Tag Archives: PhD

A PhD in Paris (Rousse)

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Dreamaticus

I was living in Paris, where I shared an enormous communal bedroom with a bunch of strangers. However, I was not always completely friendless: one day PA, JB and CS from my first secondary school passed through as temporary residents. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged back, bedroom, boarding house, clothes, communal, dress, fat, Friends, overweight, Paris, PhD, Philadelphia, resident, residents, resolution, room-mate, room-mates, school, stranger, strangers, TPR, underwear, weather | Leave a comment

Unexpected advice on the cultivation of dahlias (Rousse)

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Dreamaticus

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged admin, administrative, advice, American, assessment, assessments, British, campus, conversation, counter, cultivation, dahlia, dahlias, essay, essays, exam, hotel, interior design, invigilator, multiple choice, paper, papers, PhD, propagation, public, reception, receptionist, receptionists, registry, staff, student, students, summer, university | Leave a comment

The smoker of Stockton-on-Tees (Rousse)

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Dreamaticus

By complete coincidence all the people at our end of the table were from Stockton-on-Tees. There was even a spot for my brother-in-law MF, despite his lack of PhD. Of course, ST had sneaked in (as usual). It amused me … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blood, bloodstream, brother-in-law, fix, meal, nicotine, PhD, smoker, smoking, Stockton, Stockton-on-Tees, table | Leave a comment

Spiderwoman student adds to academic’s workload woes (Rousse)

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Dreamaticus

I needed to speak urgently to PhD student S. I could see her out of the window from my office in the tower block on campus. I called out to her and she said that she would come up straight … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged block, brickwork, building, campus, carpentry, crutches, frame, gap, office, pane, PhD, spider, Spiderwoman, stairs, student, superhero, tower, towerblock, window, woman, workload | Leave a comment

REF submission blunder paves path to BBC2 science career (Rousse)

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Dreamaticus

In the closing session of the Finnish conference GW called the speakers on stage one by one to present them all with small thank you gifts. Inside my parcel I found a khaki green cotton skirt and four types of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BBC2, bead, beads, bubble gum, carrot, chain, combat, compliment, conference, cotton, disappearance, documentary, e-mail, family, Finland, Finnish, garnet, garnets, GCSE, gift, gifts, gold, home, jamboree, Orange, panel, parcel, pendant, PhD, pink, present, presenter, presents, REF2014, rhomboid, rhomboids, science, sea, set, shell, sister, skirt, speaker, speakers, stage, TPR, trousers, UCL, University College London, verdigris, white | Leave a comment

A cat-assisted attempt to avoid divorce (Rousse)

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Dreamaticus

There was only one way that I would find time to do my own research ever again: to register for a second PhD. I considered several options. I could return to the University of Birmingham where I had studied as … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged African, Annandale Street, attempt, badge, badges, Birmingham, Birmingham University, boyfriend, cat, Claremont Crescent, dance, dancing, director, divorce, door, doorbell, dress, East Claremont Street, Ediburgh, ex-husband, eyes, garden, home, husband, identity, initials, lecturer, lights, marking, metal, Newcastle University, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University, parent, parents, PhD, railings, reconciliation, research, TPR, university, University of Birmingham, University of Newcastle, University of Oxford, wall | Leave a comment

Red wine stains no longer a problem with Rousse’s special distillation

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Dreamaticus

We were meant to be discussing PhD studentships, but I could tell that the committee members were far more interested in the four unopened bottles of red wine in my possession. When I eventually suggested serving a few glasses, D … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bottle, bottles, carpet, cork, corking, glass, glasses, glassware, home brew, oriental, parents, PhD, problem, red, rug, silk, stain, stains, student, students, studentships, test tube, test tubes, TPR, uncork, uncorking, wine | Leave a comment

Tried and tested techniques for keeping young, travelling free of charge on the M1, and repelling criminals (Rousse)

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Dreamaticus

Have you ever wondered how to keep young, which is the cheapest form of travel between Leeds and London, and how can you best avoid the attention of burglars? If so, read on… How to keep young I was under … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged belongings, burglar, burglars, cage, coach, comfort, criminal, criminals, fare, father-in-law, free, how to, Leeds, London, M1, metal, motorway, office, paid, pay, PhD, repel, repelling, retire, retirement, safe. safety, stranger, student, students, supervision, technique, techniques, travel, travelling, young | Leave a comment

A grandmother, assorted colleagues, South American doctoral studies, and an ex-boyfriend (Rousse)

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Dreamaticus

The venue for KB’s last meeting before she finally retired was the sitting room of my grandmother’s house in Hexham. My last visit to the house was in 1992, but little had changed in 20 years. I tested the comfort … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1992, academic, bedroom, boyfriend, carpet, colleague, colleagues, comfort, distress, doctoral, door, ex, ex-boyfriend, garage, grandmother, granny, green, Hexham, house, lecturer, meeting, PhD, porch, retire, sitting room, sofa, South American, student, students, studies, study, studying, supervise, supervising, supervision | Leave a comment

How to speak French – again (Rousse)

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I was back at the University of Birmingham under the care of Mr H. He questioned my motivation for joining the second year class. What was I doing here? Didn’t I already hold a first degree, as well as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Birmingham, Birmingham University, degree, doctorate, French, learn, Masters, PhD, speak, university, University of Birmingham | Leave a comment