And here we are, come to the end of the second session of 2024! I hope you've all enjoyed the quest and been able to tackle some important tasks this summer. There will be an intersessional post up next week, an epilogue to the quest - thank you all for being such enthusiastic and engaged players, and reading all my excessively wordy posts!
This week's discussion prompt is to plan the next session of TLQ, from sometime in September until sometime in December , to help us get through the semester without totally losing track of top left things.
THIS WEEK'S GAMEPLAY
Scout and Cornelius join Ramstein to work on the dam. Ramstein turns out to be a huge help... when he can remember what he is supposed to be doing. He can spend minutes underwater with no strain, holding things, bracing stones, explaining what he sees. He also talks, chattering away about all sorts of small details of life in the woods as an otter, and occasionally pounces at a leaf or a tiny fish just for the splashy fun of it, or slides sinuously off a large rock into the water mid-sentence, and you find you need to be ready with dam-related questions for when his sleek head pops up above the water or he will be off into the reeds, chattering about some prank he played on a friend, or the nature of dragon-flies, or plunging into the deeper water to show off some amazing underwater acrobatic move you can't really see through the swirling bubbles and ripples of his movement. You don't learn much about how and why he is doing a penance, but you do get the strong impression that being an otter is not very painful for him, for all his chatter of missing pastries and having been really very handsome and much admired in his normal form. Rolling dice, I get 11 for Scout, 11 for Cornelius, and a 6 for Ramstein. Mending the dam is not your normal work, but you both have a solid understanding of how to see the weaknesses in a structure and where a smaller blow might cause larger damage; with Ramstein's help and despite his distractions, you are able to turn your skill to creating an effective, if not entirely beautiful, barrier. As you stand back to check your work, aware the afternoon is wearing on and mindful of the sprite's advice to be out of the woods by dark, you can see that the water level is already a little higher, smoothing over the exposed mud and rock. Ramstein is utterly delighted with your work, and unties the knot of his necklace, sliding off two of the teeth, then retying it securely even though his otter paws don't seem quite designed to be able to do the task. He hands one to each of you, bowing a little. "Ramstein has greatly enjoyed this opportunity to see your work. Perhaps, when you eat a pastry or an especially crusty fresh loaf, you will think of Ramstein, and one day, maybe, when I am repentent enough, I will see you in the wide world, lordsnladies grant it be in a bakery or at a feast or festival, a place where Ramstein's true form may be most justly seen and admired, and then, well, you may still have this tooth, and we may help each other in some way. Perhaps. The world is wide and full of wonders!" He turns, poses on top of the dam, waves gaily to you both, and dives neatly into the pool. This time he doesn't resurface, as you turn to walk away.
Alice, Martha and Linnet follow the gnome, who speaks very softly, but you soon realise she isn't really timid, just quietly spoken. Asked politely for her name, she says "oh, you can call me Enner, if that pleases your tongue", and when you admire the apron, she shrugs and says she likes ducks, although they are usually far too busy squabbling and dabbling to talk to properly. She will be happy to talk about herbs and about the trees you pass, which she seems to know as individual friends, and will confidently lead you to the best places to collect the herbs you need. I rolled a 20, a 17 and a 4 for the three of you, which means that Linnet and Martha do an efficient and effective job of collecting a goodly sample of the herbs needed, and Alice tries to help by holding things and not getting in anyone's way, and succeeds fairly well although she'd swear she can hear something suspiciously like a giggle coming from high up in one tree as she tries to remain patient and disentangle a bramble from her sleeve. Enner appears beside Alice silently and helps with the bramble, saying only "I would be completely lost in a city of your people, I'd probably just hide under a table until I went back to the ground!", and reaches up to pat her on the arm before trotting off to join the other two. As you walk back towards the edge of the woods, herbs all carefully stowed, she will tell you a little about how Ramstein came to the woods as a very confused newly-otter, and how, well, someone had to help him stop trying to eat the wrong things because his brain said one thing and his body another, and to try to stop him from trampling on too many customs and manners of the many different peoples of the woods, so he'd ended up being absorbed into the clan of her Great Aunt's Kitchen, because that was just the kind of person her Great Aunt is. "And we are all the hands of the Ladies, one way or another, or of the Woods Herself". She bids you goodbye at the point where the light ahead has changed, showing where the trees end, and has disappeared into the growing shadows of the late afternoon wood almost before you have replied.
The five of you arrive at the same camping place you used the night before just as dusk is closing in. You anticipate a chilly night as most of your blankets were carried off with the big fish, and trying to make camp and prepare food or eat cold things in the dark does not appeal after your long, tiring day, but when you go into the sheltered area behind the old walls you find a pile of ten neatly folded blankets waiting for you, high quality, light but warm, and each embroidered with a single fish scale in one corner. Next to them are six leaf-wrapped bundles - the talking cats sieze on one and drag it apart to tuck into the raw fish steak it contains. Unfolded, the others each contain a slab of fish on a layer of root vegetables, perfectly roasted, and still warm. Alice, as you sort out your things, you find several fish scales somehow made their way into your possession. Held up in the fire light, they are iridescent and slightly translucent, flexible rather than brittle, and each the size of a coin.
How do you all feel about yourselves and your companions now you've come safely out of the Woods?
LAST WEEK'S GOALS
DAISY
Read and edit new thesis chapters
Fun pop science article
Sample curation
Advising stuff
Plan out next paper or two
Contemplate grant application
Real summer: one existing friend patio wine, one hoping to make new friend lunch
DAME ELEANOR
- swim x3, weights x2, yoga x4
- finish Alms!
- finish syllabus for new class
- work out points and due dates for other class
- Greek 1 unit
- defrack habitat as energy permits
- campus run (scanning, library, office sorting, help a retired colleague move out)
- get a massage
HEU MIHI
1) Journal catch-up! Two revisions and two new articles to process.
2) Research! Write the Coda for my manuscript ("Conclusion" would be a misnomer); submit book review;
3) Teaching! Finish syllabus, try again to figure out the new CMS (and contact Help Desk if necessary), order desk copies, figure out readings for second day.
4) Admin! Secure replacements for TA who suddenly took another job, start planning (and requesting funding for) guest speaker at end of September, find an adjunct for a spring course, review spring schedule, schedule fall faculty meetings.
5) Admin+! Contact faculty about fall events (party [siiighh] and AI workshop [extra siiiiiiggghhhhh]).
6) Household! Begin the Great Tomato Processing of 2024; look at some recipes; vacuum the rug that the cats shed all over while we were gone (it's also one of about a dozen of our annual Pine-Tree-Part-Shedding Seasons, so there are piney...things all over the house, not needles, but these little things that grow at the base of the needles and seem to fall off eight times a year. The other four P-T-P-S Seasons are when the needles fall all over everything).
7) Self! Continue/resume daily sun salutations, run x 3, swim x 2, yoga class x 1; read a silly mystery novel; knit
JANEB
1. self-care: 75%+ of regular chores list, additional intentional movement three days, practice rest as needed. physiotherapy appointment, try to make some bookings/order stuff for a project for the leave week, get quote for cat fence, plant seeds when they arrive
2. fun: play D&D, crochet or knit some, draw something, read something, do some paintgemming (still no space for fun writing)
3. teaching and administration: do at least two blocks, mark any late resits, prepare for and do call line thing.
4. research: spend an hour writing notes about what my project idea might look like for the grant application that opens in September, an hour on my "pre-grant documents chore list", one article to referee, reconstruct Consultancy Paper, draft discussion for Slowly Evolving Paper, work on what was a Nearly Ready Paper but now isn't, sigh.
JULIE
I have driven home this morning in soupy heat and feel quite unmotivated, but here goes...
1. Finish archival material.
2. Mark resit exam(s).
3. Finish looking at corrections to a PhD thesis (another extra thing that came in last week)
4. Review postdoc applications.
5. Finish book if time
6. Phone tiler & get back to plumber about estimate.
7. Exercise
8. Fun stuff: dinner with local friends; weekend trip to see outdoor play by Susan's Famous Author and dinner with best friends from PhD days.
SUSAN
1. Finish promotion review that is due this week. (I've read the book ms., started the letter, so should be able to do this.)
2. Rewrite the prospectus for my book using comments from the editor.
3. Send packages (two more to pack, and then a trip to the Post Office)
4. Pack and organize
5. Enjoy time with brother and family when I get back to California
6. Unpack, and then start organizing for a year away.
7. And an additional goal: finish the tapestry project that is almost done so I can start the new one I carried on the plane home. (I'm hoping I can finish tomorrow, as this justifies my having carried the new one in my luggage.)
SESSION GOALS
Daisy
- Two big accepted papers and one smaller paper revised and finalized
- One new paper drafted
- One abandoned paper revived and submitted [maybe]
- One student thesis finalized and defended
- All the field work
- Go kayaking and camping
- Have small local adventures with kid when field work and teenager camp schedule allows
- Exercise to survive August fieldwork and field teaching
- Gardening
Dame Eleanor Hull
- finish the Alms chapter that is still hanging around and send it to a friend for comments;
- plan all my classes for next year;
- do what I hope is a limited-scope manuscript-related project;
- work regularly in my garden, taming various portions of it;
- regular exercise, yoga, and other self-care;
- at least two trips to see friends.
Alms really is almost done, I think, so I'm imagining devoting roughly a month to each of my other work projects, with gardening being an on-going effort. What do I most want to do this summer? Swim a lot. I think it would be very satisfying to get next year's classes all planned out, so that all I have to do is show up, teach, and grade, without having to plan while teaching. I always say I will do this, and never have really done it, so let's see if I can manage it this time around!
Heu mihi
1. Write an introduction for this book
2. *Really* finish the draft of chapter 6 (now chapter 5), revise chapters 3 and 4, start working on tightening up the whole very long manuscript
3. Read and review book by August 1, I think it was
4. Edited collection: Prepare and submit a proposal
5. Job-related: create info page for international students; line up workshop guests for TA practicum; prep new book(s) for fall course; fall syllabus; ORDER BOOKS for fall course
6. Grad students: I have one who is supposed to be finishing his dissertation, like, now. This student will take a lot of work. I must prepare for this.
7. Submit conference abstract IF I decide that I want to.
8. FUN: Make at least 3 books; finish knitting a cardigan; read a lot of novels; take forest days; finish France photo albums
And added at mid-session review:
9. second book review
10. read other student’s dissertation
11. edits to proceedings article
12. finish sustainability committee pamphlets, plural
JaneB
1) self-care: moving intentionally, eating mindfully, listening to my body and resting as needed, being kind to myself, caring for my home environment both through regularly doing the basic chores and through making improvements/doing one off tasks. it also includes the ongoing processes of healthcare and negotiating reasonable adjustments.
2) fun: addressing most of the seven types of rest one does whilst awake, refilling my reserves and working out who I am as an neurodivergent late-50s person recovering from burnout, not just as an academic.
a) knitted shawl and crocheted blanket - finish one and progress the other
b) writing – attend at least 75% of the creative writing course
c) D&D - play once a week if possible
d) read at least as many books per month as last summer!
e) do something in at least two of the categories (handicrafts, drawing/painting, writing, reading, D&D) and at least one social thing every week
3) Teaching and administration - at least 3 teaching-related work blocks of time (half a day each) every work week of the summer (list has 30 blocks so far)
4) research. submit three papers, start a new paper-project just for me, apply for every PhD student funding opportunity that comes up, and start to write the case for support for a fellowship (one year buy out) application that opens in the Autumn.
Julie
1. Teaching/admin - for this session, that consists mostly of marking, plus PhD students. I am thinking of leaving teaching prep for the next session, aside from sending reading lists to the library, which has to be done by July.
2. Research
i) Finally submit the grant application!
ii) Present at a workshop in France in June
iii) Submit an abstract to a call for papers for a special issue of a journal. This is something I actually feel excited about, so am adding it even though it might be a distraction.
3 Kids
i) Steer daughter through GCSEs without either of us losing our minds and have fun with her afterwards.
ii) Try not to neglect son in the process! Plan things to do with him in August while daughter is away.
4. House/life admin
i) Start one big house project (new bathroom(s)). On the list of projects for a while, but forced upon me now by leaking shower.
ii) Garden work - plant pots, get shed built, new patio furniture.
iii) Some small to medium jobs e.g. decluttering, frame photos
5.Self-care
i) Keep reading pace up - I've read a lot more this year already
ii) Exercise regularly
iii) Work on healthy eating and sleep.
iv) Keep up with journaling.
v) Fun activities - see friends, do creative stuff.
The one goal for Summer Me is probably the grant application, which is about 80% there, mostly costings and fiddly bits. It would be a huge load off my shoulders.
Susan
Research:
1. Figure out how I will revise Famous Author to meet editor's suggestions. (They want a longer ms, so I have to figure out where and how to do that.) Do it.
2. Finish last little bits (for now) of Big Collaboration (Maybe will be done today, but I'd like to say it's done for now!)
3. Start work on "Rest of My Life" project, which will really get going when I get to My Favorite Library but I'd like to start now
ADMIN:
My Admin job lasts until July 1, and it's not clear who will take over then. So just keep up with it and share information as I get it.
LIFE:
--house organizing
--read for fun
--plan trips for the summer
--exercise/ sleep / eat well
That was a week. I dragged myself through it - no enthusiasm, no motivation, and although the weather has cooled off and there are a few weeks to go until term starts that isn't wearing off. I had to work clearing yesterday, but there were no calls, so we're all thinking it's going to be a very poor intake and no relief to the stresses of the Change Programme. Oh, and my physio appointment got cancelled (it was another really hot day which meant I was less disappointed than I might have been)... I did have an occupational health meeting - we talked a fair amount about the Change Programme, and at every turn in that programme staff are told to reach out to Occ Health if they are having problems. The Occ Health person told me they lost two positions in the last reorg and have two unfilled posts, so there are three staff for the entire university - and their responsibilities include all the vaccinations and health checks for medicine, nursing and allied professions and student teachers, as well as staff case work. So that's reassuring... At least whilst I'm still getting paid I can pay for counselling every couple of weeks.
ReplyDeleteLAST WEEK'S GOALS:
1. self-care: 75%+ of regular chores list, additional intentional movement three days, practice rest as needed. physiotherapy appointment, try to make some bookings/order stuff for a project for the leave week, get quote for cat fence, plant seeds when they arrive no, one and a bit days, not enough, no cancelled by them and rebooked, yes two orders made, yes - more expensive than I expected so not a "now" project sorry Shoutypants, no
2. fun: play D&D, crochet or knit some, draw something, read something, do some paintgemming (still no space for fun writing) no - I cancelled D&D today because I was very very tired and stuffy and in the mood to take everything the wrong way and had a three hour nap instead, no, no, yes, yes
3. teaching and administration: do at least two blocks, mark any late resits, prepare for and do call line thing. one block, yes, yes
4. research: spend an hour writing notes about what my project idea might look like for the grant application that opens in September, an hour on my "pre-grant documents chore list", one article to referee, reconstruct Consultancy Paper, draft discussion for Slowly Evolving Paper, work on what was a Nearly Ready Paper but now isn't, sigh. no, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
So I at least got a reasonable amount of research stuff done...
It feels weird not to set goals for the coming week, but as I will be on annual leave, there's minimal work. The goal is to catch up on chores and self-care things, work on the last house project of the summer, and do some more enjoyable things. But we'll see if I manage any of that!
SESSION GOALS:
Delete1) self-care: moving intentionally, eating mindfully, listening to my body and resting as needed, being kind to myself, caring for my home environment both through regularly doing the basic chores and through making improvements/doing one off tasks. it also includes the ongoing processes of healthcare and negotiating reasonable adjustments. I am doing better than I was when we started, and I have gotten the garden put back into some sort of order and the back gate fixed, plus got some light switches replaced and a new light in the kitchen. It just seems like everything takes me so long... I'm still waiting for my physio appointment - they keep needing to cancel, staff illness etc. - and other things. The "Change Process" is not exactly helping matters, but the new Head of School is much nicer to interact with than Interim Head (although I have yet to really see him "in action" so judgement is still reserved). I'd give myself a C+ here - still not moving enough or eating as carefully and well as I need to, but also not back-slid completely even though I've been back full time for about 12 weeks now
2) fun: addressing most of the seven types of rest one does whilst awake, refilling my reserves and working out who I am as an neurodivergent late-50s person recovering from burnout, not just as an academic. also a C+ - had more reading mojo, but quickly lost the deliberate attention to different types of rest, and my reserves are probably slightly better than they were - I really still feel I went back to work too fast and am still adjusting, but we do what we can, right?
a) knitted shawl and crocheted blanket - finish one and progress the other finished the pattern for the shawl, was not satisfied, began some additional pieces to add to it. Did not pick up the crochet again
b) writing – attend at least 75% of the creative writing course not really - it wasn't designed for people like me, I think
c) D&D - play once a week if possible most of the time, and of course we did have TLQuest to flex those creative muscles!
d) read at least as many books per month as last summer! on course so far to achieve this one!
e) do something in at least two of the categories (handicrafts, drawing/painting, writing, reading, D&D) and at least one social thing every week the social thing is sometimes just the call with my nibling to play D&D or interactions with people at work, but sometimes that feels like all I can handle. Overall though this went OK
3) Teaching and administration - at least 3 teaching-related work blocks of time (half a day each) every work week of the summer (list has 30 blocks so far) A solid B here.
started well but it has fallen off as other things kept coming up. I need after this break to review the list and plan what I can realistically get done before the students are back. Although if you also count time with grad students, I've done better! The block approach was definitely effective and I am well ahead for two of the courses I'm teaching on next trimester at least
It sounds to me like you're doing better than you're giving yourself credit for! "Better than when we started" is a lot given the ongoing stressors, and you've done a lot of those niggling little household tasks that always take longer than we expect. Research is also going well. I'm glad the block approach worked out well: that sounds like a useful tool going forward.
DeleteAnd thank you so much for running this session and the campaign! It was a lot of fun and I looked forward to seeing how the story would develop every week.
Lots of great research stuff, even with all the crazy things going on... You managed a lot of competing priorities!
DeleteThank you for a lovely session!
I'm glad you enjoyed the session! I'd love to play D&D properly with you all one day, collaborative story telling is just so much fun...
DeleteAgreed--you've done a lot! And this has been such a fun and engaging session--thank you!
DeleteSession has been great. I'm glad there's one more episode to go! And I also think you've done a lot, in very trying circumstances.
DeleteI'm impressed you got so much done, given all the stressors. And glad you feel your research mojo is returning. Thank you so much for running the session!
DeleteMartha is relieved that, in the end, their time in the woods passed without anything too scary happening. She enjoyed collecting the herbs and learned a lot from Enner about the woods. Now the quest seems to be over, she's feeling sad at the thought of saying goodbye to her companions. She's wondering if maybe they could carry on a bit further together at least, but feels shy about suggesting it.
ReplyDeleteLast week:
ReplyDelete1. Finish archival material. - YES
2. Mark resit exam(s). - YES (just one in the end, thankfully0
3. Finish looking at corrections to a PhD thesis (another extra thing that came in last week) - YES, though it will probably come back for a final round of checking, sigh
4. Review postdoc applications. - YES
5. Finish book if time - NO (nearly there, but ran out of time on Friday)
6. Phone tiler & get back to plumber about estimate. - YES and YES
7. Exercise - run x 2, pilates x 1
8. Fun stuff: dinner with local friends; weekend trip to see outdoor play by Susan's Famous Author and dinner with best friends from PhD days. - YES. NIce dinner out with friends mid-week, and then a great weekend catching up with two of my closest friends. Outdoor play was fun, a bit chilly by the end, but that's much better than frying in the sun.
Look at all that yes! A great week!
DeleteThat sounds like a good week!
DeleteWhat a good week!
DeleteSession goals and next week/session:
ReplyDelete1. Teaching/admin - for this session, that consists mostly of marking, plus PhD students. I am thinking of leaving teaching prep for the next session, aside from sending reading lists to the library, which has to be done by July. - I did leave the teaching prep aside, marking had to be done, so was done, PhD students (2 are progressing well, 1 is not, but I'm not the main supervisor, so don't have to intervene)
2. Research
i) Finally submit the grant application! - NO, but almost there, waiting on faculty reveiw.
ii) Present at a workshop in France in June - YES
iii) Submit an abstract to a call for papers for a special issue of a journal. This is something I actually feel excited about, so am adding it even though it might be a distraction. - YES, and have been invited to submit a full paper. Have also figured out that it can advance the main project in a couple of ways, rather than being a distraction.
3 Kids
i) Steer daughter through GCSEs without either of us losing our minds and have fun with her afterwards. - YES
ii) Try not to neglect son in the process! Plan things to do with him in August while daughter is away. - YES
4. House/life admin
i) Start one big house project (new bathroom(s)). On the list of projects for a while, but forced upon me now by leaking shower. - STARTED
ii) Garden work - plant pots, get shed built, new patio furniture. - YES, NO, NO
iii) Some small to medium jobs e.g. decluttering, frame photos - NO
5.Self-care
i) Keep reading pace up - I've read a lot more this year already - YES
ii) Exercise regularly - MOSTLY
iii) Work on healthy eating and sleep. - STARTED
iv) Keep up with journaling. - MOSTLY
v) Fun activities - see friends, do creative stuff. - YES, NO
The one goal for Summer Me is probably the grant application, which is about 80% there, mostly costings and fiddly bits. It would be a huge load off my shoulders.
So a good session overall, probably because I set quite limited goals on most things. The grant application isn't in, but it is as near as can be, in that I have got it to a stage where I can submit immediately once I get the go-ahead. If they come back with a ton of comments and changes, then that may change, but for now, it's out of my hands.
I am only doing three days this week, before going on a family holiday on Friday. I have taken Thursday off, because daughter gets exam results then and I will be a nervous wreck. So rather than setting lots of goals, I am going to finish things off, spend a bit of time thinking about the next session and what my September needs to look like, and doing some house-related things like tile shopping.
everything crossed for good exam results that let your daughter into the next stage of her choice! And enjoy the relaxing...
DeleteLovely to see someone doing well with summer goals! Must remember to follow your lead on setting expectations low! My eyes are always bigger than my stomach.
DeleteGreat summer progress on lots of things, and a very sensible approach to goals, I am going to remember that for next year!
DeleteHope the exam results and the family trip are all fabulous.
Wonderful job, and good luck to your daughter!
DeleteThat worked out quite well, despite all my suspicions! I'm glad my Cats got some fish, after all. Meeting Ramstein was delightful, and I will carefully keep the tooth he gave me, in hopes of finding it has some interesting properties . . . or at least will serve as a recognition token should I one day meet him in his true form. It was a pleasure working with Cornelius, and everyone else was perfectly pleasant and useful [ed.: please recall that Scout tends to spend a lot of time on her own except when she has to be part of a military unit; she has low expectations of most beings]. I'm looking forward to claiming my new socks after we deliver the herbs to Silas, and I hope he's feeling better by now. At some point I'm going to have to check a mail drop to see if I have new orders from my unit. There may be a fall campaign that will have me mapping territory or placing mines. If not, I'll just work on mapping the woods and the territory we've been through, because you never know when a good, detailed map will come in handy.
ReplyDeleteReporting on last week:
ReplyDelete- swim x3, weights x2, yoga x4: YES, x1, YES.
- finish Alms! NO, but decided the chunk I've been struggling with belongs in a different chapter, so maybe now I can wrap it up?
- finish syllabus for new class. NO, but made further progress.
- work out points and due dates for other class. NO
- Greek 1 unit. Studied bits of it on a couple of days.
- defrack habitat as energy permits. YES: most of my desk is now clear, and I did quite a bit of outdoor defracking, i.e. gardening. Of course, I now have a Chair of Doom of my own, supporting various things that have moved from other office surfaces . . . Cat only knows what would happen if it and JaneB's got together.
- campus run (scanning, library, office sorting, help a retired colleague move out). YES, did all those things.
- get a massage. YES.
It was in many ways a good Last Week of Real Summer. I swam three miles, had that massage, we had semi-decent weather, I mixed a roll of refrigerator cookie dough that I can bake today or tomorrow, Mor has been spending a couple hours a day out in the house and that's going pretty well. Integrating a new cat just takes time, but she won't always be new.
Vision of the Chairs of Doom running away together with all the stuff on them and setting up their own Free Furniture Commune somewhere in a suitable desert...
Delete...in a yurt constructed of all my randomly piled clothes made into an intricate patchwork...
DeleteWhere they will be joined by my Drawer of Random Stuff that doesn't belong anywhere else but I haven't thrown out because it might be useful come the apocalypse, and the Coffee Table of Clutter....
DeleteSession goals (I think I'm going to be embarrassed):
ReplyDelete- finish the Alms chapter that is still hanging around and send it to a friend for comments; NO
- plan all my classes for next year; NO
- do what I hope is a limited-scope manuscript-related project; NO
- work regularly in my garden, taming various portions of it; SOME
- regular exercise, yoga, and other self-care; YES
- at least two trips to see friends. YES
Alms really is almost done, I think (HA HA how deluded you were), so I'm imagining devoting roughly a month to each of my other work projects, with gardening being an on-going effort. What do I most want to do this summer? Swim a lot. DID THAT!
I think it would be very satisfying to get next year's classes all planned out, so that all I have to do is show up, teach, and grade, without having to plan while teaching. I always say I will do this, and never have really done it, so let's see if I can manage it this time around! ANOTHER YEAR of saying and not doing. Come to think of it, though, I only know about one of my spring classes, so no matter how much I did this summer, that one would still be lurking.
Oh well. It did feel like a good Real Summer, with travel and swimming and, for much of it, a lovely sense of time stretching before me! I hope that will be sustaining now that I'm back on contract and have to get these syllaboi finished and VILE sites built.
Yay for getting a Real Summer summer! Especially glad you got the swimming in like you wanted to.
DeleteYes, fully prepped classes would be nice to have at the end of summer, but a Real Summer is better I think!
Real Summers matter! Sounds like you took good care of Dame Eleanor and sometimes (maybe always?) that is the most important thing
DeleteYes--real summers are important! I feel like I haven't quite mastered the having of one, myself.
DeleteFuture You will be grateful for Real Summer!
DeleteI love that your "yes" was all in the summer category!
DeleteI don't have any particularly bright ideas about a fall theme, but would be willing to host or co-host the third session of the year.
ReplyDeleteWe don't always have to have a theme, or the theme can be stages of writing projects or going through stationary types or something simple and TLQ related (we had a shapes theme a while ago, if I recall correctly). All we really need is someone to keep track of goals and post a weekly check in...
DeleteIt's just that you're a hard act to follow! Maybe Daisy and I can put our heads together and come up with something fun. Or perhaps, having read heu mihi's confession, we could have an all-business session for a change of pace.
DeleteCornelius is happy to repair the pond, heavy lifting without thinking too hard is his specialty. He’s a little afraid of the Talking Cats, more afraid of the Ladies, and happy to stay out of their collective way. He wants to know everything about being a talking otter though…
ReplyDeleteCornelius is pretty thrilled with the adventure and the new friends he’s met. He’s going to suggest a periodic meet-up in a nice tavern somewhere, and would absolutely be open to future excursions. He did learn a lot about the forest and its denizens. He’s feeling less afraid of the Talking Cats, they are much less intimidating when they act like actual cats…
Last week’s goals
ReplyDeleteRead and edit new thesis chapters NOPE
Fun pop science article NOPE
Sample curation SOME
Advising stuff LOTS
Plan out next paper or two HAHAHAHA NOPE
Contemplate grant application MAYBE
Real summer: one existing friend patio wine, one hoping to make new friend lunch BOTH DONE YAY!
Last week got 100% derailed by advising things, student things, and admin things, and the unexpected return of the very difficult paper. And by endless meetings for charitable organization (which I so regret getting involved in but that’s another story). So for good reasons, but it meant not much else got done. But both the Real Summer things got done so small win…
Ugh I hate it when weeks get derailed, especially by student and admin things (and the student-admin hybrid things that always get messy). At least you go the important Real Summer things done! I hope the new friend lunch went especially well!
DeleteSession goals
ReplyDelete• Two big accepted papers and one smaller paper revised and finalized YES, ALL 3 ACTUALLY GOT DONE SO I’M HAPPY…
• One new paper drafted NOPE
• One abandoned paper revived and submitted [maybe] NOPE
• One student thesis finalized and defended ALMOST, DELAY NOT MY FAULT
• All the field work DONE, OMG SO MUCH FIELD WORK
• Go kayaking and camping WILL BE 5 DAYS OF CAMPING, ZERO KAYAK SO FAR (this is pretty sad for a whole summer, I need to fix that next year!)
• Have small local adventures with kid when field work and teenager camp schedule allows PRETTY DESULTORY, WE MANAGED 2 SMALL TRIPS
• Exercise to survive August fieldwork and field teaching LITERALLY NOTHING
• Gardening MY GIANT PUMPKIN IS THE ONLY HAPPY PLANT, EVERYTHING ELSE IS BASICALLY HANGING ON BY THREADS… MAJOR FAIL…
I feel like the summer had too much travel and field work and I never really got a break. Feels like quite a fail in terms of Real Summer, but I did do some little things that made me happy. All the field work was necessary, most of it was great fun, and everything will be useful and valuable, so it was the right thing to do. But it was a lot, and I am tired. I have a 4-day break now, and then field school, and then a few days before classes, so my only job during break is to think and prioritize and then be really efficient with class prep during field school and after. All things considered, lots accomplished even if other things were left behind.
Tough act to follow but I’d be up for hosting or co-hosting.
Thank you JaneB for a fabulous session, loved the quest and the personalities and everyone’s characters and especially your wonderful creativity!
Woohoo, look at all those papers! And getting a lot of fieldwork done is really positive, but it does mess up a summer... (this is where Traditional Academic Men With Wives really have a huge advantage, so much of the logistics of summer, travelling etc. are just dealt with for them).
DeleteFinishing three papers is fantastic! I'm sorry that you didn't get more of a rest--it does seem to have been a hectic season for you. It happens. Maybe next year will be quiet and dull!
DeleteThree papers, wow! Well done.
DeleteAlso if there's interest I'd be happy to run another Quest next summer (or maybe spring if I lose my job in December! I'll need a distraction...)
ReplyDeleteSo I kind of lost track of things in the last few weeks, but the resolution seems to have been successful and satisfying.... Honestly, this is terrible, but one of the effects of the D&D TLQ has been to make me worry that I've simply lost all of my creativity. I know that that isn't true, but I found it surprisingly difficult to think of what to say or do. Of course, I often feel that way with TLQ prompts generally. --I say this in the mode of a confession.... There was a (long) time in my life when I would have really engaged deeply and perhaps even cleverly with all the prompts, and now it's like that part of my brain just isn't there. But I love reading what everyone else has to say! (And maybe it's just that I'm always rushing these in at the last minute--case in point, it's Tuesday and I leave for a two-day yoga retreat in an hour--and I can't do it on the fly. I probably shouldn't catastrophize this.)
ReplyDeleteThank you, JaneB, for a great session!
Virtual hugs! I suspect it's a bit like reading mojo - I find my creative writing brain or my ability to read just goes away for a while when I'm particularly caught up in the every-day and there is too much going on for my brain to track - you have a very busy life! And you've certainly not seemed to struggle obviously - there's plenty of room in D&D for less creative people to just do "yes and" type responses, and to use the tools they have. Every party needs someone who's a bit of an observer - one of the people in the group I play with as a player often says "my character is taking notes" or "my character is making a sketch of the map so far" when they aren't sure what to do, and the DM lets the whole party remember things better/have easier challenges later on because they have good notes...
DeleteGoals check-in:
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1) Journal catch-up! Two revisions and two new articles to process. - REVISIONS processed; one new article mostly processed (I need another reviewer); second new article IGNORED
2) Research! Write the Coda for my manuscript ("Conclusion" would be a misnomer); submit book review - DONE AND DONE!
3) Teaching! Finish syllabus, try again to figure out the new CMS (and contact Help Desk if necessary), order desk copies, figure out readings for second day. - DONEISH (I’m debating a few assignments), YES, YES, SORT OF
4) Admin! Secure replacements for TA who suddenly took another job, start planning (and requesting funding for) guest speaker at end of September, find an adjunct for a spring course, review spring schedule, schedule fall faculty meetings. - DONE, DONE, DONE (paperwork no), YES, YES
5) Admin+! Contact faculty about fall events (party [siiighh] and AI workshop [extra siiiiiiggghhhhh]). - DONE (although nothing has been followed up on yet)
6) Household! Begin the Great Tomato Processing of 2024; look at some recipes; vacuum the rug - DONE (lots of pizza sauce, puttanesca, and tomato soup; also made and froze four loaves of zucchini bread and 55 baked samosas for lunches); yes; yes
7) Self! Continue/resume daily sun salutations, run x 3, swim x 2, yoga class x 1; read a silly mystery novel; knit - MISSED A FEW; YES (if you count Sunday), YES, YES; YES; A LITTLE
Session:
1. Write an introduction for this book - DONE; not revised and possibly not great, but it’s done
2. *Really* finish the draft of chapter 6 (now chapter 5), revise chapters 3 and 4, start working on tightening up the whole very long manuscript - YES, I DID THIS
3. Read and review book by August 1, I think it was - DONE
4. Edited collection: Prepare and submit a proposal - NOT DONE, IN PROGRESS
5. Job-related: create info page for international students; line up workshop guests for TA practicum; prep new book(s) for fall course; fall syllabus; order books for fall course - DONE, MOSTLY BUT NOT DONE, NO (but I don’t teach it until December), YES, YES
6. Grad students: I have one who is supposed to be finishing his dissertation, like, now. This student will take a lot of work. I must prepare for this. - ?? I have yet to see the draft, so I’ll call this OFF MY PLATE for the summer
7. Submit conference abstract IF I decide that I want to. - NO! Didn’t want to!
8. FUN: Make at least 3 books; finish knitting a cardigan; read a lot of novels; take forest days; finish France photo albums - YES, ALMOST DONE and started a new one, YES, NO, YES
And added at mid-session review:
9. second book review - DONE
10. read other student’s dissertation - ? This one didn’t come in, either
11. edits to proceedings article - DONE
12. finish sustainability committee pamphlets, plural - DONE
I'm pretty satisfied with this session, although I always think that, if I just finish XYZ tasks, I can take a REAL break and REALLY relax, and surprise surprise, there are always DGISWT tasks waiting in the wings. Of course, most of these tasks are of my own invention. One of my long-term life goals, which I'm not even close to realizing or even acting upon, is to learn to relax. (For my birthday a couple of years ago, my son bought me a book by Thich Nhat Hanh called "How to Relax." It is very short. I still haven't finished reading it.)
Okay, I sound like I'm really down on myself today! I'm actually not! I'm leaving for a two-day tech-free yoga retreat in an hour! Maybe I'll take that book with me and actually read it!
Plus, I finished drafting my book, which is very exciting, as well as writing and submitting two book reviews (one three full months before the deadline). I have a few writing commitments and deadlines this year, but I'm really trying to wrap things up and clear some space for a break from academic writing--and maybe bringing my creative energy back in the coming years--we'll see!
Finishing your book draft is amazing and wonderful and deserves lots of congratulations! And a yoga retreat is very good looking after yourself! I am always very impressed with how much you get done and how motivating you find it to cross things off lists---I tend to get overwhelmed by lists, and have to work at making lists short enough that I can get something done rather than panicking. (If you put the two of us together, we'd probably make one very accomplished and well-balanced person.) But it's true that there will always be More Tasks, and if you can't put them down, then you have to make relaxing one of them, as with your yoga retreat.
DeleteIt sounds like a really solid summer all round - and ending with a large quantity of tomato-y goodness and a yoga retreat sounds like it had some "real summer" properties too. I also am almost afraid of making really comprehensive lists at this stage in my life - used to love them, now they totally overwhelm me. Which is not great for TLQ stuff as when lists are short and partial the URGENT stuff tends to shoulder its way to the top of the queue. And YAY for the finished draft!
DeleteCongratulations on the finished draft! And I love the sound of all the tomato sauces and soups. That sounds really satisfying. I think I need a list if I'm going to stay focused, as otherwise there is always too much to do, or I forget things. But I haven't yet worked out a length of list that will be short enough not to be overwhelming, but long enough that I do make enough progress with stuff that is TLQ as well as stuff that just has to happen.
DeleteYay on finishing the book draft. Your comment on tasks reminds me of a conversation I had with my mother when she visited us in the UK soon after I'd finished my dissertation and my husband was researching a book: "Oh", she said, "I see. You always have work to do". And it's very true. And of course we give ourselves the assignments. Sigh.
DeleteAlice is happy: she was generally helpful, but Enner was kind to her, and not many people are kind to her, or help her solve even minor problems like being tangled in a bramble. She is also glad they won't be cold or hungry. All in all, this was not a bad adventure. She has felt safe, again something she doesn't always feel, because even when dealing with scary things (talking cats, big fish, etc.) she was never alone. She's not sure where she will go next, and I think when they return to Silas' house, she'll be sorry to say goodbye to those she has been with.
ReplyDelete[Like heu mihi, I don't think I've been particularly imaginative, but it's been fun to see how even a modified D&D works. Thank you, JaneB!]
After lunch I realized that it was Wednesday and I hadn't checked in: I blame the combination of jet lag and not really having a schedule.
ReplyDeleteLast week's goals:
1. Finish promotion review that is due this week. (I've read the book ms., started the letter, so should be able to do this.) YES
2. Rewrite the prospectus for my book using comments from the editor. YES
3. Send packages (two more to pack, and then a trip to the Post Office) YES
4. Pack and organize YES
5. Enjoy time with brother and family when I get back to California YES (my SIL and I had a lovely time in their new spa, but I saw my brother for about 15 minutes between baseball practice and heading to work)
6. Unpack, and then start organizing for a year away. YES
7. And an additional goal: finish the tapestry project that is almost done so I can start the new one I carried on the plane home. (I'm hoping I can finish tomorrow, as this justifies my having carried the new one in my luggage.) YES
Well, since most of my goals were "they have to happen", I can't really be too proud. But the editor gave me really helpful comments on the proposal, and I made the changes, and it's now out for review, so that's a relief. And I've kind of started organizing but it is daunting. And jet lag for 8 hours is awful. But delighted to have finished the tapestry project (which I'd started to dislike because it was dull) and started the new one. So...
So much YES, both for the week and for the summer! Most excellent! Good luck with the final packing, and I hope your cat will enjoy lording it over his house/get the new servants properly broken in very promptly.
Delete