Tag Archives: creative writing

A few hiccups but we’re getting there

Over the past months, I’ve been in the process of recruiting a new colleague for a PhD project that we received funding for from the German research foundation. After a short advertising period at the end of the previous year, we ended up with 183 applications. This incredible number is somewhat of a puzzle toContinueContinue reading “A few hiccups but we’re getting there”

Throw ’em off the cliff

After starting the week with that typical post-Christmas hurdle, today I felt like I shrugged it all off. I spent this morning further preparing some of my week’s teaching plans, and this afternoon lectured to students, followed by a little exercise. The exercise is a simple thought exercise. Minimal information and instructions. Throw the studentsContinueContinue reading “Throw ’em off the cliff”

The downside of Christmas break

Today is usually the worst day of the year. I can’t tell exactly why this day is so much worse than other ‘first’ work days. It’s not the work that I am particularly bothered about. I like most parts of my job, and there certainly wasn’t anything bad waiting for me today. I started theContinueContinue reading “The downside of Christmas break”

Daily rhythm

For a while I have been considering a new daily routine. For some reason, I felt like my old routine was missing some necessary elements. Since having kids, I feel like most of my time is devoted to work, kids, daily chores and sleep. The little time that is left, is often shared with myContinueContinue reading “Daily rhythm”

Ten things I would do to kickstart a new position in a new place

I’m at this stage in my career where it’s unclear where I will find myself in six months. Always multiple applications running. This is academic life, I suppose. Unfortunately, some people are of the opinion that to stand a chance in this world, you need foreign academic experience. I tend to disagree, but I’ll saveContinueContinue reading “Ten things I would do to kickstart a new position in a new place”

A really really great night

Despite conditions being less than optimal, today was a pretty good day. After going to bed rather early, but struggling to catch sleep – first work day coming up means I always sleep poorly – I managed to finally shut my eyes somewhere between midnight and 1am. Not much later, we were awake again, asContinueContinue reading “A really really great night”

Ready and rested?

If you started off sick, and came back sick, and still felt sick when the work week was about to start, did you really go on vacation? This is a question that seems to recur, as every vacation we’ve taken over the past two years was more or less like an extended sick leave, butContinueContinue reading “Ready and rested?”

Are we getting too German?

When we moved to southern Bavaria from the Netherlands, my sister-in-law warned us. “Don’t stay longer than 2.5 years, or you will never go back,” she said with a sense of seriousness and urgency. They had moved to Austria a couple of years before, and as they are still there, well, she spoke from experience.ContinueContinue reading “Are we getting too German?”

Skipping the line

While on our vacation trip I picked up my Kindle, a device I barely ever use at home, to read a bit before going to bed. It’s a great thing when on vacation, reading until you fall asleep – typically pretty soon. I don’t know why I don’t do it at home. Reading – besidesContinueContinue reading “Skipping the line”