Naoko's news, views and shoes thread

[R. Richard]

An interview that goes overtime is always a good sign.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Legs wide open ( apparently this counts as well ^^ )

It often makes the difference at an interview, dear.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Any word from Naoko on the interview?

 

[SamScribble]

Any word from Naoko on the interview?

Tio, Tio, Tio. You're in the business. You know that there is no such thing as a quick decision. 'We will take our time. Because we can.' But, in Naoko's case, they should just say": 'Bugger it. The position is yours, young lady.' (Sorry, that should have been Dr Young Lady. )

 

[stickygirl]

...or they decided to inform her through her line manager....

 

[TxRad]

...or they decided to inform her through her line manager....

How many lines does the manager do? That might be a lot of his problem.

 

[Handley_Page]

...or they decided to inform her through her line manager....

Oh Lord; for her sake I surely hope not.

How many lines does the manager do? That might be a lot of his problem.

From what she's told us so far, I'd rather not try to guess. . . .

 

[oggbashan]

How many lines does the manager do? That might be a lot of his problem.

I think he should start each day by writing 1000 times "I must not be a prat today".

 

[Handley_Page]

I think he should start each day by writing 1000 times "I must not be a prat today".

It would seem, however, that the "manager" has forgotten Rule 1.
Keep your pencil sharp.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Hahaha! "keep your pencil sharp". If Stupid Basturd Line Manager had to write I must not be a prat, every time he was one, he would find that very difficult.

Finally yesterday I heard about the teaching contract. One of the other candidates has what we call MOLD. (This is a lot more attractive than it sounds.) That means the job is hers. Of course she also happens to be our temporary line manager, and so she may have known that if she organised her work in a certain way, she could get MOLDy and pick up the contract ... but we will not imagine this was the case.

I didn't really think I would get the teaching, as my other colleague - who does have cause to feel miffed about not getting it - actually taught this module for a year at one point. I'm not too sad about it, as I'm still so excited about the postgrad education module. Postgrad modules pay less well than undergrad ones , however to be doing some teaching bang in my field of expertise is so exciting that I don't mind that. I will get to hang out with educational people. I mean ... this bunch even organised an online meeting to co-ordinate our teaching, for which they paid us!!! How sensible is that?

Anyway, the main thing is that I was made 'appointable'. I was a bit nervous chatting to the guy on the phone about it. I didn't say anything about it beforehand, because I didn't want to start thinking about it, but this is actually the teaching contract for which I was made 'unappointable' a couple of years ago for sexist/racist reasons, and about which I took out that really heavy discrimination grievance. So I am very delighted to say that the interviewer told me it would have been madness not to make me appointable! Appointability only lasts a year, however if our temporary line manager suddenly realises that managing all of us and doing her teaching and teaching a whole new module might be a bit much for her after all, me and my colleague will get to fight it out at dawn with baguettes to do the teaching so it may come to something.

But - more exciting news about work Sorry I was off-line. It is chaos and mayhem here. The university introduced a new system, straight after getting rid of all our regional centres and making a lot of core staff redundant. Everybody told them it was a Bad Idea but they wouldn't listen.

We have got a week to go before teaching starts. Many of the modules have still not been able to give out the lists of students or confirm our timetables. One of the Head Honchos has had to email everybody and actually apologise!!! Some people have been appointed to do teaching at the very last minute. Others are still waiting to hear if they might be made redundant .

I have heard back about my complaint about my line manager too. It turned out that the person whom my complaint had been passed to happened to be his line manager! I was a bit startled when I realised that. But it turned out this was a good thing.

Guess what, Stupid Basturd line manager suddenly changed his mind about several of the things I was complaining about and said we don't have to teach like that. I know, what a surprise. Then the line manager of my line manager came back to me and explained that unfortunately I don't have grounds for the other part of my complaint, and since Stupid Basturd as sorted out some of the other stuff, he felt it was all OK now, although I could take out a formal grievance if I wanted.

He added that he was going to keep an eye on Stupid Basturd and make him tell him in his annual appraisals what he is doing to improve our working relationship! The prospect of Stupid Basturd being quizzed each year and told he must be nice to me all the time has considerably cheered me up, I must say.

 

[SamScribble]

Just my opinion, Naoko, but the whole system sounds like bureaucratic crap. Of course you are 'appointable'. They should have just done it. Send them to my office. Now. Oh, wait. I don't have an office anymore, do I? Bugger. But well done. Onward and upward.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Just my opinion, Naoko, but the whole system sounds like bureaucratic crap.

'Lo Sugar!


Sam, if they just said 'of course you are appointable' about three people would have to be made redundant! because it takes at least that many to process the bits of paper saying you are 'appointable'. (NB 'unappointable' is not even a real word - it doesn't exist in the dictionary.) That would mean losing three administrative bean-counters who work in the central office! Why ... they might have enough money to keep our regional centres if they did that. Stop being so sensible.

 

[SamScribble]

'Lo Sugar!


Sam, if they just said 'of course you are appointable' about three people would have to be made redundant! because it takes at least that many to process the bits of paper saying you are 'appointable'. (NB 'unappointable' is not even a real word - it doesn't exist in the dictionary.) That would mean losing three administrative bean-counters who work in the central office! Why ... they might have enough money to keep our regional centres if they did that. Stop being so sensible.

Fair enough. <HUG>

 

[NaokoSmith]

Another piece of news, I am going to have to stop writing my mumsie blog: Anthropological Mum . I was thinking quite seriously about going back and refreshing it, and writing some more posts about the reality of parenting, particularly now as Piglet hits teenage years. I know that because of my background doing research in sex and relationships education, etc, I am unusually relaxed about supporting Piglet through the hormonal highs and lows. I felt there were some things I was able to write about which other parents would find valuable: how to keep children of different ages safe on the internet, how to teach your kid to ride a bike.

However I of course had to ask Piglet how she felt about it, and not much to my surprise she said she didn't want there to be a public blog talking all about how she has periods and spots etc etc.

I will miss writing my blog. I did believe in it. But I will turn my energy to writing about social science instead. I didn't really have time for writing so many blogs and stuff.

 

[TxRad]

So goes life. You finally get a job that pays actual money and now you have to cut out all the fun stuff you did before said job.

Sounds like you have navigated the twists and turns of academia fairly well. Sounds a lot like corporate management. Promote to incompetency but i find it far more dangerous in education, I must say.

 

[R. Richard]

You might think about writing about anti-social science., The field is wide open.

 

[Handley_Page]

You might think about writing about anti-social science., The field is wide open.

What a good idea!

 

[NaokoSmith]

Sadly there is all too much anti-intellectual writing around. What I do, is use the social science perspectives being taught on my modules to get a fresh look at the world. That helps the students understand better how to write their essays.


I am about to go and start painting the tea tables! In the end, I went to the shop and held pictures up against the sample colours there. The duck egg wasn't as greenish as you would expect of duck egg blue, and the powder blue showed up the pictures really nicely so I went for that one.

I was a bit alarmed to see that the gold paint is extremely toxic to aquatic life and you must under no circumstance pour any of it down the drain. I have had to think a bit about how to clean the brushes given that I can't pour the water down the drain afterwards.

Does anyone have tips for getting the screw-y bit of a light fitting off? I have a dusty old lampshade I want to take down and replace after visiting IKEA yesterday and flashing my legs ... I mean credit card around. But the screw-y bit that holds the lampshade onto the light fitting is stuck and won't come off no matter how hard I twist it

 

[Handley_Page]

I was a bit alarmed to see that the gold paint is extremely toxic to aquatic life and you must under no circumstance pour any of it down the drain. I have had to think a bit about how to clean the brushes given that I can't pour the water down the drain afterwards.

Does anyone have tips for getting the screw-y bit of a light fitting off? I have a dusty old lampshade I want to take down and replace after visiting IKEA yesterday and flashing my legs ... I mean credit card around. But the screw-y bit that holds the lampshade onto the light fitting is stuck and won't come off no matter how hard I twist it

Unless you plan on painting an area larger than the dome of St Paul's with that gold paint, I doubt that the quantity you're going to dump is very significant. Just don't over-do it.

Is the screw-y bit plastic or brass ?
I've found that switching on the lamp for a while (thus warming the fitting) is good; followed by a drop of penetrating oil (WD40 ?). Give it a while to penetrate and then try.

 

[oggbashan]

...

Is the screw-y bit plastic or brass ?
I've found that switching on the lamp for a while (thus warming the fitting) is good; followed by a drop of penetrating oil (WD40 ?). Give it a while to penetrate and then try.

DON'T use the oil of WD40 while the light is ON.

What has usually happened is that the plastic has hardened from the continuous heat from the bulb. The whole plastic fitting ought to be replaced, not just the part that holds the shade in place - but if it is a ceiling light an electrician might be advisable.

 

[Handley_Page]

DON'T use the oil of WD40 while the light is ON.

What has usually happened is that the plastic has hardened from the continuous heat from the bulb. The whole plastic fitting ought to be replaced, not just the part that holds the shade in place - but if it is a ceiling light an electrician might be advisable.

Thanks, Ogg. I should have mentioned that.
And of course, and work on the cable should be done with the whole bloody mains
supply OFF.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

If it can wait until November, Naoko, I'd be happy to drop by and take proper care of your screw-y bit for you.

 

[Handley_Page]

If it can wait until November, Naoko, I'd be happy to drop by and take proper care of your screw-y bit for you.

Just join the Queue, you blaggard

 

[Bramblethorn]

Just my opinion, Naoko, but the whole system sounds like bureaucratic crap. Of course you are 'appointable'.

Bureaucratic crap has its points, tho', especially when spending public money. I used to work in a "just do it" place where everything was at the whim of the Big Boss. He appointed his son head of HR, his wife got a cushy admin job, and so on; one of his most experienced staff with decades of experience got in his bad books so he put her under supervision of a shiny new grad student; he gave a "head of research" position to a guy who, I am not exaggerating, couldn't spell "Google". Eventually he commissioned a great big painting of himself and had it hung in the foyer.

And if that had been his own private business, perhaps he would've been welcome to spend that money as he chose, but it wasn't; a lot of this was coming out of public funding.

Bureaucracy can be a massive pain in the neck (I've worked places where it took so long to process recruitment that all the best candidates had already taken up jobs elsewhere by the time we made them an offer) but it does discourage that sort of graft.

 

[stickygirl]

Are you talking about Alex Salmond or another MP?