When your go-to burnout management strategies stop working
“Have you become cynical or critical at work?” Well, my self-appointed nickname is Cynical Shawna. “Do you drag yourself to work and …
Trying (and failing) to care less
Normally when a new semester starts, I think about what I want to accomplish–for myself professionally, with my students, in the department/university. …
The emotional roller coaster of graduate advising
I wasn’t supposed to be in the office that Tuesday morning, but the deadline for a conference paper was looming, and I …
A little customer service gratitude this holiday season
Yesterday was A. Day. The kind where the drive home was a rumination of all the things I should’ve said, plus regret …
The fear of not feeling for Las Vegas
I was elbow deep in laundry, midway through Project De-Crapheap the House, when Mr. T asked if I had any desire to …
Exam time: I’m not “giving” grades
“Where did you see the score??” “She just posted them.” “When? I just looked awhile ago.” “No, like just posted.” I listened as …
All the feels
Anger. Irritation. Sadness. Engagement. Chagrin. Satisfaction. Pride. Possibility. As a researcher, I’m interested in how emotion influences communication. When I’m angry, how …
Rated R fridge art as diet motivation
Oh did you think I was going to show you the goods? “You’re going to want to remember this,” she said, wielding …
Stop bright-siding me
Chest heaving, I lay on the floor, clutching a knee and half-crying. I’d just tumbled head first into a stack of plastic …
Fly Girl in Training: When a simulated engine failure becomes a forced landing
Simulated engine failure turned actual emergency, definitely got my blood pumping! I pushed in the throttle. Instead of the usual roar of …