Friday Already?

Where did the week go? It's the weekend once again, and I'm just amazed. It's a weird time at the moment.

My nan, who is in the end stages of Pick's Disease, had to be admitted in to hospital for an emergency hernia operation last Sunday. At the same time they resectioned her bowel and removed her appendix; we had to go in and see her when they admitted her, and they explained the risks and everything. They told us about how they wouldn't be using any extraordinary measures in the event of her getting into any difficulties - and in her condition that is not what we would want or she would want, but at the same time it is one thing knowing that and another thing accepting it when you're being told by a surgeon or an anaesthetist.

Five days on and she is still very poorly. The Pick's has brought her to the point now where she can't talk, certainly no more than yes and no answers, and one would have to wonder if she understands a question when it is asked of her. When she sees us I'd like to think that there is still that recognition in her eyes, even if it is just that she knows we are family. She's not eaten anything all week or got out of the bed, and has been asleep for most of the time.

It feels like we're all just holding our breath, waiting...

Technology let me down yesterday, and the Valentine ecard that I tried to send never made it to its recipient. First time in five years that I like someone and think that they like me, and the Internet decides to hate me. Well, have decided that the Internet can get stuffed, it's not going to beat me. I'm seeing her after the weekend and I'm just going to tell her.

(yes, I probably should have just trusted the Royal Mail but I don't know her address - the age that we live in I suppose - and yes, I really should have just told her in person anyway that I like her... As noisms will testify, this is my normal pattern of behaviour when I life someone, i.e., not saying a thing to them and hoping that they will notice something in me in some way because we spend time together. The difference with this one is that I am going to do something about it)

The Kodo Drummers were absolutely spectacular. The dedication, the skill, the sound... If they had been playing on Tuesday night I would have gone back to see them, and if they return to Liverpool or anywhere near where I might be in the future I wouldn't hesitate to see them again. I quite like listening to percussion pieces, and have seen a few performances at my sister's music college before, but nothing like the taiko drumming that the Kodo Drummers did.

And... I might be applying for a job. It's a teaching position at a university in the south of the UK, a fixed term position where I would be a member of teaching staff (not doing, or at least not getting paid to do, research) and it would involve, by the sounds of things, a lot of teaching with a lot of admin, but it would be a start.

Weighing it up at the moment; the application deadline is three weeks away, and the start time would be September this year. Thesis submission is probably two months away now, but with probable viva dates and then time to get corrections finished it doesn't leave a lot of time for sorting out somewhere to live, moving etc. Still, you make time for what's important, right?

The big thing that I'm weighing it up against is my desire to travel for an extended period... If I don't do it now when will I do it? But how often does the possibility of a decent job like this (which is right up my street) come along?

Will let you know how my decision to apply for it goes in the coming weeks...

Finally, I've just finished reading "The Man Who Was Thursday" by G. K. Chesterton; I liked it a lot, even though the direction of the story was quite obvious from about halfway through, it was a really funny tale and had a lot of really profound moments too. The following, which is in the context of people, is the one that just jumped out of the page at me as I read it.

It may be conceded to the mathematicians that four is twice two. But two is not twice one; two is two thousand times one.

More soon.

Extremes

Since the ancient heating system was turned on in mid-October we have had problems in our office; when it was first turned on, it was quite stifling at times, and we complained and asked if there was anything that could be done about it.

We were told that people had been complaining about the heating system for over fifteen years, and nothing had happened yet, but that "they" would look into it - I'm really not sure who "they" are, "they" could be goblins for all I know... Not once in our discussions did we find out whether it was a university service we were waiting on, or if outside people were being hired in to try and fix it.

In early November the top two floors on our side of the building went cold. Previously the other side of the building had been cold, and now they had heat (at a reasonable temperature too). For three months in our office (which is over 2o square metres) we made do with one little electric heater, and every other week we were told that someone was going to take another look at the heating system.

On some days I knew of people who were wearing coats in their offices at their desks in order to stay warm... Until finally on Thursday last week I came in to the office and my officemate Helena said, "The wall started making noises a few minutes ago." The central heating system runs the full length of one wall and so I went over and experimentally put my hand over it... A thin trickle of heat was coming out. We danced a little dance and turned our one bar heater off, and thanked God that finally the thermostats were fixed and we could work in comfort.

On Friday morning I got up to the office, opened the door and was almost floored by a rolling wave of heat. Of course, my desk is right next to the heating... Today, coming in to the office first thing was even worse, the heat even more sweltering. Just above the heaters running the length of the wall we have four large windows. They're all open and it barely makes a dent in the temperature.

We've all fired off emails, but haven't received a reply as yet. At the University of Liverpool, things often just go from one ridiculous extreme to another...

Anyway! Sorry to bore you with this little slice of life from the fifth floor. I'm off out in about ten minutes to meet a friend for dinner, and then we're going to see the Kodo Drummers at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall!