Gillian Polack's Blog, page 183
May 26, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-05-26T17:07:00
I've spent the afternoon in the Middle Ages and so am all caught up with that side of things until...(wait for it)...Tuesday. Or maybe next weekend. It depends. All of this was stuff I should have done weeks ago, but life intervened and my partner-in-deadlines cut me some slack.
The rest of the day is one of the articles that have now become a bit worrying. I still have time to do them, but it's cutting it tighter than I normally would. Once they're done, though, I'll be much less fretted. Each time something else went wrong, I put off working on one of them. I've done most of the research for two and about 1/3 of the research for the third, but they were caught up in the emotions of the last two months and in the fatigue of the last two months and so they have the flavour of the last two months, as well.
When these three are done to the satisfaction of editors, I shall be on the home stretch for the doctorate, too. They're the only things between me and that last few months. This, too, worries me.
What I really need is a writing buddy. Someone with lots of deadlines over the next two weeks. Someone who needs nagging and is willing to nag, from now until 7 June. Any volunteers?
The rest of the day is one of the articles that have now become a bit worrying. I still have time to do them, but it's cutting it tighter than I normally would. Once they're done, though, I'll be much less fretted. Each time something else went wrong, I put off working on one of them. I've done most of the research for two and about 1/3 of the research for the third, but they were caught up in the emotions of the last two months and in the fatigue of the last two months and so they have the flavour of the last two months, as well.
When these three are done to the satisfaction of editors, I shall be on the home stretch for the doctorate, too. They're the only things between me and that last few months. This, too, worries me.
What I really need is a writing buddy. Someone with lots of deadlines over the next two weeks. Someone who needs nagging and is willing to nag, from now until 7 June. Any volunteers?
May 25, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-05-26T11:51:00
I've given up on trying to be terribly literary today. If I must work and I must hurt and I must do both at once, then I am going to my happy place to work. Medieval literature and language and legends, FTW. Not the work I had planned to do today, but the important thing is that I get a full day's work done and don't fall further behind, isn't it? And the Beast has to get finished, doesn't it? And maybe I get to make jokes about Mr Soup (should he really be Sir Soup?).
I can't make my Star Trek joke - I've made it three times this week, which is (as I told my poor students) a record. It's not a good enough joke to make four times, or, alas, a bad enough joke to make four times. I probably should have stopped at two...
I can't make my Star Trek joke - I've made it three times this week, which is (as I told my poor students) a record. It's not a good enough joke to make four times, or, alas, a bad enough joke to make four times. I probably should have stopped at two...
gillpolack @ 2012-05-26T11:33:00
I have proof positive of procrastination. My last task for this morning is to enter examples from one particular book into one particualr essay. Maybe 45 minutes work all up. Except that I worried about where the book was and didn't start. The book was hiding in plain sight on my desk. I had thoughtfully prepared for this morning before the high pain days and before the form from hell intervened.
Now all I need to do is to find my reading glasses...
Now all I need to do is to find my reading glasses...
gillpolack @ 2012-05-26T11:07:00
Today is Sorry Day. It's also a day when many friends are hurting. I wanted to post about one and about the other but, just as on Yom HaShoah, it all become too much for me. I'm thinking of all of you.
gillpolack @ 2012-05-25T20:54:00
Eurovision is perfectly timed. I have to transfer all my teaching-pictures to my netbook and thus make my portable office usable next week, in class (although I don't really need it now til the week after, for I was prepared for slow delivery). Anyhow, it's a good combination. A rather nice way of spending a wet and cold Friday night. (Although it's actually warmer now than it was two hours ago, so maybe summer is coming...)
May 24, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-05-25T13:33:00
Today was probably inevitable. I planned much work, but am instead sleeping. I'll get a few hours done, but mostly, I do maybe twenty minutes and then my body warns me it's had enough. So, a sick day. A pyjama day. A day when I have taken not a single pain reliever.
I had planned to sleep yesterday morning, so that I'd be fine by today (being aware that my body gets like this) but all sorts of phonecalls came yesterday morning. Morning phonecalls for me are always emergencies, so I can't just take the phone off the hook or ignore them. I have left clear messages with family and friends that morning is my time for solid work.
The most annoying phonecall was when someone left me a text message telling me to subscribe to their birthday app and reading out a long URL. I don't know who it was, I'm afraid, because I hung up partway through the URL. I didn't have time or energy to type out that long URL to find out what sort of call it was. Dear friends, if you want to put my birthday in a calendar, just do it. Don't ask your telephone to ring me for permission: I won't give it.
All the other calls were the insurance and had to be done. Two and a half hours of 'had to be done.'
This morning I've not had any phonecalls. I've had one parcel and set up 1/3 of the computer stuff - I need a code and I need to find my backup discs for the other 2/3s. I only have one letter to collect from the post office (anyone fancy a quick run to Mawson during office hours? no? I'll detour on my way home on Wednesday, then. The Mawson parcel delivery person never knocks on my door - always just leaves a note saying I wasn't home. Which is usually a lie. Every time. And not driving is not a problem for Woden parcels, but is a nuisance for Mawson ones, for Mawson is too far to walk.)
So I had refreshing sleep. And I hurt less than I have for two weeks. I'm hoping that if I don't push myself at all for a full day, I'll be back to normal Gillianishness tomorrow. Normal plus due care, of course, given that I've really pushed things this year.
I only have one of my deadlines which is an absolute for today and I've got a couple of hours before I need to have done that and can do it in 20 minute increments.
So all may not be well, but it's definitely improving.
I had planned to sleep yesterday morning, so that I'd be fine by today (being aware that my body gets like this) but all sorts of phonecalls came yesterday morning. Morning phonecalls for me are always emergencies, so I can't just take the phone off the hook or ignore them. I have left clear messages with family and friends that morning is my time for solid work.
The most annoying phonecall was when someone left me a text message telling me to subscribe to their birthday app and reading out a long URL. I don't know who it was, I'm afraid, because I hung up partway through the URL. I didn't have time or energy to type out that long URL to find out what sort of call it was. Dear friends, if you want to put my birthday in a calendar, just do it. Don't ask your telephone to ring me for permission: I won't give it.
All the other calls were the insurance and had to be done. Two and a half hours of 'had to be done.'
This morning I've not had any phonecalls. I've had one parcel and set up 1/3 of the computer stuff - I need a code and I need to find my backup discs for the other 2/3s. I only have one letter to collect from the post office (anyone fancy a quick run to Mawson during office hours? no? I'll detour on my way home on Wednesday, then. The Mawson parcel delivery person never knocks on my door - always just leaves a note saying I wasn't home. Which is usually a lie. Every time. And not driving is not a problem for Woden parcels, but is a nuisance for Mawson ones, for Mawson is too far to walk.)
So I had refreshing sleep. And I hurt less than I have for two weeks. I'm hoping that if I don't push myself at all for a full day, I'll be back to normal Gillianishness tomorrow. Normal plus due care, of course, given that I've really pushed things this year.
I only have one of my deadlines which is an absolute for today and I've got a couple of hours before I need to have done that and can do it in 20 minute increments.
So all may not be well, but it's definitely improving.
gillpolack @ 2012-05-25T10:35:00
I'm nearing a finish of this interesting period. I'm waiting on one piece of mail and then only the jewellery will be outstanding of all the burgulation issues. It's taken a lot of time and I still have a bit of set-up to do on my netbook before I can work away from home, but the end of it is in sight. Hopefully next week will see an end of the eye issues - it will certainly see an end of the teething problems.
I wonder what it will be like not to have 3 days of my week hijacked?
I have cancelled my jaunt tomorrow so that I don't miss work due to Monday being all about my eyes. This means I still get three solid working days this week, amid the last of the turmoil. I really wanted to do the Bulgarian dance workshop, but the deadlines are becoming very raucous. They need feeding. Only three large deadlines to go and three little ones, though, and then I'll be all caught up on everything from the last little while.
Today we unexpectedly have autumn weather. Even inside feels blowsy. It's unexpected because we had moved to winter and were mummifying ourselves in attempts to stay warm. Today the wrappings come off and everyone jumps in piles of autumn leaves.
I wonder what it will be like not to have 3 days of my week hijacked?
I have cancelled my jaunt tomorrow so that I don't miss work due to Monday being all about my eyes. This means I still get three solid working days this week, amid the last of the turmoil. I really wanted to do the Bulgarian dance workshop, but the deadlines are becoming very raucous. They need feeding. Only three large deadlines to go and three little ones, though, and then I'll be all caught up on everything from the last little while.
Today we unexpectedly have autumn weather. Even inside feels blowsy. It's unexpected because we had moved to winter and were mummifying ourselves in attempts to stay warm. Today the wrappings come off and everyone jumps in piles of autumn leaves.
May 23, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-05-24T15:34:00
My exciting afternoon has so far consisted of getting the appraisal details for the stolen jewellery, getting the replacement camera (I just need to buy a memory chip and I have half my mobile office back) and having my eyes checked.
There's good news and more tests. The good news is that my retina is positively lovely. From that point of view, my vision is safe. The specialist is, however, not certain that the veinous occlusion (or was it irruption - I keep hearing different terms - anyway, it was half the problem that caused so much eye worry a few years ago) isn't bleeding (in which case I'll require laser surgery) and so I'm scheduled to become radioactive on Monday. Apparently I'm the first person ever to be positively enthusiastic at the thought of radioactivity in the vicinity of eye clinic staff. This is because I've had it before and (even if I end up nauseous) I get to see the world through pink. Fifteen minutes in a rose coloured universe is not to be sneezed at.
I took a quick look at the laser room on the way out, just to reassure myself. It isn't that bad. If I need the surgery (and I may not) then it's not something I ought to be scared about. I can work up fear, if it will make other people content, however. I'm very generous that way.
There's good news and more tests. The good news is that my retina is positively lovely. From that point of view, my vision is safe. The specialist is, however, not certain that the veinous occlusion (or was it irruption - I keep hearing different terms - anyway, it was half the problem that caused so much eye worry a few years ago) isn't bleeding (in which case I'll require laser surgery) and so I'm scheduled to become radioactive on Monday. Apparently I'm the first person ever to be positively enthusiastic at the thought of radioactivity in the vicinity of eye clinic staff. This is because I've had it before and (even if I end up nauseous) I get to see the world through pink. Fifteen minutes in a rose coloured universe is not to be sneezed at.
I took a quick look at the laser room on the way out, just to reassure myself. It isn't that bad. If I need the surgery (and I may not) then it's not something I ought to be scared about. I can work up fear, if it will make other people content, however. I'm very generous that way.
gillpolack @ 2012-05-24T08:30:00
gillpolack @ 2012-05-23T18:30:00
I found myself saying, "I don't really need to read this whole review," just now. It wasn't a long review, but it had an internal argument ("This book is long but too short, covers everything brilliantly but was missing a slashing great topic, was written by genii but is pedestrian) and the writer chose the most pretentious words possible and then didn't match them with careful thought. I love pretentious words (given that I am decidedly pretentious when the wind blows from the nor-east) but to have them flowing through poor sentence construction and half-thought out ideas is annoying. And so it was. And so I didn't finish reading the review.
This is the sum of my afternoon's work, for it's a remarkably high pain day and just when I get things feeling a bit better, they feel worse again. It's cyclical pain*, though, so it will pass. Hopefully it will pass as early as tomorrow. If it doesn't, I shall be the living representation of that review - full of long words and poorly executed ideas.
Actually, I'm better now than I was two hours ago. I'd still work well in a zombie re-enactment, but I'll be up to doing some of my neglected work by later tonight. This will be accomplished by explaining this very carefully to all my aberrant limbs and those other body parts that refuse to comport themselves as they ought. Medicine will be involved.
*All my various chronic illnesses sometimes hit at once, and they chose last week to remind me of their existence. It's a bit ick when it happens, but as long as I do all the right things, they will get under control again and I will be able to have months before I get another week like this.
This is the sum of my afternoon's work, for it's a remarkably high pain day and just when I get things feeling a bit better, they feel worse again. It's cyclical pain*, though, so it will pass. Hopefully it will pass as early as tomorrow. If it doesn't, I shall be the living representation of that review - full of long words and poorly executed ideas.
Actually, I'm better now than I was two hours ago. I'd still work well in a zombie re-enactment, but I'll be up to doing some of my neglected work by later tonight. This will be accomplished by explaining this very carefully to all my aberrant limbs and those other body parts that refuse to comport themselves as they ought. Medicine will be involved.
*All my various chronic illnesses sometimes hit at once, and they chose last week to remind me of their existence. It's a bit ick when it happens, but as long as I do all the right things, they will get under control again and I will be able to have months before I get another week like this.
