Monday, June 1, 2009

MORE irritation...this time worky style

I got up this morning, weighed in, and was down 1lb. Still not into "new" fat territory, but I did manage to start working on the weird May fat/unfat/fat cycle. I did my 3 mile run (for full disclosure, I walked a bit in the middle), then after showering decided that commenters know best and I took my book and got a pedicure and lunch before work (mini "spa day").

(I should note that due to that mid-morning excursion, I am STILL at work at 10pm.)

I got into work and got news that a paper I was SURE would be conditionally accepted, was nearly rejected (one reviewer and the Associate Editor wanted to reject), but was saved by the editor...so we have a 'major revision' to do. When I first read the reviews I thought OH CRAP, this is going to take forfuckingever and ruin my summer. I was ticked, as the journal I sent it to is good, but not stellar, and the stellar journal wasn't nearly this critical. After I quickly read through the reviews, I had to go to class, so I was sort of blurry and upset, because I finally, finally thought I was in the tenure window, only to be sort of blown away by this news.

After class I wanted to sit in my office and obsess over every detail of the review and sulk and panic and freak and cry and whine and try to figure out where we are going to move since this is most certainly the paper that was going to get me tenure and now it isn't so I am DOOOooooOOOOmed. But, I didn't. I went to Body Pump with Mr. P. Then I took my book and got some dinner (HEALTHY dinner, I might add), then came back to work because I am giving two tests tomorrow, and well, they weren't written completely yet.

THEN, I sat in my office and obsessed over every detail of the review and sulked and panicked, etc., but then did a few quick literature searches, a couple of statistical analyses, and sure enough I realized...huh, no fatal flaws...the paper is going to be fine, even though I may not get a publication decision before my packet has to go in, it should still result in a published paper.

I just sorted of counted that publication chicken before that egg was hatched if you know what I mean...I was sure it would help me get to 10. Nope, so I hover at 8, hoping something will fall out of the sky and get accepted already. Academics rocks in oh.so.many.ways, but this publish or perish thing kind of bites ass.

9 comments:

Jen L. said...

Tenure is a scary, sort of evil process. We can publish, but mostly we are supposed to do "creative work." Don't you wish blogs counted? We'd have it made in the shade.

I"m so glad you had a little spa day! Getting your toes did (as my husband calls it) always makes things a little better.

DAVs said...

Who are these fools making you languish in the publish or perish hell?? Just publish you already! That's what I say. Who can I call/write/pester :)
Hope you get good news soon.

creative kerfuffle said...

yeah for you on the mini-spa day and boo over the reviewers who didn't pass that paper right on through! and, for the record, i'm totally impressed w/ your committment to the healthy lifestyle.

kilax said...

So after you change it, then you have to reapply for tenure? I didn't realize this was such a long process!

Anonymous said...

good job getting back on the health wagon, I'm trying to get there myself!

I hope you get some good news soon so you can enjoy the summer!

Alice said...

i definitely don't have the stamina for academia. i need fast! results! and quick gratification. am not patient.

wafelenbak said...

I'm so proud that after you panicked, obsessed, freaked out, and hyperventilated...you put your head up and went and did the next thing with your exercise and your eating. :)
I hope you can get this fixed quickly and relatively painlessly. This is probably one of 1,000 reasons why I never went past my Master's degree--so I give you props for having the strength to get this far!!

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Publish or perish is a huge issue for many academics. It's why many of them hate teaching. Because it gets in the way of research & publishing. Wish there was a way to make it better balanced, ya know?!

Astarte said...

I'm glad that you were able to take a step back and get perspective on the paper thing. It all sucks, but YOU don't!!!

Hoorah to the pedi, too. I really would love one of those.

 
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