California Dreaming
Do you ever have these vivid little childhood memories pop back into existence? Never anything drastic or exciting, but those deeply human moments where the world turns differently or the sky is out of focus and life grows. For some reason, tonight, I thought of my first trip to California. When I was small, not … Continue reading
Swimming against the grain
I work for a big fancy university. The powers that be there conveniently provide a shuttle from the thoroughfare at the end of my road straight to my office. It’s a very lucky thing and saves me untold mental strain and dollars during hustling rush hour commutes. But because it’s on the busiest street in … Continue reading
Questing
I spent the summer I turned twelve doing four things: reading, keeping a journal of every book I read and film I saw, practicing my violin, and mowing the lawn while belting show tunes (secretly dreaming I’d be discovered by a talent agent over the drone of the mower). The summer I turned twelve I … Continue reading
Opening Ceremonies & Isolationism
The Opening Ceremony of the Rio Olympics was a delight. From beginning to end, the game designers, producers and International Olympic Committee united to attempt something truly ambitious and profound. Instead of focusing the Ceremony on the home country, a long-standing tradition of glorious patriotism – as seen in London 2012 – and extravagant pageantry … Continue reading
Travel Tuesdays: Revival
I recently came across my Travel Tuesday stories: a short-lived weekly ritual exploring places I had been as we waited (and waited and waited) for the uncertain future to transport us to America. I felt strangely jealous. Delighted to revisit places I fondly remember, surprised and rather chuffed at being transported by words I don’t … Continue reading
Kintsugi: The Art of Being Whole
I love the Internet. The collection of thoughts from vast swathes of humanity can make the most unexpected connections both serendipitous and sublime. Sometimes they are explicit: the public conversations of my filter bubble circling around related or juxtaposed ideas. But more often, I find my curiosity leading me down rabbit holes I didn’t know … Continue reading
In the last few years I’ve trained myself to snatch small windows of quiet. I need to recharge my batteries at least a couple times a day, and have learned to make the most of the moments I have instead of waiting for the hours I don’t. So tonight, with 10 minutes between my regular … Continue reading
Iowa
Imagine for a second the state of Iowa. Probably you see farms. Perhaps a church. Almost definitely wide open land and big skies. Even if you have never seen the endless fields of the American breadbasket, the region’s reputation precedes it, and by a wide margin. My own Iowa memories center on my great-grandmother’s attic … Continue reading
White coat hypertension.
I recently went to the doctor for the first time since coming to America. It was, by and large, the same as going to the doctor in Britain: dated banquet hall chairs in the waiting room, bustling nurses, typing doctors, surprisingly old fashioned scales. But the dynamic of the thing felt different than I remember … Continue reading
Soft summer mornings
By now, dear readers, you know I’m part-selkie; that my quality of life is directly proportional to the distance between me and my nearest bodies of water; and that there are some magnificent things about our neighborhood beach. I like my predictability in these things. Knowing what matters makes it much easier to prioritize. Knowing … Continue reading
Que Sera Sara? 