My random thoughts is a blog run by fellow Socialist Party comrade, Scott. These three words are also the topic of today’s post.
My morning didn’t get off to the best start.
1) I was up late.
2) There was a puddle of cat diarrhoea in the litter tray.
Just what you need when you’re contemplating the first meal of the day. Nice.
Well I managed to get myself to university around 9.15, sat myself down with the mandatory cup of green tea and got stuck in.
Except I didn’t.
From a strict PhD perspective it was a singularly unproductive day. I emailed some people from the CANE conference, cancelled a coffee appointment for tomorrow (have to stay in for a delivery of pet food) and confirmed another for the afternoon. But that was it. I checked some happenings in blogland, caught up on the UKLN, and acquainted myself with Patience (or “Solitaire” as the US cultural imperialists at Microsoft insist on calling it). Take it from me, Google Earth isn’t a great remedy for procrastination either.
Things brightened up in the afternoon. At 2 I met up with S, another SP’er Keele resident. We chewed the fat about British Perspectives, the CNWP and what we as a collective can do to help rebuild the labour movement in North Staffs. I think what we came up with has promise but I’ll refrain blogging about it until more flesh has been put on the bare bones of coffee shop talk.
I then called it a day. As you may have already seen my travelling companion at the moment is The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. I am really enjoying this book. It follows the adventures in New York 'society' of one Undine Spragg, spoiled heiress to a nouveau riche fortune. This background is the source of much anxiety as Undine covets bourgeois respectability, and is cynically and ruthlessly prepared to do what's required to get it. I do love reading about how our masters live(d) and especially the lengths they go to to acquire and display their cultural capital.
That's quite enough Bourdieu for this post.
One guy on the bus home tickled me. This bloke was quite happily chatting to himself, that is until a young lad got on the bus. Abruptly the conversation ceased. The hand disappeared into the jacket ... and out came a mobile and charger. From civilian to Del Boy Trotter in one fell swoop, Superman would be envious at the speed of the transformation. Well, just before my stop the price had dropped substantially beneath the Argos going rate. I'm wonder if the kid took him up on it?
Just enough time for a quick tea before heading up to A&M's to talk over the business of the branch. As I've blogged elsewhere we're having our AGM this week and muggins here has volunteered to put together a lead off on strategy, so we had a bit of a talk about that, the state of play in Stoke and what S and I chatted about earlier in the day.
So there you have it. A day where my PhD sat in a corner of my mind, admonishing me for my lethargy, but still a few party matters got dealt with. All a bit dreary really.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Stoke this happened.
My morning didn’t get off to the best start.
1) I was up late.
2) There was a puddle of cat diarrhoea in the litter tray.
Just what you need when you’re contemplating the first meal of the day. Nice.
Well I managed to get myself to university around 9.15, sat myself down with the mandatory cup of green tea and got stuck in.
Except I didn’t.
From a strict PhD perspective it was a singularly unproductive day. I emailed some people from the CANE conference, cancelled a coffee appointment for tomorrow (have to stay in for a delivery of pet food) and confirmed another for the afternoon. But that was it. I checked some happenings in blogland, caught up on the UKLN, and acquainted myself with Patience (or “Solitaire” as the US cultural imperialists at Microsoft insist on calling it). Take it from me, Google Earth isn’t a great remedy for procrastination either.
Things brightened up in the afternoon. At 2 I met up with S, another SP’er Keele resident. We chewed the fat about British Perspectives, the CNWP and what we as a collective can do to help rebuild the labour movement in North Staffs. I think what we came up with has promise but I’ll refrain blogging about it until more flesh has been put on the bare bones of coffee shop talk.
I then called it a day. As you may have already seen my travelling companion at the moment is The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. I am really enjoying this book. It follows the adventures in New York 'society' of one Undine Spragg, spoiled heiress to a nouveau riche fortune. This background is the source of much anxiety as Undine covets bourgeois respectability, and is cynically and ruthlessly prepared to do what's required to get it. I do love reading about how our masters live(d) and especially the lengths they go to to acquire and display their cultural capital.
That's quite enough Bourdieu for this post.
One guy on the bus home tickled me. This bloke was quite happily chatting to himself, that is until a young lad got on the bus. Abruptly the conversation ceased. The hand disappeared into the jacket ... and out came a mobile and charger. From civilian to Del Boy Trotter in one fell swoop, Superman would be envious at the speed of the transformation. Well, just before my stop the price had dropped substantially beneath the Argos going rate. I'm wonder if the kid took him up on it?
Just enough time for a quick tea before heading up to A&M's to talk over the business of the branch. As I've blogged elsewhere we're having our AGM this week and muggins here has volunteered to put together a lead off on strategy, so we had a bit of a talk about that, the state of play in Stoke and what S and I chatted about earlier in the day.
So there you have it. A day where my PhD sat in a corner of my mind, admonishing me for my lethargy, but still a few party matters got dealt with. All a bit dreary really.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Stoke this happened.
"SCHOOL BAN FOR STRIKING PUPILS"
ReplyDeleteI saw this on the news yesterday, and my first thorght where.
"And they say kids arn't bothered about there education" my second thorght was "Good on them" and my third thorght was "Ummm.. I wonder if ISR are there".
So phil, did ISR help to orginise this "strike" and/or did they intervine?
I'm afraid not, on both counts :(
ReplyDeleteWe'll be talking about it tonight at the branch.