2025 Session 3 - Week 6, colour coding

It's clock change time in the UK this weekend - an extra hour of sleep is always a nice thing, but it means we are now officially into the "come home from work in the dark" time of year.  Autumn is my favourite season, followed by winter, but something about driving to work in the dark and coming home in the dark makes work feel even more takes-all-the-time-and-energy than the rest of the year.  And of course students get more unhappy about "late" classes (the latest end at 6pm - to students used to finishing school or college by 3 or 4, it is probably quite painful!).  Quite a few students are on their second or third illness and starting to drag a little - yes, definitely time for clock change and late Autumn, despite the weather remaining comparatively warm.

Interesting to read that we're all not much for the highlighters - I mentioned that seeing undergrads using them inspired this topic, and to expand it was because it seemed a rather retro thing for them to be doing.  This week, lets talk a bit more widely about colour - is colour important to you when it comes to stationary and the organisation of work things, or not?  Do you have colour associations with particular subjects or aspects of your work?  Or do you just grab the nearest folder or pen regardless of colour?

As a reminder, NEXT week is week 7, our goals review week (we planned a 13 week session ending 14th December, although we can go on an extra week if we want).

Mr Shoutypants LOVES this laser pointer cat toy (it has several different shape options - he seems to like this star and the butterfly ones best).  He has developed a specific combination of meow and stance that commands me to make the prey appear so he can stalk and chase it.  A blurry photo taken phone in one hand in poor light - the other hand was busy manipulating the cat toy.

LAST WEEK'S GOALS

Daisy

People-managing issues
Accounting
Read and comment on thesis work (3 students)
Update course outlines
Finish giant review task
Review co-authored paper
Finish grading!!
Something fun with friends

Dame Eleanor Hull

- swim x2 or x3, cardio x3, weights x2, yoga x5
- at least 3 writing sessions (TRQ paper, think about abstracts for conferences, festschrift, how to make all this work)
- re-write grad quiz, comment on last week's in-class undergrad work, plus another if I dare assign anything else right now, grade grad quiz
- work on sample syllabus for a proposed course, also add required boilerplate to another one I mostly did last summer
- breathe!

heu mihi

1. Read ch. 3 and 4 of the dissertation

2. Run event and get organized for colleague's service/admin position

3. Final (??? I hope) edits to book MS--I just got another email with some very fiddly questions that I need to answer

4. Gift for baby shower

5. 35 pages of Italian, keep up with workouts

JaneB

SELF-CARE:
a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days b) making a couple of times a week in addition to Inktober,
c) two gently social things (D&D hopefully)
d) keep up reading for pleasure
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT
a) 75%+ of the weekly list of chores
b) make a plan for the shelving in the living room
c) don't make clothes worse
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) prepare for week 7 meetings
b) week 8 materials half done
c) limit teaching and admin to 5 hours at weekend
d) pick up graduate student applications postponed due to group paper
e) do appraisal training (new system. SIGH)
RESEARCH
a) read and comment on draft of paper for not-my-grad-student
b) read and comment on draft of paper from surprise collaboration
c) find time to work on budget planning following a meeting two weeks ago. Grrr!
d) work with lead author on revise-and-resubmit of the multi-author paper which has been ongoing for at least 5 years - get sent to rest of multi-author team.
e) confirm mock viva for Junior PhD student

Julie

1. Finish the damn abstracts (deadline theoretically today)
2. Personal Research Plan (deadline Friday)
3. Start reading book for review
4. At least one research/writing session.
5. Self-care/fun stuff: baking, make soup, exercise, sleep, maybe do something creative, hopefully see friend at weekend.
6. Home/life admin: stock up at farm shop, take daughter for haircut, organise getting piano taken away.

Susan

1. Send out draft of Big Stupid Report
2. Get a bit more of paper written for next week.
3. Set up brown bags, schedule seminars for next semester
4. Clear journals off my desk
5. Keep sorting stuff, getting rid of what I can
6. Enjoy trip to city, time with friends, and even the committee meeting
7. Keep up with exercise (cycle x 3, yoga and weights x2)
8. Make sure I keep sleeping