All the things I do instead of writing…
In an effort to prepare for the hideous chaos that will be the London Olympics in 2 weeks' time, I ran home from work yesterday. For some reason, I constantly think that Liverpool Street to West Hampstead will take me an hour to run, which it never does. So after an hour I got a... Continue Reading →
The recent purchase of Instagram by Facebook amused me, not least the idea that a company valued at 100 times' earnings feels it can spend $1 billion on another company that makes no money at all. Basic economics obviously don't trouble people's consciousness any more now than they did in the South Sea bubble. The... Continue Reading →
I dislike horror movies. The world is full enough of evil people to find the idea of watching sadistic cruelty on screen very unappealing. Perhaps people like the comparative relief that their own everyday hassles aren't quite on the same scale. A nasty boss making you work late is after all not quite as bad... Continue Reading →
The thing that makes travel writing so difficult is that one starts to live in the moment so immediately, and absorbs the reality of a very different environment. I then no longer think to make notes of moments that would be utterly bizarre if they happened in England, but so unremarkable here that it seems... Continue Reading →
In a bored moment, I wondered whether climbing really is all that dangerous - so of course I googled it. As most people know - or certainly most people who've worked with Google AFS - the predictive text that shows up when you type in a search phrase is ranked in order of search frequency,... Continue Reading →
I spent a week in March 2012 on a Jagged Globe Introduction to Winter Mountaineering, based in Ballachulish, near Glencoe in the Western Highlands of Scotland. On the whole, it was a great course and a really good holiday. Unexpectedly though, its major feature was a lot of reflection on the nature of aging, and... Continue Reading →
I don't know what planet Danny Boyle was on when he accepted the screenplay for Sunshine. I have obviously completely forgotten about The Beach, and my dislike of anything involving Alex Garland. In fact, I think I'll try to weave the question of whether people like The Beach into all first dates from now on.... Continue Reading →
Like many people my age, I was very sad to hear of Whitney Houston's death. It seems ridiculous being really upset all week about the premature death of someone you never even knew, but the voice is so familiar, and such a long background soundtrack to people's lives, that you can't help feeling like something... Continue Reading →
The ballerina Marianela Nunez was in Trevor Sorbie this morning, having her nails done. First, I saw a bright pink trainer walk past me; it barely seemed to touch the ground, moving along on springs, rather like people do in Nike ads. The way she walked, and her absolutely emaciated frame, made it very obvious she... Continue Reading →
Another night in the giant multiplex at Westfield, watching Sherlock Holmes. In the first few frames of the movie, I see that familiar gothic typeface, known in Germany as Frakturschrift, and my heart sinks. The scene is Strasbourg in 1891, and the German inscription says something like "1. Jubiläum Elsaß-Lothringen" - which means "first anniversary... Continue Reading →
The resting writer 