If you’ve been following you’ll know I’ve been visiting the house of my uncle who has terminal cancer.  It’s been a very difficult trip in many ways.  But I am grateful for this time with my family.  This is the first time in several years that my immediate family has gone on a road trip … Continue reading →

Late at night.  My aunt’s house.  I’ve agreed to sit up with my cousin and wait for her uncle from the other side of the family who is flying in from Washington state.  He’s arriving at Harrisburg airport just before midnight and then renting a car to drive the 40 minutes to my aunt’s house.  … Continue reading →

Remember the news nobody wants to hear?  I’ve come home from England to be with my family now.  I’m so glad I did.  Though we’ve got a bit of a way to go before being near the news.  My uncle, who is terminally ill with cancer, lives in Pennsylvania.  My parents and I will be driving … Continue reading →

This is just a quick entry to say that my viva voce exam is scheduled for Wednesday–I’ll be writing some longer reflections on the whole PhD process over the next few days, but as I’m sure you can appreciate, I’ve been a little distracted!  Please keep me in your thoughts on Wednesday morning (quite early … Continue reading →

A few days ago I got some bad news from home.  It’s the kind of news that everyone dreads.  It’s the kind of news that eventually reaches us all.  The kind of news that, with a visceral start, makes you realize how far you are from where the news is. Everyone manages this sort of news … Continue reading →

On Tuesday I woke at what I consider to be an unseemly hour in order to accompany two friends to Cardiff.  Having never yet paid a visit to the Welsh nation, I rose that morning in a state of quietly eager anticipation. As we traversed the miles between Exeter and Cardiff, we somehow got into conversation about … Continue reading →

As some of the Skirt!istas probably know, May 6th was Election Day for the peoples of the British Isles.  I’ve never been in a country where an election was happening in which I couldn’t participate, so this was very exciting for me.  Especially since my life will be materially affected by the policies adopted by whatever … Continue reading →

Two articles in the Times of London caught my eye today.  The first reported that District Judge Nicholas Leigh-Smith overruled an Asbo (Anti-Social Behaviour Order) specifiying that a young offender wasn’t allowed to wear low-slung trousers or clothing with the hood up.  He was quoted as saying “Some of the requirements proposed struck me as … Continue reading →

While I was in Toronto my mom bought me a great little book by Arianne Cohen called “ The Tall Book”.  It’s the first (maybe the only) definitive nonfiction book about people of above average height.  It’s especially geared towards women, naturally, Arianne being a female of the species.  Now, I’ve always known that I … Continue reading →