Cats and Dogs Dogs have owners; cats have staff. That’s now a familiar saying but just as accurate nonetheless And while dogs can be trained to follow orders, sit up and beg, it is the rare cat that will even give such attempts the time of day. Which is as it should be. Dogs are … Read more
This is a review of a book I have not read that does not actually exist. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this dive into the golden age of crime and detective fiction. An isolated country house in winter and a cast of quirky characters none of whom are quite what they seem. There are … Read more
I’ve been thinking about how we need to stop using the word “gender” to refer to people and why we should not use it for anything other than linguistics. Meanwhile, as I contemplate world improvement, Scotland has just passed an ill-conceived law that will have the effect of tossing women and children under the bus. … Read more
We like lists because we don’t want to die Back, book, casualty, honors, naughty and nice, shopping, spelling, top-ten, and all the rest – how we love our lists and cataloging, inventorying, ordering, and sorting our lives with lists. The list is the origin of culture, and lists exist to make infinity comprehensible. And those … Read more
On a daily neighborhood soodle a while back I saw this single golden sandal on a stoop on W112th Street. I wondered about the backstory. Was it lost or abandoned and was it missed? And I took a photograph. Sue did the same. Sometime later that child’s shoe was transformed. You can check out Sue’s … Read more
A novel by Kate Atkinson is always something to look forward to and I’ve just finished reading her latest – The Shrines of Gaiety. As always, she does not disappoint. This character-rich, picaresque romp through the underbelly of the world of the Bright Young Things of London in the 1920s is what is known as … Read more
Yesterday I took my stickybeaking self downtown to City Hall Park where Standing for Women was holding an event. You can read more about it elsewhere, but the basic idea of these events is a public setup with loudspeakers and the opportunity for any woman who wants to say something about issues affecting women to … Read more
Coming out of the Irish government this week is a truly helpful definition of “gender”. So for all you folks out there who think gender is nonsense – educate yourselves and learn. It’s from the CRIMINAL JUSTICE (INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE OR HATRED AND HATE OFFENCES) BILL 2022. So now you know. Clear as a peat … Read more
Anna Dillon posted a tweet in tribute and thanks to the BBC on its 100th anniversary. My thank-you list would be a little different but it too would begin with Listen With Mother. It was my first radio program and was a part of a cherished time. To be accurate, I would have to rename … Read more
Gloomy drizzly start for today so time to remember some recent sunshine and shadows. Covid-19 testing tents are all up and down Broadway with a whole cluster close to Columbia University. This one left – is at 113th Street. Photos here of Wave Hill in the Bronx, the Metropolitan Museum Cloisters in Manhattan, Untermeyer Gardens … Read more
There’s a lovely exhibit currently on show at the Morgan Library. It’s the work of artist-illustrator Ashley Bryan (see below for the Morgan’s description.) Many of the pieces are collages in the vibrant colors of the kind of elementary school construction paper. I could imagine school group trips and the response to the words and … Read more
Are you all sitty comftybold two-square on your botty? Then I’ll begin. If you’re a Brit of a certain vintage then you will be familiar with the delights of “Professor” Stanley Unwin. Unwin was an expert in Unwinese – a personal mangled language worthy of James Joyce and Finnegan’s Wake. He was also a comic … Read more
Last week saw a short foray into Connecticut. This included a day at Hammonasset Beach State Park, a dip in the sea (Long Island Sound), and a visit to the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme. The weather cooperated, the days were sunny and the rain confined itself to overnight and early morning. The beach … Read more
Poetry is critical to a complete understanding of the First World War because in the years leading up to and including the war, poetry played a central role in public and private life. Constance Ruzich, in the introduction to the anthology. It was Paul Fussell who showed us that the young British officer class that … Read more
It’s all a long time ago now but I spent the summer of 1969 playing. With a shiny new degree in Eng.Lit and headed to London University in September to qualify as a teacher. I saw this notice in the college student handout. I went up to London for the weekend, met Rhaune Laslett, spent … Read more