My major time for podcasts is when I'm at the gym using the elliptical, the treadmill or doing the weights circuit. I've finally found a pair of earbuds that work for me - some Mpow bluetooth earbuds I got from Amazon last year. The smallest inserts actually feel comfortable so I can enjoy listening as I workout. I don't listen much on my walks because it makes Mike nervous (I think he suspects I'll get hit by a careening car that I don't notice.) Cleaning is also a good time to listen, or when we're folding lots of laundry or doing a tedious round of cooking in the kitchen. Chopping a whackload of veggies or making a lot of dough seems less of a chore if I have a fun podcast to offset the boredom factor.

Good for you. I think you need some time to recharge and reframe yourself as a reader. By the way, I'm on Goodreads, too, and if you see my profile, you see that I read whatever the heck I want. I almost never list academic books there, just because I don't want the pressure.

Hooray! You and I will be on sabbatical at the same time. I propose we serve as sabbatical buddies and help keep each other on track despite the worst that winter throws at us in our respective parts of the world. (And whatever is your project area, if you can vagueblog? Mine deals with more of the Old Bailey cases - assault and the way in which families figure in or don't.) Again, hooray!

I'm rather dreading this winter. I don't know why this year's bothering me more than others but it is. Hrm. I'll try to adopt your outlook!

Our cats sprawl in the same ways on our bed. Life is good when there's shedding to be done!

It's a hard skill to employ, I know well!

How's the fit plan going? I'm well over fifty now but keep upping the ante. A gym membership and having a dog who requires two walks daily helps. So far I've logged 61 minutes of walking without even getting to the gym which is a must-go three days a week to accommodate Youngest's workout schedule. I'm still not as fit as I'd like but I'm in better shape thanks to these regular requirements.

If all we do is change and tweak and alter and update, we are never going to see what is working, what isn't and what needs to be worked on in different ways besides pedagogical philosophy. You are smart to step back from a lot of changes for a little while. Better to use that interest to track what you like in the current material and make notes for the next time you're updating your teaching.

Thinking good thoughts of you with regards to the politics of the deanship candidacy and also the grading. Guess what I'm facing (or avoiding as the case may be)?

I can sympathize on the so tired front preparatory to an evening activity and my classroom time is nowhere near as much as yours. Thanks for sharing this information on Project Zero. It looks fascinating and reminds me anew of how I want to shake up my classrooms to be more active venues!

Ugh. Good luck with the grading. I'm sympathetic on the puzzle issues. My mother-in-law has the puzzle set up on a well-lit basement table where everyone can go take turns at it. It's a nice escape and no one tells anyone else how to do it (which is how it always seems to end up when we're all around the table together).

Awesome news on the leadership hiring. I agree that I tend to prefer people who know the teaching and research end in academic hirings. We've had great luck with our current president who is not from that end so much but I believe that he is an exception. And he would also NEVER answer those questions as you describe in that fashion. Glad that the crisis is averted and that there is some neat new hope on the horizon.

Teaching coach or teaching mentor sound like good ways to crystallize what you're doing unofficially. But, also, yes, maybe not to take on ALL the things in week one or whenever. We could try and learn that! ;-)

I'll just bet that you're feeling wiped out. Geez! What a last few weeks. Enjoy the weekend to sleep and recuperate.

Good luck with all of that. You're right that the re-reading can be mostly deferred to the flights. I like to take a notebook (paper or electronic) with me for these re-reads so I can make notes on what I want to emphasize in teaching. Is there anyway you can contract someone to replace the alarms for you and ease some of your burden?

How wonderful!

You and I are crafty twins. I did so much cross stitch and other needle arts in grad school. I became notorious for that among my cohort. I also played the folk harp (little four octave affair) and the bowed psaltry. When the girls came along, I really called it quits on all of my craftiness. *sigh* So maybe I need to really pick up my cross stitch again and get back at it? Wishing you luck at your own project (it is beautiful!) and with the upcoming conference.

I sometimes thrive with diversity. Other times I want the mono-focus. Right now I'm having to be diverse as I shepherd a grad student to completion of the major research project (just the edits, yay!) while also getting an article out and maybe get the research for my October conference paper out of the way and let's not forget all the household maintenance chores of summertime. . . . I like the metaphor of too many tabs open. I can't quit and restart but maybe I can winnow some down. Wishing peaceful progress to you!

That sounds like a great visit and what a healthy attitude to NOT try to make it all about work when they were here. Have fun at your conference!

I'm also a big proponent of books by women. I aim for at least half of the texts that I assign to be authored by women and it's grand to see someone else do the same. I can't wait to hear how the new school year works out for you with these texts to teach!

It's tough when colleagues say they want student engagement but they also don't want students "rocking the boats" in sometimes inevitable ways. Good news on the upcoming editor and good luck with navigating the end of term!

Well deserved!

About six years ago I took over the family money management single-handedly. I still keep Mike informed, obviously, but I do all of the bill-paying and all of the budgeting as to what we can afford. I find it stressful but not as stressful as he does OR, and this is important, as stressful as we would feel working together. The important part is to face your money management issues directly and take charge. Sounds as if you've done just that so hooray to D and to you!

You're wise to realize that you're overloading yourself and to no great purpose. Sounds as if you need to recalibrate your expectations more of yourself than of your students. What's reasonable in terms of grading? What are the clever ideas you can implement in measured ways but not in every course? If it helps, these are problems I face, too. I was going to assign a few projects and a big lit review in one junior-level class when I said to myself "Self, that and the in-class presentation plus the exam is too damned much, especially at the end. Students and you will appreciate four projects and NO lit review!"

Sorry that you're feeling Crankypants. I know how that goes at this time of year and we've had our snow a bit more "spaced out". Wishing you well in health and everything else!