My spirit animal is probably a sloth
Aug. 8th, 2013 04:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kat_lair***
The days before a holiday I find it increasingly difficult to actually motivate myself to do some work. All I've done today and yesterday is wield various emails regarding this conference handbook I'm organising, and copy-paste text around in an effort to put together the skeleton of my next teaching portfolio assignment. Word-count wise I think I'm actually almost 50% there, although it doesn't translate to actual effort still needed for it. But I just can't muster the energy to care. Here are the mental justifications for what is essentially laziness:
1. I am actually more than half done with this teaching portfolio now (nevermind that I still haven't got any formative feedback on it and if that turns out to be not so positive I may very well have to redo stuff)
2. The deadline for this is not until end of October (nevermind that I have conference paper, resit grading, and at least ten lectures to pull out of my ass by then as well)
3. Just because I've got two weeks off and mum is here, doesn't mean I can't do some work. She's got books and crafts with her and doesn't need entertaining 24/7 (nevermind that I was hoping to use such spare time to write my challenge fics and make some icons)
4. All in all I have 10 unused holiday days and no time to take them so surely doing barely half days for a couple of weeks is justified
*handwaves*
Anyway, today and yesterday I've also had some builders around to sort out my bathroom roof and other small things that needed fixing. Which has been another convenient excuse for not getting much work done. But, at least house things are now fixed.
Tomorrow I have a tutorial with my challenging dissertation student (will she ever finish it? WILL SHE EVER LEAVE? I just don't know) followed by attempt to further my teaching portfolio assignment some more.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pushkin666 is coming for the weekend and may be roped into cleaning the house with me. On Sunday afternoon I'm going to head over to Gatwick airport, stay overnight at the Premier Inn there and pick up mum bright and early Monday morning.
Ugh, right now I think I'm going to go and organise some paperwork in the office and call British Gas about fitting smart meters. That should assuage my guilt of not working a little. But first, a meme I snagged frombeedekka a while back.
Top 3 Favourite Foods:
I find it impossible to pick 'top 3' of anything, but here are 3 foods that I like a lot: 1. almost any type of Indian food (nom nom curries) but particularly poppadoms with all different kinds of chutneys and dips, 2. pancakes, preferably with homemade strawberry jam, reminds me of childhood, 3. fresh berries with yoghurt (or cream if I'm feeling particularly indulgent)
What was the last book you read and would you recommend it?
Read like from cover to cover read? That would probably be As She Climbed Across The Table by Jonathan Lethem and well... I wouldn't not recommend it. It was interesting in places. Proper review in the next 50 Books Challenge instalment. Otherwise, I've been reading various books related to work, the latest I've been leafing through is edited collection called Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
What are your top 3 favourite places?
See above, but here 3 places I love: 1. my house and garden, which are awesome. I'm quite territorial and a homebody so just like to nest in my cave. 2. the front steps of my mum's (previously my grandmother's) house, first thing in the morning, having my morning coffee weather and season permitting and enjoying this view 3. almost any beach. I love the sea and almost nothing calms me as effectively as sitting or walking along the beach
What was the last lie you told?
I only tend to lie when someone asks something that feels too personal and I'm not sure how they'll take an honest answer and I don't really want to give an honest answer because it's none of their business. Other than that it's mostly the 'not a problem' type of lies when it is in fact some trouble.
What are your favourite 3 sports (to watch or participate in)?
Lol, I am like the least sporty person. I rarely watch any sport at all, unless you count Strictly Come Dancing as a sport... So, erm, dancing? To participate, I like belly-dancing, walking, swimming, and lately I've been getting to the various fitness things on Wii. That was more than 3 but it was also the whole extent of it :D
What was the last movie you watched and would you recommend it?
Assuming random 'it was on TV and I had TV on for background noise while I was doing something else on the laptop' movies don't count, then the last movie I purposefully watched was probably Attack the Block on TV and yes, I would recommend it, though less for the plot and more for watching some young unknown actors do a really great work with their roles. Plus: aliens.
List 3 things you can see outside of the nearest window.
I'm lying on the bed at the moment, so from this angle the only things I see are sky, the roof of my office and the climbing plant covering most of my windows.
Where was the last place you went?
The local co-op shop this morning, to buy bread and stain remover. I bought bread, blueberries, tomatoes and orange juice. Forgot the stain remover.
What are your top 3 favorite “good causes” or charities?
I donate regularly to the RSPCA, semi-regularly to the Red Cross/Crescent aaaand that's it. Other than that, I tend to support whatever various friends/colleagues are involved in and might need sponsoring for. In general, I drift toward animal/environmental and educational causes.
What was the last thing you did for someone else?
Like a favour? Probably beta-reading some ficlets forpushkin666. I'm not sure work things count because while I end up doing a lot of things for other people, they're not usually the type of favours you can refuse to do...
Name 3 places you have never been that you want to visit.
New Orleans, Edinburgh, New Zealand
What was the last thing you threw in the garbage/recycling?
Empty package of garlic and herbs Philadelphia which I finished for my lunch today.
Name 3 things on your bedside table.
A bedside lamp that looks a bit like an alien pod, some sea shells from Portugal, a Supernatural coaster.
Describe or name the last piece of art you looked at.
Um gosh, I seriously don't know... No wait, it would probably be Van Gogh's Cafe painting because I'm making an icon forekaterinn out of that.
What are the top 3 things that your job requires you to think about?
Teaching, policing, and criminal psychology. Although some days it's mostly: patience, professional composure, and more patience.
What are the first 3 things you would do if you won the lottery?
Freak out, verify its actually true, angst over who to tell. ...note that this question asked for first things I'd do, not first things I'd use the money for. But those would be: pay off student loans, put money towards mum's house to sort the various things that need fixing/renewing, possibly look at buying a house myself. ...I am terribly boring and pragmatic when it comes to spending money.
Describe or name the last serious injury or illness you had?
I think the few days last year when I trapped a nerve/muscle in my arm would be the answer to this. I was in serious pain there for a while.
What are the top 3 things that you wish you could do?
This is really vague. Does it mean like do in general or talents/skills I wish I had? Confusing, but I'll go with the latter. 1. Flying, like getting a pilot's license type of flying, not superhero flying although that would be quite cool as well. I was really into planes and flying for a while as a kid. 2. Singing. I really like singing but I am terrible at it, lacking ability to actually carry a tune. 3. Dancing. Love it but am not very good at it, my sense of rhythm is a... work-in-progress.
***
The days before a holiday I find it increasingly difficult to actually motivate myself to do some work. All I've done today and yesterday is wield various emails regarding this conference handbook I'm organising, and copy-paste text around in an effort to put together the skeleton of my next teaching portfolio assignment. Word-count wise I think I'm actually almost 50% there, although it doesn't translate to actual effort still needed for it. But I just can't muster the energy to care. Here are the mental justifications for what is essentially laziness:
1. I am actually more than half done with this teaching portfolio now (nevermind that I still haven't got any formative feedback on it and if that turns out to be not so positive I may very well have to redo stuff)
2. The deadline for this is not until end of October (nevermind that I have conference paper, resit grading, and at least ten lectures to pull out of my ass by then as well)
3. Just because I've got two weeks off and mum is here, doesn't mean I can't do some work. She's got books and crafts with her and doesn't need entertaining 24/7 (nevermind that I was hoping to use such spare time to write my challenge fics and make some icons)
4. All in all I have 10 unused holiday days and no time to take them so surely doing barely half days for a couple of weeks is justified
*handwaves*
Anyway, today and yesterday I've also had some builders around to sort out my bathroom roof and other small things that needed fixing. Which has been another convenient excuse for not getting much work done. But, at least house things are now fixed.
Tomorrow I have a tutorial with my challenging dissertation student (will she ever finish it? WILL SHE EVER LEAVE? I just don't know) followed by attempt to further my teaching portfolio assignment some more.
pushkin666 is coming for the weekend and may be roped into cleaning the house with me. On Sunday afternoon I'm going to head over to Gatwick airport, stay overnight at the Premier Inn there and pick up mum bright and early Monday morning.Ugh, right now I think I'm going to go and organise some paperwork in the office and call British Gas about fitting smart meters. That should assuage my guilt of not working a little. But first, a meme I snagged from
beedekka a while back.Top 3 Favourite Foods:
I find it impossible to pick 'top 3' of anything, but here are 3 foods that I like a lot: 1. almost any type of Indian food (nom nom curries) but particularly poppadoms with all different kinds of chutneys and dips, 2. pancakes, preferably with homemade strawberry jam, reminds me of childhood, 3. fresh berries with yoghurt (or cream if I'm feeling particularly indulgent)
What was the last book you read and would you recommend it?
Read like from cover to cover read? That would probably be As She Climbed Across The Table by Jonathan Lethem and well... I wouldn't not recommend it. It was interesting in places. Proper review in the next 50 Books Challenge instalment. Otherwise, I've been reading various books related to work, the latest I've been leafing through is edited collection called Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
What are your top 3 favourite places?
See above, but here 3 places I love: 1. my house and garden, which are awesome. I'm quite territorial and a homebody so just like to nest in my cave. 2. the front steps of my mum's (previously my grandmother's) house, first thing in the morning, having my morning coffee weather and season permitting and enjoying this view 3. almost any beach. I love the sea and almost nothing calms me as effectively as sitting or walking along the beach
What was the last lie you told?
I only tend to lie when someone asks something that feels too personal and I'm not sure how they'll take an honest answer and I don't really want to give an honest answer because it's none of their business. Other than that it's mostly the 'not a problem' type of lies when it is in fact some trouble.
What are your favourite 3 sports (to watch or participate in)?
Lol, I am like the least sporty person. I rarely watch any sport at all, unless you count Strictly Come Dancing as a sport... So, erm, dancing? To participate, I like belly-dancing, walking, swimming, and lately I've been getting to the various fitness things on Wii. That was more than 3 but it was also the whole extent of it :D
What was the last movie you watched and would you recommend it?
Assuming random 'it was on TV and I had TV on for background noise while I was doing something else on the laptop' movies don't count, then the last movie I purposefully watched was probably Attack the Block on TV and yes, I would recommend it, though less for the plot and more for watching some young unknown actors do a really great work with their roles. Plus: aliens.
List 3 things you can see outside of the nearest window.
I'm lying on the bed at the moment, so from this angle the only things I see are sky, the roof of my office and the climbing plant covering most of my windows.
Where was the last place you went?
The local co-op shop this morning, to buy bread and stain remover. I bought bread, blueberries, tomatoes and orange juice. Forgot the stain remover.
What are your top 3 favorite “good causes” or charities?
I donate regularly to the RSPCA, semi-regularly to the Red Cross/Crescent aaaand that's it. Other than that, I tend to support whatever various friends/colleagues are involved in and might need sponsoring for. In general, I drift toward animal/environmental and educational causes.
What was the last thing you did for someone else?
Like a favour? Probably beta-reading some ficlets for
pushkin666. I'm not sure work things count because while I end up doing a lot of things for other people, they're not usually the type of favours you can refuse to do...Name 3 places you have never been that you want to visit.
New Orleans, Edinburgh, New Zealand
What was the last thing you threw in the garbage/recycling?
Empty package of garlic and herbs Philadelphia which I finished for my lunch today.
Name 3 things on your bedside table.
A bedside lamp that looks a bit like an alien pod, some sea shells from Portugal, a Supernatural coaster.
Describe or name the last piece of art you looked at.
Um gosh, I seriously don't know... No wait, it would probably be Van Gogh's Cafe painting because I'm making an icon for
ekaterinn out of that.What are the top 3 things that your job requires you to think about?
Teaching, policing, and criminal psychology. Although some days it's mostly: patience, professional composure, and more patience.
What are the first 3 things you would do if you won the lottery?
Freak out, verify its actually true, angst over who to tell. ...note that this question asked for first things I'd do, not first things I'd use the money for. But those would be: pay off student loans, put money towards mum's house to sort the various things that need fixing/renewing, possibly look at buying a house myself. ...I am terribly boring and pragmatic when it comes to spending money.
Describe or name the last serious injury or illness you had?
I think the few days last year when I trapped a nerve/muscle in my arm would be the answer to this. I was in serious pain there for a while.
What are the top 3 things that you wish you could do?
This is really vague. Does it mean like do in general or talents/skills I wish I had? Confusing, but I'll go with the latter. 1. Flying, like getting a pilot's license type of flying, not superhero flying although that would be quite cool as well. I was really into planes and flying for a while as a kid. 2. Singing. I really like singing but I am terrible at it, lacking ability to actually carry a tune. 3. Dancing. Love it but am not very good at it, my sense of rhythm is a... work-in-progress.
***
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no subject
on 2013-08-08 08:07 pm (UTC)Ugh on cleaning but I offered :D
I like your meme answers. We all know how you love a meme.
Found this bit particularly funny - Dancing. Love it but am not very good at it, my sense of rhythm is a... work-in-progress.
no subject
on 2013-08-09 06:09 am (UTC)Well, if you'd come later today I probably would've gotten all the cleaning done on my own :D But now you may very well get roped into it...
This was a fun meme to do. You should totally snag it and do it yourself... And lol, well my dancing is very much work-in-progress. But it's an enjoyable wip.