Office organization

Today I moved twelve boxes of books into my new office. Yay new office! As the newest prof, I get the smallest office, but it is more than adequate for my needs: lots of shelves, new desk, new computer, plenty of filing cabinets. 

I'm pretty sure these books haven't all been on the shelves at the same time. My last few jobs ranged from "lots of shelf space" to "half a shelf in a shared office," so I've been storing various items for a while. Other books were shelved, piled, or boxed at home. Now I have to figure out how to organize them.

So, gentle readers--assuming you're still out there--what are your favorite methods of office organizing? By period? By author? By color? (Some friends once rearranged my shelves by color as a prank; the result was striking but a little surreal.) Primary sources separated, or mixed in?

Emerging

Well, I've successfully relocated over 1,000 miles. Stuff seems to have arrived intact, and we've been setting up the house.

Still to be done: moving books into office, sorting out files and papers, final planning for the class that will start in just over a month.

Abstracted

I've finished the formatting changes on the article, but I need to write the abstract. I hate writing abstracts. The finished article is over 11,000 words exclusive of footnotes. It's kind of difficult to boil that down to 200 words. Bleh. I'm writing a draft version now and I'll let it marinate for a day or two, then rewrite it.

Taking stock

Thanks for the good wishes on the last post, everyone!

I missed this blog's anniversary. The year (plus a bit) that I've had this blog have been fairly momentous for me. When I started this blog, I had just come finished a job that nearly burned me out. I had a one-year contract at a different school, and I was starting to explore non-academic career options. I thought I'd make one more try on the job market and then do...something else.

That one try on the job market, though, produced interviews, and an offer. I always said I only needed one offer, as long as it was the right one, and this job is practically my ideal. So now I make a transition from a contract lecturer to a tenure-track professor. I look forward to the transition, but also find it daunting.

My original intent for this blog was to focus on my research interests, on topics related to women's monasticism in the Middle Ages. Looking back, I can see that its focus has drifted a bit, to include more discussion of teaching and of my life in academia in general. I am sure it will continue to evolve over the next year. I think chronicling the transition from contract to tenure-track may be useful, but I also expect to fold more discussion of research and writing back in. 

Thanks for reading and commenting, everyone!

Well, perhaps not quite nothing

The article I've been revising for ages was accepted. *throws confetti*

One of the things which has always struck me as distinctive about the academic life is how achievements are delayed. One works and works over a piece of writing, sends it off, and doesn't hear much until weeks or months later. By that time, ideally, one has moved on to other projects, and isn't in the same mental space any more. It seems to me to make it difficult to celebrate achievements and milestones, because the moment of doing the work and the moment of hearing its reception are so far separated.

I've got nothing

In the (nearly) two weeks since I've been back, packing has consumed my life. I don't seem to have much brain left. I have a half-finished post on my dilemmas in ordering books for next semester, but it seems pretty banal.  I have some random thoughts on organizing my books (currently almost all boxed), and I'm not sure that's worthy of a post yet. In short, posting is likely to be light for the next month or so, until I start to get settled at the other end.

Triumphant return

Was off in New State for a week. Now I'm back. If all goes well with inspection & financing, we'll have a house to live in, hurrah. I also got to see my new office, which has more-than-ample shelving. More hurrah.

Now we just have to get everything packed and ready to move in about six weeks. Yikes!

I took work with me on the trip, but ended up getting nothing done. Except, I replied to the email of a student who wanted to finish up an incomplete from three years ago. I told her/him I couldn't possibly, what with all the packing/moving/unpacking/house-buying/new-job-starting. Three years seems long to me anyway--s/he should probably just take the course over, and not with me.