Happy New Year! Since we're starting the year off, I've decided once again to review the past year's goals and look ahead to the things I'd like to accomplish in 2013.
Last year my goals were relatively straightforward:
2012: Stuff I'd like to do
-Publish the results of my thesis. Seriously. This needs to happen.
-Get the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. I'm really hoping this is in my cards this year.
-Choose a research topic for my dissertation, or at least get started
with something. In the next few weeks, I need to decide what I'm going
to do with my summer, so I can get out there and start collecting some
data!
-Attend a conference. I don't think I'll have anything to present, but
there are a lot of conferences in this area this summer and there are a
couple I'd REALLY like to go to.
-Survive my second semester of grad school.
-Explore more of the area around WCU. There is TONS to do out here, and I feel like I've barely seen any of it!
-Date someone. Okay, this is only semi-serious. If I don't find the
right guy, I'm not just going to date for the sake of dating. But holy
crap I'd really like to have a boyfriend. So why not make it a goal for
this year?
-Learn to swing dance. There is a dance center not too far from where I
live that gives weekly swing dance lessons. This is something I've
wanted to try for a while. I have good rhythm, but lack any semblance of
grace. Hopefully learning to dance will help... at least a little?
-Make friends. Okay, okay-- I already have made 'friends' out here,
people in my program and the people at the ranch I've been visiting. But
they're not good friends. No one out here really knows me that
well... yet. So my goal for this year is to solidify some of these
friendships. I'm not tied to this area yet. I like it, and I go to
school out here, but I don't yet feel a sense of place, and I think a
lot of that has to do with the fact that I don't have those good, solid
friendships or relationships out here to draw on. I'm sure this will
come with time, so that's why it makes my list of goals for 2012!
So, did I succeed...?
2012: A Year in Review
Sort of. I did not publish the results of my thesis. I am beyond frustrated with this publication now. My co-author, Walt, and I had submitted the manuscript to a mid-tier journal in 2011. It wasn't reviewed until March, but the journal didn't notify us until August! They asked for minor revisions. We did EVERYTHING they asked for and resubmitted well before the deadline. At the beginning of December, they got back to us-- they're NOT accepting the manuscript, despite originally only having minor concerns and asking for limited changes. Neither Walt nor I understand what the deal is with this particular journal. At this point, I still NEED to get these results published, but I really don't want to spend any more time with this manuscript, especially since it's so far removed from what I'm working on now. I think I'll need to set it aside for now and come back to it if I magically have extra free time later on this semester.
I did not get the NSF GRFP. I did apply again. Here's hoping.
I did choose a research topic for my dissertation, had my first field season, and presented the basest of preliminary results at a very small, specialized conference.
I survived the second semester of grad school, but didn't do too much in the way of exploring the area around WCU. I did do one backpacking trip and hiked in a few new areas, but then I left to do field research and was gone for five months. So that didn't help.
I DID date someone. In fact, I went on several different dates with several someones. I haven't found the right person yet, but I'm getting out there, so that's a start.
I did not learn to swing dance. Or dance in any fashion. Once I got a dog, he pretty much started taking up all the time I have allotted for hobbies. I suppose it's a fair trade-off.
My friendships with people in my program have begun to solidify, and I do feel like I have several good friends here now.
2013: Stuff I'd like to do:
-Survive my fourth semester of grad school. After coming back from a LONG stint in the field, the thought of being on campus, taking classes, and TA'ing sounds awful. I'm really not looking forward to the semester ahead at all. My motivation for grad school is very low right now.
-Secure enough funding to continue my big research project. I started this project this autumn, mostly on shoestring funding I scraped together from a whole host of sources. But for the work to continue and sample sizes to be large enough for statistical inference, I'll need a lot more funding. A LOT. Grant writing looms in my future.
-Get the NSF GRFP! This is my last opportunity. I'm hoping I walk away this year with an award, instead of ANOTHER honorable mention (or, worse yet, nothing) I won't have to apply again, but I also won't GET to apply again. Getting the GRF would ease a lot of my worries about my future fieldwork prospects, as a lot of my research needs to be conducted away from campus in autumn. It will be very difficult to do fieldwork if I have to support myself by TA'ing.
-Go to a big conference. I have one in mind. It might conflict with the time frame during which I need to leave for my fieldwork. But I really think I should try to go to this one. I may or may not be able to present. I think I could scrap together a poster presentation of preliminary results and future prospects for the study. It might be worth it just for the networking.
-Start doing dog agility with Monster Dog. He's had the freedom of running wild during my fieldwork for the last five months. He's not going to be happy when I start disappearing for 6-8 hours a day again. He's athletic enough to do dog agility, and I think he'd enjoy it, so we're going to try and find some classes and equipment somewhere nearby.
-Keep my CV and website updated. I'm really bad about this.
-Post two blog updates each week. But... not here. Sorry! My other, non-pseudonymous blog.
-Give at least one additional public talk. I did this last year and felt pretty good about it. It seems to help a great deal with outreach.
Part of me feels as if I should have a few additional personal goals in there, but I honestly can't think of any right now. I just want this next semester to go smoothly, and not to have to worry too much about funding (both personal and research expenses) in the future.
