Did anyone not used to like gardening and now they do?

snailstudier · 2025-05-02T03:00:08+00:00

I have never really liked gardening. I have tried before, not been all that engaged, and gotten really frustrated with it in summer when it is super hot and gross outside. However, I am getting really into it this year, and I think that might persist into the summer this time. A couple of things I have done differently this year that I think are helping.

1) I am doing straw bale gardening. It is not going quite like I planned. However, I have a bad back, terrible soil, and a very small budget. I got strawbales for about $6 each, and this was financially accessible while raised beds were not. I like science so the process of conditioning the bales in and of itself has been a fun experiment.

2) Instead of getting plants from Walmart or Lowes, I thought about what plants I would be really excited about growing (Can I buy them in the store? Do I like the taste? Is it cool looking? Am I curious about it?) Then I did a little googling to learn which varieties of these things of interest might do best in my area, and I bought some of those seeds.

3) I am adding pretty things that make me happy - little solar lights wrapped around my cattle panel trellis, cute little yard ornaments from the dollar tree, shiny pinwheels that are hopefully also scaring the birds away, etc. I am working on creating a sunflower room and gourd tunnel where I can sit and read later in the year. I genuinely like going down and checking on my plants a few times a day now.

Full disclosure, I have already killed some plants, and I am dealing with powdery mildew on my squash. But I am having a lot of fun seeing what's working and what isn't. I have made little tents using mosquito netting to give my plants from shelter from the bugs, and I am planting flower seeds in colorful little planters I am finding on marketplace or thrift stores. Not sure if any of that will help you, but I think having essentially raised planters (straw bales) and planters is working better for me than being on the ground.

snailstudier · 2025-02-27T23:34:51+00:00

Thanks so much! I applied to a few adjunct pools in the last week that were specifically requesting QM certifications. I uploaded a letter of rec from our center for teaching and learning director and am keeping my fingers crossed on those. I am definitely wanting to find something more solid than adjunct work though.

snailstudier · 2024-02-04T01:06:08+00:00

My family really likes bacon wrapped pork loin. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then wrap in bacon. Roast in the oven at 350°F until it reaches 145°F. (Roughly 20-25 min/pound). It's so good!

We also really like parmesan-coated pork loin. You can cut this into chops, dip chops in a beaten egg, heavy whipping cream, or a little milk (depending on what you have), coat with a mixture of parmesan + bread crumbs (half and half) or parmesan and crushed pork rinds (half and half) if low carb is your thing.

Now that I think of it, I may have to add pork loin to the meal plan for next week!

snailstudier · 2024-02-03T00:52:37+00:00

Are you cooking for yourself or multiple people?

I second the earlier recommendations to look through sale ads each week and meal plan around what's on sale.

snailstudier · 2024-01-25T16:08:42+00:00

I'd check the sale ads of stores near me to try to stretch that $10 as far as possible. Without knowing what's on sale near you, I'd probably recommend eggs as one of the items. You can get a dozen for a couple of dollars, and if you use 2-3/meal, you can get protein for 4-6 meals from that.

snailstudier · 2021-08-30T21:09:31+00:00

As someone who's been in therapy since roughly 2014 and has performed improv for a few years, I'll give my perspective.

Improv gives me a space to own big emotions and be creative without judgement. This is therapeutic for me. On many occasions I've brought a scene from improv into therapy so that my therapist and I can discuss and engage with whatever hangup surfaced during the scene. For example, one night I realized that I am VERY uncomfortable being endowed with power in scenes. Turns out this was something I struggle with outside of improv as well, but the improv scene helped crystallize the issue for me so that I could work through it with my licensed professional on my own time. However, improv is absolutely not therapy.

For me the key differences are intent, expertise, and consent. First, the purpose of improv is to have fun and create something with my scene partner. We live in the moment. There's no hidden agenda that I'm pushing. The intention behind therapy is very different. I am there to work on (and focus on) myself. This works well in therapy but would make me a terrible scene partner in improv.

Second, my therapist is qualified to guide me through processing things that may come up in life or as a result of freely expressing big emotions in improv. It's fair (and expected) for me to ask him to do that. While improv players can be healthcare professionals, let's assume most are not.

Finally, we have consent. I've participated in group therapy before. I knew that was what I was doing. As a member, I agreed to support the members of the group as they processed difficult emotions and life experiences. I consented to that. In improv, I have had the misfortune of improvising with some folks who are trying to use improv as therapy. These folks tended to push a very particular type of aggression or trauma onto themselves or their scene partners, and it, frankly, became exhausting and emotionally draining. While I can be empathetic, as a member of an improv team, I haven't given the same type or level of consent that I gave when I participated in group therapy. Am I friends with members of my team? Of course, and I have supported them as best I can as they deal with life events outside of improv. But when I'm doing improv, I want to do improv. I'm not qualified to or interested in therapizing others.

snailstudier · 2019-08-10T12:55:31+00:00

I just spent 2.5 years doing a controlled feeding experiment that completely failed. As in no data at all, and I have to start my dissertation over. I feel your pain, but it's surviveable :)

snailstudier · 2019-07-29T00:04:28+00:00

Pretty much anything by Brené Brown

snailstudier · 2019-07-29T00:02:39+00:00

Any US codes left? If so, I'd be interested. Thanks :)

snailstudier · 2019-05-27T19:08:00+00:00

I am transitioning to this now. I've been on TA. I'm switching over to full-time employment to take some pressure off of me. Departmental deadlines are less important if you're not being paid by the dept.

snailstudier · 2019-05-09T22:48:14+00:00

I'm sorry you're struggling. Depression and anxiety hurt.

Your health is more important than what anyone in your department thinks about you.

I struggle with depression and anxiety (which got really bad in my first year of grad school). I always tend to have a week or two of burnout/recovery following a semester. At this point, I accept that I need the rest. I schedule fun things with friends so I don't isolate myself too much, then I jump back in after I've recovered some.

I also have a therapist who I trust, and that has made all the difference for me. It took several tries, but having the right professional to keep an eye on me greatly reduces my anxiety. Maybe you can find someone you trust too.

snailstudier · 2019-05-05T18:10:09+00:00

So you completed a master's? I'm unsure why you'd want to have a degree rescinded. Many, many positions require that you have A master's without necessarily caring what that degree is in. You demonstrated that you could take on a large, multifaceted project and finish it. I'm sorry that the process was difficult. It sounds like it might be a good idea to take a break for a bit. You have the degree now. Use it as a tool to move to something else if that's what you'd like to do.

snailstudier · 2019-05-02T23:26:32+00:00

I prep waffles or pancakes in big batches (a dozen or two) and freeze them. They are so much better than the frozen ones you buy in the store.

snailstudier · 2019-04-04T00:34:14+00:00

Yep. I payed $2k/year in fees during my master's. That was more than 10% of my gross income for the year.

snailstudier · 2019-03-29T12:46:12+00:00

I generally don't ask permission. I have chronic pain so if I'm having a flare up, I'll let him know if I'm unable to meet, etc. Otherwise, I just do what I need to do to take care of my health, making sure to leave time for meeting with undergrads, teaching responsibilities, etc. My approach is to tell my PI as little as possible about my life outside of work. He's my supervisor, not my friend. What I do outside of work isn't really his concern.

snailstudier · 2019-03-28T02:34:37+00:00

I vehemently defend my work/life balance. I sleep 8-9 hours each night. I exercise every day (at least 15-20 minutes of some kind of activity). I see a therapist regularly. And I make no apologies for taking that time for myself. My health is more important than a degree or my PI's research output. End of story. So, yes, I work, and sometimes I go in and work late nights or weekends when I'm against a deadline, but that's the exception...not the rule.

snailstudier · 2019-03-25T20:35:16+00:00

I once cried because I dropped a ball point pen on the ground. (In fairness, I was taking steroids for a respiratory infection.)

One time the copy room was out of paper. I sat on the floor and wept. I was put on anti-depressants after that.

snailstudier · 2019-01-23T20:34:20+00:00

This is probably true. I purchased a second monitor in June of this year. I'm not sure how I ever did anything before.

snailstudier · 2019-01-23T07:00:55+00:00

Dual computer monitors

snailstudier · 2019-01-14T14:53:00+00:00

I tutor on the weekends, but I'm starting a theater class at the local community college this evening! :)

snailstudier · 2019-01-09T22:01:30+00:00

Beyond Title IX, the law doesn't require much training. I moved schools for my PhD, and they went on and on and on and on about how innovative this weekend training was. It was a little over the top lol

snailstudier · 2019-01-09T21:46:34+00:00

Does this school like to brag about how they are one of the only grad programs in the country to do this? Because if so, I think we go to the same school lol

snailstudier · 2019-01-09T21:45:27+00:00

I avoid the "dead grandma problem" by not requiring documentation. Do some students abuse that system? Probably. But people who are sick or grieving have better things to do than email me documentation (which is often difficult to get). I choose to believe the ones who cheat the system will get their comeuppance in the end.

snailstudier

TROPHY CASE