Journal Entries
Hebden Bridge and Leeds
Posted Sep 4, 2005
Got back about an hour ago from Hebden Bridge and Leeds – a most enjoyable weekend, made even better by great weather!
I had the day off on Friday, in lieu of having worked on Bank Holiday Monday, and I always like the chance to look round the shops on a weekday, when it’s usually less crowded. However, as the local schools haven’t gone back yet, town seemed to be full of kids and their mums, shopping for back-to-school items and bickering with each other. Went back to Monsoon where I’d seen a very nice silk top, which I had eventually decided to buy for my sister’s part next week – they’d all been sold. 
Met a friend at the Arts Picturehouse at 4pm and we had a glass of wine, feeling thoroughly decadent, before going to see ‘Festival’, a film about the Edinburgh Festival. We met some other friends by chance on the way in and sat next to them – one of them is doing a PhD on Scottish cinema, so she was seeing it for research purposes. I quite enjoyed it, but none of the others liked it very much – they said it was a rip-off of Altman’s ‘Nashville’, but as I haven’t seen that, I can’t comment. There’s quite a lot of pretty graphic sex in it.
Had an early night and got up at the crack of dawn on Saturday to get the 6.30am train to Hebden Bridge. Just as I was getting off the train at HB, a voice behind said “Are you Annie?” – it was Hebe, who’d been on the same train from Leeds, and had recognised me from the Regent’s Park picnic photos in the Lockin! Fortunately I remembered for once that ‘Annie’ was me – usually I completely forget, and someone who knows my RL name has to attract my attention!
We walked into the town together and soon met a few other ML-ers. Went for a cup of tea while Phil had breakfast (he’d had to leave home in Eastbourne even earlier than I did) and then had a wander round the shops before checking in at the Fox and Goose. I was disappointed to find that the Shires and Grundy’s Revenge beers were not going to be on tap until the evening, but had a pint of Slightly Foxed! 
After lots of chat, and ‘thank you’ presentations to Simon (Fox and Goose landlord) and Jane (prime organiser of the weekend), most of us relocated to Moyle’s restaurant for a delicious lunch. I can personally recommend the raspberry crème brulée – mentioned by several people in TB already, I see! 
By the time lunch was over, it was nearly time for me to get my train to stay with my friend in Leeds – I was escorted to the station by a group of ML-ers – photo opportunity on the platform!
Had a great time in Leeds too: street festival in Chapelallerton on Saturday night, out to Hyde Park for a late breakfast on Sunday, then I hit the shops on the way back to the station, and found the silk top I wanted in the Leeds branch of Monsoon – the only one they had in my size had a button missing, so they gave me 10% discount, hurray! 
Got to the station in good time to grab a sandwich before the 15.00 train, only to find that it didn’t exist, so had to run for the 14.40. Luckily there was a late-running Stansted Airport train at Peterborough, so I got back to Cambridge in just under three hours!
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Latest reply: Sep 4, 2005
Getting married
Posted Aug 28, 2005
Ha! That grabbed your attention didn't it!
Not me though, but my sister. She suddenly announced last week that she and her ex-OH, who have been living together again for the past six years, have decided to re-tie the knot. The wedding is on 10 September, so it was pretty short notice, and we have an Open Day at work that day, so although my boss has kindly said she could manage without me, I was reluctant to take the time off.
And anyway, I feel rather ambivalent about the whole thing. On one hand I'm quite relieved for her sake that they are regularising their relationship (tax, pension and so on), OTOH I think that deep down I have not really forgiven her OH for the way he treated her leading up to the divorce. She was in a very bad way for some time, on anti-depressants etc and her son, a teenager at the time, was also affected quite badly.
So have decided to compromise. I'm not going to the actual wedding, but will go to the evening party. No idea what I'm going to wear. I don't feel like buying something specifically "weddingy" because I'd never wear it again, except perhaps for my nephew's wedding next July (my sis has bought herself a smart suit, which she plans to recycle as her mother-of-the-groom outfit). As the party is at their house, I suppose I could wear something quite informal, rather than a suit. Any ideas gratefully received.
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Latest reply: Aug 28, 2005
Results Day
Posted Aug 19, 2005
18 August - Results Day
Results Day went relatively smoothly: most of the phone calls had finished by lunchtime (we know that nearly all the applicants who miss their offers will phone us, so we can count how many calls we are still expecting). General pattern was: student phoned me to say they had missed a grade A (often by only a few marks); I told them 'unfortunately we can't confirm your place, very sorry, etc etc, I'm sure you've got an insurance offer at another good university'; most of them said 'oh OK then, thanks' and put the phone down (a few exceptions who ask about alternative possibilities); fifteen minutes or so later there was another phonecall from either a parent or a teacher, asking to speak to the Admissions Tutor - it is quite hard, because all of these applicants have excellent grades, just not the super-excellent ones we asked for.
Then in the afternoon we had a few phonecalls from people who hadn't applied to Cambridge in the first place, or who had been rejected after interview, and had then gone on to get three or four A grades - we have to disappoint them as well, because Cambridge doesn't go into Clearing, we always make more offers than there are places available because we know that a certain percentage will not achieve their offers.
19 August - Summer Pool
Also seemed to go very well. The files of applicants who have narrowly missed their offer are all collected in one room (not nearly such a big room as for the Winter Pool) and Admissions Tutors and Directors of Studies who still have places to fill in specific subjects can go and read them. Stephen (YOB) said in TB that he didn't see the point of the Summer Pool, but there may be various reasons why places are still available - for example applicants declining their offers after the December/January admissions round, more applicants than expected missing their offer in a particular subject. Some Colleges make higher offers than others too, so if an applicant has been asked for 4 As and gets AAAB, they may still get in to a College whose standard offer is AAA. Anyway, we were pleased that some of our 'missed offer' applicants got places in other Colleges.
Last task today was to send the 'sorry you didn't make it' letters to applicants who were pooled but not fished out. But we know that nearly all these students will still get places at other good universities, even though tomorrow's post will be disappointing.
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Latest reply: Aug 19, 2005
Why is it ...
Posted Aug 17, 2005
... that household appliances always choose the worst possible moment to get sick? Have been extremely busy at work since we got the A-level results on Sunday, preparing for them being released to students tomorrow. This means (for me) answering the phone non-stop to students who haven't achieved the grades we asked them for, probably tearful, and/or their upset/angry parents.
My washing machine has chosen this week to spring a leak. At least I think that's what's happened. A damp patch appeared in the carpet in my kitchen doorway: I thought at first I'd spilt some water, but when it didn't dry up despite a couple of days of warm weather I investigated further and found that the floor was damp underneath the washing machine.
My tame plumber (partner of a friend) said at first that he was really busy and couldn't come until Monday, but when I phoned him again this evening and pointed out that the water didn't seem to be drying up and that my kitchen is on the first floor (with my downstairs neighbour's bedroom underneath it), he said he'd come tomorrow. This is the one day in the year when I absolutely can't miss work, so had to cycle round to his house to leave him a key this evening. Luckily I can trust him to let himself in and lock up again afterwards.
Have turned the cold water supply to the kitchen off, but the hot water is more complicated. Can't pull the washing machine out of its little niche to have a look at what's going on behind it, because it's a) too heavy, b) completely wedged in.
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Latest reply: Aug 17, 2005
Planning ahead
Posted Aug 13, 2005
Today started off bright and sunny, but since lunchtime it's been raining steadily. Good for the gardens but there's a real autumnal feel in the air - and it's only the middle of August!
Anyway, as a displacement activity for other things I should be doing (like housework, sorting my home in-tray, ironing), I have been to the station and bought my ticket for the Hebden Bridge ML meet in 3 weeks' time. I'm just going to be in HB for the day: I'll get an early train which will get me up there by mid-morning, then I'll go back to Leeds early evening and stay the night with a friend there. I did the same thing last year and it worked out really well.
Sat down with a magazine this afternoon and fell asleep.
When I woke up, made the final decisions re going away for a few days in September (after the two weeks or so frantic activity post-A-level results, and before the new application forms start piling up on my desk). Booked a flight from Stansted to La Rochelle and after a few phonecalls, a hotel for three nights. There's a big sailing show there which ends on the day I arrive, so some of the hotels were fully booked. Anyway I've found one right by the old port, €60 a night, which is not too bad.
The A-level results are released to universities tomorrow, so I'll be going into work in the afternoon, with the Admissions Tutor, to see how many of our applicants have made their grades. Exciting, but heart-breaking at the same time, because of the inevitable disappointments for some of them. I have to keep telling myself that even if they have missed their offer from us, they still have really good grades and will get into another excellent course.
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Latest reply: Aug 13, 2005
annie_cambridge
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