I was built without the switch for strong negative emotions. Not for me the roiling resentments, the jealousies that eat at the soul, the burning hatreds. The best I can muster is a mild sense of annoyance, and usually even that dissipates over time. I thought about this today when [...] Read more »
I teach English to kids. It’s gloriously fun. You’re handed a kid who is terrified of his pen and you try to insert some education. Sometimes, all you get at the end is a less incompetent linguist. Which is just fine, by the way. Other times, though, you get profusions [...] Read more »
This post will only make sense to Terry Pratchett fans. If you enjoy Discworld as much as I do, make sure you switch on your Smugness before you read on. After all, why waste a good opportunity to smug it up? You got the reference, champ! So, remember the witches [...] Read more »
You know what brings joy to life, a smile to the face, and warmth to the soul? Yes, the breeze on a hot summer day, no doubt. And the laughter of an innocent child, true. Okay, you can have your hug from a loved one as well. But besides all [...] Read more »
The other day, I received an unexpected package from Amazon. A book that is, without doubt, the weirdest book I own. L’apéritif a.k.a. The Title Did you know that Anthony Bourdain has written a graphic novel? Neither did I until the postlady delivered it to my doorstep. Imagine my bemusement [...] Read more »
You’ve heard the Green Day album ‘American Idiot’. High energy, jangly guitars, soaring vocals. Clear enough lyrics that you can sing along easily, and just grungy enough that you can feel slightly devil-may-care, anti-establishment while doing so. I bring up this specific musical enterprise because we just saw the stage [...] Read more »