Sunday 19 April 2009

Application enthusiasm.

Gathering up the enthusiasm to complete another application for a full time, permanent lectureship that I'm pretty sure I've got no chance of getting is very tough. I'm sure that lots of you reading Falling Leaves know and understand that feeling. And that you will also recognise the little nagging voice that I can hear in my head, saying "but this one might be the one you could have got, and if you don't apply then you won't get it and will have missed an opportunity. You will miss out and it will be your own fault".

So here I am, trying to finish marking a pile of essays by Monday morning (so that they can be moderated whilst I am at my admin job in the middle of the week and then can complete the marking admin processes and get them back to the office for the unmoveable deadline of Friday), attempting to prepare a lecture for 9am on Friday morning (my admin job takes 9-5 on Tues, Weds and Thurs), and trying convince myself to squeeze in completing the application for this job that I'm not going to get ("but might be the one I could have got if only I made the time to apply for it").

I just happened to check my mailbox on the way back from the shop today for mail from yesterday, and I had received a rejection letter for a job for which I applied some weeks ago. You may think, "At least they said thanks but no thanks, which is more than most places." And I'd agree with you. But I received a rejection letter from the same institution for the same job last week. Now, I know this is proabably just an admin error - maybe through a change of staff - but, being rejected twice for the same job seems particularly harsh. They really don't want me.

And it's not helping my levels of application enthusiasm.

Wednesday 8 April 2009

Tourist attractions

Last weekend The Physio and I went for a weekend away together in a Historic City. The weather was lovely, so we spent some time wandering around looking at the old buildings, some of which look like they are falling over. There is a strange mixed of ancient and modern there, but somehow it all seems to work together.

We went to some of the tourist attractions too, including a castle tower, which looked very small in comparison with the Scottish Castles I'm used to, but was very interesting nonetheless (and, in fairness, is only part of what used to be the Castle). But what most surprised me was this medieval townhouse, which is, for the most part, full of modern replicas, which means that you can sit at the banqueting table, handle the pottery, and sit in the parlour at the merchant's desk. They do have some original artifacts under glass - you can't handle those, but you can look at and read all about them. There are also lots of files containing information about literacy, games, fabric and all sorts of interesting bits and pieces. But they also have a fascinating exhibition on prayer, pestilence and plague, detailing the medical and dental facilities in the area in the medieval period, showing medical equipment, describing hospitals, and giving 'home remedies' for things like headaches and chapped lips (you can actually pick up a leaflet with the recipes in them if you want to). All in all, it is well worth a visit. As is the Minster. Give yourself plenty of time for that though - there's so much to take in. Perhaps too much for one visit.

The Physio and I might have to go back to that City to explore some more. Those are only a sample of the places to visit. So much to do; so little time.