1. If you could live in any city in the world, where would you live and why?London would still probably be the top of my list. While I was living there, I loved not having to drive and being able to access so many remarkable things for the price of a £1.50 bus journey. I’m also too consistently tired and too completely absorbed in my job and my ( Read more... )

1. Are you and your birth family close?

Yes (but also, it’s complicated).

2. How far away do you live from your various family members?

At least a few thousand miles from nearly all of my blood relatives. Much closer to my out-laws.

3. When was the last time you visited with relatives?Only about a month ago, but it already feels like ages ( Read more... )

1. Are you happy with your current line of work? What do you like/don't like about it?

Ha. Hahaha. I mean, that is a hell of a question. My line of work is the main subject of my locked entries, which are basically a long paean of the many and varied feelings I have about it. The architecture of academia is hugely problematic. I have never been so ( Read more... )

1. Have you ever been the president of anything?

Not exactly. I’ve been the chair of committees in an academic context, that’s it.

2. What do you think is the most important leadership trait?I think it's a pair of traits: Having a clear strategic vision and conveying it to followers, and being prepared for the inevitable disappointment when it ( Read more... )

1. What are you hoping for in 2024?

An end to at least some of the ongoing conflicts around the world.

2. What was your low point of 2023?I don’t think I have a particular low point. I had a couple of grant proposals rejected, which is always depressing, but equally I had some success so that was good. From September through mid-December is ( Read more... )

It's now been over a month since I last posted on Dreamwidth, longer on LiveJournal since cross posting stopped being automatic ( Read more... )

[This is cross-posted from the Dreamwidth community
( Read more... )

I had imagined doing a big roundup post for the 20th anniversary of my LiveJournal, but due to rampant sleepiness on the 11th of July after my solo trip to London, I managed to miss it completely. (It was a mistake not to set a reminder in my calendar.) I still will, but in lieu of the roundup for now, here is a photo post from my final act of the ( Read more... )

I bought this cross-stitch from Hobbycraft because I had a voucher to spend, and because I wanted to practise other types of stitching (back-stitching and lazy daisy) before trying my hand at the funkier bespoke designs off Etsy. The contrast between the rather mushy quality of the cross-stitch alone and the crispness after back-stitching is quite ( Read more... )

- After at least 20 years of service (it belonged to the bloke’s parents before moving in with us in 2008), our microwave disintegrated dramatically this afternoon. The plastic around the glass door window crumbled into bits, like a wet biscuit.

+ This gave me an excuse to spend what is not a very nice day outside browsing the internet for a new ( Read more... )