Tag Archives: American

Sir Sean Connery and Simon Cowell appalled by aging actress’ wig (Rousse)

From the fourth row in the stalls my student party had a very clear view of Sir Sean Connery, Simon Cowell and the rest of the panel on stage. I watched Sir Sean closely when the star performer of the … Continue reading

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Friday afternoons in academia (Rousse)

If the funding councils knew how we spent our Friday afternoons, they would probably close us down immediately. A selection of my favourite colleagues – including MR, AM (normally resident at another university), JLW (not an academic) and an American … Continue reading

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A rummage through an atheist’s wardrobe (Rousse)

I’d had enough of this religious twaddle. “Listen”, I said “You may be American, but someone has to tell you all that (a) there is no God, and (b) we don’t go to heaven when we die”. As soon as … Continue reading

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Unanswered questions on the bibliographic control of Twitter lists (Rousse)

I sat, then stood, at the left hand side of the conference hall, my hand high in the air to indicate that I had a question for the speaker. So why did the chair of the session ignore me? Was … Continue reading

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Unappreciative Christmas guests (Rousse)

The flat was bursting with visitors, the majority of whom were students with nowhere to stay over Christmas. There were two shy Chinese girls and one Chinese boy, a Korean boy sporting a huge mop of jet black hair, a … Continue reading

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Unexpected advice on the cultivation of dahlias (Rousse)

As I walked across the exam room I started to argue the value of timed written assessments that comprise a compulsory multiple choice section followed by a choice of two essay questions from a selection of five. The invigilator hoping … Continue reading

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An unaccompanied visit to New York’s Robertson Library (Rousse)

I agreed to meet the others at the same patisserie where we had enjoyed breakfast earlier in the day. A round of cakes would set us up nicely prior to catching our flight back to the UK after this US … Continue reading

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Dangerous driving in the United States (Rousse)

After a quiet Christmas Day, TPR and I set off to visit KR. It was a long time since we had driven in the US, and the first time that we had taken our own right-hand drive vehicle on the … Continue reading

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Mia Farrow generously shares Nicolas Cage and Jack Nicholson with Rousse

I was having an affair with Nicolas Cage. The drawback was that I was sharing him with Mia Farrow. Then she swapped him for someone else and – lo and behold – I was now expected join her and fall … Continue reading

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Gordon Brown in the background while Rousse begs bags for belongings

Ugh – teenagers! I was helping two young friends pack up their university accommodation at the end of term. They were hopeless, unable to decide what to keep and what to throw away, virtually inert while I did all the … Continue reading

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