Thursday 25th July 2019, 3.30pm (day 2,891)
Infrastructurally, politically, the country moves inexorably to a state of meltdown, but hey, let’s at least enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.
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Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: student
Reading in Russell Square
Thursday 31st January 2019, 12.40pm (day 2,716)
Up and about again today, though not very far nor very energetically. This is the kind of vibe I am trying to affect at the moment.
Back to school
Monday 16th April 2018, 10.25am (day 2,426)
2017-18 is my thirteenth academic year at the University of Manchester, meaning that today was the 39th opening day of a term there. Samuel Alexander has seen more than me, certainly as a bust in the foyer of his eponymous building: but according to his memorial he did 31 years as a functioning professor (of Philosophy) so I’ll catch him up in, er…. 2036.
An inanimate object with a secret inner life
Tuesday 27th March 2018, 12.10pm (day 2,406)
It’s student video-making season: Sissi (bottom left) becomes the latest to come to my office and point a camera at me for sundry purposes. While she reviewed her footage, I became intrigued by her tripod. This is an inanimate object with a secret inner life if ever there was one. People go to certain clubs dressed like this.
In University Place
Tuesday 28th November 2017, 9.30am (day 2,287)
She’s about to stand up, so this was my one chance to get this picture — hence, it’s fiercely cropped and could be a lot sharper. But…. I still kinda like it. You can’t really go wrong with rimlight like that.
The Osaka recruitment fair
Thursday 23rd March 2017, 7.00pm (day 2,037)
I am here to work rather than just swan around visiting shrines, so here is a picture of that side of my life. We are trying to persuade Japanese potential students to come and study in Manchester — many of whom are vastly intelligent, fluent in English and would be obvious assets to the intellectual community, only you try telling this to certain elements in the reactionary press. Anyway, ignoring this aspect of our lives my colleague James, on the left, and his temporary client, seem happy enough as they discuss how to arrange this. I like this picture, it makes it feel like our presence here has a real positive point.
Greenhouse café
Tuesday 31st January 2017, 11.05am (day 1,986)
Although teaching term has restarted at Manchester, this guy still looked very much on his own in the corner of this particular campus café, and that’s what I was trying to capture.
By the entrance to the Botanical Gardens
Friday 3rd May 2013, 10.15am (day 617)
Maybe I take too many candid photos of strangers but let’s look at it this way: 617 days into this blog and I’m trying not to repeat myself, take away the street portrait photography and there’d be even less to work with. I think this photo also encapsulates how nice it is to have this lovely slab of parkland right beside the QUT campus: who’d not feel like studying outside, in the continuing lovely weather here.
Keeping it old school
Sunday 14th April 2013, 11.05am (day 598)
In the Gardens Point library, QUT, this Sunday morning. You see, I do still hang around in libraries now and again, as do the students.
Moscow graduation
Saturday 8th December 2012, 5.00pm (day 471)
Here we are at another of the repeating events of my year; this took place on 10th December 2011, but it’s the same day, in essence. And I say the same things I said back then regarding wishing these people well and admiring their achievement.
Incidentally the woman on the left here is from the Russian high Arctic, where they still literally live in yurts and herd reindeer: the very fact that I can somehow, however indirectly, be responsible for someone like her getting a Masters’ degree (in Cultural Management) makes me feel at least partly positive about what I do for a living. Hell, that’s education for ya. One reason, perhaps, why moronocracies across the world claim to be in favour of education but actually aren’t. Good for her.
