So Obama is betting on the word’s enduring power as a reformer of American life. Historically he has good reason for, from the beginning, words and texts have constructed American realities, not the other way round. The spell cast on Americans by the mantle of words goes all the way back to the first Great [...]
Dear World,
Today I had an absolutely brilliant idea. And then I sat down, worked out a tentative plan, and made sure I could cross out the first line of my plan.
Love,
Karie
PS. Devising super brilliant plans is way easier when you are listening to New Zealand’s answer to Belle and Sebastian (youtube link)
Let’s be frank: I am a process knitter. When I choose to knit something I go for patterns that will a) challenge me, b) make me count every single stitch and c) see me collapse into a broken heap at some point. And so I enjoy knitting lace shawls even if I rarely wear them.
My [...]
And so my brief liaison with Scottish politics continues today with a letter asking me for my vote in the Scottish Labour Party leadership face-off. Seeing as I am not a member of Scottish Labour, receiving an actual, real ballot is slightly .. surprising.
It reminds me that I am an expat. I know my [...]
A few days after the initial memory loss, I went to my doctor. He told me I had transient global amnesia, brought on by a combination of events. Just before I lost my memory, I was extremely stressed. I was anxious about my third-year exams. I had also just split up with a boyfriend, and [...]
I don’t know about you, but I think it is decidedly odd to see marathon runners on Tiananmen Square. The sight underlined why I think these Olympics have left me feeling uncomfortable whenever I have caught some coverage.
Witnessing the British media mysteria surrounding these Olympics Games has made me decide to be out of Great [...]
I promised E. that I’d list the podcasts I like. I’m relatively new to podcasts (I’m slow on the uptake), so I’m yet to build up a list of definitive favourites. If someone has recommendations, I’d be happy to hear them!
Left Field Cinema is an intelligent podcast looking at both arthouse cinema (like Kieslowski) and [...]
Kid looking at the zoological collection at Glasgow Kelvingrove Museum: “Mum, were these animals once alive?”
Mum: “No, only the elephant”.
*facepalms*
It is odd how smells affect the human brain. Example: the leaking water pipe in our kitchen has finally been fixed but there is an odd damp smell in the air. If I close my eyes I’m immediately transported to my great-grandmother’s pantry/scullery in rural Denmark circa 1981.
My great-grandmother lived in a damp old house [...]
This t-shirt WILL be mine.
In August 2000 I spent an entire day in Te Awamutu - I even have a picture of myself posing with a sign saying Te Awamutu - and it’s a small, small North island town in New Zealand. It only has two things going for it: its rose gardens and some [...]
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