h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Okay, so I was thinking the other day about all the things I've committed to for the next, oh, year or so...

1. Pedagogical Fellowship: write 15 hours worth of workshops and run them over 3 days.

2. Graduate Program Committee: help decide who is gets into the program next year in my department. Oh, and throw the beginning of the year picnic the day after the 3 days of workshops.

3. Grad Council: one of only 3 grad students on a standing committee of the Academic Senate.

4. TA: this fall, thank the goddess, I'm teaching intro to monotheism. Pretty much a no-brainer for me, although I have to admit to a weakness in the area of Judaism.

5. part time job: 20 hours a week in a bookstore, so that D has health insurance.

6. single parenting: yes, D's father is back from Afghanistan, but he's living an hour away, and may or may not be staying here. As of November, it's quite possible he will be returning to one of the two sandy places our current president likes to send the military types.

7. AGS: I am the only representative from the School of Humanities on the Graduate Student Senate. And a main member of the Internal committee.

8. Dissertation Proposal: My advisor wants my dissertation proposal done by the first part of December. Somehow, I'm thinking it's not going to happen.

Okay, so then I realized...um, when am I going to have time to have a life outside of this? And I realized...never. And I can't exactly give any of these things up. I wanted to do all of these things over the course of my graduate career, not all at once. But when opportunity knocks...

You'll manage, I think. Some of the work is not going to last for years and years?

I haven't learned yet, but during the last five years many different people have urged me to become a little more selfish (but how?), to think of what I really want and not always of what I can do for others, the local society, the world...

Why not have a number 9. describing a "duty" to do what-ever-you-fancy. Spend a week alone. Travel. Theatre. Buy one piece of insensible clothing. Go out to eat. Expect others to manage on their own. Say no. Sulk. etc...

I could use a day a week of just "ARGH" time, really. I'm thinking about taking a boxing class or something, so that I can physically manifest all my frustrations!

Boxing class! Whyever hadn't I thought of that. Splendid idea.

Think of it this way.

Like hitting yourself repeatedly over the head with a hammer, it will all seem so much better when you stop.....

Wow, um, that's a lotta stuff. Good luck keeping it all together! I have found that an agenda/planner thing helps. Or use the calendar thingy on your computer.

Ever looking for the silver lining, though, I think I read somewhere that stress can be healthy for you. So there you go.

Oh, if it's not in my daily planner, it doesn't happen. End of story.

MR, you'll do just fine. You'll accomplish it all because you have to. But you need to not take anything else on for a while. Work related, I mean. Unless it is something you'll really enjoy.

Well, that much coffee will keep me up for a year, I think!

I think it's just a matter of saying NO to anything else.

*Hands MR a special little hamper of calm, firm, authoritative and unarguable NOs*

Thank you, much. Do they expand in water?