Tag Archives: student

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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged email, impossible, PhD, student, task, tyranny, work | Leave a comment

Trapped underground with University Challenge contestant Oscar Powell (Rousse)

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Dreamaticus

I was asked at very short notice to run a feedback with session with a small set of students. I was therefore very surprised to see the large number gathered when I arrived 20 minutes late in the designated room. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged assistant, badge, basement, boss, brain, Cambridge, computer, corridor, feedback, label, name, Oscar Powell, Peterhouse, rescue, room, staff, student, trap, underground, University Challenge | Leave a comment

Assignment deadline mix-up (Rousse)

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Dreamaticus

I was proud of my student who advised the stranger on the street of impending assignment submission deadlines. However, I felt that I had to butt in and say that this sort of enquiry should really be routed to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged assignment, critical, deadline, enquiry, kindness, mix-up, office, proud, school, stranger, student, submission | Leave a comment

Unheeded feedback and the magical properties of water (Rousse)

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Dreamaticus

Once again I was astonished by the versatility of my colleague C. Sitting to the left of me, he chaired Monday’s meeting – while simultaneously presenting his report in person from the other side of the table. I liked C’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged chair, colleague, cords, departure, early, elephant, emerald, examiner, feedback, Friday, green, khaki, ladies, magic, meeting, Monday, present, properties, property, remark, report, rousers, spill, student, table, toilets, transform, versitility, water | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged adult, Atlantic, bedroom, call, Canada, child, children, conference, conversation, emigrate, father, fear, fears, forever, hotel, kid, kids, leave, mother, PhD, phone, presentation, sister, student, tone, TPR, voive | Leave a comment

Supervising students while sailing (Rousse)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Dreamaticus

It was a tough call: two honours project students needed attention, but my pals NP and GB had called in to see if I would come out to play. What made it more difficult was that we were all on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bare, beach, boat, chest, doctor, global, Hebrides, Hello, honours, magazine, office, pal, play, project, recede, sail, student, students, supervise, supervision, tropical, tropics, warming | Leave a comment

Dr Who is engaged (Rousse)

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Dreamaticus

Two overweight female students were selling embroidered handkerchiefs packaged prettily in flat cardboard boxes with clear plastic lids. Stitched into the cloth were the words ‘To commemorate the engagement of Dr Who and Sophie Best’. This was the perfect gift … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged box, Canada, cardboard, cloth, colleague, commemorative, cousin, Dr Who, embroider, female, gift, handkerchief, lid, overweight, plastic, post, Sophie Best, stitch, student | Leave a comment

Stage scaling and an overgrown Brownie (Rousse)

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Dreamaticus

The venue for my talk was a vast lecture hall that held hundreds, and it was packed. From my spot on stage I recognised many faces from from the information world in the audience. Amongst them were groups of students … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged audience, Birmingham, Birmingham University, break, brown, Brownie, carve, charge, dexterity, embarrass, fish, hall, help, lecture, library, media, procession, protocol, rock face, scale, shoal, stage, step, strength, student, swim, talk, training, university, University of Birmingham, venue, yellow | Leave a comment

A bargain cashmere cache (Rousse)

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Dreamaticus

I found an old-fashioned hand-knitted royal blue cashmere cardigan inside the envelope sent to me by BB. The price-tag on it said £25. Although it was tiny and wouldn’t fit me, I thought that that the cardigan might be suitable … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged £25, bag, bargain, blue, buyer, cache, cardigan, cashmere, design, envelope, faded, fashion, fit, garment, hand-knit, interior, international, jumper, niece, old-fashioned, royal, scarf, student | Leave a comment

Hunting for tattoos and finding flab (Rousse)

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Dreamaticus

XY pulled down the waistband of my denim shorts from behind. He claimed that he was checking my (non-existent) tattoo. Whatever he was doing, I was not happy that this act drew attention to my flab. LM was appalled. She … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged class, denim, flab, humiliation, hunt, shorts, student, tattoo, waistband | Leave a comment