"I have seen flowers come in stony places
And kind things done by men with ugly faces
And the gold cup won by the worst horse at the races,
So I trust, too."

John Masefield

Hey Shani, I won't be 31 much longer either - maybe we're exactly the same age.

True about the mindset though. I know forty-somethings ho are quite comfortable partying with undergrads.

I know what you mean. I'm 31 (whether that counts as old or young is up to you), but I have never really liked pubs and clubs. I avoid the postgrad society here cos it seems to be a drinking club more than anything.

If you're looking for stuff in London then you could happily spend hours in the British Museum. Greenwich is a nice place too.

How about buying her a puppy friend? Or would two dogs drive you even more crazy?

I'm very partial to dates, especially the big Medjool dates. Sounds healthy but they're full of sugar.

Shani: they're probably telling fibs

Ooh, just looked a bit further down that same page (MicroVials) and they have some 100ul too.

Chromacol do the 300ul tapered vials:

http://www.chromacol.com/vial_compatibility/1050.html

They are usually very quick to ship.

Mine are great: always around and approachable. And they take you seriously if you have suggestions/ideas.

I don't know if there is statistically more sexual crime in the UK, but I think certainly that the legal system is not supportive of victims. I think it is fair to say that a lot of British people believe that women are to blame for sexual crime, because they were "drunk", "flirting", dressed "provocatively", and so on...Amnesty published a report last year on this subject.

I think this could be why we are wary of talking to unfamiliar men - if a woman is attacked she is likely to be held responsible for the attack if she was flirting with the man beforehand.

It's not really being paranoid, it's being sensible. How are we to distinguish between the genuine chaps and the weirdos in a street encounter?

The UK legal system does not protect women from weirdos very well: being "flirty" is often seen as giving permission for sex. Flirting on the street: well, then you would be seen as "asking for it". Stupid I know, but that's the UK.

True. There is an element of unhealthy competition in some people.

Hmmm...I'm really an adherent of the passive approach (if you look too hard, it won't happen). Not very helpful, I suppose. I always thought it was nicer to get to know people first, through work or friends or whatever.

Sometimes I think that the level of scrutiny that students and their work are subjected to varies widely, and that occasionally makes me feel like ranting. Some students get away with more than others, for sure.

Seems a bit dodgy to me, letting a student pick their own examiner...of course, they'd pick wheoever has a repuation for giving students an easy ride, wouldn't they? Or am I being cynical