Good news

Oh, and some good news.

I've just found out that my contract will be extended from Jan 22nd to May 31st. So the worrying is over. And even better than that, the rest of my marking doesn't have to be handed back until the New Year. *phew*

Anyone for chess?

Oh heck, I'm out of brown sugar now. Well, no worries. For some reason, it makes the coffee taste slightly better! :-)

Anyhow, anyone for chess? Some of you will know that I've been playing on www.redhotpawn.com for a while now. Yes, it's a *CHESS* website. [Honestly, some people... ;-)]. I'm playing as Caffeine King. And since you can play six concurrent games for free, I have three slots available at the moment. If anyone fancies their chances playing me, why not join up (it is free) and challenge me? Just don't forgot to tell me who you are...

Irritating things...

Wow, things more irritating than Kevin Costner?

Yes, they do exist. Gripe number one is the fact that the students have left. Now I know that some of you may think that having the students go home - post exams - for Christmas is a good thing, but it also means that all the eateries have closed too, including my coffee bar. Disaster!! I'm down to the emergency Nescafe instant. It's horrible... :-(

Also irriating, but much more fun, is this brainteaser - just move the blocks down to the right. If you can do it, tell me how!! If you can't, then I'm with you in spirit. :-)

EDIT: Actually, I've just done it. 176 goes, rather than the 161 it can take. Anyone able to top that? (I'm guessing yes).

Here's a thought...

Slowly but surely, more and more people are reading this thing.

Who are you all? :-)

Still, as I randomly mutter on about utter nonsense - apparently one of my strengths - you can rest assured that I can't slag anybody off. You'll be reading it!! lol. Actually, can I slag off Kevin Costner? I don't even know why, but I can't abide that man. Maybe it's the wife-beating, or the way he fills the films he directs with long, lingering shots of *himself* staring off into the sunset, or maybe it's simply because he managed such a piss-poor English accent in "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves". Hmmm..., I think it's the last one.

Oooh. Talking about films - and I rarely do as I rarely go - we saw "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" on Saturday. Since this was one of my most favourite chidrens books, I just had to see it. It's pretty darn good. I'm not sure about Ray Winstone's Mr Beaver and his "Aslan is a geezer, you muppet" accent, but it was good for a laugh. But the White Witch? Since when did she become such a dangerous swordfighter? And with two at once? Don't remember that in the book!! :-)

Time, and the whizzing past thereof

I never have enough time these days. Which is bizzare really, as I never seem to be achieving anything. There's a lot of activity, with a lot of clock watching going on in the quiet moments. So since I was sent this link by my friend Craig, I've taken to checking it more often that I'd like. It's strangely addictive. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Human Clock.

Part of the reason this site has been quiet lately is that things just keep falling into my lap - and that's in a "needs doing" way, not a "ooh, that's nice" way. I found out last Monday that I had an interview for a lectureship at Sheffield Hallam University on the Thursday and I had a 20mins presentation to write (+10mins for Q&A) - finding out what that was to be about on the Tuesday. Needless to say, I didn't get the job as I'd have mentioned it much earlier if I'd have done so, but the feedback continues to be good. In the end, it was the same sort of stuff I got when I went for the Leeds Trinity post. Nothing to fault at interview (nothing they could suggest to help me improve), and a specific mention that my presentation - to a room full of lecturers - went down very well indeed, with the people there asking the poor guy who had to phone me up and let me know I didn't get it to make sure that he passed that on. Alas, my research just didn't dovetail as well with the current lecturers as some of the other people there. In other words, a very successful failure. :-)

I just hope something else crops up soon. This particular contract of mine ends in late January...