2026 Summer session: Week 9
Hello everyone!
Here we are in the second half of our session, major progress is happening for many goals, others are simmering quietly (like the excellent strawberry jam I made this week), some are just hanging out in the background, and a few newcomers have arrived bringing excitement and trepidation in equal amounts.
My garden is struggling a bit with heat, but the first flowers for the annuals are starting to show up. The nasturtiums are trying hard, so in the spirit of celebrating small wins, here are the first two flowers that did not get eaten by presumably the same critters doing a number on the sweet pepper plants…The volunteer raspberry plants are doing great, nothing eats them!
Two prompt options – if you have added goals to your summer, what needs to be moved or changed to make room for the new goals? And if you’re in the mood for small celebrations, what has been your favourite thing about this summer so far?
Goals from last week:
DEH
-
finish off and send W-essay
- try to finish editing, or at least enough to dump it on co-editor
- 2 hours M-work
- trip prep, packing, etc
- write letters or e-mail various people
JaneB
SELF-CARE:
* 3x20 intentional movement, 2 x making, 2 x small things with people, reading
every day
* resting during the day in hot weather with my feet up
* do a couple of things from the "tasting menu"
HOME AND ENVIRONMENT:
* 75% of chores
* spend half an hour or so researching the living room project
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
* go through a week of email & finish things off - also check unread emails
from June
* plan out July, aiming to get through all the T1 teaching block items, and
actually block out time to do it. Do one block
* an hour on tedious task
* find something valuable or relevant during the workshop I have to attend that
I can use next year.
RESEARCH:
* finish the first tranche of modelling for the project I've been working on;
make some test figures; draft a new section of text if time
* do some prep work for a meeting in a couple of weeks' time.
* check over my projects list.
Julie
1.
Sort out photos and notes from this trip.
2. Work on Big Article
3. Prep for teaching meeting on Friday.
4. Submit review of proposal.
5. Submit final version of article.
6. Catch up on email.
7. Claim expenses for trip.
8. House/life admin: get son a haircut, find us both things to wear for
cousin's wedding in two weeks, SIL's birthday, catch up on laundry, bills etc.
9. Self-care/fun: get back to running, journal, read, watch the Tour de France
(although I now have to watch on a pay-to-view channel where the coverage and
the commentary just aren't the same), dinner party with friends on Friday.
heu mihi
1.
Stick with the 4000-words-per-week goal.
2. Enjoy a fun beach day, even though it involves lots of driving!
3. DO NOT STRESS over getting to the airport on time next Tuesday.
4. Catch up on journal work (process a revision, find a second reviewer).
5. Review an article.
Susan (held over for travels!)
1.
Unpack more books
2. Do some of the dining room boxes to create space there
3. Pack for summer/ early fall in research country
4. Set up TV
5. Help my successor in my admin role if necessary, but try not to be too
involved
6. Send another draft bylaw revision from the easy committee that will not die
to the people who need to look at it.
7. Get on plane!
Daisy (held over because I forgot to set my own goals…)
Finish
student chapters
Plan/book field work accommodations
Get data processing done
Finish several lingering administrative projects
Have a great week!
Another heat wave last week - not TOO bad here but still ongoing elsewhere in the country. It was a bit much for me - I'm really low on motivation anyway, and being too hot and sticky is not helping! It takes me a couple of days to recover once the temperature settles back to seasonal norms between lost sleep and disregulation and general my-body-reacts-to-being-stressed which doesn't help with the motivation to work! And last week was the kind of week when things kept coming up or getting added (or adding themselves) to my list and getting in the way of the good stuff!
ReplyDeleteSmall wins - the wildflower mix of seeds I threw onto the garden bed last year has really come into its own this summer, as selection among the mixture lets it cope with the unusual weather - currently the teasels and thistles are the stars, purple and green and busy with insects (which is a relief as the spring was very low on insects even by I-live-near-the-middle-of-a-market-town standards). This is great weather for watercolour, as each layer dries really quickly so less risk of making a mess by being impatient. Making one big pancake in a lasagne dish with lots of fruit and cutting it into squares to keep in the fridge for breakfast has been working well - I can get a portion of fruit into each square without the pancake being too soggy or falling-apart, in this season it's really nice cold (reheats easily for winter) and I haven't got bored of it yet. Last week's was peach and raspberry which was delicious.
LAST WEEK:
DeleteSELF-CARE:
* 3x20 intentional movement, 2 x making, 2 x small things with people, reading every day I did two - better than last week!, a lot of painting/doodling including making a condolence card for a school friend whose Mum passed last week. We're all moving to the end of the bench. one D&D game and some chats by text, lots of reading
* resting during the day in hot weather with my feet up mostly, but it was TOO HOT EVERYWHERE. Have done a lot of dozing the last couple of days since the temperature fell again, I guess that's what my body needed. Trying to be patient and kind to it!
* do a couple of things from the "tasting menu" I did one thing
HOME AND ENVIRONMENT:
* 75% of chores yes! But I haven't moved the car for far too long due to not going on campus when on leave or when it's too hot
* spend half an hour or so researching the living room project no
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
* go through a week of email & finish things off - also check unread emails from June yes, yes, no
* plan out July, aiming to get through all the T1 teaching block items, and actually block out time to do it. Do one block looked at the plan, things came in and messed up my plan for the week, I got discouraged. Did do a BIT of teaching prep
* an hour on tedious task no
* find something valuable or relevant during the workshop I have to attend that I can use next year.yes! some interesting thoughts, and a directly useful set of workshop activities, handouts and slides for first years on rethinking what failure means and how to handle it productively
Marked some resit work, set some resits for later in the summer, and went through the very annoying process of consulting and deciding what to do about another student who misused genAI in a very stupid, obvious way.
RESEARCH:
* finish the first tranche of modelling for the project I've been working on; make some test figures; draft a new section of text if time finished modelling, made a couple of test figures and got really tired of it, no
* do some prep work for a meeting in a couple of weeks' time.yes. Solved a mystery and created a new problem.
* check over my projects list no
Also did multiple meetings and long email exchanges about three papers that are working through review, with the most recently finished PhD student about writing a first paper from his thesis, and with a researcher who wants to use the methods we developed here in a project (so that was fun, just, another 90 minutes of time not doing things on my list).
THE COMING WEEK
DeleteIt should be seasonally hot this week, although the forecast is quite variable and it might warm up at the end of the week (there's a blob of hot air in the south of the country and where I live is quite close to the border). My diary isn't too full so hopefully I can make some better progress on MY list!
SELF-CARE:
* 3x20 intentional movement, 2 x making, 2 x small things with people, reading every day
* pacing myself more (three days work can get done over 4 or 5 days, I don't need to push past brain-says-no
* do a couple of things from the "tasting menu"
HOME AND ENVIRONMENT:
* 75% of chores
* spend half an hour or so researching the living room project
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
* Do at least one block of T prep, various meetings
* an hour on tedious task
* integrate bits from the meeting last week into first semester slides for the first years.
* Do required training for school leaver results handling
RESEARCH:
* Meeting about next steps on modelling project, draft a new section of text if time
* reread and revise Rejected Paper
* do native speaker check and technical check for another paper
* check over my projects list.
I think with the heat (and the lack of air conditioning) surviving last week was the best you could do. And I'm with you on dozing off.
DeleteAlso, 'Solved a mystery and created a new problem' is the best summary of how research often works! Also why it's fun when it's not frustrating.
Sympathies. We seem to be outside the worst of the heat - it was hot last week but not unbearable with windows open strategically and a fan. Very jealous of your wildflowers - mine have not flourished, and I had dreams of a wildflower bed.
DeleteYour breakfast pancake sounds delicious! Sounds like a pretty good week, all things considered.
DeleteGlad the workshop came up with things that you can use!
DeleteHope the paper revision is easy and satisfying, sometimes a bit of time and space can let ideas percolate and lead to good revisions.
Yay for getting things done despite heat. Bring on the naps whenever needed!
@Julie - my wildflowers were disappointing last year, it seems like some of them wanted to spend a year growing a bit before they really took off! There are also "self-sown wild flowers" (aka weeds - good old rose bay willow herb especially) which look nice from a distance...
DeleteSmall wins: I'm functioning? still standing? As a friend noted when I realized I'd double booked something, the last two months have been A LOT. Sorry I missed last week -- the mix of jet lag, exhaustion, and heat really did me in. This week is still hot, but (as JaneB noted) not QUITE as hot.
ReplyDelete1. Unpack more books YES
2. Do some of the dining room boxes to create space there SOME
3. Pack for summer/ early fall in research country YES
4. Set up TV YES
5. Help my successor in my admin role if necessary, but try not to be too involved YES to both
6. Send another draft bylaw revision from the easy committee that will not die to the people who need to look at it. YES
7. Get on plane! YES!!!!!
Overview: I got on the plane, and I'd done a good bit of what I wanted to do. I will return home in September and still see boxes, but I've done (I think) more than half of the books, and it's the kitchen/dining room that requires time and thinking. I even did a quick vacuum before I left! And I got the bylaw revision off to the people who needed to see it.
Last week was oddly social -- Monday a friend and I went to a musical, and Wednesday I had dinner with other friends and went to a play by Famous Author at his replica theatre. Friday I went with my god-daughter and her husband to a cricket match. In between I tried to get myself organized, but struggled with concentration and sleep. The last few months are catching up with me! But I finally (Saturday) started in on some of the research I want to do this summer. And (this feels like a VERY small win) yesterday I figured out how to watch TV on my laptop (yes, I'm VERY slow).
Goals for this week:
1. Finish copy-edits for Big Collaboration
2. Do library stuff to plan research trips for summer
3. Contact a few friends about getting together
4. Pick up needlepoint project
5. Read for pleasure
6. Get back into deliberate exercise beyond walking
I know I'm missing something, but I'm really not sure of the rhythm of life right now.
That's a lot! Hope there is time to relax a bit this summer, alongside the research.
DeleteHooray for making it to the plane! That's my goal for this afternoon. I like your list for this week--it looks like there's some fun stuff in there.
DeleteSecond your friend's comment - you have dealt with a huge load of stuff the last few months, emotionally and physically! Glad you had a fun social week with interesting activities, may those sorts of things continue to be restorative and inspiring!
DeleteHave fun with the research!
Small wins: the flowers that have flourished, the bits of writing that have been fluid. As for making space for new goals, the grant proposal is postponed until next session, as is a fair chunk of teaching prep.
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1. Sort out photos and notes from this trip. - YES
2. Work on Big Article - maybe an hour? But it was a good hour.
3. Prep for teaching meeting on Friday. - YES (progress, but also colleagues being difficult)
4. Submit review of proposal. - YES
5. Submit final version of article. - YES
6. Catch up on email. - MOSTLY
7. Claim expenses for trip. - YES
8. House/life admin: get son a haircut, find us both things to wear for cousin's wedding in two weeks, SIL's birthday, catch up on laundry, bills etc. - YES, MOSTLY (I need shoes), YES, YES, YES.
9. Self-care/fun: get back to running, journal, read, watch the Tour de France (although I now have to watch on a pay-to-view channel where the coverage and the commentary just aren't the same), dinner party with friends on Friday. - YES, SOME, SOME, YES (wondering how long before someone collapses in the heat and they have to give up on having cycle races in the height of summer), YES (with amazing cocktails).
Also: got son ready for school trip this week, welcomed daughter home (with a horrible virus but otherwise in one piece), lost hours trying to get a new password after our IT people decided it would be a good idea to have everyone reset their password in the same week, defrosted my freezer, made banana bread to save throwing away a bunch of bananas.
This week is my last full week before we go to Canada for nearly three weeks, so a lot to get done:
1. Big Article - leave parked on downward slope.
2. Check ILL loans, return those due back this month, read as necessary and with 1 in mind.
3. Prep for tricky interview panel on Thursday.
4. Answer emails that need answering before I leave.
5. House/life admin: find shoes for wedding, pack for weekend, Canada prep that can't be done last minute, transfer savings from one account to another.
6. Self-care/fun: read, journal, keep up running, watch Tour, colleague's book event on Thursday, enjoy wedding.
That seems like a good week! (And my feet hurt when you say you need shoes for the wedding!) Good luck with all the preparation - travel, wedding, tricky interview.
DeleteThis feels like a rather complicated couple of weeks--but it looks like you're getting through it well. Good luck with the pre-trip work! There's always so much to do.
DeleteLots done! you have had a very busy few weeks. I'm glad there are lovely fluid writing bits that are rewarding!
DeleteGood luck with trip and wedding prep!
Welp, I missed a Monday check-in, so I guess I'll have to be punctual for the rest of the session! However--we're leaving for Europe this afternoon (Bonaventure is off on a youth pilgrimage to Scotland; TM and I are traveling to Helsinki and Tallinn), so I will have NO GOALS for the coming week! (I do have to bring my laptop because I have a few things I'll need to do, and emergencies can arise, but mostly I'll be taking time off from everything!)
ReplyDeleteLast week:
1. Stick with the 4000-words-per-week goal.
Not quite--made it to about 3400 words. The novel is flagging. I'm in the long middle--somewhere around 30,000 words--and, if memory serves, the next 20-30k will be rough. That's a long period of roughness! I need to Make Things Happen and get some energy back. (I'm also not 100% sure what happens in the second half of the novel, so that's kind of an issue.) Maybe I'll let myself do some idle brainstorming on the plane?
2. Enjoy a fun beach day, even though it involves lots of driving! - Yes! It was lovely. Definitely one of the nice things about this summer so far!
3. DO NOT STRESS over getting to the airport on time next Tuesday. - Surprisingly, I have stressed less. Perhaps the HRT is helping with this.
4. Catch up on journal work (process a revision, find a second reviewer). - Yes
5. Review an article. - Yes
This week:
Have fun!
Enjoy your trip!
DeleteExcellent goal for a great week of travel! Have a wonderful time!
DeleteImpressed by anyone even starting a novel, so that already sounds like a lot of words! Enjoy your trips: I went to Helsinki and Tallinn years ago, and both are beautiful. Scotland is amazing, but I hope Bonaventure has insect spray if he is anywhere rural as the midges are insane in summer!
DeleteWell apparently I forgot to set my own goals… Quite appropriate for how the week went…
ReplyDeleteLast weeks goals again…
Finish student chapters (STILL DONE)
Plan/book field work accommodations STILL PARTLY DONE
Get data processing done MORE DONE
Finish several lingering administrative projects MOSTLY DONE
What I actually did: a million meetings, two solid days of tech troubleshooting for a new camera setup (camera software is officially the worst!), a bunch of HR stuff, helped a couple of colleagues with stuff, did a bunch of student stuff, and probably other stuff… There is a theme… Also majorly ran out of gas by Thursday and came home early and watched old seasons of Bake-Off for a slightly embarrassing amount of time. It was great. I was home alone for a few days, so lived on grilled cheese and beer with buckets of fresh strawberries, which was also fantastic and was just what I needed!
This week’s goals
Start on dossier by doing content list and section outlines as required
Go to the beach, even if it has to be for field work with students
Do one fun thing with friends
Do student trips
Work on paper data
Boiling on bikes in the south of France but so far doing well. More fireworks in Carcassonne for the 14th than I have seen added up in the whole of my life, and I like fireworks so I thought I had seen plenty. Vive la France!
ReplyDeleteGetting into the Tour spirit? Stay hydrated! I loved Carcassonne when I went a couple of years ago, even if it is sort of Disneyfied.
DeleteThat sounds amazing! Keep having a wonderful time! Looking forward to reading about the trip.
Delete