I'm ready for Christmas already....

[pumpkinpi]

So I can have a break. Too many deadlines between now and then.

Nov. 12 group presentaiton for class "Equity, Policy and Assessment in Science Education"
Nov. 19 reflection on group presentation
Nov. 19 develop and teach workshop session on Engineering
Nov. 21 (This is the big one that has me working still at 11:30 on Friday night) Grant due
Thanksgiving week has no deadlines but still a lot to work on
Dec. 3 poster presentation on research project for class; I need to be doing regular work on it from now until then
Dec. 12 develop and implement daylong Earth and space science teacher workshop
December 13-16 (Friday-Monday) family comes to town for holiday visit
During that weekend, working my butt off and not seeing the family, but hey, it's about the grandkids now anyway. I should be thankful that I have people there to watch my kids so I can work, but I have to squeeze in some good quality time with my sis.
December 16-17 develop and implement two daylong Earth and space science teacher workshops.
December 17 research paper based on research poster due for class.

And except for the family visit, that in no way reflects my everyday home responsibilities. God forbid one of my kids gets sick or worse, me!

After that I can breathe again. We're not traveling for Christmas. MrPi's siblings are coming to our house for the actual holiday, but we've hosted them enough that we know how to keep it stress free.

So, either you won't see me much between now and then because I'm working my ass off, or you'll see me way too much because I'm procrastinating. Like now.

[pumpkinpi]

And the worst part is, I will have to skip the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who special because MrPi and I haven't seen series 7 yet and won't have time to get it in before then!

[brite]

I can relate to the school thing... OH My! Can I relate!

But I can't relate in any way to the Doctor Who thing....

Just don't forget to occasionally take a deep breath, Punkin... it's good for you, and it will help you keep your equilibrium... (and be sure to DVR the 50th and the Christmas special... so that you can catch up with them, after you watch season 7... things are... changing....)

[SciFiFisher]

And the worst part is, I will have to skip the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who special because MrPi and I haven't seen series 7 yet and won't have time to get it in before then!

Don't think of it as skipping it. Think of it as deferring it.

[code monkey]

just reading your list makes me tired; you do quite a juggling act!

i'll repeat what others have said - record those programs.

now, back to work.

[Loresinger]

I am normally done long before Turkey day... this year I am not sure we are even going to decorate. I will leave that choice to the kids.This time of year was my dad's favorite and I am starting to hate it. We will prepare food ...but a lot of how we feel depends on the next exam, and the next ...etc..

I apologize I am feeling a tad blue tonight. I miss the way things were and some days I simply do not know how to make the new path no matter my best efforts.

[Sigma_Orionis]

You have every right to feel down once in a while, it IS a heavy burden you're carrying.

[pumpkinpi]

2 down, 6 to go.
The biggest, hugest one is due next Thursday. Right now I'm reading up on how to write an evaluation for my project. Informative, but dull.

All the rest are just one step below huge. I wouldn't even know how to rank them in terms of anticipated time spent. I would guess the last one--my final paper, due Dec. 17.

Is it Dec. 18 yet?

[brite]

Finished the PoliSci and biology exams (both on the same day) and have to rewrite the Polisci paper that's due on Tuesday that I trashed because I figured out that I was going at it from the wrong direction... I've only been working on that for almost a month... No... no pressure... I have 2 Hospitality Management papers due in 2 weeks... one is done, the other I haven't even started. A biology group project, that we have just picked the topic for is due in December... with 3 papers and a presentation on Celiac Disease (not to mention the rest of the crap for biology...) Thank the Gods the semester is almost over and I can register for classes for next semester in a few weeks... I'll take an easier course load... You know... History, PoliSci, English... things I can relate to... LOL

[pumpkinpi]

we need to go out for a drink together when we're both done!

[brite]

Yes.... yes we do!

[cid]

"A" drink?...yeah, just one...

[pumpkinpi]

My brain turns off at 11:30. Sad thing, I have a week's worth of data to prove it.

Tomorrow #3 will be done. Thursday at the latest #4 will be done.

[brite]

Policy paper turned, for weal or woe...

I think I have just been over thinking it... I don't know...

[pumpkinpi]

#3 down. This actually went very well. I gave a workshop for elementary school teachers titled "The Engineering Marvels of NASA's Space Program."
I talked about the awesome Sky-Crane landing for Curiosity on Mars, and demonstrated it with a cool interactive tool.
eyes.nasa.gov/download.html

Then I brought in one of the NASA spaceflight artifacts we have, a thermal blanket for a GPS system that flew on the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Connecting those two, I had the teachers do an activity to build something that will keep a piece of chocolate from melting.

I got good responses. I'm glad, because it's the first time I've given this workshop. You never know how it will go until you actually do it.

Now I have 48 hours to get my grant done. I'm at the point where I am basically waiting on feedback from various people to get the next steps done. There is nothing I can do until then, so I think I'm going to give my brain a rest for the next hour, until class starts....

[brite]

There's always the Doctor Who marathon...

Turns out I have until Thursday to turn in the paper.... Do I work at it some more? Yeah... probably... I'm not happy with what I have... and I am what I am...

[pumpkinpi]

OMG, knock on wood, I might actually get the big one done 1 day early!

If so, I'm celebrating tonight.

[pumpkinpi]

Not quite. Despite one major SNAFU (exposing incompetency at a level where there should not be incompetency) that almost sent this down the toilet, I just finished my last edits of the narrative and all should be turned in by 9am Friday.

Just so y'all have an idea of what I went through. It is a grant that requires a 7 page narrative, with an estimated "average amount of time needed for one applicant to complete the narrative portion of this application to be 40 hours. This includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and writing and reviewing the answers. [I likely spent double that.]
We estimate that, in addition to the time needed for you to answer the narrative questions, it will take you an average of 15 minutes per response [9 total] for the Program Information Sheet and three hours per response [9 there too] for the Budget Form."

In addition to that, there are a minimum of 8 other documents to submit, such as project schedules, budget justification, resumes, supporting letters, and of course an abstract.

I was not alone in this but I did most of the heavy lifting. I'm proud of the work; I don't expect it to get funded but it represents a programming direction I'd like to take so some incarnation of this may develop, whether or not we get the funding which I won't know for 10 MONTHS!!

Halfway done.

Where's my beer.

[Swift]

Where's my beer.

Someone get that woman a beer!

[pumpkinpi]

It was nice having a few days NOT working until 11:30 midnight! I started that cycle again last night, though, with my research project poster due next Tuesday.

However, as I was finishing up for the night I saw an email from my teacher. She broke the class up into two poster sessions, and I'm assigned for December 10! So I have another week, yay! I feel so much better now. She also said we can request an extension on the paper which is due the 17th. That is following an extremely busy Friday-Tuesday so I am hoping to have until Wednesday or Thursday to polish it up.

I still have four major projects in the next 22ish days. But I think I'm going to get through this!

[brite]

I'm down to one major biology project, a bio on a chef, a cookbook review, and a two part exam on California politics.... the semester ends the 17th... and then... and then, hopefully the VA will have paid my tuition and I can register for classes next semester...

[pumpkinpi]

Poster presentation, check. I got 96/100.

6 days, 3 major, and one minor project left.
Tomorrow, deliver a 7 hour teacher workshop (two co-presenters).
Monday and Tuesday, deliver 10 one-hour teacher workshops (four unique topics, two co-presenters)
Tuesday, 10-15 page paper due. As well as a 2-page reflection paper.

There is an end not very far away, but I can't see it because there is too much crap in the way!

[Rommie]

Ye Gods, my own crunch time is in. Flying home on Dec 20 ie a week from now, and by then I need to do:

1) draft paper for boss on first paper... whose code does not yet work properly

2) article from Astronomy, that since I got commissioned to write has gotten to more complex feature-length status (ie potential cover, so do NOT want to fuck that one up)

3) a post on Astrobites

4) some random commissioning radio telescope crap

5) General Christmas stuff- finish a photo album for my brother's present, department Christmas party tonight, etc. I was supposed to go to Germany tomorrow night for the Christmas markets too actually, but I'm canceling as I don't think I can make it.

I think the annoying thing about my job is things always take longer than they should... and on some things my boss and the postdocs who go to the weekly meetings don't agree on what should be my priority, so you have to tackle things in more different ways than people think you are.

[brite]

Finals week.... Biology project presentation tonight, Hospitality management final Friday, Bio final, Tuesday, and PoliSci final on Thursday... and I'm DONE for the semester.... <thud>

Poe has shared his first preschool cold with Fisher and I... wasn't that nice? He's learned that sharing is caring.... brat. He hates getting up in the morning, hates going to school, loves BEING at school, hates coming home... Weird kid...

[pumpkinpi]

He hates getting up in the morning, hates going to school, loves BEING at school, hates coming home... Weird kid...

That's Buster to a T. Perfectly normal.

Good luck with finals!