A blog on the first day of the month can only mean one thing – double blog month!
SONG INSPIRATION
The first blog of May is inspired by Muni Long’s Thot Thoughts.
ENDING THE SEMESTER
Week 11 of 12. It has been an arduous semester. I’ve made it this far thanks to a strong social network, amazing students, and a healthy dose of espresso martinis and short trips. It will take time to process everything that has occurred in the last 3 months – and I still don’t know my employment prospects – but I am finishing the semester feeling exhausted yet oddly at peace.
This semester taught me how to improve my mentorship; how to instruct in non-traditional courses; when to prioritize constructive aspects of professional development; and how to reclaim work life balance. Bonus – I learned how to work under eroding democracy and academic freedom (more below). If there’s a future for me in academia amid a landscape of hiring freezes and grant cuts, then I have tremendous ideas on future courses, pedagogy, research opportunities, and institutional service. It’s been a formidable semester in many ways, but overall, I’m wrapping up one of my most impactful academic years.
SUMMER AMBITIONS
Summer is for the weary academic to rest, research, and…resist? I have several exciting ambitions this summer that I need to balance with mental/emotional recovery from the academic year. After finals week, I’m briefly returning to the desert southwest to cap off the beginning of summer break with a round of social engagements. Here are 3 personal ambitions for the summer:
Ambition 1
Research. I’m excited to advise two bright and motivated summer research assistants. Summer is the perfect time to dive into the nitty gritty of a project and make significant progress. I am hopeful that one or both projects will produce conference abstracts which would provide each student an opportunity to present their work via a poster at a scientific meeting.
Ambition 2
Travel (for work and fun). In June, I’m attending a lava flow modeling workshop in Scotland and a volcanism conference in Switzerland. I am using both opportunities to grow my network and explore countries I’ve wanted to visit. I can’t stress the profound perspective I receive when I’m thousands of miles from home.
Ambition 3
Writing. I’m working on four manuscripts on a range of topics, including, but not limited to, analog experiments and comparative planetology. By the end of the summer, I would like to have 2 manuscripts ready for submission to the appropriate journal for peer review. One of the beautiful aspects of science is the ability to collaborate with colleagues and students and produce novel research. Given the uncertainty around external funding, I’ve decided to devote the remainder of the year to writing papers. As the adage goes, papers are currency.
I intend to complete first round edits of my first novel. Then, I can start on first round edits of the second. I’ve made a concerted effort in recent weeks to devote more time to edits and revision. I’m stoked to return to the world, the dynamic characters, and challenging situations. While I’ve moved the goalposts given a busy academic year, I hope to progress my duology to the next stage by the end of the calendar year.
SITTING IN CHAOS / THRIVIING IN RESISTANCE
America is in turmoil. Academia is one of the fronts on the greater war on science and reason. Grants are canceled. Budgets are slashed. People are losing their employment, their identities, and their life’s work. It is deeply cruel and demoralizing. And that’s the point. Regardless, we have to live through it. We have to exist in the chaos. Learning to not only sit, but thrive in chaos, is difficult. It requires more than just positive thinking and brief respite. It requires a mindset centered on prioritizing yourself, valuing your contribution to your community, and seeing small everyday actions as resistance. Now, I write this from a comfortable room in subsidized housing adjacent to a wealthy institution. Noted. But none of those facts will save me from a hostile government. And to be fair that’s a little beyond my control – protesting/boycotting/contacting reps aside. What else can I do to resist? To thrive in chaos? To cherish the beautiful aspects in life? Love freely and deeply. Invest in my community. Do my work. Live fully. Thriving in resistance is laborious and exhausting at times, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s the only option.
CURRENT BOOKS AND SHOWS
Recently finished reading: N/A
Currently reading: A Modern History of Japan; Starry Messenger: A Cosmic Perspective; The Dispossessed
Recently finished watching: Abbott Elementary (s4); Dexter (s6-7); Super Crooks; The Floor (s3); The Wheel of Time (s3); White Lotus (s3)
Currently watching: Dexter (s8); Dune: Prophecy; Invincible (s3)
Thank you for reading! The next blog is scheduled for Thursday, May 29th. Until later this month….
The Planetary Novelist 