(no subject)
Last week I discovered that the academics can always find new ways of pushing their luck and circumventing administrative procedures. I'm increasingly convinced that one of them is doing it deliberately to see how much he can get away with. It doesn't bother me that they don't understand the financial stuff, but the complete insistence from certain people that they don't need anyone else to do the sums either can be incredibly frustrating because I'm actually on their side and trying to make sure they get enough money to do stuff.
I had a bit of a "meeting the neighbours" adventure over the weekend after I locked myself out of the flat while trying to read the electric meter, which is in the corridor outside. Got to the front door, keys in hand, then realised that I needed a pen, and forgot to pick the keys up again after finding the pen. I didn't have shoes on, let alone money or my phone, and Will was away for the weekend, so I had to go knocking doors to see if anyone could lend me a phone and a Yellow Pages so that I could get a locksmith out. Luckily, the one neighbour who was in is married to a guy who used to be a joiner, so I sat in their flat for ages while we waited for him to come home, and then he actually dismantled the entire Yale lock from the outside then put it back together again. Those things aren't half as secure as everyone seems to think - now that I've seen it done I could probably dismantle one in about ten minutes. At some point this week I'll have to get round to baking them a cake.
I've finally got round to booking my travel to Norn Iron for next month (next month? already?). In the end my environmental principles and worry about the ash cloud persuaded me against flying, so I'm going by train and ferry instead. I like ferries, and this was actually the cheapest option, so it is officially a Good Plan.
Part of me wants the election to be over, but another part of me doesn't want it to happen in case the Tories win. It's too close to call with any confidence, the Lib Dems' recent popularity puts a new spin on things, and I keep worrying about the Tory Shame effect (in many areas and demographic groups, Conservative voters either refuse to answer in opinion polls, or outright lie about their voting intentions because of the social stigma - which I always see as an indication that they know it's wrong). After trying to explain some of the more detailed points about how the PM is chosen in situations like this one to a Canadian this weekend, I've become even more convinced that it's all just a big game of Mornington Crescent, and most of us are only just starting to suss out how it works.
I had a bit of a "meeting the neighbours" adventure over the weekend after I locked myself out of the flat while trying to read the electric meter, which is in the corridor outside. Got to the front door, keys in hand, then realised that I needed a pen, and forgot to pick the keys up again after finding the pen. I didn't have shoes on, let alone money or my phone, and Will was away for the weekend, so I had to go knocking doors to see if anyone could lend me a phone and a Yellow Pages so that I could get a locksmith out. Luckily, the one neighbour who was in is married to a guy who used to be a joiner, so I sat in their flat for ages while we waited for him to come home, and then he actually dismantled the entire Yale lock from the outside then put it back together again. Those things aren't half as secure as everyone seems to think - now that I've seen it done I could probably dismantle one in about ten minutes. At some point this week I'll have to get round to baking them a cake.
I've finally got round to booking my travel to Norn Iron for next month (next month? already?). In the end my environmental principles and worry about the ash cloud persuaded me against flying, so I'm going by train and ferry instead. I like ferries, and this was actually the cheapest option, so it is officially a Good Plan.
Part of me wants the election to be over, but another part of me doesn't want it to happen in case the Tories win. It's too close to call with any confidence, the Lib Dems' recent popularity puts a new spin on things, and I keep worrying about the Tory Shame effect (in many areas and demographic groups, Conservative voters either refuse to answer in opinion polls, or outright lie about their voting intentions because of the social stigma - which I always see as an indication that they know it's wrong). After trying to explain some of the more detailed points about how the PM is chosen in situations like this one to a Canadian this weekend, I've become even more convinced that it's all just a big game of Mornington Crescent, and most of us are only just starting to suss out how it works.