Holiday Gifts: off the beaten track

Posted by smgrady on December 11, 2013 · 2 Comments 

‘Tis the season, folks! I absolutely love gift giving. I love it hard. And as a self-styled Gift Goddess I proclaim here and now the best presents aren’t about the pricetag. If I were to choose favorites among those generously bestowed on me over the years —  how crass! —  they’d be evenly split between … Continue reading →

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Poetry Season

Posted by smgrady on April 12, 2013 · 1 Comment 

In America and Canada it is National Poetry Month. And in that lovely, internet-erly world of camaraderie and social campaigning, it is also National Poetry Writing Month, or NaPoWriMo to the nerds among you (e.g., me). Some members of my family are taking the expedition to heart, and it’s filled my world with lots of … Continue reading →

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Monday Cinco!

Posted by smgrady on April 1, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

A brief list today: 1. I did eat bugs at the weekend, as foretold: buffalo worm pate (or smooshed up caterpillar to be technical). It looked like tapenade and was mild, savoury and a bit moreish on crostini. I like being at the crest of an exciting, paradigm-shifting wave. I also do stupid things for … Continue reading →

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Imminent Return

Posted by smgrady on March 24, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

Hello you. I know it’s been a couple of weeks of radio silence. I hardly have time to think let alone blog. But the horizon is in view and we’ll be back to our normally scheduled ramblings about french toast, frostbite, and far away places soon. In the meantime I have fifteen minutes of a … Continue reading →

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Things I’m Loving

Posted by smgrady on March 10, 2013 · 1 Comment 

Last year I wrote a weird and wonderful round-up of things on my radar, and it consistently ranks among the favourite pages on this here Log. So I thought it was time to unveil the innerworkings of my Spring 2013. Et voila… I. THINGS THAT MAKE ME THINK Award season sees the worlds of media, … Continue reading →

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A smattering of things

Posted by smgrady on March 3, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

Do you ever have those days where you wake up foreboding some unknown trouble? Despite a whole week of sunshine, enough sleep (for once) and the first faint whiff of Spring, today I was up at dawn on a professional-grade worry streak. So I’m calling time out. No doctor’s anxiety. No weekend overtime. No wedding … Continue reading →

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Flashback: 2003

Posted by smgrady on February 8, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

A decade ago I was living in a basement apartment, sleeping in a windowless bedroom-cum-cupboard; the through-path between my flatmate’s bedroom and the living room. My family referred to it as The Troll Hole with thinly veiled disgust. A decade ago I scraped together rent for this palace by working 3 jobs, including the graveyard … Continue reading →

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Weddings: An open letter to no one

Posted by smgrady on January 23, 2013 · 4 Comments 

Dear World, So like most dutifully brainwashed middle-class brides-to-be, after he put a ring on it I bought a wedding magazine, put a million oh-so-casual pictures of mason jars and burlap on my Pinterest, and started dreaming about tablescapes. And then? And then I woke up. Somewhere in the middle of hearing I would probably … Continue reading →

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Our weekend

Posted by smgrady on November 12, 2012 · 2 Comments 

Houseguests, and a cameo by the remixed, punk Julia Child. Too much Tom Cruise; (never) too much bacon. Bright coloured leaves below dull, dead skies. A mountain of paperwork countered by a mound of cookies. The quiet, small Monday that reminds you of everything and promises nothing. Hurrah.    

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Things I Love

Posted by smgrady on July 19, 2012 · 1 Comment 

It’s raining cats and dogs. Again. They say it’s the worst summer on record (and the Queen’s Garden Party was definitely a damp squib). The wet weather has drowned a large portion of puffin hatchlings, wiped out the breeding season for the already struggling butterfly population, and hit farmers hard. The season of bounty this … Continue reading →

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