Tag Archives: university

University finance genius earns special treatment (Rousse)

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

DM brought a sudden end to the lunch party, reminding her guests that some important afternoon commitments now required her attention. As she shooed us out of the door, she checked that I had remembered to collect my raspberries and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bay, cursive, finance, fruit, genius, ledger, lunch, party, potatoes, raspberries, redcurrants, script, scullery, special, tin, treatment, university | Leave a comment

Contributing to a Media and Cultural Studies compilation in Canada (Rousse)

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I had only volunteered to review a couple of papers, so it came as a shock to be told that everyone taking part in the compilation of the book was also expected to write a chapter on a relevant theoretical … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bar, bus, campus, Canada, chapter, city, colleagues, compilation, drink, lift, lost, media and cultural studies, model, paper, professor, review, theory, university | Leave a comment

Two double beds, four American exchange students, and an older woman (Rousse)

Posted on May 10, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I soon guessed WB’s plan when she invited me to spend the day with her at her ex-husband AB’s house in the country: matchmaking. I willingly made the visit with her, but also insisted afterwards that the pair of us … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged American, bed, biology, campus, degree, double, ex-husband, exchange, matchmake, old, student, threesome, university | Leave a comment

In defence of the ‘Nonsense Norwegian’ (Rousse)

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Dreamaticus

The residential staff retreat was a dreary affair. As I stood in a queue waiting for my turn to take part in the next ‘exciting’ activity – charity shop shopping – my mother-in-law lifted my woollen jumper to check that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blade, charity, cousin, defence, Edinburgh, hall, jumper, lecture, mother-in-law, navigation, nonsense, Norwegian, Nottingham, poke, retreat, shop, shoulder, suit, technology, university | Leave a comment

Housework for a ride (Rousse)

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I had an appointment to meet Steve Rickman in his office at the university at 8:00am. It wasn’t far along the coast, so I planned to walk along the shoreline to our rendezvous. I hadn’t considered that this would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged America, campus, guest, house, housework, lift, meeting, phone, ride, sea, shoreline, tide, university, US | Leave a comment

Identifying elite US and UK universities (Rousse)

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I told a gaggle of American students that everything that I had ever learnt about elite US universities came from watching films. They were impressed that this ‘strategy’ of mine was so successful. I then asked them if they could … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged American, Cambridge, Edinburgh, elite, higher education, library, Newcastle, Oxford, top, UK, universities, university, US | Leave a comment

Riding a water envelope is more fun than house clearing and lecturing (Rousse)

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Dreamaticus

When we were recalled to my parents’ house to finish the clearing job, we admired the garden in the beautiful spring sunshine. Our progress was slow, especially because all the utilities had been disconnected. Even the simplest of tasks, such … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged beach, boat, cave, clean, clear, envelope, father, house, lecture, mother, parent, ride, salami, sister, sports, TPR, university, water, wine | Leave a comment

Shamed at a Newcastle University seminar (Rousse)

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Dreamaticus

TPR and I travelled to Newcastle for two visits to my mother in her care home. Between the visits, TPR consulted physics text books in Newcastle University library, then we both attended a research seminar in the School of Fine … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged campus, care home, fine art, head, library, mother, Newcastle, physics, school, seminar, shame, TPR, university | Leave a comment

Proof-reading in the bunker (Rousse)

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Dreamaticus

The University was almost bankrupt, yet needed more space to house its staff. The only option was to dig underground. BP invited me to ‘the bunker’ to proof-read an important document. Just hours before the deadline, however, the first draft … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bunker, deadline, document, proof, proof-read, read, space, university | Leave a comment

Lion cubs join Oxford University for freshers week (Rousse)

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Dressed only in a navy blue towel, I wandered around chilly Oxford cursing the snow – and TPR, now onto the xth affair of our marriage. The new undergraduates looked both puzzled and proud at their achievement of winning places … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged academic, affair, cousin, cub, daughter, father, grandmother, house, lion, marriage, Oxford, parent, sister, snow, son, TPR, undergraduate, university, year | Leave a comment