Mid-August! Let's celebrate all the things we've done this summer, because we have done things. Many goals have been met. We've traveled, seen people, tried to balance life and work. Maybe there have been fun books read in place of serious reading, or time with companion animals and family in place of work, or just plain summery drifting instead of crossing off list items. Celebrate those things, too.
In fact, here's a toast to each of you: to Susan, who sent off Famous Author and spent the summer in famous libraries, with a side trip to Paris! To Julie, who got promoted and went to Iceland! To JaneB, who sets a good example in making incremental progress, taking time for creativity, and keeping a sense of humor in the face of institutional incompetence! To heu mihi, who read a lot of Italian and saw a lot of family (those things seem like they go together well)! To Daisy, whose work facilitates Real Summer goals (and who can repel bears with curry!)! To me, who did stuff even though it doesn't feel like it! We have Prosecco (rather than champagne, because of the Italian readers), we have elderflower pressé, we have gin and tonic; help yourself to a sparkling drink and some nibbles, and make yourself at home in the comments section.
First I'll list your goals from last week, and below those, the session goals as revised in week 7 or 8. As you respond to both, make sure you include your ALSO items: those things that cropped up or offered themselves, that may not have been on your radar but which you can nonetheless note having done. For session goals, I kept things that people had finished by midterm, because we are all about the celebrating the DONE this week!
Last week:
Daisy
Next major document from giant meetings
Finish up pile of work from committee
Decide on promotion, if yes, start writing
Work on student projects
Send away rest of samples
Finish really depressingly overdue review
Write one section of new paper
Keep learning new music [can I just say that I love this goal? --ed.]
Dame Eleanor Hull
- cardio x3, PT 2x/day, weights at least once
- at least one campus day, meet with grad, continue project known as 'tidying' (actually cataloguing, but it will lead to a tidier office eventually); at least two other meetings
- make time for 5 hours research on projects W and M
- plan fall teaching, complete at least one syllabus
- do something fun and summery b/c it's not over yet!
heu mihi
1. Read grad student's prospectus
2. Read other article to decide whether I want to teach it
3. Do some "for real" course prep (e.g. setting up some of the ViLE)
4. Make the anniversary book! Our anniversary is Friday!
5. Return to in-earnest exercise.
JaneB
1) Building better habits: yarn project, read, D&D, hobby things
2) improving my environment: well, let's be ambitious! sorting out the war/floor-drobe situation, progress the sofa-and-shelving ideas, get the front gutters replaced, do chores.
3) blocks: One block for the first year module - class slides and activities, handout, assessment questions. Make a revised revised block list.
4) Writing - the week after next I have multiple meetings, so I am going to set the goal of at least 1 hour on each of the projects for which I have a meeting scheduled later in August.
5) check in with all the graduate students
6) Check the timetable for trimester 1 and make SURE it meets my reasonable adjustments. Complete one CPD thing (urgent). Catch up with all email. Make appointment to have the I Have Issues/Adjustments conversation with the new interim Head of School.
Julie
1. Organise trip for kids.
2. Post-holiday email catch-up.
3. Start reading one of the two PhDs I am examining in the autumn.
4. Start some reading for chapter for second edited volume.
5. House/life admin: pay car tax, physio appointment.
6. Self-care/fun: meet up with old friend for the day, enjoy kid-free time!
Susan
1. Get over jet lag
2. Do as much admin stuff today and tomorrow so I can pivot to Famous Author when it arrives.
3. Get going on next round of revisions, which I've been promised are not huge
4. Get back into exercise regime
5. Finish organizing the odd stuff that I haven't put away yet
6. Draft syllabi. (I got as far last week as putting my classes into my calendar.)
6. See friends, enjoy myself.
Session goals (updated at midterm):
Daisy
Two new papers submitted
Revised course material for fall and winter
One defensible graduate thesis
Good experience for 3 hired undergraduates
Kayaking
Exercise
Garden improvement
Dame Eleanor Hull
* write essay due at the start of September
* plan work for summer TA and do some supervising of her
* write and deliver two conference papers, focusing most energy on the one that will be the core of a book chapter.
* plan classes for next year
* submit two course proposals
* swim 2-3 times a week:
* work in the garden 3x/week: KEEP BUT tailor to weather, and keep sessions brief, 20-30 minutes
* do 5 Life Stuff tasks, aiming for one per week
* think about conference proposals for next two years (!)
heu mihi
1. Research/writing: Complete copy-edits of book, submit revised article, submit abstract for MK, start working (idly) on research for MK, read and review book. Revise article for collection.
2. Creative: Finish green sweater, work on knit dress, make a book or two, other projects!!
3. House: Clear out storage area, fix basement doors that don't close properly, wash windows at some point
4. Family: Costa Rica album, anniversary book, vol. 2 of uncle's memoirs
5. Personal: Read Italian novel vol. 2, get outdoors as much as possible, lots of exercise
6. Misc. work: Update program website, prep new class
JaneB
Home, self and life:
1) Building better habits: more small things that bring joy, especially in terms of making stuff/doing art. More things which engage my brain and are Not Work (D&D, reading for fun). Paying attention to eating as a self-kindness not as a tool to shut up the toddler/appease the negative brain weather.
2) improving my environment: sorting out the war/floor-drobe situation, doing one big Improvement Thing (I'd like that to be getting a sofa - so would ShoutyPants!), getting the front gutters replaced, doing a big turn out of the spare bedroom/craft space/home office where I spend most of my time at home.
Academic work (the job and the work both):
3) use the block model as last summer - aiming for 24 blocks (3-4 hours of future-focused work like preparing for teaching in the following year). Aims are to get on top of teaching prep and maybe do some "just for me" research tasks (exploring future ideas).
4) I have a lot of writing projects (grant ideas and journal articles) which all involve other people therefore are not fully in my control - I'm setting the goal of substantial progress on four of them this summer.
5) supporting graduate students (it's only sort of a TLQ thing, but it is taking up a larger than normal amount of my summer, and it is important, so I'm including it).
Julie
1. Research & writing (this will be buffet style)
i) Revisions to article currently under review if necessary
ii) Outline at least, write if possible, two different chapters I've been invited to contribute to edited volumes.
iii) Organise workshop in June.
iv) Do some research on current project. Depending on outcome of grant application, work out priorities for next year.
v) book reviews
2. Teaching
i) Get all marking done.
ii) Read final final drafts for one PhD student; wait to see if other student will ever send written work (this is heading for a car crash).
iii) read added PhD drafts
3. House
i) Big project for this session: getting the garden how I want it.
ii) Small jobs as and when time allows.
4. Fun stuff/self care
i) Exercise - improve fitness.
ii) Eat healthily - this session will either be great for this or terrible.
iii) Sleep!
iv) Continue reading for pleasure.
v) Journaling, more creative stuff.
Susan (original goals, as I couldn't find an update)
1. Get Famous Author out the door (goal June 1)
2. Write short essay about recent book, theoretically due June 1
3. Write keynote address for late June workshop, preferably before I fly to the UK on June 15
4. Start poking around in archives on new project
5. Have a good vacation with my sister in Paris and with friend
6. Start preparing my head for the fall and a return to teaching.
7. Keep up with some kind of exercise/ fitness
8. Enjoy myself - museums, theatre, etc.
9. Be sociable, try to meet people
I'm having Prosecco (as I have been doing all summer, thanks to reading a lot of Guido Brunetti mysteries, also novels by P. M. Pasinetti [in English or French], and struggling through Le Indagini della Zia Polde in Italian; I'm now at about 75% of the book). I think I'll skip the nibbles and just get trashed, because that's the sort of mood I'm in.
ReplyDeleteHow I did, last week:
- cardio x3, PT 2x/day, weights at least once: YES! I am well exercised, yay me!
- at least one campus day, meet with grad, continue project known as 'tidying' (actually cataloguing, but it will lead to a tidier office eventually); at least two other meetings: YES, all (and the meetings remained at two, yay!).
- make time for 5 hours research on projects W and M: IN SPIRIT: not sure it really amounted to five hours, but I did something most days, and I am pleased with this.
- plan fall teaching, complete at least one syllabus: STARTED ONE. It's progress! I celebrate it!
- do something fun and summery b/c it's not over yet! YES! I went for a walk with a friend in a lovely outdoor spot, and caught up with another; we meant to attend theater-in-the-park, but got rained out. But we did have a good chat before having to pack up.
ALSO: baked cookies, read three of those essays that have been hanging about all summer and made notes about potential issues and possible reviewers, went to the dentist, took BC to vet, read 5 Nina Stibbe books.
How I did, session:
* write essay due at the start of September. NO: its due date is now mid-October and though I meant to do it anyway, I put it off. I did some work on it, though.
* plan work for summer TA and do some supervising of her: YES, DONE.
* write and deliver two conference papers, focusing most energy on the one that will be the core of a book chapter. YES! This was a June thing, and I'm celebrating it now, too!
* plan classes for next year: ?? Depends on what I get to teach next year! I worked a lot on classes I might teach next spring, but we don't have our spring schedules yet! I've done some work on the fall classes, but they're not done yet.
* submit two course proposals: YES (though I still have one to go--never mind, celebrate the two DONE!).
* swim 2-3 times a week: YES when the pool was open and I was here!
* work in the garden 3x/week: KEEP BUT tailor to weather, and keep sessions brief, 20-30 minutes. NO, the weather and air quality were so uniformly awful that I pretty much gave up on the garden. The weeds and catnip are doing great! And the cucumbers!
* do 5 Life Stuff tasks, aiming for one per week. OK, I forgot about this one, but if we count the guest room organization and taking care of all my medical appointments, I guess I can claim it. So I will! Top off my Prosecco!
* think about conference proposals for next two years (!). YES if thinking is all that's required! No writing yet.
ALSO: a lot of fun reading, some progress on an essay that is not one of my priorities (but it's fun to work on!), saw the Morgan's copy of Caxton's Malory.
Fabulous! You earned every drop of that Prosecco, and then some!
DeleteA lot of progress! Especially with the fun reading (I wish I was rediscovering Brunetti for the first time...)
DeleteThank you for your kind comments. I have not had the best of summers, but I have Kept Going and sometimes that's as good as it gets. Raising a glass to you all (elferflower presse), and strategically positioning myself near any cheese/olive related nibbles!
ReplyDeleteLast week was really hot and sticky and I struggled, I am so over summer. Recognising that I have sensory issues as well as physical heat intolerances (darn little heat blisters on my fingers again, rashes and all the other joys) and that this is both due to my weight and related to my neurodivergence does NOT HELP. Plus it was Clearing Week so I was covering the phone lines yesterday and today, my car is STILL in the shop - whilst putting it back together a couple of other parts wouldn't fit properly and needed replacing - just little things like clips that hold the brake cables in place that had become warped, so little money but more time because they had to be ordered in (my car is old), and I definitely want that sort of thing properly fixed!, and I am feeling the diminishing of summer very very strongly. Wah! Tomorrow is the last of my Summer Mondays Off, at least, so I get a break after sitting on a silent phone line most of the weekend (and not even getting to play D&D because the nibling had an Apple Juice Incident and was drying out their laptop very gently so not available to get online).. And it's finally back to normal temperatures in my neck of the woods for the coming week, thank GOODNESS.
LAST WEEK
1) Building better habits: yarn project, read, D&D, hobby things ordered a LOT of yarn for two new projects, read (greatly enjoying Michael Wood's History of China a chapter at a time, whilst galloping through some light urban fantasy on the side), no D&D this week, did a bit of messing around with brush pens in my sketchbook
2) improving my environment: well, let's be ambitious! sorting out the war/floor-drobe situation, progress the sofa-and-shelving ideas, get the front gutters replaced, do chores. no, no, no - got rescheduled due to needing scaffolding and lightning storm risk which was entirely reasonable, did some chores
3) blocks: One block for the first year module - class slides and activities, handout, assessment questions. Make a revised revised block list. no, no. It took all my work hours plus some to get through my email after being off for two weeks, do resit marking, and handle some issues that came up - boy do I hate generative AI and students who can't hide their use of it
4) Writing - the week after next I have multiple meetings, so I am going to set the goal of at least 1 hour on each of the projects for which I have a meeting scheduled later in August. I spent time on each of the projects I have a meeting on in the coming week, multiple hours on two of them, mostly this weekend whilst sitting on the line
5) check in with all the graduate students yes. One of them gave me about 100 pages of draft to comment on, sigh
6) Check the timetable for trimester 1 and make SURE it meets my reasonable adjustments. Complete one CPD thing (urgent). Catch up with all email. Make appointment to have the I Have Issues/Adjustments conversation with the new interim Head of School. YES, and I am so glad to see that they managed it this time, phew! I did the urgent CPD thing, and slogged through all the email. I have NOT made the appointment... I need to...
SESSION GOALS:>/b>
DeleteHome, self and life:
1) Building better habits: more small things that bring joy, especially in terms of making stuff/doing art. More things which engage my brain and are Not Work (D&D, reading for fun). Paying attention to eating as a self-kindness not as a tool to shut up the toddler/appease the negative brain weather. I did better than I was last session in doing small things that are fun and brain engaging. I however did not get anywhere with the eating or the brain weather
2) improving my environment: sorting out the war/floor-drobe situation, doing one big Improvement Thing (I'd like that to be getting a sofa - so would ShoutyPants!), getting the front gutters replaced, doing a big turn out of the spare bedroom/craft space/home office where I spend most of my time at home. no, no, booked in, partially done
EXTRAS: I did a BIG financial task, which is still feeling rather unreal - I've paid off my mortgage and now actually own the house I live in. Still have other financial things to do as a result, and because things got neglected last academic year, but that was a big one with complicated moving parts. The kitchen is also looking SO MUCH BETTER than it did.
Academic work (the job and the work both):
3) use the block model as last summer - aiming for 24 blocks (3-4 hours of future-focused work like preparing for teaching in the following year). Aims are to get on top of teaching prep and maybe do some "just for me" research tasks (exploring future ideas). I did maybe one and half blocks. This just didn't work - I seemed to be constantly being distracted by other things this summer. There was more research writing and more "general work stuff" going on, a lot of text from a writing-up PhD student... I have a few weeks left I guess!
4) I have a lot of writing projects (grant ideas and journal articles) which all involve other people therefore are not fully in my control - I'm setting the goal of substantial progress on four of them this summer. I'm not assessing progress fully on this one until mid-September, but I've kept a lot of plates spinning and moving slowly forward, to precariously mix metaphors, so this is somewhere around a B for the summer
5) supporting graduate students (it's only sort of a TLQ thing, but it is taking up a larger than normal amount of my summer, and it is important, so I'm including it). this went OK, but took a lot more time than I accounted for especially with the Mondays Off method I used this summer to use up leave
Not the best session, but it's not been the worst either!
Paying off your mortgage is HUGE! Congratulations! We definitely need another toast to you, and to the house! And to Shoutypants while we're at it, because of course he thinks it is his house.
Delete(Also I think 'elferflower presse' needs to be a drink in a fantasy or D&D episode . . . possibly something that kicks off an interspecies Incident . . . )
Definitely raising a glass of Prosecco to you paying off the mortgage. Sounds as if you've made incremental progress on lots of things, which is harder than doing one big thing, I think.
DeleteWow--congratulations on the mortgage! I'll join you over by the cheese and olives....
DeleteWow mortgage!!! Congratulations!!! Cheese and olives all round!!!
DeleteHoisting a glass to you on the mortgage. It's an amazing feeeling! And on a kitchen looking better. I think it's really hard to be productive while there are constant small interruptions. So the fact that you've got projects moving forward slowly/ plates spinning is excellent!
DeleteIf Shoutypants cared at all about money and ownership things, Shoutypants would be taking ALL the credit! he's mad because today was around 20 degrees, grey skies and drizzling gently, and so there was no sunspot for him to bask in all morning.
DeleteThank you so much to DEH for hosting this summer, and leading us through a delicious summer feast. I have a feeling that I offered to host this autumn, and I'm still happy to do it - unless anyone else has a burning urge to do it?
ReplyDeleteI can't remember, if maybe also I volunteered? (And I'm not going back to check!)
DeleteThe first thing I found was in the comments here: https://topleftquad.blogspot.com/2025/04/not-really-session-week-1.html#comment-form
DeleteIt seems that Susan did the intersession in May, and I took the summer; it's not clear whether you, JaneB, ever really formally said you'd take the autumn (though I have not gone through all the comments to other posts). Are you okay doing the next session alone, or would you prefer to share it?
Echoing JaneB's thanks to Dame Eleanor. Raising a glass of Prosecco to everyone, and eyeing up the fancy nibbles.
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1. Organise trip for kids. - YES (3 loads of laundry and multiple forms to fill in for an unaccompanied minor)
2. Post-holiday email catch-up. - YES (less painful than expected as everyone seems to be away)
3. Start reading one of the two PhDs I am examining in the autumn. - YES (not very far in, but it's a start)
4. Start some reading for chapter for second edited volume. - YES (one article and about halfway through a book)
5. House/life admin: pay car tax, physio appointment. - YES x 2
6. Self-care/fun: meet up with old friend for the day, enjoy kid-free time! - YES! Had a lovely day in pretty town about an hour away (medieval walls, gardens, river, big cathedral), even though it was 28 degrees. Have sat in the garden a lot, read books, cooked what I wanted to eat, journaled, watched a film, did a coastal walk in the sunshine.
Also: did two loads of delicates washing that normally get put off because there's always sports kit to wash; touched up the paint on the living room and bedroom walls (particularly pleased with the last one).
That sounds like a very good week! And I like your "Also" items!
DeleteYeses everywhere!
DeleteSession goals:
ReplyDelete1. Research & writing (this will be buffet style)
i) Revisions to article currently under review if necessary - STILL WITH REVIEWERS
ii) Outline at least, write if possible, two different chapters I've been invited to contribute to edited volumes. - ROUGH DRAFT OF ONE, STARTED READING FOR OTHER (needs more research than I realised when I set the goal)
iii) Organise workshop in June. - YES (and it was useful and interesting)
iv) Do some research on current project. Depending on outcome of grant application, work out priorities for next year. - SOME. ROUGH IDEA OF PRIORITIES, BUT POSTPONED TO NEXT SESSION
v) book reviews - ONE (only received second book last month, so on the list for September)
2. Teaching
i) Get all marking done.- YES (no choice, but there was so much of it, included as a goal)
ii) Read final final drafts for one PhD student; wait to see if other student will ever send written work (this is heading for a car crash). - ONE SUBMITTED; CAR CRASH IMMINENT FOR OTHER
iii) read added PhD drafts - Can't remember what I meant here! TWO PHDS TO EXAMINE IN THE AUTUMN, STARTED ONE.
3. House
i) Big project for this session: getting the garden how I want it. - MOSTLY (waiting on new shed in autumn, but have patio furniture and more plants)
ii) Small jobs as and when time allows. -SOME
4. Fun stuff/self care
i) Exercise - improve fitness. - SOME
ii) Eat healthily - this session will either be great for this or terrible. - MOSTLY
iii) Sleep! - STILL BAD
iv) Continue reading for pleasure. - YES
v) Journaling, more creative stuff. - YES, NEED TO DO MORE
Overall, not a bad session. Some things were on the list because I assumed they would happen this session and then were late (PhD submissions, book for review). I was a bit ambitious on the writing front, but using the two chapters as a transition into research leave next academic year. Not getting the grant was a disappointment, but I tried, and hopefully the next time I have to write an application, it will be less painful. And there's the promotion! On the self-care side, have read a lot, done more journaling than other sessions, exercised a fair amount when my back allowed, and have had an amazing trip to Iceland. Still need to work on sleep, and would like to do more creative stuff next session.
Very good progress! As you say, sometimes the ongoing efforts are harder than the big pushes. Sleep is always a work in progress for some of us, sadly.
DeleteThis is a good summer! And doing small things is not bad. Sometimes it;s what we can manage!
DeleteWorking on sleep is a permanent state of being for me...
DeleteCongrats on a good session, lots of progress! A lot of the work will pay off later too, so an investment in future progress.
DeleteAnd yay promotion!!! Extra bubbly stuff for that...
Ugh I wrote this all out and then I forgot to post it before I commented on another comment and it disappeared. Trying again:
ReplyDeleteThis summer didn't have as much summer in it as I would have liked--I think because we didn't take a proper vacation? But we're going to the beach for two days at the end of the week, so I'm hoping that that will round things out.
For the party: I'll join DEH with the Prosecco (not too much at the moment; I think I'll swap it out for some sparkling fruity soda at some point in the evening) and Jane at the cheese and olives. I love drinks and snacks!
Speaking of parties: Thank you, DEH, for the elegant hosting this session!
Last week:
1. Read grad student's prospectus - YES
2. Read other article to decide whether I want to teach it - YES, and I do
3. Do some "for real" course prep (e.g. setting up some of the ViLE) - YES
4. Make the anniversary book! Our anniversary is Friday! - YES
5. Return to in-earnest exercise. - YES (skipped weekend run because I was tired, and that's okay)
SESSION:
1. Research/writing: Complete copy-edits of book, submit abstract for MK, start working (idly) on research for MK, read and review book. Revise article for collection.
--YES to all except working, idly or otherwise, on research for MK. MK isn't due until next summer, so I've decided that it's an academic year project.
2. Creative: Finish green sweater, work on knit dress, make a book or two, other projects!!
--YES, YES, NO--other than the anniversary book--maybe I'll feel inspired in the coming weeks, maybe not!
3. House: Clear out storage area, fix basement doors that don't close properly, wash windows at some point
--MOSTLY (I have a bag to take to Goodwill, a box of books to deal with, and a small item of furniture to try to sell), MOSTLY (need to reinstall strike plates, which should take no more than 15 minutes), YES. ALSO: Cleaned garage, defrosted freezer
4. Family: Costa Rica album, anniversary book, vol. 2 of uncle's memoirs
--YES
5. Personal: Read Italian novel vol. 2, get outdoors as much as possible, lots of exercise
--YES, not as much as I would have liked (it was hot, I was busy), yes
6. Misc. work: Update program website, prep new class
--NO, although I did finalize the doctoral handbook and update that on the website; MOSTLY but it's not *prepped*-prepped. Still, it'll be fine.
Publishing now before I do something to make this attempt disappear!
Excellent progress! But I'm sorry there wasn't enough "summer." It's no doubt partly because it was too hot: it's hard to enjoy summery outside things when the weather isn't cooperating, so you might as well work. I feel like I've been skulking inside most of the last few months, and I'm wondering if I can fit some "summer" into September to make up!
DeleteToo hot is horrible, it both gets in the way of summer stuff, and makes it hard to work at not-summer stuff...
DeleteSummer stuff can definitely continue into early Fall, anything outside can count, even if it is just drinks on the deck or a quick beach trip.
DeleteLots of things done this session, a good variety for sure!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the lovely toasts to all, we’ll be celebrating with everyone very enthusiastically! Wins are wins!!
This week’s goals
Next major document from giant meetings DONE
Finish up pile of work from committee DONE
Decide on promotion, if yes, start writing YES, STARTED
Work on student projects YES
Send away rest of samples ALMOST
Finish really depressingly overdue review ALMOST
Write one section of new paper NOPE
Keep learning new music ONGOING
Session goals:
Two new papers submitted
Not even close… It is not completely impossible for one to get at least to draft form by the end of the month, but as the local Magic 8-ball says “outlook not so good”.
Revised course material for fall and winter
Worked on some of this, mainly thinking and planning, but I’m ok with this.
One defended graduate thesis
Since it was not entire my problem and the student is still somewhere out in the world working I’m going to call this one “close”… Who the hell knows anymore??
Good experience for 2 hired undergraduates
Ended up with three, and they all had a blast and did some excellent work. We did get shut down for field stuff because of fires a couple of weeks before they were due to finish, but we got most of their work done.
Kayaking
Nope… Might still do this in the next two weeks?
Exercise
Some… Lots of field work so that counts for some, less of the organized stuff but not nothing…
Garden improvement
Definitely got some stuff done, mostly in May and June. Some of my transplants are surviving the current dry spell.
Other things… So many unexpected things…
Grant for hosting visiting researcher – that took a lot of work to apply for, and the actual visit was fantastic but exhausting and took up 3 whole weeks of July. Lots of good things will come from it, worth doing for sure.
Department chair – did not plan for that, but glad I could cover and take some pressure off regular chair having major medical issues.
Committee work – did not plan for major developments in committee I was just supposed to babysit, but stuff happened and got handled well enough.
Upcoming concert – good thing, lots of fun, but also a ton of work…
New grant that let me hire a whole extra student – fantastic, huge money-saver for my operating funds, all really good things. Extra student had a blast and worked on a part of a bigger project and in a lab and got some wicked technical skills so a win all round…
Thank you to DEH for wonderful hosting, loved the trip through culinary themes! Thanks to everyone for participating – this kind of group only works when the members show up, you are all champions of showing up! We rock 😊
Yay, you started the promotion write-up already! Good going! It sounds like a very good summer. And I like that you can think of the unexpected chair-serving in terms of being able to remove pressure from someone else rather than just noticing the pressure on you. That's admirable!
DeleteThe unexpected things are often good but boy do they mess up attempts to plan medium term! Yay for an excellent visit and a student-hiring grant!
DeleteWhile I love a gin & tonic on a hot afternoon, I think the prosecco party looks great! And I'll totally be on the exotic nibbles! Thanks to Dame Eleanor for being such a great host!
ReplyDeleteGoals from last week:
1. Get over jet lag I GUESS SO
2. Do as much admin stuff today and tomorrow so I can pivot to Famous Author when it arrives. YES, BUT
3. Get going on next round of revisions, which I've been promised are not huge YES
4. Get back into exercise regime YES
5. Finish organizing the odd stuff that I haven't put away yet YES, OF THE IMMEDIATE STUFF
6. Draft syllabi. (I got as far last week as putting my classes into my calendar.) NO
6. See friends, enjoy myself. YES
I mean, the admin stuff was hard (it's rescheduling TAs whose classes conflict with their TA assignments) and took a lot more time than I expected, but it's done, and the remaining problems belong to the department chair. I've done the first three chapters of Famous Author (and most of hte revisions are relatively easy), with a a goal of finishing by the end of the month. But I really wish I'd had it two weeks earlier, so I wasn't juggling the admin stuff at the same time. I got as far as starting a document for each of my classes with the dates of classes in it, but that's as far as I got on the syllabi. And I've got stuff put away, but I'm also going through (slowly) things I put away when I went away for a year, and I think a LOT of that will end up in the trash. But that's a box or a problem at a time.
Things do get real this week, as I run an orientation for our new grad students, which will take big chunks of Wednesday-Friday.
SESSION:
1. Get Famous Author out the door (goal June 1) YES
2. Write short essay about recent book, theoretically due June 1 YES
3. Write keynote address for late June workshop, preferably before I fly to the UK on June 15 YES
4. Start poking around in archives on new project YES
5. Have a good vacation with my sister in Paris and with friend YES
6. Start preparing my head for the fall and a return to teaching. NOT REALLY
7. Keep up with some kind of exercise/ fitness SOME
8. Enjoy myself - museums, theatre, etc. SOME
9. Be sociable, try to meet people YES
AND ALSO DONE
-a third short holiday hiking in Scotland, which was very energetic
- Read draft of dissertation, prepare for defense
Well, the goals were really TRQ, but I did them. And I am beginning to see the new project (s), but I did less than I hoped on them because I didn't want to read microfilm all summer and I kept waiting for my editor to return Famous Author. I also figured out my vacation plans for next year, where I will do something on my own. (My travel companions are both bossy oldest kids, and I'm a good middle kid: I enjoy what we do, but it's not my choices.)
Anyway, thanks again to Dame Eleanor for expert hosting and enjoyable thinking about food.
That is a lot of YES! And you made it possible for us to imagine traveling along with you, which I'd say you should consider another achievement.
DeleteI've really enjoyed the vicarious travel and very different kind of scholarly life!
DeleteI think you did brilliantly for the summer, major project sent off, lots of great archive and fancy library time, some fun travel which we all enjoyed greatly, all wins!
DeleteAgree that thinking about is always a good way to see the world - Hobbits have the right idea!