Tag Archives: PhD

Condensed milk cures homesickness amongst British ex-pats (Rousse)

Whoever thought that I was qualified to examine a PhD in Latin on the French Enlightenment needed their head examining. Four of us gathered for the viva around a table in an over-heated room at the end of a long … Continue reading

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Doctor doctor, where did the PhD graduate sign on? (Rousse)

The good news was that I passed my second PhD. I proudly boasted that I had beaten VE to the title of “Doctor Doctor”. However, I still needed to find a job, and in the meantime decide whether I would … Continue reading

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PhD student pantomime is a joke (Rousse)

I despaired at the early rehearsals of the PhD pantomime. The acting was truly terrible, and now the students hoped that I would save the day by playing the role of the lead villain. My contribution was pathetic. Only my … Continue reading

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Top dog collars (Rousse)

This woman was impressive. A former barrister, she was now training as a priest and studying for a PhD at the same time. Most of all I admired her compromise clerical outfit: smart trousers topped with a fashionable roll neck … Continue reading

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Another PhD and the police (Rousse)

I successfully defended my second doctoral thesis so it was now entirely legitimate for me to call myself Dr Dr. However, the celebrations would have to wait because everyone had rushed outside to watch the extraordinary activities of the police … Continue reading

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A morning movie, confectionary choices, and a strange site for seaweed (Rousse)

I watched BC’s latest movie in the campus cinema at the bottom of the tower block. As usual, I didn’t quite understand the whole thing, but very much enjoyed the experience, as did BC’s other fans. At the film’s conclusion … Continue reading

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Simon Cowell and Outlook calendar chaos (Rousse)

Simon Cowell gave me a big hug and congratulated me on my recent work. Then I got back to the Sunday afternoon business of working out how on earth I would fit in a visit to the University of Birmingham … Continue reading

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The farmer PhD supervisor and Motown hopefuls (Rousse)

This was the strangest of PhD tutorials. The chair of the session sat at the front of a room and a full class of students, most of whom looked like undergraduates listening in on the discussions. What surprised me most … Continue reading

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How to get (another) PhD (Rousse)

The Birmingham University reunion switched venue to Aberystwyth. There I caught up with SC, HW and CP and others – supposedly to reminisce about our undergraduate days, but in practice to moan about the deficiencies of the modern-day husband. Also … Continue reading

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When medieval art fails to impress (Rousse)

The other external examiner shared my concerns regarding the PhD thesis. “What are these postcards of medieval stained glass windows doing in the appendices?” she cried. “This is simply pretentious!”

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