#phdyear1

#GradblrChallenge Days 12 & 13:

As predicted, I did not post yesterday (I still tried to interact with people; but the internet in the lake house was lacking, so I was a little impeded).  We ended up going out onto the lake to fish (well, I read on the boat) in the morning and then my mom and I went antiquing in the afternoon (I bought a banana boat in the glassware pattern I collect, because my interests aren’t esoteric enough...).  This morning we went out for a family breakfast and then parted ways--now, I’m home and trying to motivate myself to get some work done.  

Today’s To-Do’s:

rearrange antiques (so the banana boat has a place--it’s huge, I don’t know where it’ll fit...)

laundry clothes in dryer fold clothes

grocery shop

send emails

work on student conference materials

read for children’s lit. + take notes

Pictures (clockwise from top left): view from the dock, sunrise from the boat, beer at the end of the day, unpacking all the books I brought with me on Spring Break, velvet case of antique lapel pins, and antique children’s books.

#GradblrChallenge Day 7:

My goal for today is to make a dent in my conference paper for April (which I’m also adapting for a conference presentation in June, so it’s pulling double duty). Right now, I’m up to my eyeballs in research about social justice, Black Lives Matter, and historical children’s literature.  Essentially these papers will be arguing that Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez (one of the Printz honor books from last year) rehistoricizes racialized historical trauma in a way that directly speaks to the current events fueling Black Lives Matter.  It makes for some interesting, albeit depressing/infuriating research.

Today’s To-Do’s:

calculate midterm grades

read downloaded articles & take notes

find blogs/online research & take notes

start writing conference paper

#GradblrChallenge Day 14:

Last day of Spring Break (crying face emoji).  This morning, I read Randolph Caldecott’s Picture Book, which is startling (look up the story “Babes in the Woods,” seriously) but that’s the last of my readings for this week, and I can now start working ahead again.  

I need to prepare for midterm student conferences starting tomorrow (which means repeating the same information to all 50+ of my students) and work on my degree plan (since I want to get my coursework done about a semester earlier than I’d planned).  I also want to finish Hannibal today.  I usually don’t binge watch new TV shows during the semester when I have other work to do and it is technically still Spring Break, if only for 14 more hours.  So I am going to postpone that “working ahead” and favor of some Me Time.  

Today’s To-Do’s:

organize materials for student conferences

prepare for class registration/check degree plan

finish laundry

meal prep

finish Hannibal

work on midterm proposal

UPDATE:

HOW THE HELL DID HANNIBAL GET CANCELLED.  (I FINISHED IT, BTW.)  IT’S SO ARTFUL AND CEREBRAL.  AND I NEED MORE MURDER HUSBANDS. 

#GradblrChallenge Day 25:

My dad visited me today and delivered another bookshelf, since I have run out of space on the existing ones in my apartment.  (Mostly, I needed space to display my antiques.)  It was nice to see him and proved a good distraction for today.  Yesterday was bad, one of the worst days yet.  I was worried seeing my dad would make me more homesick and despondent; but we got tacos and drove around town with the windows down and talked about my degree and I complained about some of the irritating people in my program.  It was nice.  Normal.  

Today’s To-Do’s:

Work on conference paper

Go to class

Proofread midterm proposal

#GradblrChallenge Day 17:

Second and final day of student conferences--went a little more smoothly than Monday’s conferences, but still draining.  Some of the highlights: one of my students telling me I reminded him of a slightly more outgoing April Ludgate from Parks and Rec and another telling me she wants to enroll in the children’s lit class I’m teaching in the fall!  So overall, less bad.  

I have to go to class tonight--and we haven’t met for a couple of weeks because of break and our professor being out sick, etc.  It’ll be good to be back, but I’m kind of peopled out after conferences so we’ll see how it goes.  

Today’s To-Done’s:

hold student conferences

read for lesson plans

reply to emails

proofread budget plan

submit postcolonial lit. paper

Today’s To-Do’s:

read more of East, West Stories

lesson plan

gather work materials for tomorrow