No one has a worse opinion of me than me.

8.00 am: A communion. 9.00 am: Emails over the next few weeks will be largely of the ‘Emergency! Respond Immediately’ type. I try to oblige. During times of stress – when a great deal of hard and difficult work is required of both students and staff – discouragements come fast on the heels of one another, problems appear larger than they actually are, and tempers fray. To do our best, we must each endeavour to be our best. This will involve looking to the needs of others as much as to our own. The School is variously a community, a family, and a body. It thrives only when all its members do.

9.45 am: Before returning to the School, I reviewed the play-list for the album, the adjustments made to several tracks on Monday, and my quality control criteria. One of the MA students, in their presentation yesterday, made a startling remark; they judged their work to be successful at the highest level only when it ‘amazed’ them. How often are we bowled-over by what we do? ‘Amazing’ is a far more human and enthusiastic measure of worth than the anodyne term, ‘excellence’. When I’m amazed at what I’ve done, quiet honestly I couldn’t care a toss what anyone else thinks.

I’ve decided to axe two compositions from the album. They weren’t poor; rather, they were redundant. The implicit ideas and sonorities were better represented by other, better tracks. One has to be ruthless but, nevertheless, retain the conviction that nothing is ever really wasted or lost in the end. Their absence better serves the album’s overall quality. Thus, they’ll still make a contribution.

11.20 am: Off to School. ‘Another Creme Egg … for me!’ Surprises don’t come better than this:

I made preparations for the afternoon’s assessments and an MA inquirer’s consultation at noon. As a mature student, the prospect of returning to education after many years absence can be an intimidating prospect. The consultation is intended to assuage misgivings and encourage confidence, as well as inculcate a realistic anticipation of what they’ll be entering into.

2.00 pm: Day two of the MA Vocational Practice presentations. This would be a treat:

Striking a tone between formality and ease is hard in public speaking of this nature. Some students are born to it; others have to strive for all their worth towards it. A few (particularly the mature students, who’re more willing to risk losing face) grasp that performance and entertainment are at the heart of good lecturing. In the end, it’s the personality of the speaker that carries the greater part of the burden of delivery.

5.30 pm: Done! Homeward.

7.30 pm: The inbox had begun fill during the afternoon. I needed to keep on top of it. There’d be little time for an address during tomorrow’s full day of teaching. As the sun set over the Irish Sea, Brian Eno’s My Squelchy Life played over the desktop speakers.