Postcards from Spain

Dear Head of Department,
Here we are at the margin of Europe.
It is an ideal place to study cross-cultural interaction
and the contemporary challenges of transition
from an agricultural and fishing subsistence economy
to the wider boundaries of tourism
and transient ex-patriate communities.
I am out of shot carrying the First Aid Kit.
I am working hard...
Yours, most sincerely,
Alice


original post

First Day of Term

MrsM slept soundly
and woke feeling rested
which was just as well...

La grasse matinée

because she had completely forgotten
what the first day of term feels like:

invoicesexpenseandpayclaims;
examquestionsassessedwork
employmentcontractsattendanceissues;
insuranceagreementsworkshopadvertising...

and...the Spain Field Trip...

MrsM has been distracted
but she needs to plan her wardrobe urgently
because she departs on Sunday.

At the Races

This little number will be perfect for field work:

note the responsible use of sun hat
and day sack for first aid kit.

La Madeleine

This outfit will blend in nicely
for the in-depth study of cafe culture.

Julia

There may be an occasional evening expedition
and MrsM want to be prepared
and observe the local dress code.

After the Ball

Finally, MrsM plans to travel in this.
She is required to be on campus
at 3.15am on Sunday morning
and she wants to look stylish
when she collapses with exhaustion
on Sunday afternoon.

*****

All paintings by Ramon Casas i Carbó (1866 - 1932),
Catalan artist and contributor to Modernisme movement.

original post

at the end of the day

This young man standing at my door, looking slightly dazed, has just been examined on his thesis. It was a two hour analysis of his research by two academic experts and was the culmination of three and a half years of fieldwork, reading, writing, rewriting, rerewriting. He has passed with distinction and I am the first person that he has seen since he stepped out of the room where the viva was held.

I grasp him by the hand and congratulate him...he is Dr now and will never be plain Mr again. We talk about his plans for the future and I know that he will work hard and be successful on whatever road he chooses to travel.

Finally, he gets the bound thesis out of his bag and shows me the front page where my name is included in the acknowledgements. It is completely unexpected and I try to think what I could have done that would be worthy of such a privilege. The only thing that I can think of is that I listened to him and encouraged him.

And I am overcome.

original post

First Aid for Geographers

Baines and Humphrey killing a crocodile
© Royal Geographical Society with IBG

O People of Blogland
do you remember the mad sock man?
I bring good tidings!
The mad sock man has an older brother
and he comes out of the wilderness
to teach First Aid to Geographers.

Wilderness Man wears three shades of sand:
Gobi sand trousers;
Kalahari sand shirts
and Negev sand waistcoat.
The waistcoat is accessorized with badges multiple
(think of an extreme outdoors organisation
and the badge is there looking weatherbeaten);
carabiners dangle from pockets
and the belt has three pouches of different sizes
which have obviously been hand crafted
from deer? bison? musk ox? that he has shot.
He has different sized multi task tools
for different environments
(city/high altitude/white water rivers)
but they are all useless in comparision
to the handforged knife with carved handle
that has travelled with him since he was a lad.
His mates have all served in Special Forces
and so he can do surgery
using only gaffer tape and pieces of roll mat.
It is a matter of minutes to make a stretcher
out of 40m of rope and some pebbles.

Wilderness Man introduces himself and then begins:
"First, you must assess the scene...
if your casualty has been attacked by a rogue crocodile
you are in immediate danger
and your priority is to send someone with a shotgun
to kill the crocodile and make the scene safe...."

MrsM sighs and leans back in her seat.
At last...a first aid course
that is suitable for her needs

original post

Future Uncertain

"The government has survived a revolt by Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs over its plans to increase university tuition fees in England. The policy was approved by 21 votes, with the coalition's majority cut by almost three-quarters following an impassioned five-hour Commons debate. Three ministerial aides quit the government in order to vote against it. The coalition motion, backed by 323 votes to 302, would raise fees to a maximum of £9,000 a year."

extract from BBC report, Thursday 9 December 2010

*****

And now, the Department
must learn to live
in this Brave New World.

original post

It must be Christmas...

...there are silver stars and tinsel;

fairy lights and streamers...

and lo!

the Department Office
has been converted into
a Daniel Craig grotto.

original post

Student Experience (1)

I think that you need to meet Gareth,
my favourite PhD student.
I was planning to keep him all to myself
but that would be selfish because
Gareth needs an Appreciation Society.

Today Gareth arrived in my office
with a bag of fruit scones and plain scones
(baked by himself)
and a jar of home made jam
and a tub of clotted cream.

Thank goodness it is at least three years
before he submits his thesis.

original post