Grindstones Polish, Don't They?

Yesterday was my return to work. It happened to coincide with the onset of a nasty cold, the usual Irish summer ailment. I thought it was ironic to start my first day with a packet of lockets in one pocket and a box of Lemsip in the other; so much like old times.

The university hasn't really changed a lot in my absence. Sadly there has been the death of one colleague (rest in peace, Jennifer) and family losses for others. In the great tale of Ying and Yang though, other colleagues have had babies born or soon will have. One particular piece of good news was very welcome. Karen, one of my group members, had been due to be let go, leaving two people (myself included) in a group that had once been four. A last minute reprieve saw her getting a new contract instead. Hooray!

Now, two days back into the job, I see that much of what I expected to happen on my year off has come to pass. If the coup de grace has not yet been administered that is only because certain plans took longer than expected. Brief chats with various clients around the campus showed me that many of the same old prejudices and vanities are alive and kicking. Human nature may have the potential to change, but rarely does. On the positive side, many of the dependable people are also still here. To go from the charlatan or the fool to the wise and professional is heartening. And from a personal workload point of view too, it wasn't all bad news. I almost got enthusiastic about a little online tv application I started developing towards the end of the day. Nothing special, but at least I showed myself that when I say I'll deliver, I deliver.