Wednesday, June 14

 

 

A fine start to the morning: the sun shone, the breeze felt warm, and I cycled to Puotila feeling as though I should whistle.

Jutta and Nathalie had arrived before me so we chatted, and had tea and cookies, before I started to read a 73 page MA thesis. The morning passed and eventually I finished it. Fortunately it passed the threshold of acceptability by a wide margin, and so I made a few notes and emailed them.

My teaching arrangements for next year have shifted from day to day over the last week, as I have suggested various different ways of removing one course from my schedule (as requested) while still leaving everything covered. I realised at 11:30 that I had successfully confused myself in this process and so I had a quick succession of meetings with Fred, Mats and Nathalie to try to nail things down. I think I managed to get us all to agree on what I will do and when I will do it.

I had a long discussion with Liisa about her arrangements for next year which, it seems, have turned out even more complex than mine to negotiate. I had a shorter discussion with Jutta about the state of her terrace: a huge project that will keep her and Kaitsu occupied all summer. I emailed Tiina.

At 13:00 I had a Skype meeting that changed the focus of the Pixelache Festival into something altogether more interesting, in my opinion. We may have a festival that discusses, in public, how next year’s festival should come together. This closely resembles what Oliver had in mind for our contribution to this year’s festival, with which I agreed. We may still make face cream, but now the reasons for thinking about doing this will have a much higher priority. Yes, yes, I thought.

At 14:40 I go and look at the graduation ceremony from the third floor walkway. An alumni, whose name I do not know, gives an address about the ways in which she has grown to realise that Arcada formed a pivotal point between teenagerhood and adulthood. I either feel tears welling up or I don’t. I listen to her explaining how she learned to network, and to make the most of every opportunity, and how industry interfaces with education in ways that we do not realise. I feel happy for her.

Twenty minutes later I will find myself downstairs with Jutta and about 15 of our students, who have all managed to graduate this year. I will talk at length with Irene and we will arrange to do a session at Temporary as part of the second season of Convivial Mechanics events. Jutta and I will chat with Alexandra, Gabriella, and Julia about how good a group they became, and how much they achieved by working together. We will pose for photographs for their relatives, and feel proud.

Later we will talk with Liisa about why she should do the Media Management MA course, and then they will leave and I will go upstairs to write more emails.

At 16:30, more emails written, I will race home.