Thursday, 10 March 2011
looking for distractions from work
I work at home most days and since it's quite loney just me and computer, there's always something to distract me and keep me busy. The last few weeks it's been the comings and goings of my new neighbour who is a youngish guy (early 30s) who lives opposite (I could describe his dimminutive height in politically incorrect terms but I'll hold back for now). Anyway,needless to say he provides me with endless distraction when I've exhausted the offerings of net-a-porter, asos.com and other such shopping portals as I search for any reason not to write a lecture or edit an academic paper. I have developed a morbid obbsession as I've learned from the neighbours next door to him that he claims to have come into an inheritance that enabled him to buy the house - £770,000 CASH! He doesn't go to work, but watches TV till the early hrs then pops to Budgens in his cut off sweat pants at noon (and that's not a pretty sight first thing in the morning). Since most inheritances usually amount to a Post Office savings account and a mangy old cat, I don't buy it. I think he's a lottery winner and I am sometimes consumed with curiosity and a tad of envy wondering what it would be like for money to be no object. And in the middle of Archway of all places (you'd expect it in banker territories like St John's Wood, but not round here).
Thursday, 24 February 2011
speed awareness
Have been on a speed awareness course this week after going 34 mph on a journey to the country with the kids. What a motley crew they turned out to be. Several old codgers tottered on and wittered on about '40 years of driving and never had a speeding ticket before' followed by an elderly (and I mean elderly lady) with a walking stick. Not a boy racer amongst us.(They're all on the Jeremy Clarkson speed awareness course I believe). All up-standing citizens all of us, even if we found ourselves the wrong side of the law on a random day some weeks ago.
It adds to the stress of life to take a whole day off work to contemplate that 'driving is the most dangerous thing I'll ever do(instructor obviously hasn't been at the top of the bendy slide in Talacre softplay). It's better than three points on my license though. I am now racing to catch up with myself (excuse the pun) on my edited book for Berg, 'Fashioning models' which I had hoped to hand in at the end of February, but it's now looking like a March delivery. But as this baby is about three years past it's due date, I think the publishers will wait a few more weeks.
Anyway, the book is out at the end of the year (published with Berg) but I have to hurry up if I'm to finish it in time. Speed awarenes indeed!
It adds to the stress of life to take a whole day off work to contemplate that 'driving is the most dangerous thing I'll ever do(instructor obviously hasn't been at the top of the bendy slide in Talacre softplay). It's better than three points on my license though. I am now racing to catch up with myself (excuse the pun) on my edited book for Berg, 'Fashioning models' which I had hoped to hand in at the end of February, but it's now looking like a March delivery. But as this baby is about three years past it's due date, I think the publishers will wait a few more weeks.
Anyway, the book is out at the end of the year (published with Berg) but I have to hurry up if I'm to finish it in time. Speed awarenes indeed!
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
how to survive half term
Half way through half term and the white knuckle ride of trying to hold together the job and the kids is, well, half way over. If I hadn't had to work - teach, edit my book - here are the wonderful things I'd be doing with my kids:
Coram fields - great place to hang out, with animals for the kids and a great adventure playground and in the heart of Holborn. www.coramsfields.org/
The Horniman museum - never gone, but always wanted to as I'm told it's a fantastic museum for kids, with loads of unnusual things to see. Down in South London/Kent. Will get there one day. www.horniman.ac.uk/
Canal Museum - a family obsession of ours is the canal system and, one day, we'll own our own narrow boat. In the meantime, we can see them at this museum. www.canalmuseum.org.uk/
On the subject of canals, there's The Puppet Barge -a little theatre in Little Venice on a canal boat. It's a really great place to hang out with kids and see canals and narrow boats and catch a performance. www.puppetbarge.com/
I'm also really interested to see the Bank of England Museum and take the kids around the City. They even have a kids corner. http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/museum/kids/index.htm
Speaking of interesting parts of London, a trip to Canary Whalf is worth it to see the boats, docks and visit the museum of London at Docklands. It's a fantastic buidling with some good kid facilities as well as interesting exhibitions. Little ones can run around a soft play area (couldn't get Rosa out of it, even though it's really small), and the bigger ones can mess around with cargo and weights and measures. www.museumindocklands.org.uk/ It's a bit of a trek to get to, but if you have boys, they'll love the Light Railway so the journey will be part of the fun.
Enough to fill half term and some!
Coram fields - great place to hang out, with animals for the kids and a great adventure playground and in the heart of Holborn. www.coramsfields.org/
The Horniman museum - never gone, but always wanted to as I'm told it's a fantastic museum for kids, with loads of unnusual things to see. Down in South London/Kent. Will get there one day. www.horniman.ac.uk/
Canal Museum - a family obsession of ours is the canal system and, one day, we'll own our own narrow boat. In the meantime, we can see them at this museum. www.canalmuseum.org.uk/
On the subject of canals, there's The Puppet Barge -a little theatre in Little Venice on a canal boat. It's a really great place to hang out with kids and see canals and narrow boats and catch a performance. www.puppetbarge.com/
I'm also really interested to see the Bank of England Museum and take the kids around the City. They even have a kids corner. http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/museum/kids/index.htm
Speaking of interesting parts of London, a trip to Canary Whalf is worth it to see the boats, docks and visit the museum of London at Docklands. It's a fantastic buidling with some good kid facilities as well as interesting exhibitions. Little ones can run around a soft play area (couldn't get Rosa out of it, even though it's really small), and the bigger ones can mess around with cargo and weights and measures. www.museumindocklands.org.uk/ It's a bit of a trek to get to, but if you have boys, they'll love the Light Railway so the journey will be part of the fun.
Enough to fill half term and some!
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
TV habits
My TV consumption has steadily declined over the years but I can hardly complain. I might be watching less but I’m watching quality stuff. When I think about what counted as good TV in my day, it’s frankly shocking. The highlight of Saturday night, 6pm was the ‘Generation Game’ and while old Brucies been on our screens about the same time for Strictly come Dancing, this programme scales new heights of intelligence, wit and good taste compared to GG with it’s wobbly stage set, stupid game challenges (I recall hooting at the challenge to put up a deck chair, but I was only about 9 at the time), and the conveyor belt with the ‘toaster, games set, cuddly toy’ etc. Whoever complains about telly today obviously didn’t grew up in the late 70s or has deeply repressed memories.
Quality TV can be summed up by HBO, from early George Clooney in scrubs in ER to the decidely dodgy but inspired Stringer Bell, in The Wire (I say Stringer deliberately since I’ve no desire for the actor, only the character. A bit like my Betty/Mad Men crush. Betty is totally amazing and fascinating but January Jones just doesn’t do it for me).The Wire: it’s enough to say that I came to feel, literally feel, like I was living in Baltimore. No TV programme has ever transported me quite like this. We were living in Copenhagen at the time while I was a visiting professor there, and watched till 1am each night. I swear I frequently woke up not knowing what city I was living in (this was, admittedly, not helped by having a new baby at the time, waking us up at ungodly hours, and with all manner of strange things to disorientate the brain first thing, not least it being sunny at 3am). Before that there was Six Feet Under and later Mad Men.
After a brief interlude with Misfits (what is it about UK dramas - we need 12 or 14 episodes, not 6!) it's now The Killing (when it's not Glee, which is, of course the very definition of fantastic). Not HBO (by co-incidence, a Danish drama). Sarah Lund pulls off fisherman jumpers like no one else and almost makes them sexy. And looks mean chewing nicotine replacement gum. It’s so moody I’m exhausted after the two episodes the Beeb screen on Saturdays. And before the Killing there was Wallander – and we’ve watched, and liked, all versions: we only recently discovered what we think was the first series (after being seduced by Kenneth Brannah’s version, then taking on board a rather sullen less interesting Danish guy for a while) and it’s the best. The others are decent substitutes.
I’m always on the hunt for new drama series. Dexter was far too dark and nauseating, I don’t do vampires so that rules out quite a few, and Boardwalk empire isn’t quite cutting it although I’m going to give it time. Suggestions are most welcome!
Quality TV can be summed up by HBO, from early George Clooney in scrubs in ER to the decidely dodgy but inspired Stringer Bell, in The Wire (I say Stringer deliberately since I’ve no desire for the actor, only the character. A bit like my Betty/Mad Men crush. Betty is totally amazing and fascinating but January Jones just doesn’t do it for me).The Wire: it’s enough to say that I came to feel, literally feel, like I was living in Baltimore. No TV programme has ever transported me quite like this. We were living in Copenhagen at the time while I was a visiting professor there, and watched till 1am each night. I swear I frequently woke up not knowing what city I was living in (this was, admittedly, not helped by having a new baby at the time, waking us up at ungodly hours, and with all manner of strange things to disorientate the brain first thing, not least it being sunny at 3am). Before that there was Six Feet Under and later Mad Men.
After a brief interlude with Misfits (what is it about UK dramas - we need 12 or 14 episodes, not 6!) it's now The Killing (when it's not Glee, which is, of course the very definition of fantastic). Not HBO (by co-incidence, a Danish drama). Sarah Lund pulls off fisherman jumpers like no one else and almost makes them sexy. And looks mean chewing nicotine replacement gum. It’s so moody I’m exhausted after the two episodes the Beeb screen on Saturdays. And before the Killing there was Wallander – and we’ve watched, and liked, all versions: we only recently discovered what we think was the first series (after being seduced by Kenneth Brannah’s version, then taking on board a rather sullen less interesting Danish guy for a while) and it’s the best. The others are decent substitutes.
I’m always on the hunt for new drama series. Dexter was far too dark and nauseating, I don’t do vampires so that rules out quite a few, and Boardwalk empire isn’t quite cutting it although I’m going to give it time. Suggestions are most welcome!
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
About this blog...
Move over Gwyneth - notanotherlifestyleblog is going to capture the life of a full-time working mum in North London and tell it how it really is. OK, so I do yoga, but in pants covered in cat hair; yes, I bake cakes but have been known to grill a few by accident, and yes, I have a loving and fulfilling family life with husband and two gorgeous kids but my two year old will sometimes reply 'I love daddy' when I tell her how much I love her, thus piercing my heart (while I'm laughing).
So, notanotherlifestyleblog will give the whole 'working mum, juggling act' a new spin, reporting the stuff of life as I see it from my end of the Holloway Road in North London (the grotty end near Archway, not the Higbury Fields end).
It will feature lots of stuff: stories about working as full-time academic/researcher/writer while juggling the demands of two rambunctious kids, about my consumption habits (fashion, interiors, kids stuff), where to go and what to do with kids in London, and other miscellaneous stuff such as whether it's a good idea to wear skinny jeans if you have the legs of a rhinosercos (as I do) and why it's impossible to find pecorino were we live.
If you lead a busy life with kids/jobs to juggle, aspiring to make it a beautiful one but occasionally falling flat on your face while wiping Petit Filous off the kitchen floor, then this may be the blog for you.
So, notanotherlifestyleblog will give the whole 'working mum, juggling act' a new spin, reporting the stuff of life as I see it from my end of the Holloway Road in North London (the grotty end near Archway, not the Higbury Fields end).
It will feature lots of stuff: stories about working as full-time academic/researcher/writer while juggling the demands of two rambunctious kids, about my consumption habits (fashion, interiors, kids stuff), where to go and what to do with kids in London, and other miscellaneous stuff such as whether it's a good idea to wear skinny jeans if you have the legs of a rhinosercos (as I do) and why it's impossible to find pecorino were we live.
If you lead a busy life with kids/jobs to juggle, aspiring to make it a beautiful one but occasionally falling flat on your face while wiping Petit Filous off the kitchen floor, then this may be the blog for you.
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