Jo Fountain

This year i've reduced hours of lectures (which it is mandatory to record, so pretty poor student attendance) and doubled tutorials (not recorded). 80-90% attendance at the latter, with much better engagement and average grade up 9%

I have all my novels - read & TBR in bookshelves in alphabetical order but TBH the TBR books would be in the 100s. I love second hand book shops & sales & probably own more books than I could read in one lifetime, but I see book browsing/buying/rescuing as a completely different hobby to reading 😁

Blue colored hand wash that is not foaming and comes in a refillable bottle

Like this? But a bit bigger? [NB I'm currently in Canada 🇨🇦 ]

I was in London 2 weeks ago. Haven't been there for 19 years. I live in New Zealand - 5m people spread out over land the size of UK - so not my usual sort of place.

As a middle aged woman alone, I loved it- so much life, and laughter. I felt safe day and night; I talked and laughed with strangers.

Yep I was entitled to nothing because I earned more than him. He got a big payout from me when I bought him out of the house (while I got a big mortgage. He works full time and lives with his parents 🙄

I would suggest you move onto something else until you can get the answer - and/or email your supervisor. There'll be a template for it. Don't waste any more time x

Diana and the Golden Apples was my favourite too... and Sparky! So many shared memories for a generation of kiwi kids

I have spent too much time today trying to work out how to de-couple/turnoff my 'AI Assistant': "do you want me to summarise this journal article for you?" NO. NEVER. GO AWAY.

Houses are so much better at heating and cooling here than in NZ. Place I'm housesitting has fully ducted air conditioning / heating making things so liveable, but yeah the temperature extremes are pretty wild here. In summer it can be 38+ degrees and in winter -25!

Not sure what it's like in other parts of Canada but food is incredibly expensive here - I'd say most basic foodstuffs are at least 50% more expensive. Just two examples, tomatoes are $11/kg and a similar price for 1kg container of yoghurt - and that's before taking the exchange rate into account

Yes I think Protestants definitely believe that one must act their faith - "by their deeds you shall know them" etc. The whole Protestant Work Ethic suggests that faith alone is not enough

I'm from Lincoln, in Waikirkiri Selwyn, but this is like my second home after three extended stays in three years

👋

NZ Tertiary educated (PhD in social sciences) who grew up in Christian family full of lay preachers, ministers and missionaries = 12/15

Got the question about the Christian denomination that believes in redemption through faith alone wrong - I don't think the answer they give is right.

Haven't heard about affects of weather this year yet, but only just arrived. At least there are cherries 🍒 this year!! Almost none last year

I've had some interesting* 2021 vintages. Unfortunately no 2024 vintages to taste at all - at least not with Okanagan grapes after the polar vortex (I think Tantalus might have a 2024 rosé?)

* by interesting I mean tasted like licking an ashtray... grit and all

Agree you have to teach to the context/space, but they tried open planned classrooms in 1975 and it traumatized me (they had to take me to the library to un-stress by old teacher told me a decade ago). My daughter had open planned classrooms through primary school- she hated it and learnt little.

*wine (and drink) tourism

I'm here researching the wine industry -impacts of climate change on in particular - but as I teach wine tourism I suspect I'll also need to do some participant observation again. This is my third year in a row visiting, so I'm finding some favourites

I'm in BC (Kelowna) for the next seven weeks. I can assure you I will be doing my bit to educate the locals!

Magdalen Tower as viewed across the cloister. White hydrangeas like fluffy clouds in the foreground in shadows. The sky is bird's egg blue

Four words I never thought I'd use in England: "It is too hot". Still, Oxford is ancient and beautiful.

Canterbury's Lincoln to be new Bioeconomy Science Institute HQ, Scion to leave Christchurch The board behind the new Bioeconomy Science Institute - which merges public research organisations has picked its new headquarters.

This seems a sensible move, given a quarter of the new Institute's staff are already based in Lincoln. I love living in a town that revolves around science and knowledge. www.odt.co.nz/star-news/st...

On the top of the maunga Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. Cobble stones and grass in the foreground, a carved image of Tamarea in the centre, nearly to him a kaumatua leads a mihi. In the background rolling hills and a glimpse of the sea

If you're ever in the vicinity again it is well worth getting to the top of the maunga and learning about the place from the Scott whanau

Where are you off to?

As a sociologist I really feel this!

Tell Cleo she would hate it here. It is really windy and loud and damp, and there are killer chickens, like Gladys

Indeed.

It's quite a depressing time to be an aging sociologist who remembers the days of free education and respect for knowledge and learning (sigh)

Luckily I'm lying on a couch in Rarotonga watching the rainfall as I celebrate another birthday... no pesky phone calls. I've turned off email notifications on my phone AND left computer at home 😁 My out of office message is quite blunt about unavailability. Going to be a nightmare on my return 😂

But many people also don't trust academics to know anything about the 'real world' - would rather pay exorbitant sums to consultants than have academics speak to them for free.