eating success

I am a mostly employed academic.

How lovely! Of course, 'mostly employed' is crucial here - but one of my two teaching posts does have prep and marking time built in, which is a nice evolution. Combined, they will leave precious little time for research. The painful fact in my postdoctoral life is that teaching pays the bills - but research is what employers want to see. I'm hoping that my schedule will leave one day free for research and hoping too that I won't be so shattered on that one day that I'll spend it in bed.

And I've quit my solid, rent-paying, dependable library job to venture forth on this academic gig. Which is scary. I'm only sure of employment until next July. Then - into the deep: summer: the long dull winter of the part-time lecturer's soul in which paycheques dry up and stress levels skyrocket.

But why anticipate such times? The recession is over apparently and I'm sure the demand for critical thinking skills is as high as ever and likely to rise, given the current trendy status of a satirical Weltanschung. So I'm having a celebratory dinner tonight, which I'm cooking - along with Allegra McEvedy. I went purposely (and purposefully) into town this morning, clutching my list of ingredients, and blew £20 on fresh fish.

It's possible I've bitten off more than I can chew... (oooh bad pun).

Results will follow.