Taking a “me day”

I got to the point where I wanted to be today (and needed to be on some levels), and with tomorrow being President’s Day and thus no classes to teach, I decided to take the day for myself.

It’s been a good day reconnecting with myself. I went grocery shopping and started working on listening to myself again. In the attempt to create good habits for myself, I kinda fall into patterns because “they’re good for me.” Like I usually have the same thing to drink every day in a certain order, with my one can of Pepsi waiting for dinner. I started thinking about having it tonight and went with water instead because that’s what sounds better. Just because I usually have Pepsi with dinner doesn’t mean I have to have Pepsi with dinner.

It was like that grocery shopping. This week I started to feel like I need at least a break from the smørrebrød. I also realized that I haven’t been eating as much fruit and veg as I really should be. While the smørrebrød is not bad for me, it wasn’t as enjoyable as it’s been. So it’s clearly time for a break.

Yesterday when we went grocery shopping, I was thinking about what to get for myself today. I realized picking up a rotisserie chicken would be the best way to go for protein this week. I love Meijer’s rotisserie chicken when it’s cold, so I can just grab what I need for that day. I also picked up a chunk of feta for Wednesday and Friday this week, since Ash Wednesday is this week. Once I got the protein figured out, I let myself indulge in fruit. I picked up a pound of blueberries, a bunch of blood oranges, and green grapes because they were all on sale, and I also got a thing of mango because I wanted to indulge a bit. This way I have protein and can grab some combination of fruit every day to go with it. I’m really looking forward to it.

When I got home, I put on something I’ve been meaning to watch and had my Sunday salad. The rest of my day has been working on more masks for myself. At one point my hubby was going out in public more than I was, so he’s got more masks that I do. Now I’m the one going out more, and I need more masks. It’s been so nice to have the repetitive, almost meditative actions of pinning things together and then sewing them, while letting Sort Of play in the background. Also, I’m really doing something for myself. I’ve been so busy working on getting classes prepped and grading and dissertation and other writing that my “me” time has just been vegging out with TV and digital games. I needed something with less screen involvement.

Tomorrow I’m throwing myself back into class prep. I’m not even a week ahead anymore. Hopefully I can get back to being a few weeks ahead. Now that I’m past the worst topic of the semester (Manifest Destiny brings up all sorts of guilt), I should be able to get ahead again. But I am so glad I took this day for myself. Now, back to masks!

Sunday Reset

These past couple of weeks I’ve been feeling off. I hadn’t gotten as much prep for the semester as I wanted done. It was a struggle sometimes to get work on the dissertation done. Today I realized at least one reason why: Sundays have been busy.

I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve developed a Sunday habit after coming home from conference in October. I get myself a Caesar salad kit, grilled chicken, two 20+ oz cans of tea, and a package of Pepperidge Farm cookies (preferably Brussels, but whatever sounds good lately since those have been out), and set out to get shit done. It’s a dietary and mental reset for the week that has been really nice.

But Christmas and New Years Day were each on Sunday this year. I haven’t had my Sunday reset in two weeks. Combine that with the other aspects of my diet being off these past two weeks and things have been off. I’ve managed to get really productive today in a way I haven’t been able to in a bit.

This is why when I find something that works I keep going with it until it doesn’t. Especially when it comes to food. My smørrebrød is hitting the spot during the week and I’m not tired of it. My Sundays provide me with a quick break from that, which my tastebuds and wallet appreciate. I know not everyone likes having the same thing every day, but it works for me!

Now to get back to prepping for week 5. I just might be able to at least get the lesson plan done if not get everything done for the week before the semester even starts. It would be nice to be 1/3 of the way done with class prep before class even starts.

Finding the right plug

This past year has been intense, aside from the whole global pandemic. I taught the class I had been teaching during the previous school year as a 6-week online summer version. I took that time to really change how I taught the class, as well as learn how to teach an online class for the fall. In the fall, I had the same class, but online. Then, this spring, I taught it remotely, twice a week.

Teaching takes up a lot of time, both in a day and mentally. There’s the grading and the feedback and having class and getting the online side of things set up and running smoothly. I was having to make a point of reminding myself daily to work on things for class, on my dissertation, and on my other academic writing. It was draining.

The school year ended at the end of April. I figured I would have the time to relax more, recharge, and work on more creative things–like costumes and more masks–and get some of my energy back. Yeah, that didn’t happen. I was still working on my dissertation and on academic writing.

It wasn’t until this past weekend that I finally found the right thing to tap into in order to recharge. I had an academic conference presentation on Thursday. Getting that done, successfully, was definitely a relief. And that night I had another D&D session, which allowed me to get more into the character, as well as relax. But it wasn’t until Friday that I finally felt my levels rising again.

Friday through Sunday was the OUTLOUD Raising Voices festival. From about 3:30p-2am EDT there were a number of LGBTQ+ artists of all kinds of genres performing for a live audience in LA, which I watched streamed on Twitch. The artist I was excited for was the headliner for Sunday, Stonewall Day: Adam Lambert. But I thought I would watch as much as I could all weekend. It was amazing. I mean, Adam’s closing performance was the best, in my opinion, but I’m a bit biased. When I saw later that he had an afterparty at his place, I thought “Good!” because it took me a while to come down so I could go to bed. I knew there was no way he wasn’t buzzing on all that energy from that awesome concert.

It got me thinking. What recharges me in one instance doesn’t always do the trick in another. Like, just watching Adam perform usually is a mood lifter and stabilizer. But this was an instance of needing something more. It’s like having a snack versus a full meal. And I was still getting things done over the course of the weekend. I was reading while listening to these amazing performances, and taking notes. But it reminded me, sometimes I need a meal to recharge, not just a snack.

Upgrades day 3

I’m done! I’m done with all the upgrading and rearranging that I have been meaning to do!

Yesterday, I finally went out and put the phone holder on the handlebars and the bike lock on the bike! I also have an awesome bag that not only expands to hold even more stuff, but I can take it off and take it in with me because it has a shoulder strap! I can put stuff right in it and then put it on the bike and go home. My bike is ready for a trip to the store or a nice long ride without getting lost!

I also swapped two sets of storage for better use. I took the storage pieces I had been using to store my clothes and swapped it with a wire shelving unit in my room. My clothes don’t need smaller spaces, and actually work better on the open shelving unit. The storage pieces are helping to contain my clutter and smaller things than the wire shelves, and really helped declutter some of my room!

Today was the last piece of the puzzle. There is a former record storage unit that we’ve been using as extra kitchen storage since we moved. Before that it was our bar. Now it is back to storing records on its bottom shelf and my binders from my masters and core binders from my PhD. That freed up two wooden crates on my desk for display and storage. Now I have a bunch of wall-space in the right-side and above corner of my desk!

Things are really shaping up in here! It’s feeling better than it ever has!

Now I can hopefully get focused more on getting work done on my dissertation, keeping up with my students, and work on my Oracle chapter!

Three Weeks at Home

As of this writing, I will be home for the next three weeks. Next week is spring break, but we are holding classes online for the two weeks after that. Thankfully, those two weeks are easy for me to put online for my class. And it’ll be good practice for this summer when I’ll be teaching the same class online.

But, I have a tendency to loose my sense of time and get nothing done. And there are a lot of things that I need to get done, and want to get done, over break. I have a dissertation to keep working on and writing more for. I have a book chapter whose first draft needs to be done by June that I have barely started. I have grading to catch up on and stay caught up with. I need to move my desk to a point where I will either get better wireless reception or my hubby can wire me into the router. As of right now, I also have an academic presentation that I need to get ready for presentation in about a month.

I do really bad with schedules. If I don’t follow it, I end up feeling guilty and that stresses me out. In fact, just hearing the suggestion to create a schedule causes mild anxiety. Instead, I create to-do lists. I have an 8×10 frame that I use as a reusable to-do list. I print out the list in whatever form I need, put it in the frame, and use Expo markers to check or cross things off. It really helps, but I haven’t used it for months. I’m going to start using it again to keep myself on track for these next few weeks.

I’m simply going to list Dissertation, Chapter, Presentation, and Teaching across the top, with dates down the side and check boxes for each intersection. Just having that list reminding me to spend time on all three things every day will be what I need. Hopefully I can keep my sleep schedule on track as well, or else everything will go off the rails!

Settling in for the summer

Life has been quite complicated lately. The first week of May was finals week. The end of my first year as a Ph. D. student. I didn’t write the best papers for my classes, but they were good enough to get me Bs. It took me almost another week to get caught up on my grading. But, my students didn’t seem to hold it against me too much. I got some of the best feedback I’ve ever gotten. Even their problems and critiques were useful, not just “it sucked”. I am so happy and grateful to have had this class. They really helped me to become a better instructor.

The weekend after grades were due was Marcon. It was so nice to get to see my friends again, go to panels, and be on panels. I’m starting to realize that my attitude is keeping people from approaching me in costume. I don’t know how to change that. It’s who I am. But as much as I am an introvert, I do like getting compliments and recognized when in costume. I put a lot of work into the whole thing, from the clothing to the props to the make-up. But if it doesn’t seem like I want to be approached, no one will. I need to be more aware of it when I can. Lets face it, sometimes you have ten minutes to get all the way across the con –  which is a very long distance at DragonCon. Sometimes you can’t be stopped.

Anyway. After Marcon, summer semester began. Well, the first term of summer semester. We have two terms over summer, two six-week classes that contain all the information of a 15-week class. In order to get caught up with where I should be, I’m taking one class each term. My first class is online, and it’s a split undergrad/grad student class. That is the more interesting aspect of it, not being online. Grad students have different readings and different responsibilities. Thankfully, because of my two theory classes and International Popular Culture, it’s going over topics I’m already very familiar with. It’s from a slightly different angle, but similar enough that I’m not too stressed over it.

At the beginning of the month, my dad moved to New Hampshire. It’s a very good move for him. He didn’t need to take any furniture with him, so I got to take some things off his hands. We now have a dining room table, the old microwave hutch (which is at least 20 years old, probably more) that is now our bar, one of the end-tables that my parents have had since before I was born, and an almost 20-year-old wood futon frame. The futon is in my room, patiently awaiting the spring mattress to arrive so I can finally properly use it to stretch out on and study on.

But those weren’t the only things he couldn’t take with him. He couldn’t take Harry. We have had Harry almost his entire life. He’ll be 15 at the end of July. But between his age and the fact that he’s black, we knew that he wouldn’t last if my dad took him to the local humane society. He’d be high on the list to go if they needed more space. We’ve been taking care of him until Saturday. He hadn’t adapted well to being here, and we just can’t take care of him properly right now. So I drove him to Columbus to a no-kill shelter. They couldn’t take him. They had no space, but, more importantly, they couldn’t have taken him even if they did. He’s never been to the vet. Without vet records, they couldn’t take him. The lady there said that at his age, the best thing would be to have him put down. He’s perfectly healthy, as far as we can tell, for a cat his age. Why would I do that? So after a breakdown in the car, I decided to take him to Columbus Humane. But they require you to make an appointment to surrender a pet, and charge more than I can afford right now.

So I changed plans. I found Marion Area Humane Society and headed there. I felt bad because it wasn’t cool out yesterday, and he had been in the carrier for over an hour at that point. But he seemed to be okay. We got to MAHS and I started to break down again. He had been part of the family for almost 15 years. They had space for him. As they processed his information and mine, I talked with one of the volunteers. She said that they get people looking for older cats sometimes. More importantly, she told me that they are a no-kill shelter! He is going to be taken care of for the rest of his life. I am completely fine with MAHS being his home for that time. They are going to take care of him. Last night I had to fight the urge to check on him behind the futon – where he had made his home. I miss him, but he’s going to be fine!

Remember, always take your pets to the vet. You never know what will happen to you. They may have to go to a shelter, and vet records are required by some before they will take your pet in.

Well, that went longer than I thought it would. I’ll just leave this here and get back to working on the paper and presentation I need to have ready for CPAC and my summer watchlist.

Class is done

About fifteen minutes ago, the last exam was handed in. My Spring 2018 Introduction to Popular Culture class is gone. I’m kind of sad.

It’s been a great semester. I know all teachers say this, but they really did help me to become a better teacher. Just asking them their opinions helped on that front. Around spring break, I made an anonymous survey that they could participate in if they wanted to. I took all their feedback into account, but I implemented the more common responses. I integrated more videos into class. I integrated discussions into class – instead of lecturing for a day or two and then having a whole class just for discussion. I learned to release my grip on the control of class just enough to let them have some input. I was still the instructor in the end, but letting them bring up examples worked so much better than me trying to explain my own at times.

I know there were days where it was mostly lecture, and that tends to be kind of boring. But there are some topics where you have to get the basic information explained before you can discuss it. But, once we were able to discuss it, off we went! I’m looking forward to grading this last exam and seeing their feedback from the course evaluations. I can’t say I’ve ever had that feeling before. I’ve usually dreaded the evaluations, but not this time.

So if any of you reading this were in my class, thank you for a wonderful semester. And thank you for helping me to become a better teacher!

Now to get their papers and exams graded, and write three papers of my own – of varying lengths – so my semester can be done!

Good News/Bad News time!

On Friday I got a call I had been hoping to get but never thought I would. They needed someone to teach Intro to Popular Culture this semester! I had the weekend to get things ready, which wasn’t hard since I had the class half planned already. So I now have a job, an office, and I’m teaching the class one more time! Which adds to my three class load. So that’s the good news/bad news. Good news: I’ve got a job teaching! Bad news: less time to blog here. So, basically back to the usual around here. Hehehe.

Look Around List

“Look around! Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!”

tobillo24601. This is the account Lin made to give playlists to the world. And he’s made three more: Add Yourself, Happy Galentine’s Day 2017, and 2016 We Still Got This Music (inspired by those we lost last year).

lunarbaboon

No matter what it is your fighting against, you are not alone!

TEA!

I’m up to the Sixth Doctor and I’ve enjoyed every one so far (finally!)! My “Room With a Moose” is pleasantly nutty. And of course I have more Mary Morstan. I’m sure I’ll have a post soon about the fun I’ve been having.

My students. Seriously, I’ve got the best group of students yet. They’re really understanding what I’m teaching and are planning to write some pretty amazing papers. I’m really looking forward to reading them!

Successful presentation. I presented a paper at the Kino Club 313 2017 Conference at Wayne State University based on my personal relationship with Hamilton and joining the fandom. It went really well, reinforcing the desire to write my dissertation about the whole thing.

Don’t stop looking around! There’s so much that we’re lucky to be alive to experience!

Look Around List

“Look around! Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!”

“America the Beautiful“

Listening to these amazing ladies sing, while getting to see it beautifully signed? Where are the tissues?

Cooking. I got back to my apartment tonight and did dishes. It’s hard to cook if you don’t have clean dishes. I cooked up a very tasty dinner, and that always feels good.

Groceries on sale. I’m on a bit of a budget right now. So when I got to the store to discover that I could get over 3 lbs of boneless chicken thighs for about $1.50 a pound, as well as peppers and mushrooms for $1 each? I was so happy! I was able to get everything I needed as well as a few wants and got change!

Media apps. I do not have cable. It seems so silly for me to have it since I bought a Roku last year and have had Netflix and Hulu the whole time. But, networks are pulling their stuff from Hulu, which is frustrating. So today I made a couple of changes. First, I finally got CBS All Access. It’s the only place they are going to be showing Star Trek: Discovery, and hubby and I have been discussing getting it for that reason. Luckily, most of the TV I watch is on CBS. So it’s a double bonus for me. Second, I figured if I’m going to get CBS without commercials, I should upgrade my Hulu so I don’t have to deal with commercials, too. That will actually be useful when teaching because I only have 50 minutes to show something. Take out the commercials? It fits!

Technology. All of my love for the fact that I don’t need cable is such a privileged thing. The fact that I can afford to have a Roku stick with all these apps on them and a television and to be able to pay the monthly fees to keep using some of them is privilege. But I’m still grateful for that privilege.

Teaching. As I’ve mentioned many times lately, I am grateful for the opportunity teaching gives me to make a difference in the world. I know that might sound cliche, but it’s true.

Pure Leaf Raspberry Iced Tea. Sometimes it’s the little things. Being able to go to the store down the road to get this instead of giving in to pop…something I am very grateful for.

My hubby. I am always aware of how lucky I am to have him in my life. But this weekend he went above and beyond. He not only set up our haircut appointments, but he sprung for me to get my hair back to red. My hair is now not only shorter, but a lovely shade of red. I love it! Of course, that’s not the only reason, but right now it’s a big one.