As a teenager I remember asking myself this question and freaking out over it: why am I me? It wasn’t just ‘why do I have this body and this set of circumstances’ – I could imagine being transplanted to a different body, family, home, set of friendships, native language, and still being me. It wasn’t even ‘why do I have this personality’ – I could … Continue reading Why am I me?
If you’re single, and it crosses your mind to worry that you might die alone and be eaten by Alsatians before anyone finds your decrepit corpse, à la Bridget Jones, remember this … HALF of all your ‘smug married’* friends will die single, too. (Phrase borrowed from Bridget.) And that’s not because of the divorce rate. You and your dear spouse are unlikely to die … Continue reading Thought for the day
I’ve been wanting to visit San Francisco in years, and finally got to go on a beautiful January weekend with sun, clear skies and zero fog – what are the chances!! Here are my favourite spots to see and a few I missed. What would you recommend seeing next time? Ferry Building We started our tour of SF here. It’s a nice old building, and … Continue reading San Francisco
I’ve decided to write for an hour a day for the next 30 days and see where it takes me! Enjoy! Yesterday I went to Brighton to meet some friends. I’d seen the city before, but not for a couple of years, so was happy to go back. The sumptuous unusual Pavilion and the fantastic sunset over the pebble beach are music to my Jane … Continue reading Writing Challenge Day #1
I came across this mural on the side of the Southbank Centre near Waterloo the other day: The Southbank Centre says this about Sam Durant’s artwork: The handwritten text originates from a placard used in the 1963 March on Washington, a landmark event of the American Civil Rights movement. Removed from its original context, the laconic phrase is open to interpretation. It might speak to … Continue reading What are YOU waiting for?
I’ve struggled with nail-biting for over 20 years. I don’t know when it began, but there’s a home video of me nibbling away at my sister’s baptism – I was five. I could never pin down exactly why I bit my nails. My mum theorised that it might be stress. Another potential explanation was boredom. All I knew was that if there was any white … Continue reading What nail-biting taught me about life
Happy 2nd birthday to my blog & thank you to the faithful readers of my over 100 posts! 😀 To celebrate, I’m rounding up my 10 most popular posts, and will share what’s next for the blog … Did I keep my promises? Last year I promised to … update my blog domain ✔️ –> inmywritemind.me –> no more ads! write about American travels ✔️ –> … Continue reading [2-year Blogiversary]
An ongoing goal of scientific research is to find a material that reflects absolutely no light, that absorbs every photon that hits it. A recent attempt, reported by Wired, resulted in Vantablack, a substance that was subsequently exclusively licensed by artist Anish Kapoor, who used it to coat a very expensive watch. Since the exclusive license prevents other artists from using Vantablack, rival super-non-reflective materials … Continue reading Art can be invisible
How the analytic/continental philosophy divide played out in my life Continue reading what I’ve learned about the literature faculty
Series 7 of American law drama series Suits is currently airing on Netflix. I recommend watching it. (Power through the less interesting couple of middle series; the first few and last 2 are worth it.) Spoilers ahead! Why? The corporate buzz, the office politics, the loyalties, the plays for power, the deals cut, the secrets leveraged, the main characters’ indefatigable ‘There is no way we … Continue reading SUITS & empowerment
in my write mind 