Tuesday 5th September 2017, 11.45am (day 2,203)
Joe and his fellow 14-year-olds returned to school. I returned to Manchester. It threw it down. There went the summer…. This picture is dull, I know. But it’s meant to be.
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: University of Manchester
Estates and facilities
Tuesday 8th August 2017, 9.55am (day 2,175)
Definitely the most important Directorate of the University at this point in time. It is almost impossible to take a photograph anywhere in Manchester city centre without hitting some kind of building site at the moment (as I have observed numerous times recently); the University is certainly doing its bit for this architectural movement of 2017.
Waiting for the graduation ceremony
Thursday 20th July 2017, 12.15pm (day 2,156)
The twice-yearly graduation ceremonies give us the chance to dress up in our finery and enjoy some pomp and circumstance. Opportunities to do that are getting fewer in the world so let’s embrace them while they still exist. And as ever, congratulations to all the students as well.
Graduation balloons
Thursday 13th July 2017, 9.00am (day 2,149)
It’s that time of year again. It crossed my mind today that it’s now twenty years since I first graduated, in July 1997. Gosh…
Waiting for my interview
Monday 26th June 2017, 10.30am (day 2,132)
How many generations of students have spent their time waiting around in corridors, until the time they are called into the room? It doesn’t change. Did I get the job? Not this time.
Inside Mansour’s Mac
Friday 16th June 2017, 10.55am (day 2,122)
Have been a Mac owner for nigh on a decade now but realised today I had never before seen inside one — this realisation coming about when my student Mansour turned up in my office and started dismantling his, for reasons that are too unnecessarily complex to reveal here. Anyway, there you go, that’s what it looks like inside. I somehow feel there should be more to it.
Lego workshop
Tuesday 16th May 2017, 1.00pm (day 2,091)
It was time today for the monthly staff development workshop that I organise. Why the Lego? Well, ask the speaker… but the talk was about creative innovation, so always good to have some toys to spark interest. I always try to do something creative each day — the proof has played out over the last five-and-three-quarter years on here.
Careers event
Thursday 4th May 2017, 5.50pm (day 2,079)
It’s getting toward the end of the academic year, and our students would like to get jobs of some kind (I presume) so we ran a ‘careers event’ this evening featuring students old and new. Annalisa, on the left, graduated from the degree a decade ago now: Irene, on the right, last year. Kenji behind seems excited about something. Good luck to them all in their various futures.
View from the sixth floor
Thursday 13th April 2017, 10.00am (day 2,058)
Office-wise I’ve been based in the Ellen Wilkinson Building for nearly 12 years now but have little reason to venture up to its sixth floor (if you live in most of the rest of the world, its seventh). When I do I am reminded what a decent view it has, even if today the light wasn’t as it could be. But there’s quite a distance in sight here, south to the Derbyshire Pennines, and the tower of Manchester Royal Infirmary nearer the camera.
I post this picture also to launch myself on one of these mini blog-projects that sometimes motivate me. Coming up: eleven different photo locations in eleven days. Let’s do it.
Professor Schuster
Tuesday 4th April 2017, 10.45am (day 2,049)
Found myself in the Physics and Astronomy building on Manchester today, named for Arthur Schuster, physicist and coiner of the term ‘antimatter’ whose bust in the foyer currently sports a rather fetching pink bow tie and fluffy rabbit ears. And why not.
Being 42 