Piled Higher and Deeper

Although I mostly try to avoid whining here about my day-to-day stress and to-do lists, every few months I feel like I could use a cathartic public display of the things that wake me up in a panic.

Today is May 16th, by this time next month 3 huge mountains have to be summitted. And I am going to be on the road for 2 of the intervening weeks. I leave May 26th, so there are certain number of things which must be accomplished before I leave because of access to computer programs and facilities. The rest, theoretically, could be done while traveling, but days and evenings are pretty full up already. My chest gets tight just thinking about it.

Paper 1 (revise and resubmit) The journal gave me three months to deal with the edits, but suddenly that doesn't seem enough. I only have until June 7.

1. Figure 1 needs some final tinkering.
   
2. Figure 8 needs to be completely redrafted (before 5/26).
   
3. Last major group of reviewer comments/complaints must be addressed. This involves redoing a major piece of data analysis (once I figure out what they want) and then rewriting the methods, results, and discussion sections that describe it.
4. Table 3 needs to be redone to reflect the changes resulting from number 2.
   
5. Text edits needs to be completed throughout the paper.
6. My response to the reviewer comments needs to be written.
7. The paper needs to be resubmitted.

Project 3 formerly: grant-on-the-side; now: part of my diss.; consequence: long-term stress decrease, short term panic

1. Trip plans must be completed (before 5/26)
   
2. Regression modeling needs to be redone (before 5/26)
3. Figures for poster/paper need to be drafted (before 5/26)
4. Poster layout should be tentatively in place so I know what figures I'll need (before 5/26)
5. Rough draft of the paper needs to be written so I know what figures I'll need and so the co-authors have at least a nominal chance to offer comments (before 5/26)
6. Poster must be printed, conference begins (6/7)
7. Paper must be submitted for inclusion in special volume resulting from conf. (6/16)

Codename: HeadacheThe pre-doc post-doc

1. Plane tix must be bought (Chica - Can I stay with you the 29th-2nd?) (5/18)
   
2. Experimental design must be finalized and apparatus built (5/26)

Balls that will be dropped

1. The mostly completed draft of Paper 2 that's been sitting on my computer for the past month.
2. The field sites I haven't been to since February.
3. The presentation to the funding agency (damn it, that's what advisors are supposed to do.)
4. The biking, dog walking, eating well, and sleeping
5. Taking Sunday off.
6. Blogging?