Author: martinjamesphd
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Christmas 2022
In the spirit of the festive period I add this post with a blanket on my lap, a cat on the blanket and my feet up on the desk surrounded by seasonal lights and scents (see pics for further indication). It has been a genuinely great Christmas, my best for years. The main difference is…
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P.O.W. #6 (Wednesday 28th Dec 2022)
It has been a highly active Christmas period, although I did not get my first proper workout in until 3 days after the big day. This was partly due to loads going on and partly due to DOMS, meaning that I wasn’t ready to hit the weights until today anyway. I felt good though, certainly…
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Annual wine rummage
Christmas is the only time I have the time, energy and patience to dig deep into my wine stash. Given that I only do it once a year I forget what’s there, meaning that I get a bunch of pleasant surprises cyclically. My oldest wines are between 15-20 years old, most being bought about 10-12…
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P.O.W. #5 (24th Dec 2022)
I haven’t done any bag work for months, so what better day to get in a few combos than Christmas eve? As can be seen in the video I did 4 rounds on the bag and three shorter ones on the trampette, going for about 14 minutes in total (with 30 seconds breaks between sets).…
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P.O.W. #4 (23rd Dec 2022)
Yet another busy day but I squeezed in 5 sets covering chest, back and full body. I’m trying to offset Christmas and I feel in such a different place compared to recent years. I like how I feel at the moment, I’m confident in how I look and most importantly I have momentum. To regain…
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P.O.W. #3
It be 22nd December and days do not seem long enough. I’ve been shopping, I’ve done a bit around the house and I’ve done Post-Op Workout #3 and it’s now 5pm. How does that swallow up 8 hours?
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First post-Covid Conference: ILPC
I’ve had a conceptual paper accepted for the International Labour Process Conference (ILPC) in Glasgow in April. The last time I attended ILPC was in Buenos Aires in 2018, another continent and indeed another epoch of humanity. My paper is about mobster behaviour and mob mentalities amongst management and managerial actors. Our expectation of civility…
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P.O.W. #2 (Thurs 16th Dec 2022)
Well when you’re hot you’re hot, I got straight back at it within 24 hours of P.O.W #1 so I could seek to get past first-session-back DOMS asap. As expected, I ached majorly over the weekend and I’m now set for another round of sessions (with it being Weds 21st Dec at the time of…
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P.O.W. #1 (Weds 15 Dec 2022)
“Guess who’s back” (as the classic Eminem song started). You’ve probably guess it’s me, back in the home gym pumpin’ iron after about 4 months off. I had a minor operation in September, although it had the major consequence of preventing me from lifting anything heavier than a kettle for 2 months. I was therefore…
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Cadbury’s World (16th December 2022)
Another festive treat, it’s only half a mile away from work but I’ve never been until now. There’s no such things as a British-born boy not loving Cadburys. Don’t get me wrong I have broad tastes but no other confectionary maker has the same nostalgia power as Cadbury, which has its origins in Birmingham. It’s…
Dr Martin James 