The start of my assistant professorship has been a strange one. They messed up my visa start date, meaning that I'm not able to teach my first course in the university, which - initially - created a lot of frustration and anxiety, because I had to ask my former employer to extend my contract so that my visa status did not lapse.
Yet, a week into my new stint, it has been a blessing. Personally, I realised back in July/August that I didn't have to spend that much time in the new city, and thus could spend more time with Martin. Professionally, now, having met with folks and scheduled to do a few more meetings, it seems like I've unexpectedly landed myself a semester-long sabbatical (i.e., no teaching required), freeing up time for the transition and settling in, research and writing, as well as preparing comfortably for the next semester (even with a three-course teaching load).
I'm excited to do a bunch of things:
Get some journal outlines going.
Wrap up (finally!) data collection for a bunch of projects, and get properly started with data analysis.
Plan what I could do in the short- and long-term.
Properly brush up my statistical analysis skills, and adding a few other relevant techniques to my repertoire.
Set myself up for success, within and beyond the tenure-track position.