Retreat Today

Today, we began our annual retreat in my department. But as someone pointed out, the word "assessment" is not in the agenda anywhere, which is in stark contrast to previous years when it has been the only topic. It's nice to see the interim chair listening to suggestions. The morning session has been great so far, and I'm really looking forward to the rest (unusual for me).

"Last Day" of summer

Yes, we don't start classes for a couple of weeks, but my department has a "retreat" two weeks before classes every fall, so I kind of think of that as the beginning of the fall semester. So today is officially the last day of summer break. Kind of sad. Yes, I'm really excited about students being back with all of that energy, and I'm pumped to get back in the swing of things. But I really like the way I can control my schedule more over the summer. And I really like that I don't have to do many meetings over the summer. And I really like the fact that I don't have to do much advising over the summer. So here's to you, Summer of 2009. I'll miss you!

Jury Duty all week

I was selected as a juror, so I'm in jury duty all week. I had planned this to be a lighter week, and I'm still able to get a little done during breaks and lunches, so I won't fall too far behind. And it's kind of interesting to compare the real life process with Law and Order.

Jury Duty Today

I'm on jury duty today. Definitely, I have that feeling like many people that there are other things I'd rather do with my time. However, I think that jury trial is such an important right that part of me feels proud to be here to do this.

Meetings start one week from today. Summer is almost done, and I've got quite a bit of stuff to do in the next few days. But overall, a good summer.

I got a pseudo-rejection letter over the weekend. The editor of a journal where I had submitted something a couple of weeks ago emailed me to tell me that this was not the best outlet for that paper. The editor said "don't think of this as a rejection of your work." That's why I say "pseudo" rejection letter.

How the Meeting Wednesday Went

I met with someone Wednesday about analyzing communication in his organization. As I posted on Wednesday, I wanted to mention to him the idea in the New Zealand project about giving recorders to employees. I mentioned surveys, interviews, and observations, and he really liked those ideas. I mentioned the recording, and he just kind of smiled, so I don't know. But he's definitely gung ho about the study. After three years of practically begging people to let me study them, it's nice to have someone want me.

New Project Idea

I blogged last week about my inspiration for a new project. A few years ago, I read an article by Janet Holmes in which she described the New Zealand Language in the Workplace Project. Basically, they gave recorders to people in workplaces and had them record conversations and meetings. Pretty cool, but what organizations are going to be willing to do that, right? Well, I'm meeting with someone today, and I'm going to at least mention the idea. Don't get me wrong. I'm not devaluing the insights that you can get with surveys--I still believe in the power of generalizeability. However, organizational discourse represents a great, complementary approach. And it's very trendy these days, so I think it would look good from that aspect. So we'll see. Fingers crossed.

Another Good Weekend

Saturday, I focused on yardwork. Yesterday, I sold some stuff on ebay. In between, there was a lot of time for relaxation. It was a second recharging weekend, which was great after a summer of go, go, go. This should be a pretty laid back week. I'm working on data that was supposed to be part of my summer project but will now be worked on by students during the year. And I've got some of those engaged interviews. Only 2 weeks left until pre-semester meetings start.