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Finishing touches
My footwear collection has expanded hugely in the last few years, although a couple of collection “must haves” have eluded me. Until today that is… I’ve finally added some Air Max 95s to the collection that I’m happy with. Even more dramatically, I’ve added some incredibly rare Asics to my collection after years of being…
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Home improvement
Moving into my office in Edgbaston has given me the opportunity to introduce some new art into my home. I have also had some decorating done this week, beginning the long-awaited conquest of the top floor.
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One small step for man, one giant leap for the man’s fitness mission!
After a (typically) long period procrastinating I have executed a plan to get a punch bag mounted in my garage gym. It’s taken a month to put it together – buying the bag on Ebay (bargain!), fetching the mount from Decathlon, fetching the Rawl plugs from Homebase, the wall mats from Aldi, etc, etc. So…
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41 years old, 2 special gifts
Like most men of a certain age I don’t make a fuss about my birthday. This one is special though for two key reasons: 1. I’ve got a new job! It has real dream job potential, being based at an elite institution that also happens to be my local university (so it’s practical). I will…
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Home for Christmas, 2021 edition
What can I say about Christmas that doesn’t verge on cliché? Very little I’d guess. I’ve always kept Christmas well and in my own way, and the latter explains why I always enjoy it so much. No compromises, no bland middle ground so as to not offend certain understandings of what Christmas is or should…
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Medieval Ludlow (Weds 22nd December 2021)
Whilst only an hour down the road it was my first visit. Definitely worth it.
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Christmas in London, 2021
I’ve never done London in Christmas week and perversely it felt like the perfect time. I expected the city to be empty of international tourists and office workers and I was right. It was so quiet, central London was like a peaceful festive village (well, by London standards). Absolutely amazing time! Monday 20th December: Chelsea,…
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Finally visited the Black Country Living Museum (Sunday 19th December 2021)
It was so good: men dressed up as rats intent on ruining Christmas for passers by. What more could you want!? Felt so Christmassy in a Dickens-esque way. The smell of burning coal and Peaky Blinders vibe (note: it’s a location for a lot of the filming) made for an extraordinary experience. There was also…
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Visiting my new campus
I feel humble and privileged to be joining the University of Birmingham as a lecturer in January 2022. Of all the UK’s universities it is the one I want to work with most. It’s practical – literally two stops by train (with its own station no less!) – but also prestigious and historic with a…
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Last day in Swansea (Friday 10th December 2021)
I’ve been crazy busy of late so it’s taken me a while to update the site. Actually, I add this post on 19th December (9 days after the fact) but it feels like a month ago, such is the amount happening at the moment. On my final trip to Swansea for in-person teaching I made…
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Dr Martin James 