Academic New Year's Resolutions/Goals

And here we are again. It's a new year, and I'm trying to imagine some resolutions. My summer was ALL about administration. It was the summer of revising the Expos 1 textbook. I'm very happy with the result, but it took so much of my summer. I did get some family time, though: a few days in NY to celebrate one of my very best friend's wedding (so insanely fun), two weeks home with family, and then Billy and Anna were here for four or five days. So that's all wonderful.

This year, I'm trying to find a way to get back on track, research-wise. Administration will take all the time I have, if I let it. And after the up-for-tenure year, I feel a bit afloat. So I might come back to this and update these resolutions when I get a better sense of where I'm heading.

Personal

• I've lost a few pounds lately, so I'm happy about that, but not nearly enough. So I need to continue working on that. I've just ordered a new swimsuit so, more specifically, I want to hit the pool at least two nights a week.
• I also paid for a rec membership, in part to go see how racquetball feels on my back. I really miss racquetball. So I want to go at least once to try it.
• Tulla gets really aggressive about people at the door. I've been trying to work on that a bit, so I'd like to keep working on that. 
• Beej and I have been hanging out in the yard tubs when it's hot. I'm hoping that it's actually not too hot in the upcoming weeks, but if it is, I'm down with the yard tubs. It's nice to relax with my husband.
• Cook more, walk more, laugh more.
• I'd like to read all 12 KSBN books in full.

Research

• I'm still working on finding a new focus, some new passion. So one of my goals is to find it. It could be fat rhetorics, but I'm not yet sure.
• I have to revise a chapter for a collection by October 1, so that's a pressing goal.
• I got accepted into 4Cs, so I'm psyched about that. I need to research and write that paper, though.
• I need to write my application for the RSA summer institute. 

Teaching

• I'm at the end of my second week of teaching ENGL 100. The last time I taught that class, it was awful. The worst class I've ever taught, no question. So far, it's great. I love my students, most of them seem to be doing the work, and I'm having a good time. I just want to try to keep that attitude.
• Grading can get so out of hand, so I want to make sure I'm keeping on track with that. 

Administration

• I generally like being the Expos Director. I hope I keep that attitude this year.
• There's A LOT of work to do, administratively, this year, so I'm trying not to make this a to-do list. Instead, my resolution is to stay organized. I'm almost done cleaning out my office closet and then I have a few shelves to clean out. I want to STAY organized. 
•  I also want to update my "how to be the director" list and stay on top of that.
• Mostly, though, I want a good attitude. It's too easy for me to say that I'm tired, I'm swamped, etc. While that is always true, I want to make sure I'm welcoming while staying in charge, you know? 

Awards, Summer, Balance, Life

I don't know -- I'm kicking around the idea of writing on here more often, but then I seem to kick that idea around quite a lot and it never happens. Posting publicly is scarier now that the Kansas Board of Regents deemed that any social media that disrupts the harmony of the workplace or illustrates disloyalty to the school can be grounds for termination. So we'll see. There's also that little issue of time and energy. But I thought, as summer is here, I'd do a quick recap of this past year and make some summer lists as well.

This past year was monster for me, professionally. I took over as Director of Expository Writing (and can't believe I've been doing that for almost a full year now), I earned tenure (huge!), I was nominated for the Presidential Undergraduate Teaching Award (a university-wide award that I did not win), won the Stamey Award for Undergraduate Teaching in Arts and Sciences, and was honored to be awarded the SAGE (graduate organization) Annual Service Award. I sent a book chapter in to a collection and the Expository Writing Committee members and I are revising/rewriting the textbook for the first-year writing course. Big stuff.

In my personal life, it was a rough year. Two aunts and an uncle died and my dad had a series of strokes that left him hospitalized for about a month. He's considerably better now, but can't drive, gets dizzy, has a bit of a hard time walking, has vision problems, etc. It's so hard on him and it breaks my heart. The fact that I was able to get anything done professionally is still sort of amazing to me, because all I wanted to do was sit in the back of my closet and cry. But I only did that once, so good for me.

One of the repercussions of the heavy work load and the personal grief was that I gained a lot of weight, even for me. This isn't quite the heaviest I've ever been, but it's close. I became very sedentary and my eating habits took a serious nose-dive. So this summer I have health on my list of things to do. Not just losing weight -- although definitely that -- but just getting back some of the healthier habits I had down a few years ago.

And summer, again, is such a strange time. It's amazing to have that time to myself, to use how I want. But it SUCKS to basically be laid off, unpaid, for over 3 months. I still have tons of work to do, and a lot of administrative work to do as director, but no paycheck until September. That's just brutal.

It's creeping up on 10:00 and I have a meeting tomorrow, so I want to head to bed soon, but I also want to get a draft of my summer goals going. I imagine these will get updated throughout, but it helps me to put them down on paper, as it were. Put them down on paper/type them up. Interesting that the directionality has changed.

Summer 2014
Personal

• Overall, lose weight and get more active. But that's too vague. So I'm listing more specifics, too.
• Get back into the habit of eating salads for lunch. A few years ago I lost 30 lbs without trying very hard. I made a conscious decision to change my diet and walk more. A big part of that was eating salad for lunch every day. I've totally fallen off that bandwagon, so I want to eat salad for lunch at least 5 days a week. I might have to ease into that, but that's my goal.
• When I lost all that weight I also ate yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast everyday. I've stopped that too. So I want to get back into that habit. Yogurt and fruit or oatmeal for breakfast at least 5 days a week. If I can do that, I'm not going to worry much about dinner. At least not for now. I'm reminded that yogurt first thing in the morning doesn't tend to go well. So maybe just back to steel cut oats? It's too hot for that, but it's not really hot in my house. Now I'm just free-writing.
• Stop buying so much junk food. Right now we have a crap-load of candy and chips in the house. That has to stop. If I have it, I'll eat it. Actually, that's primarily true for chips. The candy we've had since February, so that's not terrible. Still, shop healthier, eat healthier.
• When we only had Tulla, I walked her every single day. Once we got Loki, I pretty much quit. Part of that is because they're a pain in the ass to walk together, but it's also just that they run around with each other so much I didn't feel like she needed the exercise in the same way. I, however, do. And, to be honest, I miss those walks. It is truly difficult to walk them together, but I either have to get better at that or Beej and I have to walk them together. In some ways, I'd much prefer the latter, because we don't spend enough time together, and I just read something that says walking together is hugely helpful for relationships. Something about literally being headed in the same direction together. But I also really liked that time alone to clear my head. Granted, when it's the two dogs and me, I'm not really clearing my head. Mostly I'm just wrangling dogs and leashes. Either way, I need to start walking the dogs again.
• Each summer I also try to master one new cooking thing. That doesn't always happen, but last summer I worked on Thai food and got pretty good at it. A few years ago it was BBQ sauces. This summer it was going to be Indian food, but over the last year I've gotten kick ass Indian butter chicken, tikki masala, and curry recipes down, so I think this summer it's going to be homemade pasta. I know that goes against the "get healthier" portion of this list, but if I can get back into oatmeal/yogurt for breakfast and salads for lunch, I'm just not going to worry much about dinners. 
• Call my family more often, especially my dad. At least once a week.
• Write more letters to family and friends. [Just so we're clear, I've done NONE of the above and it's the end of June.]
• Read The Ghost Map
• Read The Round House
• For fun: finally finish watching BSG
• Completely catch up on Supernatural
• Finish Pure trilogy
• Timmer's wedding!
• Home for 2 weeks (memorials, see family)
• Beej's mom's visit
• Sean's visit

[Update: Got VERY little accomplished personally.]

Research

• Mostly, I need to find a new project. I feel a bit played out in feminist rhetorical pedagogy. Not that there's not more to say -- and I think there's actually a lot more to say about embodied rhetoric -- but I might want to get into fat rhetorics. So this summer I want to read a lot about that and see if I'm actually interested. Find something I want to research and write about. It's possible that's going to be more pedagogy and teacher development based, but I'm going to start with fat rhetorics and fat studies.
• Read Bodies Out of Bounds
• Read The Fat Studies Reader
• Read Revolting Bodies
• Read Assuming a Body

[Update: I did even LESS in terms of research. It was the summer of the new Expos textbook.]

Administration & Service

• I HAVE to get more organized. I have to organize my office, my file cabinets, and my shelves. I have to get a better system for scheduling and for keeping track of responsibilities. I did okay this year, but not great. Organization is a constant struggle for me.
• Be active in KSBN committee
• Instructor Interviews
• Revise Instructor Handbook
• Write more specific language for probationary status
• Schedule 2nd year GTAs
• Schedule instructors
• Schedule 1st year GTAs
• New GTA letter
• Organize and refine KSOL page for 805
• Revise Expos webpage (and re-learn how to do that)
• Finish textbook revision
• Put together Prairie Lights
• Meet with New Prairie Press
• Meet with Senior Vice Provost about concurrent credit
• Decide who is teaching what
• Prep orientation readings
• Prep orientation
• Decide who is doing what in orientation
• Reserve rooms for orientation

[Update: Clearly this was an administrative summer.]

Teaching

• I'm not teaching this summer, but I'm teaching ENGL 100 again in the fall. It's been a while. The last time I taught that course it was HORRIBLE. The worst teaching experience I've ever had. But we're revising the curriculum and it's important that I try it out for troubleshooting but also for training purposes. So I'd like to have a strong handle on my lesson plans for the first unit before I head into the actual classroom.
• I'm also teaching the professional development section of practicum and I haven't done that by myself, so I want to have a very clear sense of that, too.
• Write Unit 1 lesson plans (this could go in Admin, too, as it's for practicum also)

Academic New Year's Resolutions Fall 2014

I've been a bit swamped, so I'm running behind on such things, but I'd like to get a sense of my own goals, personally and professionally. So here's one stab at it.

Research

• I have two articles out for review that, I imagine, will need revision. By the end of the academic year, I'd like to have revised both.  [I revised both, but wasn't happy with either. I rolled them into the chapter below.]
• I was also invited to write a chapter for a companion book to Cheryl Glenn's new book. It's due in November. So I have to do that and do it well. [I don't think I did this well. My dad's strokes really thew me in terms of this chapter, but I wrote one and revised it. That's a small miracle itself.]
• And I'm working on a new research agenda once those three things are done. But three pieces in a year is probably enough for now, huh?

Teaching

• I'm teaching a reduced course load because I'm now the Director of Expository Writing, but I got into this profession for the teaching part. I don't want that to fall by the wayside. The director job has got me hopping, but one of my goals is to keep teaching a priority, at least in terms of the quality of my teaching.
• As always, do more with less. 
• Don't overwhelm students with comments. It's not helpful. It's difficult for me, though. I'm an over-commenter.

Admin

• This year, I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing and not make any huge mistakes. Next year I'll think about whether or not I want to change anything. [Except I totally changed things this year. Ah well.]

Personal Life

• I've gone to the pool with Kara a few times to swim laps (with kickboards & zoomers). I love that & I think it's good for me: not just for my physical health, but for my emotional health, too. It clears my mind & helps me think about something other than work for an hour. Or at least to process work & relationships & such w/Kara for an hour. I'd like to go 3 days a week. [Update: this did NOT happen.]
• I'd like to eat better, as always. So, first steps, don't buy lunch on campus more than once a week. Try to eat steel cut oats for breakfast at least 3 times a week. And try to eat a salad at least 3 times a week. All three of those are hard for me. I figure, though, if I can get into those 3 habits, it would make a huge difference.
• Write more letters to dad. Write more letters in general.
• I haven't been sleeping well the last month or so. If I can't figure that out, talk to my doctor about maybe trying Ambien or something for awhile. Right now I'm mostly using these Neurosleep drinks and they're relaxing me, but I'm still not sleeping particularly well. [The new bed has helped. So has getting tenure.]
• I bought a rec pass this semester. I'd like to go once and try hitting the racquetball around. See if it hurts my back. [Nope. Didn't do that at all.]

[Update May 18, 2014. Well, I did okay in research, teaching, and admin but TANKED on personal goals. Interesting.]

Summer 2013

I'm clearly not blogging anymore, but I sort of like the Summer lists. So here goes.

• Practice cooking Thai food. [So far, my Thai spicy green bean stir fry was delish, but my brown stir fry sauce was not. Going to try that again, plus Pad Kraw Pow is up next. Update update: Pad Kraw Pow was really good.]
• I'd also like to try making my own pasta, but I'm not yet willing to buy a pasta maker, so we'll see. I have a recipe/technique for doing it without the pasta maker, but we'll see how ambitious I feel.
• Work on Loki's recall.
• Work on Loki's barking. {slowly but surely]
• Work on Tulla's recall.
• Work on Tulla's barking when she's with Loki. (That Loki, such a bad influence.)
• Work on walking the dogs together (wow have I ever not mastered that)
• Teach Engl 220 6 week summer session and do it well
• RSA summer institute workshop
• Abstract for book chapter
• Revise Pedagogy of Rhetorical Listening article draft [sent this to Feminist Teacher]
• Home to WI
• Anne & Garrett (& Reuben James and Calvin) visit
• Prepare summer orientation (and the hundred things that go along with that)
• Letters to GTAs
• Pdf chapters for GTAs
• articles for GTAs
• Summer registration
• Revise instructor guide
• Move office
• Get ready to be Director of Expos (as if that's just one line -- that could be 127 lines)
• Read The Host
• Read His Dark Materials Book 1
• Read The Paris Wife
• Read Dog Gone It
• Read Ready Player One
• Finish Battlestar (finally)
• Prep for Fall seminar (HUGE)
• Figure out Fall seminar course pack and texts
• Edit Prairie Lights
• Proof Prairie Lights

Summer Plans 2012

I always overshoot summer plans--think I can get more done than I actually can (or will) and then feel pretty awful about it after summer. So I'm going to try to be realistic. I also like to do a few not-academic plans as well. Here's a rough draft.

Academic

• Get sexual orientation book list to Heather/
• Revise embodied writing draft; send it back to Composition Studies. My plan is by the end of May. 
• Write embodied assessment draft and send it to Feminist Teacher before school starts again.
• Put together my feminist rhetorics course pack (if that course is going to make) (it didn't)
• Put together my fiction into film course pack
• Put together my feminist rhetorics course schedule
• Put together my fiction into film course schedule
• Feminist rhetorics course policy statement
• Fiction into Film course policy statement
• Feminist Rhetorics assignment descriptions
• Fiction into Film assignment descriptions

Personal

• Head home to WI for two weeks to see family
• Read Game of Thrones?
• Try to make Coop's shrimp etouffee

Puppy (a new category this year)

• Work on separation anxiety
• Crate games
• Recall classes?

and a semester is gone justlikethat

The fall semester is over and spring semester starts next week. That means it's time, yet again, to think about resolutions. My brain is a bit fuzzy right now, so perhaps this isn't the time, but let's give it a shot, yes? This term I resolve to:

[Update: 4.5 weeks left in the semester. Here's where I'm at]

• kick ass in my Engl 485 class [so far, so good. Loving that class]
• not get frustrated with my Engl 300 class [again, so far so good. The research essay unit needs to be revised, but that's my fault, not theirs.]
• send out that article revision (within the next two weeks) [done]
• write the embodied assessment article draft and send it out by the end of the semester [yeah, that's not going to happen yet. This summer, yes?]
• go to New Orleans with my husband as we never had a honeymoon and it's our 10 year anniversary [done]
• bring my lunch more often. Let's be more concrete: not eat in the union more than 2x a week. Preferably less. If 2x, one of those should be Subway or at least Naked Pear
• don't get coffee from Caribou more than 2x a week. Preferably less. [I've done a good job on this one. Not so much the above.]
• pay more attention to the joyful moments of teaching [doing that]
• spend less time grading. Students can't digest all of those comments. [yes and no]
• Make sure I include enough positive feedback. When I get swamped, that tends to fall by the wayside, but it's so important. [I'm probably not doing enough of this, still]
• spend one night a week with my husband without doing work [not so much, but we are trying to have dinner together most nights.]
• Try not to feel guilty about the above
• Call family more often [I'm doing a horrible job at this]
• Write my dad a letter a month [this too]
• Stay better organized [and this]
• Take notes about the Expos responsibilities so I'm prepared for next year
• Go at least 2x a week to water aerobics. Preferably 3 (except when we have job candidates b/c that's impossible) [was doing 2-3 nights a week until I hurt my neck.]
• Continue reading for fun [not as often, but sometimes]
• Read Assuming a Body [not yet]
• Be positive. [trying]
• Be dedicated. [trying]
• Remember how lucky I am to have this job in this department [completely on-board here]
• get enough sleep [often the case]
• drink a lot of water [often the case]
• eat more vegetables [errrrr]
• be nice [when am I not nice?]

Sheesh. That's a long list already. And I imagine there's more. 

I have Fridays off like I have summers off

This semester I'm not teaching on Fridays. I have them "off." Here was my day today (and last Friday and the one before that looked similar).

• 9:30, observe GTA
• 10:30, observe GTA
• 11:30, meet with colleague about spring class
• 11:45, meet with GTA
• 12:00-12:45, meet with Provost
• 1:00-1:30, happy coffee break
• 1:30-2:30, catch up on work emails
• 2:30-3:30, plan for Monday's class w/co-teacher
• 3:30-5:10, cultural studies mini-seminar
• 5:30-7:30, department social event

Yep. I have Fridays off. Just like I have the summer off. I had the summer off, just like I have Fridays off.