Tag Archives: PhD

Jaded academic seeks oblivion with the help of yellow jellied cocaine (Rousse)

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Dreamaticus

It took us a while to find the meeting on the top floor of a deserted University building. The venue was a formal board room, and it was packed. All the great and good were there, including KW who greeted … Continue reading →

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The tyranny of email (Rousse)

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Dreamaticus

I confessed to the PhD students that I was only capable of one main work activity. I had the option of either keeping on top of my email or accomplishing a specific task. To achieve both was impossible.

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Fears of adult children emigrating (Rousse)

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Dreamaticus

“It’s your mother on the phone” shouted TPR from the far side of our US hotel bedroom. I took the call. My mother had rung to discover the real reason why I was spending so much time at the ‘other’ … Continue reading →

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From student accommodation in Sheffield to unwelcome attention in the garden (Rousse)

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Dreamaticus

I left the conference with a PhD student who was also heading north. She offered me a bed for the night in her student house in Sheffield, which I willingly accepted – and then instantly regretted as we walked through … Continue reading →

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A second PhD (Rousse)

Posted on July 26, 2015 by Dreamaticus

They say that you should never go back, but I still took the job at Queen Margaret University – and embarked on study towards another PhD.

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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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Doctoral degree entry requirements: Oxford and Edinburgh (Rousse)

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Dreamaticus

All the others were clutching revision notes as we entered the exam hall. I had nothing in my hands because I had done no preparation whatsoever. So what if SH got a first and I failed? Then I started to … Continue reading →

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A PhD on wind turbines (Rousse)

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Dreamaticus

B’s PhD thesis was beautifully presented. Everything was well laid out on the highest quality paper, with a fluent and compelling narrative. I had always thought that he was conducting research into the efficiency of wind turbines, yet – so … Continue reading →

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A double birthday surprise – with Moomins (Rousse)

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Dreamaticus

The first part of my birthday treat was an afternoon spent in the luxury top apartment of the block. We simply did a switch with our landladies (one of whom was friends with David Bowie) for the weekend. While we … Continue reading →

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Tiny disabled Chinese criminal forced to live in a pocket (Rousse)

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Dreamaticus

OC’s new charge was a tiny disabled Chinese ex-con with a miniscule human head and the plastic body of an Action Mall doll. He’d given up his life of crime after his gang leaders found he was more of a … Continue reading →

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