Old Year/New Year...

Happy 2021 to everyone in our wonderful TLQ community! Thank you for being excellent companions through this year and the ones before. I think many of us found a little oasis of peace in this group that became extra important this year... Thank you for laughs, commiseration, space to speculate or vent, and for being a steady presence in a year where everything else changed and changed and changed some more. This space was a great reminder of the positive things we are all grateful for and the successes we sometimes forget to celebrate properly!

I think we can use the flaming embers of the dumpster fire that was 2020 to roast some nice chestnuts and warm up the mulled wine for the evening to celebrate in whatever fashion you prefer! So, let's celebrate the wins, small and big, personal and professional, while we pass over into the next year. Cheers to all of you!

Wishing you peace, health, and joy in the New Year!

Happy 25 December, TLQers!

Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it, and a pleasant, peaceful day if you don't! Movies and Chinese food are always good, anyway, or you can just curl up with a book or handcrafts or whatever appeals. Or take a nap. If you're with the same people you've been cooped up with for months, may you re-discover their good qualities; if you miss the people you'd usually see, maybe you can be glad you didn't have to travel, this year.

(I'm not sure how long I can keep up the Pollyanna act, as I miss traveling, in general. But I do remember all the annoying bits of it.)

Thank you to all who consider themselves part of the TLQ community, and I hope you have a lovely day.

Last quarter 2020, week 14 (actually 15): the coat-check and beyond

What I (DEH) said in early September: “What can we do, what must we keep track of, for the next 15 or 16 weeks? Let's go until mid-December—that is, have our last check-in around Friday, 17 December 2020, as we wrap up the semester and face the holidays, whatever they may involve this year.” That makes this our last week of the session! Is that "already" or "at last"?

I hope you’ve enjoyed the museum tour, and that you’ll tell us what you’re planning to do at the end of it: what are you retrieving from the coat check, are you going out to dinner or straight home, are you maybe staying in a hotel and doing something else tomorrow, what memories and souvenirs are you taking with you?

Also let us know how you did last week, and how you've done with session goals.

For the next session, to start in January, Daisy and DEH will be your hosts. We’ll consult about when to start and how long to run, and suggestions from any of you are welcome! Do you prefer longer sessions, shorter sessions, ones that run quarterly or by semester or up to some significant date? Would you prefer a winter intersession and a shorter spring session, or a longer winter/spring session?

Session goals (apologies if I'm missing anyone, and thanks to heu mihi for collecting them; also for being an excellent co-host):

Daisy:

1) Finish and get rid of the Albatross Paper
2) Learn and do some computer-based analysis with fancy tool for new paper and local grant
3) Get DEI program approved and instituted in my professional society
4) Deliver excellent graduate course for new project students.

Priorities:
1) Health for household – mental and physical.
2) Two research projects: local grant and Albatross. The rest will putter along by themselves mostly so these are the ones that need the most focused attention.
3) Be excellent for my good people and help them as much as I can, be those child or co-authors or grad students or the good colleagues
4) Be good enough for/with everything and everyone else.


Dame Eleanor Hull:

Look after my health first.
Do a decent job teaching, and be kind to students.
Revise essay; try to make progress on book, and do at least a bit of language work every week.
Get boxes out of storage unit.


Elizabeth Anne Mitchell:

spend my research leave at a nearby archive to do a final check of my critical edition against the exemplars;
finish the article that grew from a presentation I gave;
pull together a good literature review of the flavor of digital humanities that interests me;
walk more, eat better, meditate when I wake up at 3am, and write every day;
be more positive about life.

Research:
Incorporate research from hoped-for archival trip into the critical edition.
Finish one article, preferably Illuminated, although Flowers is a close second.
Finish the annotated bibliography on critical editions and digital humanities.

Life:
Achieve 10,000 steps a day.
Achieve 60% better meals.
Improve positivity about life.


heu mihi:

1. Research: draft an article by summer 2021; prepare a grant proposal by mid-summer 2021
1a. (Re)read NunG books 3-5
1b. Research relevant theology on death in the 13th c.
1c. Situate readings of nuns within theological context
2. Draft my part of intro to collection
3. Language: Make some progress. Aim for 3x week, any length of time.
4. Life: Exercise, yoga twice a week (any length of time), sit some amount every week
5. Watch Pride and Prejudice by myself in the newly fixed-up basement.
6. Try to do at least one of each week's Big Tasks on Monday or Tuesday, to keep them all from piling up on the weekend.
7. Relax into what happens. Change or abandon goals as needed.


humming42:

1 write a tiny project piece every week
2 spend time with a creative piece every week
3 write weekly blog posts
4 finish writing that online class
5 keep up with teaching things

 

oceangirl101:

1. Complete book and submit to press!!!! This will entail final writing/ edits on Ch 8, a bit of data crunching for Ch 7, a final read througth and polish of the entire thing, plus copy edits and figures and the bib. I think its doable.
2. Maintain a realistic notion of what is doable this semester in terms of teaching. Be gentle with myself.
3. Exercise 5x a week
4. Eat healthy
5. Advise several students on new projects, get bits and pieces of data/writing needed to collaborators for CNH paper, Canoe paper, and Adze paper
6. Paperwork for aunt to go into state system (I am her POA)
7. Buy porch furniture to make outdoor space comfy
8. Do smell retraining therapy each day in the hopes of getting smell and taste back

 
Susan:

1. Survive the teaching, and maybe figure out how to own it? I'm beginning to figure out how to manage class, and am grateful to the students who will turn on cameras so I get some feedback! Last week I figured out how to pre-assign students to breakout rooms and I wanted to break out the champagne. I have tried to make the assignments for students what they can manage, and to be flexible. It's just hard.
2. Finish chapter 2 of Famous Author, by working at least 15 minutes every week day.
3. Keep making progress on getting rid of stuff/ fixing house.
4. Keep walking or getting exercise. I have just ordered a Very Expensive piece of gym equipment, but everyone I know who has it raves. I hope it gets me through the winter when "It's dark when I wake up and want to go out so I don't go walk". We'll see.
5. Read for pleasure -- a litte?
6. Do something enjoyable weekly with friends. (mostly not face to face...)

Last week’s goals—I haven’t done hold-overs, thinking they might just make people feel bad about not checking in; but by all means, come back and tell us how things are now, if you have the bandwidth to do so:

Daisy

1) Grade/nag for assignments to get submitted/grade/nag/grade/nag rinse/repeat ad nauseum…
2) Set exam for big class
3) Help extremely marginal grad student with defense talk and corrections
4) Make a list of teaching successes vs. failures while it is still fresh to use when doing next term’s planning
5) My intentional thing for the week: local shopping for fun food things or pretty gift ideas

Dame Eleanor Hull

*Health: daily cardio and stretching, weights x 3, try to eat carefully and sleep enough.
*Teaching: Grade All The Things.
*Research: work on revisions; some time on both dead and live languages; take notes on the big ILL book.
*Service: set up drafts for some recommendation letters.
*House/life: hang pictures, get hardware for cabinet, that Thing.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell

Translation study articles 1x6.
Write 300 words x 7.
Deal with all the paperwork--travel, research, grant, etc.
Walk 2x7; meditate 1x7; something positive 1x7.

heu mihi: 

1. Sit x3
2. Reinstate exercise plan, plus some extra walking, since last week was so inert.
3. Catch up on journal stuff!
4. Write 3 hours
5. Grade all the things

(Humming?)

(JaneB?)

(Oceangirl101?)

Susan

1. 2 hours on famous author
2. Catch up on rest of grading
3. Write 2 references for grad school
4. Write memo protesting pay cuts
5. Have a serious email purge
6. Get and trim tree: I need something to cheer me up!
7. Drinks parties
8. Plan some baking (trying to figure this out, but thinking of baking and bringing cookies or other goodies to people.)
9. Start on Xmas Card

Last Quarter, week 13: What you don't want to miss

I don't actually remember how long this session is going to go, and it's late for a prompt-post, so I'm not going to go back and check. But I think it's safe to say that we're nearing the end of our session/museum tour.

So: What don't you want to miss? What room do you want to make sure you go (back) to before your time here runs out? Apply metaphorically to your life and/or work to the extent that you want.

Last week's goals:

Daisy:

1) Set 30 take-home exams, each student gets a personalized one (and regret making this an option)…
2) Make plan for next paper
3) Overdue reviews
4) Overdue Society things, three little ones, one big one
5) Lots of admin things, take a day and do them all
6) Grad seminar marking and feedback
7) My intentional thing for the week: buy a few pretty local-made gift things

Dame Eleanor Hull:

*Health: daily cardio and stretching, weights x 3, try to eat carefully and sleep enough.
*Teaching: Grade stray stuff.
*Research: work on revisions; some time on both dead and live languages; some other reading.
*Service: set up drafts for some recommendation letters; admissions; prep for Friday meeting.
*House/life: pay bills, order Xmas presents.
*Track time.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell:

Translation study articles 1x4.
Write 300 words x 4.
Walk 2x4; meditate 1x4; something positive 1x4.

heu mihi:

1. 3 hours of writing/research
2. Catch up on journal stuff (again, forever)
3. Read and take notes on ch. 2 and 3
4. Catch up on all the "urgent" emails

Humming42 (held over):

1 edit a creative piece to prepare for submission
2 write weekly blog post
3 grade every day
4 write and submit current book review
5 finish reading next review book

oceangirl101 (held over):

1. Copy edits Ch 3-8
2. Review article, book series, and PhD
3. Walk/exercise x 4
4. Healthy meals
5. Vet for cat, set up Dr appts for me

Susan:

Teaching:
Grade the next part of the final projects
Touch base with the absent students
Get book orders in when I know which class I'm teaching
Admin:
One more memo to draft
Clear out emails
Be ready for whatever comes up
Research:
6 hours (3 x 2 hours) on Famous Author
Life:
Keep up with exercise
Get adequate sleep
Keep reading
Do things with friends, locally or distant
Help my mother with stuff

Last quarter 2020, week 12: attrition

I think a batch of people didn't come back after the tea break, or maybe they're still behind the scenes or in the gift shop. It's the nature of a museum tour, I guess. Nonetheless, let's work with this idea: what can you let go of, or leave behind, that would help you focus on the truly important things, this week? Alternatively, what loss are you mourning or still searching for, that's sapping your energy?

As always, answer one or both prompts if you feel inclined, or ignore them both and just check in. People who've been gone for awhile are welcome to pop in and say hello, even if you don't have it in you to reflect on goals. Our good wishes and supportive energy flow your way, whether you're actively participating or just reading along! 

Move like water, float like mist, stay chill as ice when facing difficult situations!

Daisy

1) Paper off to journal
2) Set 30 take-home exams, each student gets a personalized one…
3) Grad seminar content and reading list for coming weeks
4) My intentional thing for the week: walking coffee with 2 colleagues

Dame Eleanor Hull

*Health: daily cardio and stretching, weights x 3, try to eat carefully and sleep enough.
*Teaching: Grade 1 set discussion board posts; comment on drafts from both classes.
*Research: work on revisions; some time on both dead and live languages; some other reading.
*Service: set up drafts for some recommendation letters; admissions; another small thing.
*House/life: do some responsible-adult things.
*Track time, at least roughly.

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell (held over)

One article and annotations 1x5.
Paperwork for planning next semester.
Pick up new glasses and contacts.
Write 300 words on Illustrated 1x4.
Walk 2x7; meditate 1x7; something positive 1x7.

heu mihi

1. Read and take notes on ch. 1 and ch. 2 of review book
2. Grade everything that I have in order to clear the way for future grading
3. 3 hours of writing
4. Journal proofs, to the extent possible (waiting on a couple of authors)
5. Two yoga classes (plus all the running)

Humming42

1 edit a creative piece to prepare for submission
2 write weekly blog post
3 grade every day
4 write and submit current book review
5 finish reading next review book

oceangirl101 (held over):

1. Copy edits Ch 3-8
2. Review article, book series, and PhD
3. Walk/exercise x 4
4. Healthy meals
5. Vet for cat, set up Dr appts for me

Susan (held over):

Teaching:
1. Get last week module up
2. Grade next batch of projects and create groups
3. Get book orders in
Service:
1. Get in touch with the press re. journal
2. Deal with any other stuff that comes up re Big Proposal that is terrible
3. Deal with Church stuff
Research:
Four hours on famous author
Fun:
Keep reading new book
Keep working out
At least one fun zoom
           

Last Quarter 2020, week 11: Breathing Room

What does it say about my life that I initially titled this post, "Last Quarter, week 20"?

Not that I feel like I've spent too much time in your company. More like this is an unending semester....

...And yet! It is ending, for me, at least. Sort of. Slowly. Classes ended Friday. Final papers are due December 4. I have grading to do, and I'll have more, and there will be meetings ad infinitum, but at least we're moving into the winding-down period, if in a much-more-protracted-than-usual sort of way.

If you're in the US, then you have some days off this week whether or not your semester is ending--whether or not you're teaching at all. Of course, semester's end can bring all kinds of stress, too--stress under which our members outside of the States are also likely slogging along.

So, this week, consider how and whether you can create for yourself some kind of breathing room. If you're really into the architectural motif, you can imagine a real room for breathing! I'd be interested to hear what that looks like. Or you can just reflect on ways to open up a little space for peace and quiet in your week. Or you can ignore the prompt altogether and tell us what's going on. Judging from the few comments on last week's post, quite a few of us are suffering from the Overwhelm.

Last week's goals:

Daisy:

1) Paper off to co-authors
2) Giant pile of grading, now three times as high as when it started
3) Record ALL remaining lectures
4) My intentional thing for the week: sushi takeout with child and walking coffee with 2 colleagues

Dame Eleanor Hull:

*Health: daily cardio and stretching, weights x 3, try to eat carefully and sleep enough.
*Teaching: Grade discussion board posts (2 sets? 3? I've lost track), 1 set of papers, set up modules for next two weeks.
*Research: work on revisions; some time on both dead and live languages; some other reading.
*Service: set up drafts for some recommendation letters.
*House/life: do some responsible-adult things.
*Track time, at least roughly.

heu mihi:

1) Order, fetch, and organize gigantic batch of letters etc. related to a Get Out the Vote effort in Georgia. (I volunteered to organize this for anyone in my activist circle who was interested, and have been rather overwhelmed by the response.... It looks like I'll be organizing something like 1400 letters, for 27 people. So this will actually take up a good bit of time. I even had to attend a webinar last night.)
2) Try something to promote better sleep--such as evening journaling or meditation.
3) Draft journal CFP and read journal submissin.
4) Complete email catch-up. (I got through a lot last week, but there's more. Always more.)
5) Request blurbs for program website from majors.
6) Enjoy my husband's birthday on Thursday.
7) Read intro and chapter 1 of review book; type up notes.

humming42:

1 work on creative piece: this is the last week of the online class I’m taking. The assignment is to revise a previously submitted piece, so I’m ruminating.
2 grade every day: the heat is on.
3 write and submit current book review: ok, it’s a tiny bit TLQ but my editor is very forgiving
4 write and submit abstract for conference workshop: one of those opportunities from pandemic to virtually attend a conference that I normally don’t even consider because it’s adjacent to my discipline and there’s only so much money for travel in a given year
5 finish review of journal essay submission: that one just fell off my map.

oceangirl101:

1. Copy edits Ch 3-8
2. Review article, book series, and PhD
3. Walk/exercise x 4
4. Healthy meals
5. Vet for cat, set up Dr appts for me

Susan:

Teaching:
1. Get last week module up
2. Grade next batch of projects and create groups
3. Get book orders in
Service:
1. Get in touch with the press re. journal
2. Deal with any other stuff that comes up re Big Proposal that is terrible
3. Deal with Church stuff
Research:
Four hours on famous author
Fun:
Keep reading new book
Keep working out
At least one fun zoom

Last quarter 2020, week 10: Behind the Scenes

You're sitting over a refill of your drink, feeling that you might be ready to get going again, and considering what you'd like to see next, when a member of the museum staff approaches you. At one point you wrote something that they've found very insightful and useful (what was it?), and they saw your name pop up on the morning's museum admissions, so they came . . . not only to say thank you, which is already a big boost, but, as a more tangible token of appreciation, to take you back into the Staff Only rooms and show you something!

What will that thing be, for you? A new acquisition? The restoration section, where you might help with some fiddly bit of care-taking on a very old and delicate item? A store-room where they're unpacking crates from a long-forgotten legacy? Writing the signage for a new exhibition, or creating a realistic setting for a historical room, or working on a scale model?

If the prompt speaks to you, answer any of the questions you like; if not, let it go and just check in with your report and new goals. I know we're a small group this time, but this does seem like a short list---my apologies if I left you out, and please come and check in if you feel moved!

Daisy
1) Paper again…
2) Giant pile of grading, now twice as high as last week
3) My intentional thing for the week: Have walking coffee with at least two colleagues

Dame Eleanor Hull
*Health: daily cardio and stretching, weights x 3, try to eat carefully and sleep enough.
*Teaching: Grade 3 sets of discussion board posts, 2 sets of papers, one other set of things, set up modules for next week, write two assignments.
*Research: work on revisions; some time on both dead and live languages; some other reading.
*Service: no service goals this week [blows raspberry].
*Admin: order books for spring.
*Fun stuff: read, bake something, finish 2nd ear-warming headband.
*House/life: pull credit report.
*Track time, at least roughly.       

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell (held over)
One article and annotations 1x5.
Paperwork for planning next semester.
Pick up new glasses and contacts.
Write 300 words on Illustrated 1x4.
Walk 2x7; meditate 1x7; something positive 1x7.
       
heu mihi
1) Read something for research. Anything.
2) Grade a batch.
3) Review 2 tenure cases.
4) Preliminary revision of journal materials (letters, website).

Humming42
1 work on creative piece
2 write weekly blog post
3 grade every day
4 write and submit current book review
5 write and submit abstract for history piece
6 finish review of journal essay submission

oceangirl101
1. Bib searches/copy edits on Ch 1-4 of book
2. Work 4 hr on co-authored paper
3. Make Dr appts- knee, mammogram etc.
4. Exercise x 4
5. Bath/stretch x 2
6. Enjoy cooking some healthy meals

Susan
1. 1 More week on each class
2. Figure out submission problem for final projects
3. Send emails
4. Book orders
Service:
5. Pull together comments on big proposal for next Monday's meeting
6. Get people together for discussion of journal proposals
Research:
7: Three hours on Famous Author
Relaxation:
8. One fun zoom
9. Finish the book I'm reading
10. Keep on working out.