https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jan/14/the-academics-wife-what-really-thinking

Article for the Guardian column in the Magazine on What I'm really thinking (anonymously)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Doing a great course at Leicester Writing school called Poetry Toolkit run by Alison Dunne. Homework was to write a poem modelled on the poem What I really believe by Selima Hill from the Bloodaxe book "A little book of meat".  This is my version: What I really believe I believe that aubergine tastes better than steak; I believe that no-one is born evil, they become so through lack of nurture; I believe that marriage is for life, not just for Christmas, though Christmas is particularly hard; that you shouldn’t judge people, especially if you’ve not walked a mile in their shoes; that you should over prepare, and then go with the flow; that children really are the future, and nurturing them is the most important job in the world; that if Shakespeare was alive today, he would be script writing for Eastenders. that the only time we have is now, And we should be happy each day with how we’ve spent it; that there is
Read more
On the morning of 17th July 2007 I was particularly happy. Summer Term had just ended so I had 6 weeks of holiday from my Teaching Assistant job ahead, my husband was coming back from a 3 week research visit to Australia on Friday and my first grandchild was due in August. Life seemed very good – I was listening to Women's Hour, and my 16 year old son was asleep as usual upstairs. I felt a need to rush to the downstairs toilet and whilst sitting there fell forward with agonising and unexpected pain. I recall trying to shout my son's name but being able to do so only weakly. After what seemed like hours, he arrived sleepily at the toilet door and asked what was wrong. I replied 'this is the worst pain since childbirth' (already acknowledged in my family as the gold standard for pain after two 3 day labours!) and he said' better ring an ambulance then'……I recall a paramedic trying to open the toilet door to get to me, and then... I awoke 8 days later in Intensi
Read more
Image
What I'm really thinking What I'm really thinking What I’m really thinking: the professor’s wife I want him to be respected for his achievements, just not at my expense Anonymous Sat 14 Jan 2017  09.00 GMT Last modified on Fri 1 Dec 2017  15.31 GMT View more sharing options Shares 6,974 Comments 274   Illustration: Lo Cole for the Guardian “O h, so your husband’s a professor? Well, he must be really clever then.” Well, actually, no – I’m the clever one. He’s very, very, knowledgable in a moderately obscure area of human knowledge. I know loads about everything. I’ve been at academic functions where someone has asked what I do, and when I’ve replied, “Bringing up the next generation” or “Looking after small children”, they have looked blank and turned away. I’m a non-person; not an academic, valueless and probably stupid. It’s not that I don’t value my partner’s achievements; I’ve been there every step of the way f
Read more