#decademia

Trying to get back into the flow after major surgery. Ugh. Anyway!

Here is something I wanted to try and play around with: challenges! Feel free to join if you are also overwhelmed by the amount of literature to review. Or graduate school per se, as I have plenty of tables... and months to come! In this one, I wanted to concentrate on:

Finding key articles

Organizing information

Writing summaries

(medieval literature and religion edition)

A bookmark or postcard with an image of a medieval artwork or manuscript page;

A mini-print or sticker of an icon or painting of a female saint or mystic, such as Hildegard of Bingen or Julian of Norwich;

A small packet of incense or a tea bag with a note that refers to the use of incense or herbal teas in medieval religious practices. I'd go for vanilla, cinnamon, or lavender.

A handwritten quote from the book that you recently read and found particularly interesting or inspiring, and/or a personal reflection on how this book has affected your own thinking.

A small charm or talisman, such as a crucifix or a feather.

A mini-zine or booklet that you made, featuring artwork, poetry, or your own reflections.

A small piece of fabric or ribbon that you've hand-dyed using natural dyes, such as madder or indigo, as a nod to the medieval practice of dyeing textiles with natural materials.

Consider gifting "God and the Goddesses: Vision, Poetry, and Belief in the Middle Ages" or "Medieval Crossover: Reading the Secular against the Sacred". These books also explore the intersection of gender, sexuality, and spirituality in medieval texts and traditions.

If the person is interested in the intersection of religion and literature, consider gifting a book on a related topic, such as "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri or "The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer.

If the person is interested in medieval art, consider gifting a reproduction of a piece of art from the time period, such as a tapestry or illuminated manuscript. Or DIY it. You can make your own version of the famous Bayeux Tapestry here.

If the person is interested in medieval history and art, consider gifting tickets to a museum or exhibit featuring art or artifacts from the time period. Some specific suggestions include:

The Cloisters in New York City (collection includes reliquaries, altarpieces, and illuminated manuscripts). The British Museum in London (collection includes manuscripts, textiles, crucifixes and reliquaries). The Musée de Cluny in Paris (collection includes illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, and religious objects, the focus is on Medieval France). The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore (collection includes objects from many different religious traditions. They also have a site dedicated to manuscripts, check it out!). The Vatican Museums in Rome: (one of the world's most extensive collections of religious art and artifacts, includes illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, reliquaries and chalices).

Hey, I made a thing.

So there's this cool site Chore Wars, which is an RPG-styled way to deal with your chores, and, more importantly, to involve everyone (family, flatmates, office colleagues) in the process. I used it with my mom, and with my flatmates, and I love the simplicity of the process - there's nothing to switch attention to, no ads, no fancy images, and almost no communication with others; you may even skip the occasional battles and use it completely as a log.

But then I thought -- perhaps I can add my study-research routine here? And perhaps, someone else will find it interesting enough to join? And tackle those deadly deadlines together, claim some XP and gold, and sweet rewards on the way?

So I made this Land of Academics, with Ivory Tower with all study-research-related activities, and kept the pre-generated Chambers and Outside World chores, as you can see on the screenshot.

Some points:

You may use the chore comments as a mini study-daily log (though the historical data is limited), or you may simply track your progress and level up your paladin, ranger, or else;

I changed rewards there, so I could just use them when I got them;

I decided that I will spend some gold on a non-written reward each time I'll level up (it takes 200 XP).

Let me make a short update while I’m snacking on persimmons: I’m trying to get back in shape. I got grant, I plan to get another one. I participated in so many schools and conferences. I’m constantly reading books, though occasionally slip into the rabbit hole of web comics/novels. I did so many handmade things with DA aesthetic during this year that I seriously plan to open an Etsy shop, or my dorm room will be buried with books and lace. I’m making small progress in learning Finnish and successfully passed examination for A1 level. I got defined almost all the dots on i with my crush, and, well, we made some progress in relationship as well :)

Next week will be last in this study year, and this sparkling white to-do planner is waiting to be all checked off next year. But I still have some meetings with my colleagues and supervisors and finish drafts of my writing. I hope that I will end this year on the high note and return here in 2022 with more original content, as this blog ran on queue all this time.

because though I love winter very much, the season of awakening is better suited for thinking on goals:

get a scholarship and\or grant funding for my PhD;

publish 1-2 articles and attend some conference (if no longer pandemic status);

get in touch with so more often;

get in touch with friends and mom more often!

look for my health, body and mind - better eating habits, exercise more, set up reminders to rest and eat and rest;

spend more time on my hobbies - research, reading and crafts (baking, crochet & cross-stitch);

use the most of the quarantine time with Coursera free of charge, also learn Finnish, don’t stop working on English skills, and finish math program for data science & statistics program for social science;

take all the opportunities in university to work on more projects and connections;

june study challenge (12/30) — class notes