If you’ve been following my little missives, you’ll know that I’m shortly moving to London.  You will also know that for reasons yet to be quantified by science, there appears to be a strong correlation between me living in a house and it becoming saturated by water.  This has happened in every house I have lived … Continue reading →

I just responded to Coach on the Edge’s lovely poetic memorial to September 11th.  What I wanted to say but didn’t because it would have completely undermined the very purpose of saying it was, it’s nice to see that someone’s remembrance hasn’t been sidelined by the hateful and poisonous threat of Pastor Terry Jones to hold a … Continue reading →

I’m not someone who believes in fate or destiny.  I do, however, find it interesting that decisions you think will be small or only relevant to the immediate future often end up having wider repercussions on life. Last year around this time I was living in a house I really liked in Exeter, but the house dynamic … Continue reading →

In the grand scheme of things, it could definitely have been much harder to find a flat.  What I ended up going with is so simple and all-around good that I couldn’t have designed a better situation for myself with months of planning. The story is that my current landlady’s son has a flat in London and … Continue reading →

I had a thought today.  It was, “Quick!  Post something!!”  So today’s post is just a quick sketch of thoughts on my impending move to London. Heading to London later this week to look at flats.  I’m excited and nervous to be moving.  Exeter’s been my home for the past four years, for the best … Continue reading →

Ever since 2006 I’ve been an overseas voter.  Mainly I’ve been in the UK for local and national elections, so ballots get sent to me here in Exeter.  But during the last presidential election I was in Cairo.  I wrote about my experiences faxing a vote home from there in my blog titled The Central Telephone … Continue reading →

So my dear Skirt!istas, as you know I’m nearing the culmination of my PhD.  Passed my viva voce in June and now just have some corrections standing in the way of me and the big floppy hat (PhDs get big floppy hats in the UK, not mortarboards.  I couldn’t find a good picture that wouldn’t mean … Continue reading →

My favorite news story of the week: a survey showing that a third of all adults here in Britain still take teddy bears to bed.  Think of three grownups you know.  According to this survey, at least one of them still sleeps with a soft toy. Okay, in that context it’s actually a leeetle bit … Continue reading →

Kidnapped by Belly Dancers–Under the Eclipse! By caitieskirt, Friday, August 20, 2010 Print Email to a friend It was early one evening in 2007.  I had finished a set of Egyptian dance workshops in a dance studio somewhere near Waterloo Station in London with Sara Farouk Ahmed, who later became one of the research participants for … Continue reading →

So once again I’ve been extending a hand into the mixed bag that is Gumtree housing advertisements.  You never know whether you’re going to get a reply from some nice person looking to quietly circumvent the real estate industry, or from somebody who wants to quietly lift the cash from your pockets without providing anything … Continue reading →