- Get fresh air. Run, walk, bike, or whatever in the fresh air. More fresh air. More nature. More beauty. More air. Give your brain something else to think about and some oxygen to help it do so.
- Mueller time! Things are happening out there, so don't give up hope.
- Check social media--well, FB--only for an hour every other week. That way, you can wish everyone happy birthday. Don't post anything, or you'll want to see what happens.
- Skip over every single political outrage post, no matter how righteously angry it will make you and how virtuous you will feel to be on the right side of history. If you think this is irresponsible, it's not. You'll still see and do things. (I voted this week. I gave to Hurricane Maria relief.) But use your energy, money, votes, and power where they'll do some good. Facebook isn't it.
- And those people pumping out political outrage who you know are bicycling through France on a holiday you can't afford? Unfollow them. Enough's enough.
- Watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. If you don't get or don't want to watch the show, watch some videos. Parodies but hilariously true ones of song genres, like "Settle for Me" or "Greg's Drinking Song" or "Let's Generalize About Men" or a Gene Kelly-esque tap dance number whose title I can't print here. They will make you feel better.
- Make up your own mental Bingo card for meetings and presentations. Call it the "Neoliberal University Assessment Intersectionality Excellence" card, or whatever five words (in random order) you hear the most at your university.
- For a little while every day, if you can, read a book just because you want to, and leave the screens behind. No phones. No computers. It sounds impossible, but for 30 minutes at lunch, just try it. I used to read The Chronicle at lunch but realize that (1) we've all read these articles before, pretty much and (2) it wasn't exactly a break to read more stressful things about work. Some of you do yoga or meditation, so this is probably my version of that.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Things that will make you feel better for a moment
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9 comments:
Seconding Crazy Ex Girlfriend. It's hilarious and the musical numbers are the bomb.
I also like Brooklyn Nine-Nine for a more traditional comedy with a great cast.
Kickboxing! Anything physical really, especially where you grunt and sweat.
Live comedy shows. Live music. Live sports. Live art shows. The operating words are 'live' and 'something requiring exquisite skill'.
Charlize Theron kicking literal and figurative ass in Atomic Blonde.
"Neoliberal University Assessment Intersectionality Excellence"--ha!!!
I'd add Inclusive Engagement Outreach Metric
Living in the past. I just posted with links to some of your old, inspiring posts about writing.
Also, watch The Good Place. It's so, so good. I've got my ethics professor friend watching it and can't wait to discuss it with her.
My promotion dossier is due on Wednesday. Promotion to the next rank is optional in my job (long story) and I've ended up having such a hard semester that I asked if I could withdraw my bid for promotion. But it turned out I'd missed the deadline for withdrawal. Isn't... that a traditional academic nightmare? Where you've forgotten that you'd signed up for a course and now it's too late to withdraw?
I'm enjoying making a list of things to do once the dossier goes in though :)
xykademiqz--so glad you like CEG! I'll try the others since good comedies are much needed right now.
gwinne--"Inclusive Engagement Outreach Metric" just went on my Bingo card. Too true!
Dame Eleanor--Thank you! I think I'm going to look some of them up & make a link post.
Sophylou--I love The Good Place! I've been wondering if philosophy profs are paying attention to it. Good luck with the promotion dossier. Missing the deadline date does sound like a nightmare, but remember all those stats about men going up for promotion even if they've got only 40% of the qualifications whereas women want to be 150% sure. Hope your post-dossier list has some fun items built in.
Actually, someone just mentioned bypassing several categories of documentation in the electronic system because they're not included in The Official Memo Of Officialness for what has to be included. Meanwhile I've spent hoooooours meticulously documenting those categories. Guess what our respective genders are. I just have the "hello my name is SophyLou and I'd like you to promote me b/c..." letter to write, and I can polish that off tomorrow.
I am saving last week's The Good Place as a reward for finishing the whole thing! I am a little bummed that my ethics professor friend started watching with the trolley episode, meaning that she won't have the watch-S1-and-then-TWIST! MANIACAL LAUGH! experience.
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