whiplash

[freckles_and_doubt]

1. No, I am not referring to Mickey Rourke, although, why yes, Iron Man 2 arrives shortly, dignified girly SQUEEEEEE!
   
2. I am apologising to anyone who dislocated their neck trying to read the blog yesterday afternoon and evening, during the course of which I changed the stylesheet about fifteen times. This was an absurd, quixotic quest aimed at getting my Twitter feed into the sidebar. It didn't work, at least not to any extent I'm happy with. Further bewildering change to follow. Also, construction of a pocket dimension containing the extra time necessary to teach myself CSS.
   
3. I am also acknowledging my own dislocated neck. In a bizarre and completely left-field move which I absolutely did not see coming at all, the Faculty has randomly agreed to finance my attendance at this fairy-tale conference in Glasgow in August. Completely. Up to R25 000, here have a nice new research entity into which we can put all this money, please send through details of trip costs when you feel like it. I am feeling validated, confused and very, very suspicious. What happened to "fairy tale is not a serious study", then? are there no standards any more?
   
4. Further to the whiplash theme, the Dean has gently pointed out that the rules on the university travel grant fund have just changed to allow admin as well as academic staff to apply. (I missed the last round of applications and the next round isn't in time for August, hence the Faculty intervention out of its own pocketses). This means that in future I could possibly charge up my nice new research entity annually and go jaunting off hell-bent on intellectual pleasure. I am quite ridiculously pleased by this possibility.
   
5. In another head-turning manoeuvre, I took smoczek's sage advice about the whole work-from-home thing, and managed to persuade my rather nice boss that I had serious reason to want to work Fridays from home for a bit. This was based on (a) my ongoing fight with chronic glandular fever and sinusitis, and an attempt at creative management of the exhaustion and fuzzy head, (b) the fact that I have piles of admin through which I need to plough reasonably uninterrupted by the gazelles, and (c) the stern suppression of my own Puritan work ethic, which is trying to bring on the guilt about it all. *Stuffs guilt guinea-pig into bag head-first, sits on it*. I have won the right to work at home on Fridays until at least the end of the semester, subject to review. The contemplation of the fact that the faculty apparently values my work sufficiently to allow me to get away with this, is giving me whiplash.

Things are apparently on the up, slightly deliriously. Also, mac1235 brought me the second episode of the current Doctor Who, last night, causing further yay - shall break it out tonight. While I'm on a roll, does anyone have anything beyond episode 15 of Castle? Fangirls get impatient.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Gosh wow golly! Large hurrahs and much splendidness, pertaining to Fridays at home, and also far-flung intellectual pleasures.

Glasgow, eh? If by any chance you should be passing through London, remember we do have a spare room, and are handily located for Heathrow. Not so handily located for very much else, mind, but that's what tchoobz and trainz is for.

scroob

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Thank you for hurrahs, shall add them to my own supply. Also thank you for offer of Room, I may even take you up on it - that "handily located for Heathrow" bit interests me strangely, since navigating London makes me feel lost and alone even when I'm in a crowd and know exactly where I am. Also, I hardly saw you guys during your last trip. Yay! shall keep you updated.

[grumpyolddog.livejournal.com]

You're kidding - a Nathan Fillion show made it to 15 episodes? I doubt if there are any more.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Hah! I will have you know it made it not only to a full second season, but it's been renewed for a third. Also, it's fun. Also, I see what you tried to do there. Taunting the Browncoats. Cheap shot!

[(Anonymous)]

Nathan was just on a talk show joking about that very thing. Castle has been picked up for a third season and he is utterly gobsmacked!

Cheers, Dayle

[strawberryfrog.livejournal.com]

"fairy-tale conference in Glasgow" - so you'd be Cinderella then?

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Given that these are mostly postgrad students who apparently want to pick my published brain, possibly I'm the Fairy Godmother.

[starmadeshadow.livejournal.com]

Added hurrahs for Fridays at home (I sometimes manage them, and they are heavenly) and also for (belated, extremely well-deserved) conference attendance. Finally, the cherished institution does something right! I too have a house with a spare bedroom conveniently close to Heathrow. I can also offer an airport shuttle service. Gosh: your choices are endless!

And: groovy style.

[scrumisscrum.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

I have the whole of Season 1 and am downloading Season 2 on a shiny uncapped DSL account as I write this . At current download rates it should be done by the weekend or thereabouts.
Would be happy to pass on the accumulated goodies.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

thank you! but dicedcaret has intervened with an earlier fix, so will not need to hit you for them. Also, am jealous of your shiny uncapped DSL. The Evil Landlord maxed ours out this month downloading bits of his latest computer game, which annoys me as I consider it to be my inalienable right to max it out watching YouTube clips.

[(Anonymous)]

Awesomeness.

(Everymoment)

[(Anonymous)]

Surely you can find some reason that it's utterly imperative to your research to come to southern California?

Hugs, Dayle

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Next year, she says darkly. Next year. I've never been to America, and they have lots of conferences.

[pumeza.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's just incredibly brilliant and wonderful. If one must deal with students, the least one should be able to expect in return is the occasional intellectual (snort) jaunt to far-flung places.

[scrumisscrum.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Intellectual? in Scotland?

[pumeza.livejournal.com]

You could make pretty much the same comment about South Africa. At least in Scotland they have Irn Bru. Also, the effort of deciphering Glaswegian accents alone is enough to keep one's brain exercised. I would mention the single malts but...

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

You may mention the single malts. It is remotely possible I may be developing a taste for Laphroaig, which apparently means I'm grasping this whisky-tasting thing firmly in the inverted position. Anything else still tastes like aviation fuel to me. I attribute it to the general levels of cussedness, personally.

[scrumisscrum.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Even I, who drink whisky occasionally, and sometimes Laphroig, have to mention that of all the whiskys I have tried, Laphroig of all of them, tastes most like aviation fuel.

FYI, enjoying whisky is generally a sign that you are getting older (TM) - i.e. enough of your taste buds have atrophied to the point where it no longer tastes like some kind of poison.

Evil Greek influence

[first-fallen.livejournal.com]

Hee, too much hanging out with Lara and Phleep :). Next time you play here get him to offer you some other peaty Islays.

Re: Evil Greek influence

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's all dicedcaret's fault. He takes his whisky seriously. To the point of disbelieving tears when smoczek asked him for a whisky and soda. It's very difficult to resist at least trying something when he's broken out the whisky supplies with full religious ritual and reverence - I mean, all the fuss has to be about something ;>.

I think he did give me at least one more peaty Islay to try, but nope. Still aviation fuel. My taste buds are apparently weird.

Re: Evil Greek influence

[dicedcaret.livejournal.com]

The others you tried were Lagavulin 16 and a Caol Ila cask strength bottling.
Considering you like slamming Laphroaig, I'd say try some Ardbeg when you get the chance. If you can get past the initial 30 seconds of eye-watering oesophageal agony, it rewards you with an exceptional flavour. Sid won't know wot 'it 'im!

Glaswegian kiss

[dicedcaret.livejournal.com]

Ah, Glasgow! Spent 24 hours there and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Scots are twice as intellectual and half as lost as their grubby Saxon neighbours. Edinburgh is close by, easy to get to and well worth the visit, so plan a couple of days of sightseeing if you can.
Castle - got Season 2 to episode 20. Have been thoroughly assimilated, although without the Nathan Filion dreams (I'm more of a Johnny Depp kinda guy ;) Can probably swing by tonight to deliver, and complain in person about getting sinus niggles from reading your blog.

Re: Glaswegian kiss

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

you are my hero! again! will definitely be in this evening, will feed your sinus niggles gin and allow you to complain while I twitch gently and shiftily eye the DVD ...

[wolverine-nun.livejournal.com]

Hooray! Your faculty are being all Nice at you recently, it must feel a bit weird. Beware that travel grant thingummy, though. They told a friend that Yes! they had approved her application, then awarded her R10000 of the approximately R30000 she needed.

I look darkly at people Making Comments about my daddy's accent. I see you there, pumeza.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

It's more than weird, I am dead suspicious about my faculty being all nice to me. Lesley had to give me a talking-to this morning and tell me to damned well stop being humble and unentitled. I feel better now :>.

Pumeza may have been rude about Glasgow accents, but dicedcaret called the Scots "twice as intellectual and half as lost as their grubby Saxon neighbours." Dicedcaret can turn a phrase. Extemporanea, the blog hangout zone providing pseudo-balanced input since 2005!

[bend-gules.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!!

When in August??

Would you be even remotely interested in stretching your visit to include Raglan Fair, in Wales, at first weekend?

I ask only because it's a fairy-tale setting, so it's relevant to your studies.

http://www.mynydd-gwyn.org/

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Mid-August, the conference is on the 12th. I won't, alas, be doing SCA stuff, for a variety of reasons: I'm going to be short of leave, so won't be able to be in the UK for more than a week, and I want to cram in visits to various universities if I can possibly arrange it. Conversely, I'm still fighting the glandular exhaustion, so too much packed in is going to send me back to South Africa in a state of collapse. Finally, I'm still technically on hiatus from the SCA, and my Shire would probably be offended if I went gadding about furrin events when I'm refusing to come to any at home! This saddens me, as I'd love to see everyone again, but I don't think it's going to be viable. My last overseas trip was entirely SCA, this is obviously some kind of karmic balancing thing.