I’m Bridget Christie, a comedian, but I don’t just see comedy. Last weekend I went to a spellbinding exhibition of British folk art called Ritual Britain, set perfectly in London’s atmospheric Crypt Gallery in the bowels of St Pancras New Church in London.
And one might feel a leeeetle boggled at all this rather pagan remnant stuff in the crypt of ( Read more... )

I was lately bopping off an email to a complete stranger anent their post to a subject-related blog concerning a minor point of interest to we sifilis-nerds (it is a niche interest, I admit, even when we extend it to include ye clappe) -
- and I thought, maybe I ought to include 'she/her' in my signature, it seems to be the thing these days?
It ( Read more... )

Because the source for Norbert-Elias-The Civilising-Process-for-Dummies notion I have is not even Journal of Saw It Somewhere Studies, it is Proceedings of I Think I Heard This In A Conference Presentation Once.
Anyway, I was given to think about it by reading various of those infuriating accounts of people not observing requirements to wear masks ( Read more... )

There may also be a report on touristic-type activities undertaken around conference I am attending tomorrow.
In lieu of other content, have my thorts on this etiquette question.
We consider that if you are flaunting your precious pricey vintage crystal, you should conduct yourself in the spirit of the great lady recorded by GB Stern, who, when ( Read more... )

Especially if there are several papers to a panel, moderator should be rigorous about keeping them to time. (And people giving papers should time them in advance.)
(Okay, I will give passes for unexpected AV issues.)
This is doubtless the fault of the hosting institution, a renowned civic Institution of Teh Highah Learninz, but Y No Microphones? ( Read more... )

As in, first paper in first session.
So there's that, and a few people saying they liked it, or that they were sorry to miss it (parallel sessions).
Also I have been able to connect to eduroam, which is sometimes a problem.
Plus, foregathering with people last saw in South Dakota, which was fun - seems like ages ago! which of course it hasn't been ( Read more... )

Okay, there are certainly worse monsters cropping up all the time on Ask a Manager, and this is somebody who has some degree of self-awareness and some consciousness that They Are The Problem but even so I was twitching madly on reading this: I am what you’d call a “crammer” - I’m always trying to fit “one more thing” in before heading to the next ( Read more... )

We should like to state, upfront, and this probably does not come as a surprise to our dr rdrz, that we are much of a mind with Miss Manners on the subject of promiscuous social hugging: see also, my thought on the unwelcome intrusion of doing the smoochies in professionally-related contexts.
So compared to that, going WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS? at ( Read more... )

Yesterday somebody (a journo-type person, name vaguely familiar) contacted me via DM on Twitter, could they speak to me?
About what, I respond.
Apparently a certain niche sex practice is becoming practically mainstream, is writing piece about this, would like some historical background. Did not ask for phone no and convenient time to speak.
As it ( Read more... )

Yes, maybe it's a good idea to think about contacting somebody/ies you've been out of touch with for a while - but Y O Y -
Y O Y
- would spontaneously phoning them, out of the blue, in the expectation of a nice catch-up chat be the best way to do this thing, or, as has been posited,
positively revolutionary?
Huh?
Do we not think it interesting, ( Read more... )