tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post8103324075421173839..comments2024-03-29T00:34:24.152+00:00Comments on Top Left Quadrant: Week 5: Building in breaks JaneBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17779448611795379774noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-46578361299805863592019-02-10T20:56:44.394+00:002019-02-10T20:56:44.394+00:00Because this one was fully shut down (it's an ...Because this one was fully shut down (it's an island, with one entrance, via a bridge with a lockable gate, which was locked for the duration, and no real boat access), it seems to have done quite well. The wildlife probably enjoyed the respite from the humans. I, too, have heard of damage elsewhere. Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-5004513150717730062019-02-08T11:32:48.178+00:002019-02-08T11:32:48.178+00:00Better late than never- I am struggling to keep up...Better late than never- I am struggling to keep up with things and just feel overly busy. But I am really looking forward to Spring Break where I have no plans whatsoever other than to catch up on sleep and things around the house and some work. This week an old nerve injury came back unexpectedly so I have been dealing with facial nerve pain etc. not fun. My ideal break would be spent at a house on the beach somewhere, taking walks and just staring at the waves. Getting a walk or two outside here this coming week would help. <br /><br />Last week: <br />1. Submit job description for post doc Y<br />2. Read and comment on grad student's proposal Y<br />3. Start and maybe finish hard R and R started but not finished<br />4. Figures for Encyclo - make a list No<br />5. figure person to see where we stand on book Sort of<br />6. Gym x 3 plus one more movement activity Yes<br />7. Fun x 2 Yes<br /><br />This week<br />1. Prep lab for class<br />2. Grad student meetings x 3<br />3. R and R- continue<br />4. Start conference paper<br />5. Figures for book- meet with figure drafter<br />6. Gym x 3<br />7. Fun x 2<br />oceangirl101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-54289461070376320852019-02-08T08:51:57.045+00:002019-02-08T08:51:57.045+00:00Oh, and I'd also like a finish a scarf for my ...Oh, and I'd also like a finish a scarf for my mother-in-law so my husband can take it to her when he goes to see her in Colorado next weekend.Good Enough Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16531793545583712309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-15074549851790697262019-02-08T08:49:53.895+00:002019-02-08T08:49:53.895+00:00I was going to say a riverside cabin or little hou...I was going to say a riverside cabin or little house on the beach, but I like the idea of a an English countryside cottage, too. Any charming place will do where I can read and write and look out the window and take the occasional walk. This week, I can try to spend some time reading/writing in the witch hut--the lovely structure that my husband built for the backyard. I might even be due for a couple of hours at a coffee shop. I haven't been getting out the house much.<br /><br />Last week:<br />1) Walk or yoga or 7-minute workout x3--DONE.<br />2) 200 words related to novel--NOT DONE.<br />3) Help to make sure Husband feels celebrated; surrender to party planning and prepping on Sunday.--DONE.<br /><br />This week: <br />Not much time left. I'm realizing that if I don't check in by Sunday, I'm screwed until Thursday. M-R are always rushed and packed, and this week has been so even more than usual because of my daughter's mock trial events. Still, maybe I can get a little TLQ in this weekend.<br /><br />1) 1.5 hours on conference paper.<br />2) 1.5 hours on novel.<br />3) Exercise x2.<br />4) Take son on outing.<br />5) Pay bills.Good Enough Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16531793545583712309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-47362215833978592272019-02-07T18:37:23.244+00:002019-02-07T18:37:23.244+00:00A good week behind you! It is ridiculous how the t...A good week behind you! It is ridiculous how the technology intended to make our lives better and easier always adds a layer of stress and difficulty.humming42https://www.blogger.com/profile/12124332870168394148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-50459166369156315402019-02-07T18:34:47.788+00:002019-02-07T18:34:47.788+00:00Ditto what Susan says. I had coffee with my depart...Ditto what Susan says. I had coffee with my department chair yesterday--a very rare purely social visit--and learned about some ugly things going on nearby. There's an ever-so-naive part of my brain that can't understand why people persist in being unkind to one another. I'm sorry that's in your circle these days.<br />humming42https://www.blogger.com/profile/12124332870168394148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-70300961645240045542019-02-07T18:31:29.422+00:002019-02-07T18:31:29.422+00:00Getting caught up can be a challenge when the seme...Getting caught up can be a challenge when the semester starts with big obligations/projects. Dedicating yourself to making ongoing progress is the best strategy, I think.<br /><br />I'm curious if the national park fared badly during the shutdown? I've been horrified by some of the things I've seen at parks.<br />humming42https://www.blogger.com/profile/12124332870168394148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-24137570398977554582019-02-07T00:18:49.292+00:002019-02-07T00:18:49.292+00:00Oh, and a parenthetical observation about life in ...Oh, and a parenthetical observation about life in higher ed these days: we keep getting new systems that are supposed to help do X better. We've got the new grad admissions one, we've got another new one for merit reviews, we've got a 3rd for assessment, never mind the LMS, the grant tracking one,room scheduling,financial reporting, etc etc etc. What these do is make it easier to do things without staff support, but they make the lives of faculty members harder. Many of these we only use once or twice a year, and all are (to be polite) idiosyncratic. On the other hand, most staff only work with some of them...Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716705206734059708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-76416655473802723962019-02-07T00:10:45.334+00:002019-02-07T00:10:45.334+00:00My rest day is in the west Dorset countryside, whe...My rest day is in the west Dorset countryside, where I can go for a 3 or 4 mile hike, then sit in the pretty cottage and read a good book for pleasure, after which a lovely dinner with good friends will appear, and include good wine. <br /><br />This week? Not happening. THough I did take yesterday pretty much as a sick day. But I don't think that really counts. And the Church thing that takes me out of town on Saturday makes me go to a lovely place in the Sierra Foothills. <br /><br />Anyway, How did I do?<br /><br />1. Finish last course updates (TRQ) Done (need to upload to LMS, but done) <br />2. Finish graduate fellowship recommendations (TRQ)DONE <br />3. Finish conference program (TRQ) DONE<br />4. Do taxes (TRQ) Done <br />These should all be done by Friday, so the weekend is free <br />5. Start reading book for review NOT DONE<br />6. Keep up with exercise Some, but not really. Too much rain.<br />7. Keep sleep schedule One bad night, but mostly OK.<br /><br />Oof. Got the taxes done easily, but the grad applications were held up by a glitch in our new admissions system that our chair had neglected to tell me about (and then blamed me for not knowing). Fortunately, the Associate Dean helped me, but Friday afternoon was not happy. Finally got the program finished on Monday, when I was coming down with something, so I made a bunch of mistakes which have now been fixed. <br /><br />I don't think it's surprising I got sick. Not very sick, but just wiped out, fuzzy. I needed a rest day. <br /><br />Anyway, goals for the week ahead are limited because I have to go to a church event on Friday afternoon/Saturday. However, I have relatively limited reading for Monday, so should have some time on Sunday. But I hate losing my one free day.<br />1. Write book review<br />2. Catch up on emails (get down 100 in my inbox)<br />3. Read ILL book that needs to be returned.<br />4. Start walking again<br />5. Keep up good sleep schedule, going to bed at 10 PM or soon after<br /><br />Fantasizing about that Dorset day...<br /><br /><br />Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716705206734059708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-60397336841991754412019-02-06T22:25:19.826+00:002019-02-06T22:25:19.826+00:00I'm really sorry about the admin job too. You...I'm really sorry about the admin job too. Your situation just seems harrowing and I keep hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel for you!!!wafflesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-41052066382723421132019-02-06T21:13:06.105+00:002019-02-06T21:13:06.105+00:00Oh, sorry about the biting blackflies. That does ...Oh, sorry about the biting blackflies. That does not sound good. Sending internet tea and sympathy.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716705206734059708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-510802058584721602019-02-06T21:10:13.231+00:002019-02-06T21:10:13.231+00:00I'm sorry about the admin job. Having been tur...I'm sorry about the admin job. Having been turned down -- or not even considered -- for a bunch of admin jobs (both filled by mild-mannered white guys) recently, I hear you. What's been important/useful for me is to say, right, you don't think you need me, fine. I'll do what I need to and focus on my own stuff now.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716705206734059708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-707595523206521832019-02-06T00:55:19.832+00:002019-02-06T00:55:19.832+00:00Topic: My character could use a day at a cozy moun...Topic: My character could use a day at a cozy mountain inn, say in the Catskills or the Adirondacks. A brisk hike to admire the mountains on a crisp autumn day, followed by reading a book while enjoying spiced tea by the fire sounds just the ticket. <br /><br />As for transferring that into my week, I can just glimpse the Catskills on one hill during the drive home from work. I can take a walk around campus or my neighborhood, despite it being winter, not autumn. The tea is easy to come by--not as plentiful in its variety at work, but I do have enough tea at home to open a shop (so the Philosopher says). The fire is also not available at work, but is on every evening at home, with me ensconced on the chaise longue next to it.<br /><br />Last weeks' goals:<br />Survive the airports. <i>Yes, with a long delay, but survived. </i><br />Survive the committee meetings. <i>Yes, thank goodness, done for six months!</i><br />Give the presentations. <i>Yes, and they went well, to the point of being asked to give a longer one this summer.</i><br />Knit half an hour a day. <i>Yes.</i><br />Write 500 words a day. <i>Not even close, sadly.</i><br />Edit 4 pages a day. <i>Only 3 days.</i><br />Draw one character’s face. <i>No. I am completely struggling with this goal.</i><br /><br />Analysis: The past week was half conference and half re-entry to work. The conference wasn’t bad, the weather was nice, and I got to visit with family on both sides of the marital tree, which was extremely cheering. Then I walked back into hell. I cannot say more. I have been trying to keep my mind on things of importance, but it is hard to ignore the biting blackflies that are swarming around me and my staff at the moment. I find myself trying to research and write, only to fall back into the anger and disappointment.<br /><br />On a positive note, I am continuing to exercise and watch what I eat, despite wanting to devour everything in sight from the stress. I am up to walking five miles a day, and have lost six pounds in the past six weeks. I am continuing to knit for stress relief, and to meditate several times during the day. The writing is slow, but I hope that the work situation will resolve itself in a few weeks. I am still struggling with drawing--I feel so inept, it is hard to pick up the pencil, even though I know I’ll never get any better if I never practice.<br /><br />Next week’s goals:<br />Write 500 words a day. <br />Draw one picture this week.<br />Write and post a snippet of the novella.<br />Knit half an hour a day. <br /><br />I hope everyone has a calm, wonderful, and productive week. Float like mist, all!<br />Elizabeth Anne Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07733237123376048432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-84717172246373769262019-02-06T00:37:01.984+00:002019-02-06T00:37:01.984+00:00So the overall goal is to get back on track, witho...So the overall goal is to get back on track, without overwhelming myself (I think I knew that last list of goals was a bit much, and so it proved). So, <br /><br />Goals for the coming week: <br />--At least 1 walk, 1 stretch session, and 1 weight-lifting session, preferably on 3 different days. <br />--Follow up on editorial and peer reviews for curricular project (both my own and those assigned to others), especially my own editorial review of contribution by colleague who will soon be on maternity leave. <br />--Make progress on second individual contribution to curricular project <br />--Continue morning writing on weekdays I'm at home (1 day on individual contribution, 1 day on reflection for FLC)<br />--Talk to colleague about possible conference-presentation proposal on curricular project<br />--Take a day off (Saturday?) <br />--aim to be in bed by 9 p.m. each night (even if reading) Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-33963340829162436732019-02-06T00:29:09.282+00:002019-02-06T00:29:09.282+00:00I like this question! Really anywhere that provid...I like this question! Really anywhere that provides a pleasant natural setting for a long walk in temperatures somewhere between about 30 and 70 degrees (appropriate garb available), good food (cooked by someone else), and a comfortable reading spot would do very nicely. Bonus points for having it mostly or entirely to myself (give or take the person cooking the food). <br /><br />I did manage to take a walk today, for the first time in a long time (weather is unseasonably warm here, *and* my favorite local walking spot -- a national park with a single entrance point and lockable gate -- is open now that the US government is fully open again, at least for the time being). So that's a start (and I will happily claim it as part of the week's achievements, since the week is well begun). <br /><br />Goals from 2 weeks ago [+ outcomes]: <br /> --Movement on at least 3 days in at least 2 modes, including at least one weight-lifting session [not really. Maybe one stretch session in there?]<br />--Complete second individual contribution to curricular project [no]<br />--Deal with technical issue; get curricular-project peer reviews assigned to others; work on my own editorial reviews [yes to technical issue; some reviews assigned; have not worked on own editorial reviews]<br />--Deal with 3 curricular project loose ends: review form, copyright/licensing page, and description page [no]<br />--Continue curriculum project planning and organizing (schedule at least conference-presentation planning and grant-report writing) [didn't do any conference-presentation or cfp planning writing; did write the grant report] <br />--Continue morning writing on days I'm working at home (individual curricular project submission; topic brainstorming) [some days; did a bit on individual submission, if I recall correctly]<br />--take or at least schedule a day off in the near future (this week or next) [no]<br />--make progress on financial stocktaking and organizing [no]<br />--Decide what professional book I should read next (and maybe start reading it) [I'm in a Faculty Learning Community, so readings for that are going to count for now]<br />--Keep working on getting to bed earlier [very mixed success]<br /><br />Basically, I was done in by a combination of TRQ stuff associated with the beginning of the semester and the final report for the curriculum-project grant becoming TRQ. I did get the grant report in (and the semester started), so that's something. But there's still a good deal of work to do on the project itself (this is the problem with grants, I find: all the administrivia associated with them takes away time from the project itself. And at least in the case of this project, the amount of money available for stipends thanks to the grant is pretty minimal, and the amount of money available to compensate someone -- me -- for the work associated with administering the grant not at all proportionate to the amount of work involved. So I'm not writing any more grant applications for the project, though I've told colleagues I'm happy to support them if they want to, and I'm happy to keep working on the project. Fortunately the project doesn't actually require money, just labor from the participants and some technical/cyber infrastructure support from the university, which is available without any further grant-writing. So we'll go with what we've got unless and until one of my colleagues wants to take up the grant-writer/PI mantle -- and yes, I find it rather funny to be designated a PI, given the scale of both the project and the amount of funding, but that's what it says on the application and the official award letter and the report. At least I think I've managed to distribute the funds responsibly, with appropriate accountability and transparency and all that. That's the scary part, since I have absolutely no training or preparation for that part of the job.) <br />Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-35264092352437801382019-02-06T00:10:58.554+00:002019-02-06T00:10:58.554+00:00Commiserations on the admin job turn-down. Having...Commiserations on the admin job turn-down. Having read the longer reflection over at your place, I'd say it definitely sounds like time for setting some boundaries around supposedly "developmental" activities that lead nowhere (and perhaps an accounting of same to Incoming's replacement as head of department or division or whatever you've got these days), not to mention an insistence that you actually get the accommodations you need (easier said than done, I know, and a heavily spoon-depleting activity in itself. Ugh.) More "leadership" and "career" "development" activities seem to be coming down the pike in my neck of the woods, without any noticeable creation of additional career tracks for anybody but administrators (who of course list provision of said activities as achievements on c.v.s, end-of-year reports, etc., etc.). <br /><br />And I, too, would like a couple of feline companions of the sort you describe (though I must say the warm-spot-snatching technique is quite clever, though it would certainly be annoying in the middle of the night). Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-21915454265909654782019-02-05T18:17:29.657+00:002019-02-05T18:17:29.657+00:00A dear friend and member of my dissertation commit...A dear friend and member of my dissertation committee told me to take care with the topic I chose because there would be days that I would hate it. Many projects later, I've come to see the days of hate as reaching a certain intimacy with a project--it's a sign to me that you're deeply engaged and know it so well that when it resists, you just feel hateful. For a day or two.humming42https://www.blogger.com/profile/12124332870168394148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-23723191279852809432019-02-05T18:10:31.250+00:002019-02-05T18:10:31.250+00:00I wish I could float by and transport you to that ...I wish I could float by and transport you to that mountain inn with books, biscuits, and the enormous bed. I hope things will fall into place into good ways for you with Incoming's Outgoing.humming42https://www.blogger.com/profile/12124332870168394148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-44217100111554881032019-02-05T16:49:41.073+00:002019-02-05T16:49:41.073+00:00And that description shows that you truly understa...And that description shows that you truly understand cats!Dame Eleanor Hullhttp://dameeleanorhull.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-29988203600727951912019-02-05T16:48:29.228+00:002019-02-05T16:48:29.228+00:00I'm going to start a band and call it icecream...I'm going to start a band and call it icecream without consequence.<br /><br />Printing out the coursework absolutely counts toward completing. It's one of the necessary steps.<br />humming42https://www.blogger.com/profile/12124332870168394148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-32920159102061587502019-02-05T16:45:55.102+00:002019-02-05T16:45:55.102+00:00KJHaxton: Look for a prompt on the bad guys this c...KJHaxton: Look for a prompt on the bad guys this coming week! Thanks for the inspiration.humming42https://www.blogger.com/profile/12124332870168394148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-6463454271093172362019-02-05T16:44:52.936+00:002019-02-05T16:44:52.936+00:00One of my favorite things about bullet journaling ...One of my favorite things about bullet journaling is the opportunity to create different perspectives to track things. I used to do daily, weekly, and monthly spreads, in addition to tracking sheets (that I lovingly called Every Damn Day). I put all of this in past tense because I'm back to rudimentary online lists and living on the edge of TRQ all the time, but I hope to settle in for better work flow and planning soon.humming42https://www.blogger.com/profile/12124332870168394148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-37556920444650828532019-02-05T11:55:03.329+00:002019-02-05T11:55:03.329+00:00I would love to have a discussion about brain fog ...I would love to have a discussion about brain fog on here!!wafflesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-49106882566486547852019-02-04T13:45:00.172+00:002019-02-04T13:45:00.172+00:00I don't have a particular setting in mind, alt...I don't have a particular setting in mind, although DEH's beach, long walk included, sounds heavenly. I would also spend large stretches of the day knitting, perhaps while watching the surf or chatting idly with a beloved friend, and then reading something pleasant and easy and comfortable.... Ahhh.....<br /><br />Last week:<br />1. Weekly accounting: 32.5 hours actual work, 22% research, 49% teaching, 24% service. It was a week of many meetings.<br />2. Write 2500 words of fiction, at 500/day--DONE, barely.<br />3. Exercise x5 -YES, sit x5 -YES, write x5 -YES, language x5 -x4.. <br />4. Book revisions: Enter edits into chapter 5 -YES; keep working on M via AP -NO; contact editor for next steps -Received and reviewed draft contract. <br />5. Finish Malory book 8 and read 50 pages of book 9. -NO; pretty much forgot about this. And I seem incapable of getting out of Book 8. Tristram is bogging me down in a big way.<br /><br />This week:<br />1. Weekly accounting<br />2. Exercise x4, research x5, language x5, sit x5.<br />3. 2500 words of that stupid novel which I now hate.<br />4. Forget P. Instead, finish ch. 5 revisions and start on ch. 4--address structural issues.<br />5. Malory through p. 400!!!!heu mihihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08529298049179816825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607718568717088162.post-49488054111076945052019-02-04T13:39:06.148+00:002019-02-04T13:39:06.148+00:00Wouldn't it be nice if Incoming would offer to...Wouldn't it be nice if Incoming would offer to take over some of your teaching as a thank-you for covering for him?<br /><br />I'm sorry for all of the compounding frustrations.<br /><br />I do want to tell you, though, what a delightful writer you are--I love your description of your wished-for day off!heu mihihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08529298049179816825noreply@blogger.com