fourth edition

I do not know how many of you have read Alasdair Gray’s excellent dystopian novel, Lanark: a Life in Four Books? It takes place partly in Glasgow and partly in an imaginary Glasgow, known as Unthank. In Unthank the characters are forever chasing sunlight whilst seemingly dying of a symbolic disease known as ‘dragonhide’ (Yes, [...]

It’s going to be a beautiful day so the bluebirds sing.
I have booked myself a short, but much-needed flight home to Denmark in May. I need to spend time with the Danish part of myself, I have decided. Going back is always odd because it invariably ends up being a long series of meet-ups with [...]

This is my favourite photo of 2008.
I shot it in early August when we went to Sweden for a day. The weather was incredibly hot (although not particularly sunny) and all these tanned, long-limbed Swedish teenagers were hurling themselves into the Øresund from various cliffs and balconies. I don’t know who this boy was, [...]

A sneak preview of my current project. I am test-knitting a pattern for Old Maiden Aunt and I’m quite excited about a new technique I’ve just picked up.
The Six Weeks of Silence idea seemed particularly attractive this morning after waking up abruptly at 5am because of a neighbour getting ready for work and then [...]

I recently discussed Alasdair Gray’s fiction with someone who had contemplated doing a parody of Lanark for NaNoWriMo. I countered that Gray does such a fine job of parodying and plagiarising himself that it would be a moot exercise. 1982, Janine and Something Leather can be read as the latter parodying the former. Within Lanark [...]

Some time ago my partner, David, bought us tickets for the one-year anniversary of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School – a burlesque-meets-art school monthly event. David and a pirate had attended a previous Dr. Sketchy’s and loved it.
What happened? A lot, I tell you. I sang along to Cole Porter songs and my partner produced [...]

I may have injured my wrist through too much knitting. Yes. Really. I’m going to see my doctor tomorrow for my usual ‘why do I keep keeling over, Doctor McKay?’ thing and might just ask him about my poor overworked wrists. I suspect the answer may be to lay off with the knitting for some [...]

Stephen Moffat does write the best Doctor Who episodes. A planet which is one giant library? Yes, please! And that is all I will say as I do not want to give away any spoilers..
Now, as some longterm readers/friends may know, I’m absolutely obsessed by paratexts and paratextuality: tables of content, indices, illustrations, prefaces, typefaces, [...]

We went to the hospital today for a long-awaited appointment. I have been undergoing epilepsy tests but they came out negative. No abnormal electrical currents or any abnormal brain structures – I’m relieved that I’m not dying of a brain tumour and I’m frustrated that I could not get a clear, concise answer to wtf [...]

Sundays in February can be quite dreary – so why not dash into Mono here in Glasgow on Sunday at 8pm? Famous Scottish writers such as Alasdair Gray(!), Liz Lochhead, and Tom Leonard will be discussing the war in Iraq. As Mono also houses a record shop/informal gig venue, there will also be live music [...]