A day in the life…

Another sticky, but only partly frustrating day. Lots and lots of marking, plus toweringly angry emails from students who tell me that their grades are 'wrong' and 'unfair', despite not collecting their work to find out why the grades have been awarded. I've done my best to explain that we can only mark the work, not the effort that's gone into it, and that doing a re-sit doesn't guarantee a better grade. Being kind, I didn't employ the first analogy that came to mind: that Hitler worked hard to establish the Third Reich but that didn't mean he deserved praise. (The less offensive version of this analogy is to point at Channel 4's output).

I've also tried to work out how to extraordinarily render a student to the United States as quickly as possible. (He wants to go, just didn't get round to it early enough and now it's a bit difficult). Having despatched him to High Chaparral U or wherever, I'm still hopeful of getting an exchange semester for me with the University of the Faroe Islands, or perhaps Greenland U. Anywhere cold and Scandinavian, basically.

I did have a very enjoyable morning though. One of my MA students came in for a tutorial. I'm getting a bit twitchy about time running out, but she's writing some really interesting things about country houses in late-1920s/early-30s middlebrow and popular novels: Waugh, Green, Wodehouse, Christie and various others. We talked about readers, women, characterisation, why mothers are almost entirely absent and a host of very interesting things. It's always good to talk about ideas and books to motivated students (a big cheer here too for those dissertation students I've already talked to ahead of their final academic year), but I particularly enjoyed today because her interests are close to mine. We don't work on the same material, but her stuff is close enough for me simply to enjoy and learn from what she's doing.

So despite the pitiless scorching heat and the sheer misery of marking, I'm feeling rather serene. Amazing what a bit of an old chat will do. That, and sneakily following both the Ashes and the Tour de France on the Guardian's minute-by-minute coverage. The regular habitués are like old friends, and the discussions are often more interesting than the regular commentary, where available - and perhaps more exciting than the action in places. The idea of watching a TV feed with Boycott, Gower or any of those pompous buffoons droning on now seems unbearable compared with the wit generated by one hack watching a TV in the newspaper office and the other learned, enthusiastic readers. If the dreaded New Media kills off the cult of Fat Matey Former Players Complacently Talking Bollocks In The Studio For Massive Cheques (as I gather the format is known), it can't come too soon for me.

OK, here's a little treat for you: the funny, erudite and humane Stewart Lee talking to students about 'Not Writing'. And lots of other things.

Yes, it's Friday.

Morning all. I've got a stupid amount of work today, including the entire essay on Threshold Concepts that I've been reading for all week (yes, even staff write things at the last minute), so there won't be time for blogging. Here's Ashes Central: they'll post the Over-by-Over link there soon, I would think.

So what about today's Friday Conundrum. I'm feeling slightly delirious and spent yesterday discussing Art and Morality with Zoot and others (on another post), so how about something a little more relaxed? What's the rudest thing anyone's said to you? My choices are a tie. My headmaster's university reference for me told them that I was going to fail my A-levels, that I was a troublemaker and that I didn't deserve a place anyway. I know this only because the kind man at Derby University who interviewed me said that I didn't sound anything like my reference and sneakily let me read it. The other contender is the cousin at my sister's wedding who plainly said that I'm so repulsive that I'm doomed to a solitary life (the actual words were 'well, romance isn't for everyone, is it?' after she noticed that I was attending alone).

Nightwatchman

I'm so bored with this educational theory essay, exacerbated by the knowledge that I've got to get it done by tomorrow - no chance for bunking off.

I've had the cricket on in the background (the Guardian's wonderful OBO coverage: one day they'll print one of my puns) and it's been a humdinger. England started brilliantly, then relied on their legends to arse things up - big collapse in the middle order, led by Pietersen throwing his wicket away, Bopara and Collingwood doing likewise, then Flintoff marking his final Test with a magnificent 4 runs. After bowling uselessly all day, Australia must be jubilant with 364-6 (Strauss 161no)

Ashes Fever

The first Ashes match has just started - follow it live here on the Guardian's wonderful 'over by over' coverage. If the play gets boring (unlikely), contributions from viewers are always fun. Also tomorrow, Ireland play Kenya in the first one-day international, which used to be the high-speed version until Twenty20 was invented.

(In case some of my readers are confused, I'm talking cricket. Googlies, Chinamen, silly mid-off and all that).