Throughout the Pandemic, whenever I walked past this garden, there would be a little old lady sitting in this seat who would talk to whoever passed by.
This evening as I passed I realised…..
@schmidtim
Thinking of the time that there were only 2 people at my guest lecture in the Open University. One was the person who invited me to speak, the other (we learned at the end of the talk) was the janitor waiting to lock up.
@Swilua
I once joked with a waitress about how my snoring may one day drive my wife to smother me with a pillow. Without skipping a beat, the waitress immediately told my wife “Memory foam pillows are the best for that. It’s a better fit over the face” 😳
@LegitBobbyHill
I’ve been travelling with work a lot over the past month. Yesterday was the first time I’ve walked down that street in a while. It looks to me like the grass hasn’t been cut at all this year, but that’s just a guess.
I’m unexpectedly emotional 2 learn that
@RCSI_Irl
will provide Christmas dinners for all RCSI students who'll be away from their loved ones coz they're staying in Dublin over Christmas. (available by socially-distanced collection from a nearby hotel)
Walking thru Barcelona Airport.
I felt a tap on my shoulder “Excuse me. I think I know you. Can I ask you your name?”
“Sure. It’s Kevin McGuigan”
“Oh!! My name’s David Bartlett, Class of 2001. You taught me physics in 1995/96 in
@RCSI_Irl
“
He’s a GP in Tullamore now.
2 photos taken 20 mins apart on the same
@IrishRail
commute this morning. If you have to take the train to work there are few more scenic routes in Ireland. (1. Balbriggan, 2. Rogerstown Estuary)
Had to say goodbye to Buddy
(a.k.a. The Ginger Whinger 🐕) 2day.
In his 16 years he never fetched a stick or retrieved a ball.
He woke us every night for 10 years singing the song of his people in his sleep. But, he was always a “gooood boy!”, was loved & will be missed.
Oct 1st will be my first day as Professor (without adjectives) of Medical Physics. Taken 28 yrs to get here. The most unexpected part of the promotion process is the compulsory tattoo of the college crest when you sign the new contract in the
@RCSI_Irl
HR Dept. 😉😜
@RonanCantSee
Once while queueing in a shop I noticed the carton of milk in the basket of the woman in front of me was leaking. I said to her “Excuse me your milk is leaking“. She put her basket down, clasped her hands over her boobs & walked straight out of the shop. 😱
Unexpected parcel in the post today containing a letter from the CEO along with this lovely badge/pin to mark my recent 30 yrs
@RCSI_Irl
service anniversary.
@DrSamiSchalk
Paying a professional painter to paint your house. In our 30 years of marriage, DIY painting brought us closest to divorce. There is no nicer smell than that of a room in your house that was painted by someone else.
So sad to hear of the passing last night of my RCSI friend & mentor Prof Alan Johnson. Loved by students & colleagues, he will be greatly missed. I have so many lovely memories of this wonderful man.
Sympathies to his family.
Rest in peace “Pops”
Never underestimate the power of a well-placed poster.
I used to mount posters on the wall outside my
@RCSI_Irl
office (without college permission).
One day I found a visitor to the college, standing outside my office, reading my posters. 1/4
I was lighting the fire for my widowed mother & thought this would be a lovely photo. So I snapped it quickly on my phone. But when I take a closer look I see now that it’s much sadder than I realised.
“Long, Lonely Winter by the Fire”
I never got this excited about research posters when they were printed on paper!
I’ll be presenting this
@paniwater_eu
poster at the
#WWCE
conference in Copenhagen next week. I saw a PhD viva where the candidate’s outfit was made out of her fabric posters😉
@RCSI_Irl
Saddened to hear of the death of John Harbison Prof of Forensic Science when I started at
@RCSI_Irl
30 yrs ago. He introduced himself to me with the classic line “Hello! I’m Jack Harbison, as a forensic scientist, I’m one of those people who has to wash his hands BEFORE I pee!”
So sad to hear of the sudden passing yesterday of cherished friend & mentor Stanley Monkhouse, former RCSI Professor of Anatomy. He was gentle, kind & devilishly mischievous. It was an honour & privilege to have worked with this wonderful man.
R.I.P.
For all my non Irish friends, here’s
@Hozier
who, last night on Irish TV, sang “The Parting Glass” which is a song that holds very special meaning to any Irish person who has ever lost a loved one.
A beautiful version of The Parting Glass from
@Hozier
with a dedication to all the people who have lost their lives to this virus, including the health worker who died today.
#LateLate
#StayAtHome
~48 hrs & >10 million views after I posted the Grassy Chair photo:
1. I now understand the amazing power of a simple photo.
2. I realise 1% of respondents are 🦇💩crazy & will deliberately misinterpret the simplest of intentions to align with various twisted agendas.
Throughout the Pandemic, whenever I walked past this garden, there would be a little old lady sitting in this seat who would talk to whoever passed by.
This evening as I passed I realised…..
While waiting for the UNESCO Prize ceremony to start in Addis Ababa, coincidentally I heard unofficially by email that I’d been promoted to Full Professor. Later that evening I received an email saying a paper had been accepted for publication. Has any academic had a better day!
@EliMcCann
W8ing 4 a bus in NYC. Two West African bus operators were speaking in French while I w8ed. I asked in very bad school-French how long it would be before the next bus arrived? They had a look of horror on their faces & apologised for what they said. I hadn’t understood a word 🙄
I’ve no political affiliations & have known
@CatherineEmh
for >10 yrs (from her time in Drogheda).
Catherine would be an Honest, Empathetic & Hard-Working councillor for any community who are lucky enough to have her represent them.
Feeling incredibly lucky and special for the overwhelming support I've received in the wake of a racist attack. Gratitude extends even to those who attacked me; they've become a part of my positive story.
One love, Ireland! 🇮🇪 Love you all immensely. 💚
#Unity
#Gratitude
Well. It’s official. I will be sharing the UNESCO LIFE SCIENCES award with two research giants (one of whom is the 2015 Nobel laureate in Medicine & Physiology!) 😱😱
@RCSI_Irl
@RCSI_Research
Annual Leave starts tomorrow but the Out-Of-Office message is already on. I love the way Outlook allows you to send your colleagues a less-formal message.
#AcademicTwitter
#AcademicChatter
This morning I was internal examiner on an
@RCSI_Irl
viva voce exam that was conducted over MS Teams with everyone connecting remotely. It worked beautifully. So, I think I may have just witnessed the end of international travelling external examiners for PhD/MD exams!
Got my groceries this morning (Sunday)
The lovely lady At the till, fixed me with a steely glare & with wink said:
“Shopping on the Sabbath! Heathen!”
I stared back & with another wink, replied:
“Working on the Sabbath! Sinner!”
@Dempster2000
Best insult I ever received was in my teenage years when two very good looking girls walked past me. Almost immediately I heard a girl’s voice behind me shout “Hey! Dreamboat”. I looked behind & immediately heard “Not you. Shipwreck!”
@PhDVoice
@PostdocVoice
Many of my students are Asian & I’ve found that asking them to just call me Kevin, scares the bejaysus out of them. So I usually sign off to undergrads with “Prof. Kevin” which is a bit like a mullet haircut - “professional at the front, party at the back”
I'm just an academic, sitting in front of a PC, being very moved by video testimonials from 3 of our many
@RCSI_Irl
students who volunteered in March 2020, to work in COVID ICU wards.
They weighed the risks & still volunteered.
Heroes every one of them.
According to the
@RCSI_Irl
employee dashboard today is exactly 30 years since this innocent youthful physicist started teaching there. Where did that go? Seems like only yesterday.
@HelenORahilly
Helen, the stairlift will ascend one last time but for a much longer journey. I won’t be able to see a stairlift now & NOT think of your wonderful aunt. I am so sorry for your loss. May she rest in peace.
@LannieStabile
I feel your pain. I once gave a guest lecture in the OU in Milton Keynes. There were two people in the audience.
One was the guy who invited me.
The other guy, it later emerged, was the caretaker waiting to lock up after we finished.
On this day 40 years ago, my current wife & I had our first date (my grad ball). We danced, walked on the beach, watched the sun rise & finished with a romantic taxi ride to the Accident & Emergency.
How it started How it’s going.
Rare photo (with permission) of my current wife, my favourite daughter & yours truly from last night. Quantum mechanically speaking we are governed by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle so we can only all be in the same place for vanishingly short periods of time. Much joy.
Two days later the
@RCSI_Irl
CEO phoned me asking why I was refusing research funding! It turned out that the emails weren’t a scam. Over the next two years I received €220,000 in philanthropic funding from them.
So, NEVER underestimate the power of a well-placed poster.
4/4
Unexpected consequence of COVID emergency is seeing the leadership roles of our
@RCSI_Irl
graduates. I can remember teaching Dr Kennelly in Foundation Year/PreMed “several” years ago.
This is one of the cats that recently adopted my family. Every morning I feed it & then it retires to the corner of the garden where it silently judges me. By the look on its face, I think I’m a huge disappointment to it.
I finally managed to get this framed & put up on the wall of my office today. When
@UNESCO
say “For research that has contributed to the improvement of the quality of human life”, my imposter syndrome goes away for a little while.
@graysontbigpond
@Afro_Herper
Tom is correct that Brocken Spectre is caused by diffraction (white light interference at an “aperture”). However, just to clarify, most normal rainbows are caused by a different effect called refraction.
A very pleasant & unexpected surprise today at the
@RCSI_Research
Day. I was awarded the 2024 RCSI International Sustainability & Climate Health Research Award? Congrats also to
@JolantaBurke
who won the National equivalent
@RCSI_Irl
#SDG6
My favorite sentence written today. "We thank the reviewer for the suggested citations, but after checking, we see they have nothing to do with the content of our paper. We cannot think of a valid or ethical reason why these should be included, therefore they were omitted"
Hey!
@RCSI_Irl
Foundation Year students. You all left before I had a chance to say goodbye & wish you well in the future. Can you let me know if you’ve arrived home safely and/or are back with your loved ones?
On this day, 30 years ago.
Married my current wife on a Tuesday because I calculated that our 30th Anniversary would fall on a Thursday which avoids my regular Darts Night. 😉
Once upon a time, over a pint in a pub,
A niece chatted with her friend
about her uncle’s work “in Africa”.
The friend
@CllrJoannaByrne
told the mayor
@cllrjamesbyrne
So last night at a very lovely
@louthcoco
Drogheda Borough Council ceremony ….. 1/2
After 29 years working for
@RCSI_Irl
I finally abandoned the last vestiges of the dress code & am wearing shorts to work!
Despite working extensively in Africa/Asia I’ve never had to unveil the knees for thermoregulatory reasons.
Sad to say farewell today to my wickedly mischievous
@RCSI_Irl
@waterspoutt_eu
@paniwater_eu
colleague Prof. Ronán Conroy who retired today. My working day will be much less fun now that he won’t be around to brighten & subvert even the dullest meetings.
Working in my office with door open 2day
"Hey Prof! Do you remember us?"
Azizul & Noormazita whom I taught in 92 & 93, resp. Married 25 yrs, working back in Malaysia.
Came in to show their lovely family
@RCSI_Irl
Lovely!!
How many others have I missed when my door was closed?
Confirmed officially today. Can you guess which member of the 1975 Newfield under-11 Gaelic football team has been promoted & is now the first Full Professor of Physics in
@RCSI_Irl
since it was founded in 1784? (Hint: look for the worst haircut 😱)
Almost ready for resumption of teaching on the
@RCSI_Irl
Foundation Year. I just have to get back into the habit of ironing the shirt & I should be ready to go.
A Portuguese bakery has opened along my daily walking route in Drogheda. So I bought some pasteis de Nata, which reminded me of the the last one I had, in Lisbon in December 2019. I can’t wait to travel again.
I’m going to report my new “working from home” co-worker to
@RCSI_Irl
HR Dept. He keeps snuggling up beside me, falling asleep & then snores very loudly. If I move to a different room he follows me & goes through the same cycle again! It’s very distracting!
Things I’ve missed over the past 5 months since working from home due to COVID lockdown:
1.
@RCSI_Irl
2. My colleagues
3. My dual monitor display
(& not, necessarily, in that order)
I would like to thank everyone for your kind words in response to Buddy’s departure. For those of you who were only here for the Ginger Whinger content, I will bring his story to a close with some of his best bits (captions in alt text)
Standing in Q 2 check-in 4 flight
I see 5
@RCSI_Irl
students ahead
They check in & approach me.
Very polite, very excited. Going home to Kuwait.
They ask for selfies. I agree. They leave.
Lady beside me asks if I’m famous?
Should she know me?
I explain.
1st day of
@RCSI_Irl
term. I attended a reception this evening for parents of new students. This lovely couple introduced themselves as John McCormack & Caroline Dore-Geraghty whom I taught back in 1994-95.
Their son started in Medicine 2day.
So! That’s how old I am!
@drg1985
During My PhD my supervisor told me:”You can accurately fit a curve to a Labrador dog if you use a 4th order polynomial. If you use a 5th order polynomial you can make his tail wag. Curve fits have no meaning unless the mathematics have scientific relevance”
Madam-Professor-Her-Indoors answered a knock at the front door this evening & found all the neighbours in the street had arranged a socially distant celebration for her big roundy birthday 🎂 It’s gr8 to be loved!
@BraineCatherine
I recall in the 1970s the BBC TV show “That’s Life” searched for the most appropriately named person/occupation. The one that stays in my mind was the Auctioneer called Mr. Robin Bastard. I hope it was true.
@annecrecipes
@LindaDoyle
Throughout the 4 years that my favourite daughter studied there, I was often astounded by how shabbily Trinity treated its students while being the highest ranked university on the island. Coasting on their research metrics at the expense of student experience.
For those few of you complaining about me getting my long-suffering wife to screen my work emails, please note that:
1. my OoO is intended to be light-hearted.
2. It is not legally binding.
3. Her email address is not SheWhoMustBeObeyed
@gmail
.com (but probably should be)😉
Attended photo-shoot outside
@RCSI_Irl
as part of my new role. Photographer asked me to remove my reactolite glasses (which go very dark in the sun) and that’s how I ended up with new head-shots of my Dad with a beard!
Special day today.
Proud parents.
Well run socially distanced graduation ceremony in Trinity College Dublin. One Year Late but delighted to celebrate the occasion. Equipped with degrees in Russian & German she’s off to Spy-School next. 😜
Inspiring to see so many of my
@RCSI_Irl
colleagues featuring on
@RTEOne
#PrimeTime
last night. I pointed out to my family that I taught Prof De Barra when he was in PreMed & my wife exclaimed “Gosh! You’re REALLY old!” She said she was sorry later, but the damage was done. 😉