All the things I do instead of writing…
Since I got married on Saturday, I suppose this blog has changed a little. It used to be about questions of life and death, and peripatetic pleasures along the way. Having ticked all the conventional life boxes (mortgage, kids, marriage), I feel a bit silly waxing lyrical about politics, philosophy or art. Surely someone so... Continue Reading →
Our lovely little boy kindly slept for ten hours continuously last night for the first time. Perhaps he knows it's a big day. Unfortunately, I stayed awake for hours worrying about how the day will pan out, imagining all the things that could go wrong, and getting quite frightened of standing in front of 100... Continue Reading →
I've been moping about recently, telling anyone who will listen how great London is, now that I no longer live there. I got on the train to see friends the other day, and walked past our old flat in Highbury, pushing the pram and thinking about those nights a year ago, when I'd come back... Continue Reading →
There's been a lot of press coverage this morning of a 21-year old Merrill Lynch intern who apparently died of a heart attack after working 3 all-nighters in a row. The press has made this largely into a story about how tough it is these days for young people to secure a good job, and... Continue Reading →
I have started a number of posts recently on a variety of topics, all of them very much in the news, and important. Like how pointless the UN seems to be if it keeps pretending Syria isn't poisoning its own citizens, how maybe Edward Snowden's defection to Russia isn't quite as ironic as all that... Continue Reading →
An American singer called Kelly Clarkson, who is apparently really quite successful, bought a ring at auction in England last year. She paid £150,000 for it. For that kind of price, I'd be looking for a blue diamond, but she bought a rather unfashionable 19th century round turquoise in a gold setting. It happened to... Continue Reading →
Along with everyone who isn't getting a six-figure bonus, but is having a baby, we have recently joined the legions of people who used to live in some quaint flat near an urban park and a main road selling whatever is the local speciality, but now live in a commuter town within an hour's travel... Continue Reading →
We have recently bought our first house. Initially, I didn't really think about it a whole lot; renting has become less economical, and even if you end up with a lot of maintenance costs on a purchase, at least you're gradually building an investment. It certainly makes me feel like even more of a responsible... Continue Reading →
Idealism is not exactly original. Pretty much every slightly geeky 15 year old is a blank slate of dreams; they all think the world is a bit magical, and populated by people who think deeply about the same things they do. They also think their thoughts on the meaning of life are highly original, and... Continue Reading →
Listening to Rehab is probably an inappropriate moment to reflect on the deep joy of drinking. It's something I've been thinking about for many months now, ever since this whole business of producing healthy offspring put paid to some of my more irresponsible pleasures. Erdinger Alkoholfrei is the nicest tasting non-alcoholic beer I've found, but... Continue Reading →
The resting writer 