Preventive measures

Working from home today in the hope of killing off a cold in time for student registration and induction, which rather alarmingly start tomorrow. Apparently summer has finished. Tell that to all my flowers that are desperately straining their buds and scanning the skies for the most momentary of sunbursts. Lots of rota juggling, calendar filling up so fast and so comprehensively that I may have to ask an equestrian colleague to supply use with ready-filled team nosebags. Should I start pencilling in my bathroom breaks or do I just cross my legs and hum the Marseillaise?

Actual proper classes what are supposed to make sense start all too soon – revisiting presentations, worksheets, demos etc and have the familiar sense of having far too much to say and far too little time. Trying to forget everything I ever knew about Athens (which wasn’t much) but keep catching myself out with off campus access and such delectable joys.

A busy week for CDG Officers, who met on Monday for a marathon agenda which inevitably overran, merging seamlessly into an unexpectedly pink bottle of Pinot Grigo (Pinot Barbie perhaps? Another hint at a summer we never knew?). Lots going on – our Seal of Recognition application has now been submitted and we wait with bated breath… team is shaping up for 2009 and though it is always sad to say goodbye to those who have worked alongside us and shared all the highs and lows, it’s exciting to look forweard to fresh eyes and talents on the committee… Umbrella is less than a year away and our programme is fuller than ever… on the down side, various organisations are falling over themselves to gain entry into our coveted Basement of Doom, whence are consigned the uncooperative, elusive, rude and downright incompetent bodies we occasionally find oursleves dealing with. Yes I know I shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, but. End of.

Binklebonk

Ah, the sound of pinging reminders… so many tasks still undone… so little to actually say to you. Have made timetable look a bit less hideous by sharing out sessions with a colleague. Inbox looking relatively clear but I just know I’ll come back to chaos on September 1st.

Shall carry on with the great mapping exercise for the graduate attributes… fiddly task involving spreadsheets and four different colours and patterns (for those viewing in black and white, just like the snooker in the early ’80s). Meeting with a colleague later to chat more about our input into the PGCHET course. We were supposed to have half an hour each but as usual I’ve totally over-written and crammed my bit so it could last about 45 minutes.

CDG plans for Umbrella 2009 are coming together nicely

Goldfish and paracetamol

Annoying day in which I continually seem to be at the wrong end of the conversation and drift through the building in a puff of cluelessness.

Trains not working due to flooding on the line, so day starts with a nice comfy lift and chat with my hubby. Then again we need the extra time to clean up after poorly pussycats.

Help an Msc student with referencing. He has major problems with very basicv things. He claims never to have been aware of any of my classes though I ran several fir his group and know for a fact they were heavily promoted by academic ataff.  Where has he been all year? Why can students not extrapolate from examples to further instances. How many times do I have to demonstrate the order of names? He’s using a copyright online image without permission as well, so I open that can of worms right up.

Look at a colleague’s holiday photos from Australia. Miss most of the explanation of the picture where people’s feet appear to be being massaged by fish. Some sort of fish spa apparently. Always wondered what sushi was made of: clearly the answer is ‘little piggies’.

Attend 3 meetings relating to 3 different summer school programmes, and develop headache and mild panic about what needs done for all of these and what order they should be tackled in. Then again have a useful discussion with member of our academic support service, looking at what we are each covering and how it all fits together. This is definitely progress.

Won’t even broach the depressingly numbing topic of document storage management – manage to escape that meeting early as double booked.

Subscriptions and renewals just won’t behave and lead to team-wide headaches. No one ever sends the right or the complete information. Crucial people never where you want them and prices never what you expect. Gah. It’s a miracle we can get access to anything at the moment.

Lots bubbling under on the CDG front – submitting our ideas for the Umbrella conference programme; pulling together some last minute event reports for Impact (forced to resort to quoting this blog…)

The end of the day is in sight, am going to knock off shortly and take in a free tasting at the local deli, handily on the way to the station…