On Twitter last week I was challenged by @ResourcefulHDR to take a black and white photo every day for a week. This opportunity came at just the right time for me. In the midst of the learning curve involved in starting a new role, it gave me a chance to pause (at least) once a day and … Continue reading Daily moments
Strategies for slowing down
Living academia
Chubb, Watermeyer and Wakeling’s evocatively titled article Fear and Loathing in the Academy describes an aspect of university life that will be familiar to many. With a lively turn of phrase, they explore emotional responses to the research impact agenda in the UK and Australia: The emotional state of academic labour ... [is] frequently portrayed … Continue reading Living academia
Frugal hedonism for academics
Over the weekend I read the delightful book The Art of Frugal Hedonism by Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb. Essentially a list of strategies for spending less money while enjoying life, it was the juxtaposition of frugal hedonism that grabbed me and the quirky tone that kept me reading. (Here's a great podcast conversation with … Continue reading Frugal hedonism for academics
Library time
Last week I visited the university library. This should not be a notable event but, sadly, in these days of immediate online, article and ebook reading, it is all too rare. The impetus for the visit to the library was not bookish; my father (a semi-retired library building consultant) and I took a tour of … Continue reading Library time
Questions for 2018
Photo: John Spencer for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. I am not very good at making (or keeping) new year's resolutions. Last year, I wanted to feel optimistic, calm and confident in most areas of my life, and instead I felt pretty bad. This year I can't recapture the blithe thinking that I … Continue reading Questions for 2018
Where we are
Until now I have been a creature of habit around the university. I regularly eat the same meals at a couple of places. I sit in the same spot during committee meetings. I take familiar paths between the car park, meeting rooms, cafes and my office. I have done so repeatedly and unseeingly. I have … Continue reading Where we are
