Tag Archives: conference

Penguins suits and a smell (Rousse)

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Dreamaticus

The twins made a huge effort with their outfits for the conference. They dressed in not-quite-identical penguin suits. The slightly larger one had also dyed her strawberry blond hair black, making it much easier for strangers to distinguish the two … Continue reading →

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An unprofessional conference chair (Rousse)

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Dreamaticus

The keynote speaker – Professor EG from Berlin – was so excited to see me that she stretched out her hand and brushed my arm. I recoiled in horror. How could she be unaware that we were still social distancing … Continue reading →

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Social embarrassment of hotel lift claustrophobia with a 3-foot man (Rousse)

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Dreamaticus

While BD entertained his colleagues at the conference by prancing around in a pair of pink gift-tie ‘ear-rings’, I sought the stairs to return to my hotel room to pack. The only set of stairs that I could find comprised … Continue reading →

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An unplanned wedding and retro hooligans (Belle)

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Dreamaticus

When I checked the agenda at the Women in Industry event, I was horrified to see that an afternoon session had been set aside for me to marry D, a married man with a thousand children I’d crushed on for … Continue reading →

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Manchester venue sought, good acoustics essential (Rousse)

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Dreamaticus

There was very little that could be salvaged from the manuscript after the reviewers savaged it, so I gave up on the job and instead responded to EH’s pleas for help. Just pregnant with her third child, EH was dealing … Continue reading →

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Sleeping in reception and a London lay-over (Rousse)

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Dreamaticus

I climbed into my bed in the lobby of the London hotel under the watchful eye of the staff on the reception desk. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, one of them informed me that a PhD student … Continue reading →

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Hugh Grant returns (Rousse)

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Dreamaticus

Hugh Grant was back in town. His  time was short, but he knew his priorities – to spend the afternoon with me and JK on the lower floor of the conference venue. Those busy working upstairs had no idea.

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Bring your own bacon (Belle)

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Dreamaticus

I wasn’t managing the conference stress very well. When a delegate requested a bacon sandwich, I jumped up on stage and shouted “Buy your own bloody pig!” over the microphone.

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Conference paper submissions and a chicken breast (Rousse)

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Dreamaticus

Head of department JH hauled six of us into his office. He was furious that the PhD students had ‘stupidly’ submitted their draft conference paper submissions for peer review to unworthy colleagues in a ‘nutty evangelical gay Methodist’ further education … Continue reading →

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Fiona Bruce fake friend (Rousse)

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Dreamaticus

At the first conference Fiona Bruce treated me with respect, and even gave the impression that she would like to be my friend. That said, she still managed to convey a sense of superiority over the academic delegates. It did … Continue reading →

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