It's my first day of research leave. & while I have a truly terrifying number of things that must be written in the next 6 months, today I'm settling down to read, because *research*

2025 has been a rotten year for most early career postdoctoral researchers, especially in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. For a better 2026, check out (or repost) this short thread on a free resource for UK-based SHAPE PhDs within 10 years (excluding career breaks) of the doctorate. 1/3

Happy Boxing Day to all who celebrate

Before essay mills were banned in 2022, advertising for essay mills were all like ‘students, get help with your ideas’ and *everyone* knew it was bullshit. EVERYONE! And now universities themselves are encouraging students to ‘get help with their ideas’ from ChatGPT - and it’s STILL bullshit!

Out of office is ON. I am on annual and/research leave from now until September 2026. 🎉🎉

Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.

The remains of end-of-term bounty

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🤬

Unfortunately the HE 2025 ballot failed at 39% turnout. I have written about why and about what desperately needs to change in UCU's national structures off the back of this result. Some HEC members need to chi up and understand their role in all this, and how disconnected they are from members.

Because the world is too much with us of late, I give you this pure unadulterated joy: youtu.be/OZqz94ODz18?...

Kittens holding paws for your evening palate cleanser.

The children & the cat also had v different reactions to the end of the snow flurry

The children & the cat had v different reactions to the snow.

Postdoc Opportunity! Washington University in St. Louis - Postdoctoral Fellowship in African and African American Studies (AFAS) and Center for Humanities networks.h-net.org/jobs/69485/w...

Train delayed due to ... a swan on the line.

@ellierycroft.bsky.social any thoughts?

Ulster (museum) dragons for @nushpowell.bsky.social

Out of Office is On

Each one of those 98/99% of failed applications represents dozens or hundreds of hours of work for the actual applicant; a vast stack of emails about budgeting, cost-centres, reviews, approvals, HR, Finance Office, Research Support... Pissed. Up. A. Wall. For the sake of only picking "winners".

It's the time of term when I'm so tires I dream of having a nap. It was a good dream, too.

I had the *best* time learning & laughing with @titachico.bsky.social

Tell me you work in a university without telling me: [office phone rings] Me: hello? Them: I'm calling to let you know that we're disconnecting landline phones. We note this line has traffic on it. Me: .... T: ...but we don't know where it is. Who are you and where is your office?

Not even on the weekends? That's just sad.

Heads of: History, English, Theatre

Who assumed committee meetings were at the same time this year as last & showed up an hour early?

Day 1 of the new academic year & we have our first email-all failure. Waiting on the reply-all complaints.

It's that tome of year again: a new academic year about to start, I'm still (again) HOD & I need comfort reading. Must be well-written & not too traumatic. Otherwise anything goes!

"But I am a hater, and I will not be polite. The machine is disgusting and we should break it." anthonymoser.github.io/writing/ai/h...

Heavy rain followed by light rain. #brizzle

Not now, flesh-eating screw worms www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Perimenopausal dreaming: family vacation to the inside of an active volcano.

The National Archives is looking for an Early Modern Parliamentary Records Specialist. Pros: you'll get to work in the same department as me. Cons: you'll have to work in the same department as me. Details via the link. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOD893/r...

Armadale, Sir Charles Grandison, Middlemarch

Just realised that I had actually booked today as bonus annual leave so I could fight the laundry & email separately.

Monday, post-holiday. Mountains of emails & laundry to sort & work through. Cat also decided to show his displeasure abt being left by knocking a full coffee cup onto the sofa.

You kan not run educacioun lyke a businesse. A businesse ys ther to make a profit. Educacioun ys ther to make the future.

Last day of holiday. Normally I’m more than ready to go home & get back to work after 2 weeks of idleness. This year… could happily spend another fortnight on the Dordogne.

Teen’s summer reading has moved on to _Wuthering Heights_ Me: what’s happening at the Heights now? Teen: the Grange. Heathcliff & Cathy are being mean to Isabella because they are the worst.

Thar be dragons 🐉

Girls are reading Austen for the first time, & it is a fracking joy to watch their absolute absorption. Verdicts so far: 1. John Thorpe is *the worst* 2. Edwards Ferrars is a wet wipe, but at least he’s not *old* (Col. Brandon is over 30 & therefore past redemption)

Went to an antique shop. Was not allowed to leave with these delights.

Teen: what’cha doing? Me: reading my book Teen: I think you’re obsessed with Phineas Finn. Me: … he is, dare I say it, even better than Sir Charles Grandison.

Home for the next 2 weeks.

Today is *whispers is* a research day. I’ve no meetings, no pressing admin, no looming crisis. I’ve almost certainly jinxed it now, but if not, I’m writing about theatrical intimacies: the good, the bad, & the frankly unpleasant

Summer research season has so far been admin summer with a spot of REF reading.