If there’s anything we as post-grads should know, it’s that procrastination isn’t just a big word, it’s a way of life. But it’s suddenly coming home to me that I’ve NO TIME WHATSOEVER to conduct my interviews, then observe my rats at work, then send out questionnaires based on my observations. A little ambitious, you might say. The only way I can get it all done is if I write up my dissertation now, and then fabricate the results to fit in with my observations. But of course, that option is surely not available to me. Is it? No, I shouldn’t even be thinking about it. Well that’s the end of that then. No more thoughts along those lines. Absolutely no more.

Just said goodbye to Jill via MSN. Here’s hoping she has a safe journey there and back. (Tracy and I especially would like to see her back, a sentiment which has nothing whatsoever to do with the contents of her luggage).

Apologies to all my fans for not entertaining them in a while, it took me a hell of a long time to recover from the gaities of this week. First off, thanks to all the ISOMers and staff remaining in Manchester for a wonderful dinner ‘n’ dance at La Tasca. And to Jonny for the ‘free’ beers Secondly, an apology is due to the Liverpool fans, for the mention on these very pages of their inability to contest Milan. What a great comeback!! And what luck in the final minutes, I must add. Thirdly, a call goes out to anyone having anywhere near as much difficulty as me waking up in the morning; how feasible is the idea of morning wakeup calls? God knows I need something like that. Even the lure of sharing my thoughts with the Wild World Web is not enough.

Popular demand (well, just Pan) forces me to post another joke. Here it is…

You know you are an Internet Junkie when…

You can think of nineteen keystroke symbols that are far more clever than .

According to a study conducted at Durham Uni, UK of athletes in four Olympic sports (boxing, taekwondo, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling) who are randomly assigned red or blue to wear, reds triumphed more in all four sports. The same holds true for football, as recorded in the Euro 2004 competition. But in case Jonny thinks Liverpool has a chance against AC Milan this Wednesday, one researcher also says “If you’re rubbish, a red shirt won’t stop you from losing”. Ah, so that explains it then.

Last night I was lying in bed reflecting on my first journey as an independent adult, flying to Moscow with my ears full of admonitions, and advice to be wary of strangers in the big bad world. I remember sitting in the airport when my plane was delayed, and approached by a friendly Scotsman carrying a mandolin, which he proceeded to play and sing along to beautifully, while in my head were contradictory thoughts; one of appreciation for his moving Celtic music, and another of keeping my money safe from him, because surely this stranger was out to rob it from me! I remembered this after reading my friend’s weblog today. I hope he/she doesn’t think I just copied the idea and added some cultural references to make it more interesting

This is the last stanza of the poem ‘Desert Places’ by Robert Frost-

“They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars – on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places.”

I find in it a sentiment much akin but antipodean to Edward Dyer’s

“My mind to me a kingdom is;
Such present joys therein I find,
That it excels all other bliss
That earth affords or grows by kind:
Though much I want that most would have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.”

But negative or positive, I think Led Zeppelin sum it up in ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ with

“I know that it’s all a state of mind”

Haven’t found a job yet, haven’t contacted my supervisor yet (no names mentioned here), and haven’t done any reading yet. Frankly, I can’t see the point of waking up everyday! Well, atleast I managed to check the TV guide online, so I’ll waste my time at home in an organised sort of way.

Three people are in a prison camp, and decide to compare reasons for being sent there.

Unfortunately, that’s the way things are sometimes.

The following article has been borrowed from New Scientist, 14/05/05. “Advertising has a new gimmick. Kodak in Rochester, New York, wants to encourage people to take pictures of adverts in return for free photo prints. The idea is that Kodak sells more film, customers get a freebie, and the advertiser gets the exposure they crave. The company proposes running the slogan “Shoot me with Kodak film, and get a free extra set of prints” on billboards or giant screens at sports events, famous landmarks and theme parks. The ads contain a digital pattern that is recognised by an optical sensor in the photo lab when you get the film developed. The lab then automatically prints the free copies (US 2005/0084259).”
Ok, here’s the question: Will it work?

So the day (14/05/05) finally arrived. I always make a great bowl of chili, but my friends were here to be experimented upon, so I decided on Thai. The chicken had been swimming in coconut milk and spices for over 20 hours; must have been some kind of athlete in its days. This was supposed to be a payback for all those free dinners I’ve been having at Tracy’s and Jessy’s, and boy did they get paid back. The food didn’t get much of a mention from anyone, atleast not until the host intimidated a compliment out of them, but considering that the fridge held circa 30 beers, there was serious work to get down to. After reaching a state of non-sobriety, it was decided that it was the right time for us to pit our intellect against each other in a game of Trivia Pusuit. Unfortunately, we hadn’t counted on the damn questions being so difficult. The game finally wound up at 2.30 a.m, after an Herculean effort on everybody’s part. Thanks to Bingboula, Jessy, Jill, Tracy, Ioannis and Ali for a great time.

It seems the notorious “Two-Gun Grabosch” is alive and kicking, causing devastation in Munich now. Apologies to non-isomers for the insider jokes.

A certain company to whom I am attempting to apply online for a job has the tagline under their name that goes “Quality in everything we do”. Needless to say, their online application form doesn’t work….

It is difficult to understand where some authors of management books get their inspirational themes from. One is reminded of the book ’1000 ways to get rich’ which lists one method as “writing a book about getting rich”. This seems to be the general philosophy behind some management books; selling old theory with new packaging and catchy titles. Sun Tzu’s ‘The art of war’ supposedly has important things to tell us about management, and is still on the top management book list, despite having been written 2400 or so years ago on the subject of military tactics. Now PK has brought to my attention another book, where Shakespeare apparently has a lesson for managers. Is ‘Shakespeare on Management’ another poor attempt at cashing in on gullible managers, whose understanding of both Shakespeare and management is minimal? Or is this trend reflective of the fact that management issues are unseparable from daily human activity?

While checking out common words that are blocked automatically by the good fellas at WordPress, I see that ‘vale of glamorgan conservatives’ is considered bad enough to be blocked. Wonder what they’ve done? I only went there hoping to find a list of swear words (and add some new ones to my growing list).

I really don’t think this is the place to be talking about it. But I can’t keep it inside me for any longer.