Like the song says, I am feeling at a bit of a loose end. The teaching term finished this afternoon. Not a moment too soon I hear myself say. I am a leetle weary and jaded, happy to see our students finish the program, already planning for the new classes starting in Term 2.

I now have a five week break with no teaching and already I can see it being frittered away with preparation and planning. Next term, for the first time ever I am going to be teaching the academic writing subject that is central to our program. But Wendy, I hear you cry in amazement, don’t you have a postgraduate degree and a few fringe journal articles published, some book reviews etc and so on and so forth. Why yes, I reply, but for some reason, until this moment apparently I have not been up to the task of teaching students about academic essay writing and research. Even though comparatively speaking, I have done quite a bit of it. But Wendy, I say to myself, don’t sound all bitter and twisted about the whole thing. No, my dear girl, embrace the new opportunity ahead of you. Okay, I say, I shall embrace the opportunity.

I just thought I might have had a bit more time to start getting prepared before June 1, which as regular readers of The Spiralling Shape will realise is Research Fellowship Starting Day. It is also next Tuesday. In preparation, I have bought a cheapo laptop so I can Work Well From Home Or Anywhere I Care To Work From. I have also requested an office change to a Quieter Spot in our Building. Both of these things will be good. On June 1 I also officially become an Associate Supervisor for the First Time. This is exciting and I am really looking forward to it. The thesis is going to look at underground musical subcultures in Malaysia, so it crosses a few areas of interest for me. I plan to start on Research Fellowship Starting Day by developing a two year plan of attack. Of course, I already had to submit a plan of attack in my application, so I best dig that out first and have a look at what I said I was going to do. Then I will probably change it slightly. After conversations a while ago with Anne M, formerly of Bundaberg, now of Clayfield, I am thinking about starting an online journal. How do I do that? I have no freaking idea, but it sounds like fun.

Between now and the end of next week I also have to read and write a book review. I have not started the book yet, although it looks very interesting.
I am also “reading” Shades of Grey (Jasper Fforde) Shantaram (which is fast turning into Ulysses and A Suitable Boy…i.e. destined to remain unfinished), and today bought that book about The Brain That Changes Itself…because you know, paperback and something or other extra percent off in Big W was irresistible.

So it seems I have plenty to do after all.