We are having the Annual Faculty breakfast (you can see the food we are given in the photo).
The Mayor of a neighboring town approaches our table to thank my colleague for everything she has done for his daughter who is a student at our department.
“Compliments are much more valuable when they are in writing,” my colleague says.

Why? At first, I thought in writing on a cheque, then about the possibility to present (in both senses) them as letters of recommendation / achievement, probably on walls of one’s office. š
Initially thought it was dinner, not breakfast, and wondered why so little food. Is this blinchik with fruit jam?
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We are professors, so in the words of this same colleague, “Whenever you do anything, even go to the toilet, document it and add it to your dossier. Document every move you make.” š
We have to submit detailed reports of our activities on a regular basis and any kind of compliment counts if it can be added to the file.
As for the food, I don’t eat much for breakfast, especially at this ungodly hour. It’s eggs, not a blinchik. š We are still in the Midwest. š
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Those raspberries look delicious. I’m jealous.
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They are really good. š
I love raspberries but they are insanely expensive in this country.
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Same in our profession – it is also nice if the compliment about you is told directly to the Partner above you. If a client emails a compliment about one of us to a Parter, they will email it to all of the other partners. If they just hear it verbally, they may never repeat it…
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Just curious. How much do you spend on food each week? Fruit right now is very inexpensive where I live. I paid $2.50 per pound for some really incredible cherries. Blueberries are $2.50 a pint. A loaf of freshly made bread is about $3 and I only buy the best quality. Canadian dollar is trading above par with the American dollar.
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Our grocery bill is VERY high. I’m addicted to fresh produce and only buy fresh meats and fish. I’m even afraid to say how much we spend on food. But what can I do if I can’t force myself to eat garbage???
” I paid $2.50 per pound for some really incredible cherries.”
– $3.99 in my town.
“Blueberries are $2.50 a pint.”
– $3.99 for this tiny little plastic box. I don’t know how much a pint is.
But I eat fruit in industrial quantities.
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