SOMEHOW, SUMMERTIME casts an enchanting spell. Even when trying to focus on work, the beckoning sunshine streaming through wide-open windows makes my gaze wander and the languid rhythms of summer days slows everything down.
I FINALLY finished Little Women and understand now while it did not end satisfactorily. Louisa May Alcott had written it for money, at the request from her publisher (and a little nudge from her father), and she apparently did not enjoy the process. She also wanted the main character, Jo, to remain unmarried, but at the time (1868–69), this was not possible and the character had to be married off.
THIS WEEKEND was the May Bank Holiday, yet, today, we've chosen to forgo the leisurely pace and return to our usual routine, save for a walk in the rain in the early afternoon hours. The current state of upheaval, a time of transition and change for us, is making it challenging to concentrate on work until circumstances stabilise a little.
LAST WEEK, during cardio, was watching a film in which two of the main characters were a British couple living somewhere in Italy. Italy, of course, was very much a main character itself, with its terracotta orange and olive green and blindingly sunny skies. It looked idyllic.
There are golden, springlike days peppered intermittently in with the cloudy ones, but we're waiting for a proper London summer, hot and filled with untold meanderings and adventures. I've been having issues with my hair for the past few weeks (oily at the scalp, discoloured, and extremely dry at the ends) and thought that I needed to switch up my shampoos and conditioners, but then dry patches began appearing on my skin.
RECENTLY finished reading Susan Sontag's essay, "The Double Standard Of Aging" (1972) and found it very enlightening. Made a lot of notes, some of which I'll share in an upcoming article, but mostly, thought for a long time about her ideas on the subject, and what it it means to be a woman in today's society.
THERE is a word in Greek—meraki, (pronounced may-rah-key) that translates to “essence of yourself.” There is no English equivalent, but it means doing something with soul, creativity, or love; to put something of yourself into your work.
IT WAS A chilly, rainy, blustery weekend and we’ve become very disenchanted with winter now. It’s true that the longer days make everything a little better, but it still feels like spring is a long way off, despite all the pink magnolia buds on the trees and beautiful falling cherry blossoms.
THIS WEEKEND we made it out to the riverside pub that is our favourite summertime place. Saturday was a warm spring-like day, so we were able to sit outside, although not for long, as it began to cool down around 4:00 pm. Before the pub, we stopped in at a patisserie that’s well-known in the area and picked up a delicious strawberry custard tart...
ON FRIDAY P brought home a box of fortune cookies he found at the supermarket in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Neither of us is entirely certain of all the traditions associated with this celebration, but according to the Chinese zodiac, this is his year.
Have a puzzle mindset—really resonated. It goes something like this: Rather than viewing the problems we face in the world (either individually or collectively) as crises, which can cause us to feel despair, seeing them—whether financial, environmental, health-related, or political—as puzzles can help us to think about new approaches to solving them...
TODAY, the third Monday of January, has come to be known in the UK as "Blue Monday", the most depressing day of the year. The idea originated in 2005 via a press release issued by a travel company. Using a formula accounting for factors like weather, debt, post-holiday gloom, failed resolutions, low motivation, and the need for change, they calculated this date to be the saddest day of the year.
HELLO again and Happy New Year! After unintentionally taking off more time than had planned (and missing two Weekend Links in the process), it’s good to be back. Did stop in briefly on New Year’s Day to share my resolutions for 2024, but other than that, for the most part of the past four or so weeks, we’ve been on holiday, which is extremely rare.
LAST WEEK I read an article about a couple who had such trouble staying offline when they wanted to be, that they did the most drastic thing they could think of: they disconnected their internet. They had a landline installed to make calls, and used the Yellow Pages to look up telephone numbers.
BETELGEUSE, the red supergiant star in the shoulder of the constellation Orion, will disappear from the sky briefly tonight, at 8:17 p.m. EST in what scientists are calling a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. An asteroid called 319 Leona will pass in front of Betelgeuse and block its light for a few seconds as a shadow falls across Earth’s surface.
