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I recently got an iPad 2 and am still discovering all of the ways that I can make use of it. In addition to being a “bigger iPhone without the phone” (how I initially conceived of it), I’m discovering just how useful it can be for research.
I have been playing with a number of different note-taking and “productivity” apps, but so far my favourites are Evernote and Penultimate. Evernote is kind of tricky to describe because it is just so darn robust. Think of it as an updated, improved and digital version of that big notebook/day timer/coupon holder/place to shove a photo of your cat that many of us lugged around in the 1990s. In the few short weeks since I signed up for my Evernote account (which is free, although you can upgrade to premium for more features – something I did pretty quickly once I figured out just how fabulous this software is!) I’ve used it for taking notes, for “clipping” sections of webpages I need to refer to later, and for storing photographs and documents. I’m sure there are all kinds of other uses for this software that I haven’t yet discovered. Penultimate may be easier to describe, but it is no less awesome. Basically it allows you to handwrite notes on the iPad. You can use your finger, but I like the stylus that I picked up for $15. You can scribble, doodle and erase to your heart’s content on pages that look like an old-school notebook. Why not just use a notebook? Well, this way all your scribbles and doodles are all in one place and not as likely to get misplaced. You can share your scribbles and doodles via email or save them as photos.
I just discovered today that these photos of your notebook pages can, in turn, be inserted in to your Evernote notes. These two applications work amazingly well together and I can see them really changing how I approach research. Today, for instance, I was trying to summarize a Sherlock Holmes story, so I whipped out my handy-dandy stylus, opened up Penultimate and scribbled down a few thoughts. I then saved it as a photo and popped it in to a larger Evernote note that I had started on the broader project I’m working on. Seamless. Easy. No more scraps of paper to lose. Yay!
I’m looking forward to seeing how the built-in camera in the iPad 2 works for taking photographs of documents in archives. I’ve got a few research trips planned this summer so will be trying it out soon!
It is hard to believe that in a few short hours 2010 will be over and the year 2011 will be ushered in. All-in-all 2010 was a pretty good year. I started it off with a 6 month sabbatical which I found amazingly productive and restorative. It was nothing short of luxurious to reconnect with my research in such an in-depth way. I’ve also been reminded during this year just how happy I feel when I’m knee-deep in a research project. Work?! This is the stuff that keeps me ticking!
The other big focus for me this year was my commitment to veganism. I’d been a vegetarian for years and years and years, but the PCRM’s “21 Day Vegan Kickstart” in March gave me the push I needed to make the transition to a vegan lifestyle. I’ve been having a great time trying new recipes, learning how to veganize things, reading vegan cooking blogs and, of course, buying vegan cookbooks!
I’m not a resolution sort of gal, so instead I’ve made a list of my top 5 favourite things about 2010. In no particular order:
1) Visiting the George T. Angell memorial in Boston. I’ve been reading so much about his work, so this was pretty special.
2) A fabulous road trip out to Nova Scotia for the first-ever ALECC conference at CBU. Yeah! Here I am trying to blend in with the landscape along the St. Lawrence.
3) Organizing the first-ever Walk for Farm Animals in Niagara. So amazing! I’m still blown away by the wonderful turn-out we had for this event and am looking forward to the 2011 Niagara Walk for Farm Animals!
4) Any and all time spent with Jill the rabbit and Jenny the cat.
5) I’m going to cheat a bit here and combine a couple of related wonderful things in to one point – this year I had my first trip out to the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada and two trips down to Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY. All three of these trips were wonderfully inspiring and life-changing. A shout-out to all who give their time, money, labour and love to animal Sanctuaries. May we one day have one in the Niagara region.
And one last bonus point — I had a great trip out west to visit my mom and dad in Leduc this fall. It was a short trip, but we packed a lot of fun in to it!
Happy 2011 everyone! May it be a happy, healthy, productive and peaceful year.
As my sabbatical draws to a close I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the past 6 months. In a nutshell, it was a productive, reflective and restorative time. I really needed this sabbatical, but didn’t realize how much I needed it until I was on it. I went straight from my PhD to a 2 year adjuncting gig, and then straight from that gig to my job at Brock. This trajectory involved two cross-country moves, a bit of upheaval in my personal life and somewhere in the ballpark of 15 new courses to prep. I was starting to feel tired and also a bit frustrated that I hadn’t been able to find the time nor energy to really sink my teeth into my new research project.
This past 6 months has allowed me to spend long stretches of time reading some of the key literature that informs my new research. And when I say read, I mean really read — I had the luxury of going back over important chapters, taking notes, and spending time reflecting on what I’d read. It has been years since I’ve had this kind of focused time for reading.
I’ve also taken some research trips to Boston and to New York. In both cities I found some amazing material to help support my new project. I returned home from my last research trip with a very clear idea of the direction I want to be taking this project in. This vision is vastly different than the one I had when I began my sabbatical nearly 6 months ago. I’m not sure I would have arrived at this framework had I not had this sabbatical.
In addition to this new research I think the single biggest thing that has helped to make this sabbatical a success was being able to stay focused on my work day after day. There have been very few days over the past 6 months that I was not at least reading and/or thinking about this project. Being able to stay in the research groove day after day is, once again, not something I’ve been able to do in many, many years. I know that my family would have liked me to come out and visit during the sabbatical, but I just felt that it was so important to keep focused and keep working. I don’t know when I’ll get another opportunity like this.
I realize that not all institutions grant their pre-tenure faculty sabbaticals, and I am most grateful that I work for a university that gets just how important this kind of leave time is.
I just got back from a wonderful research trip to Boston, which included many days in the archives of the MSPCA. Before my trip I knew a bit about George T. Angell and the founding of the MSPCA, but I now have a much better understanding of the significance of this organization to the early animal welfare movement. I had such a great visit — I learned so much and everyone was so friendly (hi Jan!).
I would love to post more (including some pics from my weekend tourist breaks to the Arnold Arboretum and the historic North Church), but I’m up against a writing deadline, so these yellow beauties will have to suffice for now.
The Brock Review
Call for Papers: “Animals in Human Societies”
The Brock Review is seeking scholarly essays and creative pieces for an upcoming issue on the theme of “Animals in Human Societies.” This issue will focus on changing ideas about the use and treatment of animals in contemporary societies and the ethical, economic and political significance of animal rights. This issue will be co-edited by Dr. John Sorenson (Department of Sociology, Brock University), author of About Canada: Animal Rights and Ape.
Possible topics might include:
-Animal/human bonds and mutual aid
-Representations of animals
-Animal rights and social justice
-Veganism, abolitionism and the rise of “happy meat”
-Normalization of speciesism
-Animal rights and anarchism
The Brock Review is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal published by the Humanities Research Institute at Brock University. Scholarly essays submitted to The Brock Review should not exceed 25 double-spaced pages in length. Essays should adhere to the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and include endnotes (where necessary) and a bibliography.
Manuscripts should be original works and should not be published (or under consideration for publication) in another format. Manuscripts should be submitted via the journal website by the 16th of July, 2010. Each submission must be accompanied by a 100 word abstract, and a brief biography of the author. It is the sole responsibility of the author to obtain any necessary copyright permissions for images accompanying an essay. If your essay is accepted for publication, you must provide copies of these permissions before your essay can be published.
Creative work (i.e.: paintings, photographs, poetry, short fiction or other types of work suitable to the online format of the journal) will also be considered for publication and should be submitted in an electronic format by the 16th of July, 2010. In the event that your submission is too large of a file to send submit online, CDs or DVDs can be sent to the address below. Creative work must be accompanied by a statement indicating the creator(s) of the piece have given consent to have it included in The Brock Review.
Dr. Keri Cronin
Editor, The Brock Review
c/o Department of Visual Arts
Brock University
500 Glenridge Ave.
St. Catharines, ON L2N 4C2
CANADA
keri.cronin@brocku.ca
A couple of summers ago I found myself in Manchester and, of course, had to pop into the Manchester Art Gallery. It was here that I was first introduced to the wonderful world of Charlie and Lola. In addition to the books and postcards I purchased in the gallery shop I also bought a set of Charlie and Lola bookmarks (see below) which have become both my sabbatical companions and tangible manifestations of my current state of mind.
I spent January wrapping up 2 writing projects — a book manuscript and an article. I’m sure there will still be editorial revisions, etc. for both, but I begin February with the immense luxury of finally being able to put my new research front and centre. It makes me giddy and breathless just thinking about being able to spend week after week reading, writing and thinking about this work. I’ve been interested in pursuing it since about 2002 but haven’t been able to make it my full time project until now.
Right now I’m spending time reading — reading things I haven’t had a chance to read yet, re-reading things I read years ago and discovering new (to me) important works in this sub-field I’m entering into with this new research. It is wonderful and reminds me of when I was studying for my comprehensive exams, minus, of course, the stress of the exam itself. I recall my advisor saying to me during that period that I should value the luxury of spending day after day reading. I didn’t quite get it until now.
If you’re looking for me, I’ve got my nose in a book. (but I did take a break to take part in Toque Tuesday this morning at Market Square)
Today marks day 1 of my sabbatical. Well, technically it kicked in on January 1st, but last week was all about recovering from the holidays, doing laundry, making soup for friends and family who are sick (and to help keep me healthy!) and other such projects. I am operating on the assumption that sabbatical really kicks off on the same day that the semester starts.
I am already in a bit of a panic about not get everything done that I want to get done over the next 6 months. And, yet, as I sit here this morning — sipping my 2nd cup of tea in a now empty house — I feel unsure as to where to begin. No meetings, no admin, no teaching, no grading, no course prep. It is just me and my research and writing for the next 6 months. This is what I’ve been waiting for, right? So why is it so daunting? Does everyone feel like this as they begin their sabbatical?
I begin my sabbatical with a bit of good news. The manuscript I have been working on for years (yes, THAT manuscript) has been accepted for publication. So, while my sabbatical is meant to help me get a jump on my new research project, first up on my “to do” list is finish up the final round of edits and deal with image permissions/copyright. Eeep! Wish me luck!
ARTstor and The Museum of Modern Art have teamed up to make images from the MoMA’s collection available through the ARTstor database. Excellent news!!
As I’ve blogged about before, I’m not all that big into making New Year’s Resolutions on and around January 1st. For me — and for many other academics I know — it is the start of the academic year that gets me thinking about what I would like to do differently, areas I can improve in, etc. The fresh start of a new school year always seems to me like a much better time to make these sort of grand plans than the snowy, cold days of early January do.
As I take stock at the end of the summer I am, for the first time in my academic career, pleased with the amount of work I did over the past 4 months. Did I get everything crossed off the very ambitious list I made back in May? No, but I got quite a bit of it done. I finished up a couple of very big, daunting tasks that have been hanging over my head for…oh…well, quite some time. I also got some new writing done and have reconnected with the research I’ve been wanting to work on for a while. I took a couple of vacation-style trips (camping and hiking! yay!), but didn’t travel extensively for research this summer. I stayed home and processed/worked on the research I’ve collected from places like the British Library and Library and Archives Canada over the past few summers. One of the things that was giving me a considerable amount of angst over the last few years was that I’d gathered all this great stuff but have not found time to really work with it. It was really great to get in to this material in a meaningful way this summer. I was chatting with a friend and colleague about this a few weeks ago, and she said that she thinks this is pretty standard. That you either have to commit to travel and visiting archives/research sites in a summer OR commit to writing and processing the research previously gathered.
At any rate, I’ve begun working through the material I collected over the past few summers and am starting to see the work I want to do on this subject come together in ways that continue to excite me. My resolution for this academic new year, then, is a simple one — to keep this momentum going through the fall term. In order to do that I know I need to protect my research days with as much vigour as I can possibly muster. Term started this week and I’m happy to report that I stubbornly clung to this plan in spite of the whirlwind of meetings and back-to-class activities that are taking place right now. Let’s see if I can make it last right through until my sabbatical begins in January!
-Last night I watched the first two episodes of CBC’s The Great Food Revolution. I hadn’t intended to watch it, but the TV stayed on after Jeopardy and it only took me a few minutes to get hooked. In two hours this show covered many interesting topics — cooking schools, celebrity chefs, how sushi became popular in North America and the “behind the scenes” processes that go into the development of President’s Choice products. (and, yes, I’ll admit I’m a bit of a slave to the PC brand). Anyhow, this was a very interesting 2 hours of TV-watching and I’m looking forward to the remaining two episodes.
-I have finished the latest round of edits on a major research project that I’ve been working on for many, many years. I packaged it up and sent it off this morning. I’m still thinking of ways to celebrate the occasion. Suggestions welcome.
-I am supposed to be getting a new hot water tank today. Why does this fill me with dread? I think I’ve convinced myself that it will be more complicated that it is supposed to be. This aspect of home ownership (the upgrades and renovations that I can’t possibly fathom doing myself) freaks me out. Still, I want to avoid the situation that happened in the last rental house I lived in. In that house the bottom of the old hot water tank rusted right away and flooded the basement. It was an old house, so replacing the tank was not a straight-forward job (something about an old chimney and no chimney liner) and we were without hot water for days. I sincerely hope that I got all of my bad hot water tank karma out of the way that time and that things will be uneventful on this front today.
[Update: so, when the LivClean guy was out here setting up this whole new hot water tank dealio the other day I specifically asked him about the chimney liner, given the last experience I had with a hot water tank. He, apparently, checked and said I have a proper liner and everything would be fine. The technicians just stomped in and out of my house and couldn't do the install because, you guessed it, I didn't have a chimney liner. Whatever.]
