Oh dear KB, you've just made me feel like a lump of wobbly grey jelly. I have mixed feelings about this thread, I, like Wal, would like that healthy, positive glow; but I'm also in a comforatble, lazy, rut. My favourite excercises are walking, swimming and dancing, but have only been walking since the snow - journeys to and from venues were at times impossible, then cold and easy to avoid.Plus my belly dancing and jazz classes have both ended. I walk four miles on a monday, to and from work places, I always take the stairs and I have a brisk jaunt around the park (about 2.5 miles every now and again, btu that's it). I through phases of being really fit and swimming 50 lengths at a time, then dancing. And then I have patches like my present one in which I turn into a come dine with me watching, semi commatose, writing and lecturing machine. The summer is coming, I must get out there. Maybe this thread will give me the umph I need. I was tempted to ignore Wal's post and remain in a comfortable denial, but I didn't - so that must mean something....

Right, I'm really fed up with one of the joints I work at now. Bad organisation, no proper moderating, random grading, unprofessional behaviour with students now this!

I take a seminar group on a Monday afternoon, and got an email this morning, from the person who was meant to be giving today's lecture, that she had to cancel her lecture because she was ill. I heard nothing about the seminars, but there had been some suggestion of a replacement for this potentially ill person in a prior email, so, being uncertain as to what was happening, I turned up to teach my group as usual, after all I do get paid to this and if no-one says 'you're off work' then, in my book, I'm in. None of the studes turned up, so 35 minutes in I emailed the module leader saying: 'I am presuming the seminars are cancelled, I have no students.' I get this reply from him saying '**** sent an email to us all last night saying the lecture was cancelled, so, yes the seminars can't take place'. To me, ****'s email did not mean the seminars were cancelled, just that her particular lecture was, there could have been a replacement, we could have run the seminar without the lecture and taught study skills (which is what I had planned to do any way). Whya are the students better informed than I am????????

I know this is a small thing, and it did give me a bit of nice extra time to catch up, but I'm so fed up things being so badly organised: last week I had to give turotials in the corridor because my room was double booked. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Moan over. Thanks for listening!

======= Date Modified 01 Mar 2010 15:32:57 =======
I guess we are all making it up, and that's what historians have always done: pieced togethert evidence and suggested possibilities based on what they find. I suppose that's what I'm doing. I thionk my research is really important thoug, it's about national identity and how we see ourselves, as a nation, and how we see what we have lost, or what we think we have lost. Sometimes I feel like a psychologist, diagnosing culture the ways a person might be assessed - like what's wrong? What could be made better? How could this or that film alter the way we see ourselves? ANd the way other people see us? How did production conditions alter thise factors? I guess many disciplines are about seeing things in different ways and drawing alternative conclusions: making stuff up, in fact. Maybe this feeling is part of the PhD process, a confidence barier that needs to be passed through.

Thanks folks, have a sprout (it's fast becoming the token of choice in our community!). (sprout)

Hi Keep Calm, not sure if this is any better than Wally's advice, but here goes.

I have used a couple of films with graphic sexual content this term, one as a clip in a lecture - it was banned across the word for 25 years after it was made and stll can't be shown on British TV, so you may guess the content. I felt fine about discussing it at the time, although I did frett before hand, I had to give a textual analysis of it, so had to refer to certain dificult bits explicitly. It was ok,I just thought about the issues that needed to be explored and about the film as an important work of art. I did the same in a workshop I ran on Friday when the group asked about an animation sequence in which a sexual act is performed and we watched it a few times on slow mo, discussing each move! What a strange job I have... I felt OK, made a bit of a joke at one stage. But I'm older, I'm 40, and I feel that that somehow gives me a useful barrier when I need it, I am not their peer. Maybe you should think of yourself only as their educator, and not as a peer. But I reckon you'll be fine, you're a professional with expertise in literature so just do your thing, and if they giggle, then let them, at least they've had a laugh and they'll probably remember the session for ever.

======= Date Modified 28 Feb 2010 22:35:37 =======
Velvet! I never let anyone think they are always right and always know everything, that, in my experience is a fatal error. But I think I know what satchi rmeans about some men not liking to be corrected or advised on how to do things, but then I don't like itmuch either - I really dis-like unsolicited advice. I have a friend who does it all the time, and it really gets on my wick (I love her for it too though, don't you just love people who get on your nerves in just the right way?), she does it to her boyfriend too and they argue about it, I've witnessed a major sulk on his part over it. Anything I'm doing she always has a suggestion for how iI can do it better, from buying a bus ticket to writing a lecture, and we've talked about why she does it, she says she doesn't mean to be a know it all or to give advice, she just gets really enthusiastic and loves me so much she wants to help me all the time. I think some people are just like that, I usually ignore her or try to move the conversation on. I've noticed that she doesn't do it quite so much since the blow up with her boyfriend.

When I socialise I tend not to want to be the expert, even if we're talking about my subject and I actual am seen that way at work (or isn't that a subjective thing anyway?), just because I have to be a know it all - for want of a better phrase -for work, and for my PhD so much of the time. I prefer to be playful and don't really have those kinds of conversations, I really like to hear what other people think anyhow, very often fresh eyes and fresh minds make the most interesting observations in my areas. I tend not to have intellectual conversations about films, not much anyhow, or maybe I do without really realising it.

So, all this said, perhaps you are not like my friend, perhaps you just have an insecure husband who needs to be re-assured that no matter how much you achieve you will always love and need him. Best of luck velvet, with your track record, you'll get through this easy peasy - don't ever hide your light though!

Hello everyone, I've just sent my outline to the sup. There are some references missing from a chapter outlin, but I'm not sure how to handle them so we can discuss that when I see him. Did it in 3.5 tomatoes.

Now I am free to prep my lecture, write out assessment forms, catch up with other assessment admin, registers and write an application form :-( Oh well! At least I can do that with Radcliffe and Marconie on... Am off to tescos for my weekly milk supplies, some packed lunch and a well earned mooch.

Have good, productive days, all of you X

Hi folks,

I often have the feeling that I'm making it all up, does anyone else get that? I guess the literature people will identify more with this, just because so much of what we do is about interpretation. I'm reading a film in an entirely new way and to me it just seems obvious and straight forward that that's what the film is about, but my sup keeps getting me to spell it all out specifically (very good, I do appreciate his conscientious in-put). I presented a paper which spelled out my reading - I backed it up with some psychology research which I thought was pretty robust - and it went down really well, and my sup liked it, but no-one else has read the film this way before me, and in my discipline you can't really be completely definite about what things are about, so you always feel a bit as if there's an element of you making it up. Even film makers are not completely certain and change their minds when you ask them. HHHHhhhhhmmmmm, anyone else feel this way?

======= Date Modified 28 Feb 2010 12:38:14 =======
Hi Folks! And welcome to all you new people, it's good to see the thread so healthy. I haven't worked as much as I'd like because I've had a lecture to prepare for, given on Friday, and another to give tomorrow, and I have a job application deadline tomorrow. But today, I write! For a bit anyway, I have to write my lecture notes and set up clips and thngs later. I wrote yesterday and this is what I did:

1. 10 tomatoes, which I am proud of!

2. Typed up my pencilled in re-draft of my thesis outline. Got up to page 26 of 36. Whheeehayyyy. this includes writing a proper justification for including one of my films - I tend to write as though people know why aready, one of my gliches.

Today, I will finish the re-draft of the outline and, thus, get it to my sup tonight and make the deadline of today. I ahve one tomatoe already!

I also have other stuff to do for my lecture and job application, but have decided to use this and the tomatoes thing for the PhD only, it's a way of separating things and focussing completely on the PhD.

Hi Wal, clearly they are fools to have passed up this opportunity to fraternize with the Walster. One day, they will learn.

Maybe it's because they've had a spate of looking at this area of research and are doing other stuff now? At least they were positive about the quality of your piece, and it sounds like you have a really good chance of getting it accepted elsewhere. I say keep going, you've done all the work and produced a good article.

Big hugs ((((( ))))))

======= Date Modified 28 Feb 2010 00:45:13 =======
Hey Satchi, am watching snog marry avoid, and thinking I should go to bed so I'm fresh for more work tomorrow. I have deadlines for a lecture, job application and a PhD outline tomorrow night... Had dinner with friends, but we went to this really isolated place that barely had a pulse, they'd even cancelled the dinner menu and we had to order from the bar food. Then they threw us out at 11pm - not for bad behaviour, just because we were the only customers - Gordon ramsay would have a field day. So, here I am. I even missed my folk festival gig due to a timing mis-understanding, so it seems that even when I go out of my way to live it up in a social whirl, I'm being halted these days... I ended up writing all day.

I hope the book of Eli is still good even though it's on the small screen. Let us know what ya think. :-)

Hi all, I went to see Avatar in 3D this evening, and am very pleased with my semi-funky 3D specs. Loved the film, it was beautiful, escapist, and completely non offensive and non demanding. Although I think most of the naitive 'people' were of some kind of African descent and the 'sky men' were almost all white. A bit odd that. But I enjoyed the movie loads, defo worth seeing and the 3D was worth the extra few quid too. Can't wait for Burton's Alice now.

Ace! That's... ACE! Well done and have a wonderfu career. Make the most of it 8-)

======= Date Modified 26 Feb 2010 23:09:36 =======
As a rule, I don't like men with shiney shoes, unless they are a professional necessity. I think it's a bit obsessive, like people who have to hoover three times a day. TThe snow proof shoes sound fine - they'll keep you warm and dry and probably look alright, so they indicate some level of foot sanity.

======= Date Modified 26 Feb 2010 22:29:05 =======
Wally, your tip number 9 explains why so many of my old romances, or potential romances, professed an interest in art abd design, and then had none later down the line and sulked if I even so much as turned on the culture show! My aunty was right all along...

Not sure if it's because I'm an old buzzard or what, but I reckon these are the best things to do:

1. Be sane (you need to have had that in place for quite a while for it to pay dividends - any residue of craziness will show).
2. Be clean and fresh.
3. Be reasonably happy - Wal's spot on about the over smiling thing: see my first tip for clarification.
4. Have fun.
5. Listen
6. Enjoy yourself.
7. At the right point in the conversation, tease her very gently and playfully, but only a bit and not about the size of her backside or any other serious matter. Ideally this should be done in a way that makes her feel good about herself, while also gently winding her up - a rare skill, but when done well is always a winner.
8. Relax and enjoy her company and it will show.

Have a wonderful time Dan, sounds like a good first date event.

======= Date Modified 24 Feb 2010 12:54:53 =======
double posting. Why's that happening?