in how very little writing, research, and revision I've managed to do this semester. The fall was much better. And I really need this summer!
But there are exciting things on the horizon--it looks like my campus will be hosting Great Big Fancy Medieval Conference in 2026, which will be a lot of work but also something new and interesting. And I've been approached about serving as associate chair of the department. (I've also been asked if I'll chair the town committee of which I'm a member, and I really don't want to, so help me hold to a No or at the very most, a For One Year Only response!)
So, last week:
1. Send out preliminary queries to publishers with whom I might meet at Kalamazoo - YES; one reject, two meetings scheduled
2. Host a visiting speaker on Wednesday, including multiple meals etc. and remembering to write an intro for her talk - YES
3. Put notes from recent administrative-y conference into Teams file
4. Gen Ed review - YES! I can't believe I did this.
5. Prepare for and attend abstract workshop on Thursday - YES; it was quite helpful, actually
6. Prepare/draft my part of a publishing workshop to take place next week (which will also shade over into my Kalamazoo roundtable) - SORT OF--I have some sketchy notes....
7. Contact presenters on the panel I'm chairing with the usual reminders - YES
8. Finish up provisional graduate student teaching schedule - YES
That's a lot of Yes, but it was mostly pretty easy/quick/absolutely had to happen because it was a scheduled event.
Session goals:
1. Book project: Finish draft of chapter 6; plan chapter 5; first revisions of chapters 3 and 4; finish up revisions of chapter 2 (possibly this week).
--Ch. 6: Sort of, and I know what else I need to add; ch. 5: NO; ch. 3: One quick round of revisions; ch. 4: NO; ch. 2: YES
2. Conferences: One paper (due March 5), one brief and easy roundtable presentation (May).
--March 5 paper done, obviously; May roundtable presentation: Not really yet, but it will happen, so....
3. Article revision--should be quick; I just want to add in a recently-read essay--due March 1.
--YES, and today I got the proofs, which are due back on FRIDAY. That's TWO DAYS FROM NOW.
4. Abstracts: One is drafted, due Feb. 15; one is nowhere, due April 1.
--One is done; one is very sketchily drafted (I'm the master of that particular deadline, so I've not pushed myself)
5. Health and fitness: Adjust exercise routines monthly in order to accommodate weather and daylight. Run 3-5 times/week; attempt to do some stretching before bed; one yoga class/week.
--OKAY in these last few weeks, now that it's light early.
I'm really looking forward to reading, writing, and resting this summer! I have 100 pages of graduate student writing hanging over my head right now, a book to read and review, an undergraduate thesis that I will receive on Saturday for a Tuesday defense.... I want to clear the decks and just bury myself in my own projects!
Thank you to our wonderful hosts for the fun prompts (even if I didn't respond to them most of the time), and, as always, to this lovely community!
One reason we have TLQ is that so much of life happens in TRQ! You can't not deal with things just because they're urgent! So that was a week full of accomplishments. You did have a LOT of grad student crises this term, and I'm sure that took it out of you (and also of other people you work with).
DeleteI'm going to echo your thanks to the group: you all are SO helpful and this space is very important to me! Thank you for everything!
I hope the conference has plenty of fun and restorative inspiration, and that all your graduate students remain hale, hearty and have problem-free private lives for at least a few months, you've had SO many things to deal with...
DeleteAs I said to Julie, sometimes getting the things that have to get done is an accomplishment. You have made progress on TLQ stuff this session, just not as much or consistently as you hoped. And oh, I hear you on how things just take time and you don't know what you've done but the week is over. (Also, your grad student crises were CRISES, so give yourself grace.)
DeleteAnd strength to say NO where you need to.
Some terms are like that... But the small investments will surely pay off for projects in the long term.
DeleteHope the conference has the magic to start the summer of really well!