Snow!

This is what I found this morning waking up. Yes, that's snow! And it's not even Halloween yet..... If it's going to be like last year, we have to start digging......

On a different tone, I went on Sunday to the plumber event. I decided that I could pass by and stop there for an hour or so. So that's what I did. Too bad because I wanted to actually listen to Professor-from-Hell speaking but she canceled her intervention because they were running out of time. I met two ex-colleagues from Toxic U. and these two are the ones I really don't miss.
I stayed one hour and left after that. There was nothing interesting, and I actually felt that next time I should be using my time in a wiser way.
I did a lot of self reflection on how to deal with Toxic people. We all have that in our life, if we can choose our friends we can't choose who we are working with. But we should be very careful not to let toxicity in our way of life, to keep it clean, crisp and light.
I am trying to find the best way to learn from all this and to put things in perspective. How to move on and how to get better at what you do, that's all that I am interested in.

Today I am home but I still have piles of work. Well, the climate can only make me feel like wrapping up in something cozy and work on my stuff. Today I want to:
-finish reviewing final exams and get to the final draft
-write the final for one of my classes
-finish the novel I started yesterday for the conference I will give on Tuesday
-read another book for Conference
-reread Article and maybe send it out (yes, the one I was always unable to work on)
-take a nap, in the last couple of nights I have been waking up at 5:30 and then I barely sleep until the alam goes off at 6:30 and I am tired.

A lot of work

It's raining a lot outside. Really a lot! And with Husband we had to run a lot of errands today. I have to say that I was a little bit on the frustrated side because a) nobody with this weather is kind, b) I was still upset about  an issue regarding work, not specifically where I am now but....

Let's put it like that: the association of plumbers of your region get together. you are a plumber. Are you expecting to be invited? Somehow, if you, on the top of it, know the two organizers, I would say yes. 

Now even a student of mine has been invited! I wasn't. And the two organizer are: the professor who made my life hell when I was studying here in my First University and the second one is the person who replaced me at Toxic U. I wonder why Tenured colleague from my department was invited and I wasn't.......

Maybe because Professor-from-Hell hates me. Yes, she hates me! She thinks I am some sort of a devil, at least in her mind, because it is not the first time she organizes something and tries to let me out. Four years ago, at Toxic U. she approached a Visiting Professor and invited him to talk about our section. Visiting told her she should talk to me and she clearly said she didn't want me there. So Visiting said "screw you" and invited me. We went together to the talk and I did my part. The three months later Professor-from-Hell wrote a line on the bulletin of the scholar association I am a member of that in town X a meeting on Y took place and the speaker were: ........... the longest list of names and ups, she omitted mine!

Now she is retired, but I can see she is still mobbing people around.......

That pisses me off, oh sooo much. Now the question is: should I stay or should I go? (I mean, anybody can show up to the place and actually the event is taking place to a certain center where the director is a good friend of mine)

I think I should go briefly, after the 2 Toxic people spoke. Just show up for an hour and then come back home. Any suggestions?

Autumn is in and next year is planned

Today it has been raining since this morning at 7:00 when I went out with Doggie (he doesn't mind but he certainly prefers snow). Then I had to run to the Apple store to exchange the iPhone charger and a pair of earphones that broke (never.ever.will.buy.those.again!) and then I rushed to the Faculty under a heavy rain (with my Ivy umbrella I bought at a conference one year ago :-)

My day went well and so far it keeps getting better. I like my classes, I like my students, I like what I do. That would be great if I could only take out the stress of everything else, hey, but I shouldn't be complaining, right? 

Then I received my schedule for next year from willbetenured colleague. And for the second or third time he said to me "that if I wanted I could teach the 6th course during the summer". Next year I will have a 3/3 teaching load (or a 2/3/1 if I would like to teach in the summer), and that is exactly what I want to do. I want my 3/3 teaching load and have my summer free. So I went to talk to the administrative person in charge and I told her that for me, if possible, I wanted to teach a 3/3. I just don't want to teach in the summer. I want to have it free for my projects and my research. She agreed and told me that she will take this in consideration and actually, if for me it was OK to concentrate all my classes on 2 days, everything would be perfectly fine. 

Wonderful, I love that! Also because I will be teaching exactly what I did this year for the exception of the 6th course. I decided that I won't go on the market this year and I will stay where I am (unless there is really an interesting position opening up later on).

And now I am home and I will have to grade 38 assignments...........

will I survive?

Sunday

An easy Sunday here at my place. Husband went out with a friend and I am home to work on Article 1. 

I have to report that Article 2 has been sent out yesterday, with all the revisions and now I have to attack this beast, something I have been postponing since August. I know, my fault! And I don't know if it counts as an excuse but I found the process of reviewing interesting when the comments are clear. When someone is just saying: "oh, the writer should use this theory for the paper", it's not what I call clear, especially if I am not familiar with the theorist in question. And that pisses me off for two reasons: let's say that when you analysing texts you are using Freud's ideas and you are very Freud oriented. I respect that and I think it's an approach to literature valid as many other. What I dislike is when someone says the Freudian approach is the only approach and you should rewrite the entire article based on that. And this is the closest I can get to explain the situation. I find it frustrating and personally not useful. And I don't think the reader did such a job when it's even more vague. Anyway.... I will have to deal with it, like it or not.

Plus I have to start reading for Conference 2. It's coming up in only two weeks and there is a lot of work that has to be done. 

And then I have to prepare the final exam for one of my classes. Already! I am so no used to this system where you have to prepare the finals so much in advance..... And for me in order to do that in a fair way, I would like to prepare the class first, which I haven't done yet. I am getting there but the last month of classes is only half prepared. And I am not particularly happy about it.

So there's a lot of things to work on at the same time. 

Exam passed

Just because when it rains it pours, yesterday I went to pass the exam (theory) for my Canadian driving license. I did pass (I am happy about it) but it was the longest wait ever. If the exam in itself was done in 30 minutes (probably less), then it took me 5 hours to do everything (which includes the lovely subway+bus ride of 45 minutes ti get in the middle of nowhere) and the 2 and a half hours of waiting I had to do there. And yes, I did make an appointment: it was scheduled at 11:30, I didn't write the exam before 12:30 and I was not out of there before 14:30. 

By the time I arrived home, I was totally done!

Tired

I am so tired it's not even 9pm and I am going to sleep.....

Life is so much fun around here....

Back

We are back from our week-end. The weather was gorgeous and the colours were beautiful. We managed to sleep in and relax. A little shopping and eating out. We love the place.

I had to bring in some work. I know it sucks but I am overwhelmed with stuff. I should have days of 48 hours instead. 

Today  I taught my two classes and I need to vote for the federal elections, and then have dinner with a group of students. 

Packing

I am packing again. We are leaving in a couple of hours to go up north in the country. We we'll drop our dog to his favorite daycare (kitty is at the vet because she will need some blood test done) and then we are off for the long week-end. 

We hope to sleep in, relax, walk around and do some work. Yes, I know, I still have to work. It looks like the never ending story but there is nothing I can do about it. It has to be done. 

I hope I will have some pics by the time we'll be back. 

Have a nice Thanksgiving everyone (yes, it's the Canadian thanksgiving week-end)

Home

I am home, tired sooo tired.

It feel so good to be here.

And so it went well

My conference went well. I am very pleased with it and with the lecture I gave after. Everybody has been very supportive and enthusiastic, I am very happy about it.

I still find it hard to move from grad student to professor and I guess this transition will take some time.

And now As tired as I am, I simply will go to sleep there is an early train to catch tomorrow....

From GreenTownLand

A quick update now that I have an Internet connection (thank you Via Rail Canada for asking me to pay 9$ for a daily pass, but no I still think wifi should be provided for free for the customers paying a ticket, thank you!).

I arrived well after 6 hours of a shaky train (let's think about heavy turbulence in a plane and let's transport it to a train... I had to grab my seat from time to time....) and I had dinner at my friends house. Very nice and sweet. Tomorrow my appointment is at 9:30 for breakfast which means I can sleep in until 8 o' clock!!!!! I haven't done that in a while! So good night bloggers, I will be asleep in little time.

Conference for tomorrow is ready and I am very positive about it. 

Notes from a Sunday morning

All is well here, except I work (again!) on a Sunday morning. 

I am making small corrections to my conference. I leave tomorrow morning and will give conference+ class on Tuesday afternoon. I really hope I can post from there, but I am not sure because I still don't know if I'll stay at a friend's house or at an hotel. For me both are fine. 

Today I will also have to (here we go RBOC!!! even if my template doesn't seem to collaborate on this one):

-Print final version of conference DONE!

-I have corrected Article 1. Now I have to type the revisions,(DONE) and then hopefully I will have more time to review it on the train

-Article 2 is still hanging. I have printed it ad again I hope the train will be a nice inspiration, after all I will be away for 2 full days without having to worry about anything but this.

-Get a look at Thursday's classes: they are almost prepared, but maybe I should review them, just to make sure I will feel confident enough on class day.

-Correct and grade 38 exams from Class 1 and 2 from Class 2.

-Copy all the new files from iMac to iBook. I have a couple of articles I would like to read while traveling. Plus I have to rework on my Excel grade sheets because in Downtown U they are very generously offering you a grade breakdown sheet but it doesn't correspond to mine. So I have to work things around and change mine in order of having less work next time around.(DONE)

-Prepare my suitcase. What should I bring? I think I will go with my favorite: jeans (a nice dark pair), my favorite low heel boots, a nice shirt, a red pullover and a grey jacket. It's cold here and I need to be warm enough. (almost there)

Hopefully one day will be enough for all of this!

When everything happens at the same time

I didn't even finish reviewing Article 1 that the review for Article 2 is in. It's good, (meaning it will be included, YAY!!!) but there some work that has to be done. By the end of October......... aaaggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today at the hairdresser I was reviewing my upcoming conference. This is pathetic! I can't even take an hour or so off......... I run around all the time and the last two days I worked straight into my evenings. 

A good thing is when I will be traveling next week I will be able to work. I promise I don't want anything that looks like this trimester in 2009. I am totally wiped out!

I need a break. All I need to do is work and work and work this week-end. I will travel out of town this coming Monday and I'll be back Wednesday. Then I teach Thursday and I have a long (maybe working) week-end ahead but in the country with Husband. I hope I'll catch up some sleep then. And hopefully things will start to fall into place.

I am stressed and under pressure...... I hate this!