Author Archives: Dreamaticus

Hebridean pursuits: cycling, flying, and wildlife (Rousse)

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Dreamaticus

We met the French cyclists when they came off the North Uist ferry. Exhausted and soaked, they were not happy tourists. We agreed that the Hebridean weather was not the easiest and, as illustration, I demonstrated how I could launch … Continue reading →

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Project crisis ‘cured’ with spray-on white hair and wedding invitations (Rousse)

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Dreamaticus

Our work was barely progressing from one meeting to the next so we decided that the only course of action open to us now was to bring the project to an end and cut our losses. One of the team … Continue reading →

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Bedsit Bernard (Rousse)

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Dreamaticus

I agreed to take on a fellow academic from another institution as my PhD student. He had told everyone that his name was Bernard, but I knew that he was really an Italian national and, as such, his real name … Continue reading →

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How to fight off an unwanted suitor (Rousse)

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Dreamaticus

The man begged me for a date. I agreed to go for a walk with him, but insisted that he first take a look at my left hand. I was a very married woman.

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An unprepared book group member (Rousse)

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Dreamaticus

Although it wasn’t an official book group meeting, when I joined the table at EH’s house it was soon obvious that I should have read some journal articles in preparation for the discussion. At this rate TPR was in a … Continue reading →

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A cell in a cell (Rousse)

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Dreamaticus

The prison population was growing. Even I was now a member. Each day I handed my mobile phone over for recharging so that I would at least have some entertainment in my cell.

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Not so pretty in pink (Rousse)

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Dreamaticus

As a reward for taking on extra responsibilities at work, XY was provided a suite of rooms to decorate to his own specifications. He left the dull pink bathroom as it was, but had the walls redecorated using remnants of … Continue reading →

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Visual aid throw-back (Rousse)

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Dreamaticus

Green pen in hand, it wasn’t until I was on my tenth acetate that it dawned on me that it would make more sense to create the visual aids for my conference presentation in PowerPoint. It was the twenty-first century … Continue reading →

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Funding front-runner is boy from Limerick (Rousse)

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Dreamaticus

The students were a little bewildered when I gave each of them a sheet of flipchart paper and the instruction to list the priorities of their proposed research. Somehow we would use this output to determine who would get the … Continue reading →

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A Norwegian odyssey (Rousse)

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Dreamaticus

TPR took out the map and showed me the route. He was going to catch a boat from Newcastle to Norway, then cycle the length of the famous fjords. I was not invited because – as his wife – it … Continue reading →

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