Excited email from a colleague today: Martin Lukes is back – and looking good for an early release and a new career!!
I thought you would like to know.
Links. Let me see. Jon is incandescent about the shocking ignorance of the British press on matters European. However, in the case of the Daily Mail, he has his revenge.
Eoin has a link to a great collection of Irish archive photos.
Look, what can I say the internet is tired.
The lovely Beth wants to see our handwriting. I am rather proud of mine – unfortunately, it comes out a bit elongated here (the wave motion when writing on unlined paper is nothing to do with technology though). Doubtless, I am being smitten for the sin of pride. However, if you are stuck for NaBloPoMo content, you too could steal Beth’s idea.
The Observer has worked itself into an advanced state of excitement about its political editor’s decision to resign her job to spend more time with her small son. This was front page news on Sunday. Now, while the question of work-life balance for mothers and whether it is possible to do everything is a particularly vexed one in Anglo-Saxon countries, I’m not sure that it’s front page news (although I concede that Sunday is always slow). The article is interesting and I did read it but I am dubious about the prominence it received. I defy the Irish Times to be more parochial.
When your appendices have footnotes, you know you’re doomed. That is all.
Actually, no it’s not because here are some exciting links.
Oh no, this is not exciting, but my husband will be interested and he may be my only reader. Ugly, small Brussels landmark disappears: only for the Brussels enthusiasts.
I like to keep an eye on all the Belgian Waffles out there (tip of the week, if you are looking for a name for your sparkling new blog, don’t go for something that a dozen other people will also go for). One of them is a Swedish techie and I read about him and his i-phone and other techie matters in a state of some bafflement. And it’s not even written in Swedish. This post, however, offers a link to find out what google knows about you. Interesting and even I can manage the technology.
One only for Irish people. You will recognise these politicians, I think. Jason is slightly mocking, but only slightly.
These are clever, slightly off the wall cartoons. This pretty one made me laugh.
Very funny spoof of this film.
Is it just my love affair with Obama or is this cute?
That’s it.
I did an interview last week. I was part of, ahem, “an extraordinarily competitive applicant pool.” I was thanked for the “considerable amount of time and effort” I took in applying and told to go away. I note that they are not keeping my CV on file.
I was conscious at the time that it didn’t go particularly well. Part of the reason for this was that I googled the board in advance. Well, wouldn’t you? One member of the board had an unusual name so I was pretty sure that it was her poems I found when I googled her name. Poetry is a very personal medium, isn’t it? As I answered her questions, I kept wondering how is she getting over that relationship break up? I also reflected on the undesireability of putting a very detailed account of one’s love life, cloaked in poetry on the internet. This distracted me from the pertinent questions which were being posed.
In her agony column for the Observer, the fair Ms. Frostrup addresses the following problem:
The dilemma: I have had a long-time interest in beekeeping. Unfortunately I have a mortal fear of bees (and similar stinging insects), and neither my partner nor I enjoy the taste of honey, rendering the material benefits of keeping bees somewhat moot. I have read a great deal of books on the subject and have yet to determine just why I am so fascinated by this most peculiar hobby – though I do quite enjoy watching beekeepers remove the honeycomb frame from an apiary, as I find it quite relaxing. It has got to the point where it is affecting my marriage, as my partner is entirely unsympathetic to what she describes as an “obsession”. I tend to spend most evenings reading apiarist manuals and commenting on beekeeping forums on the net, to the detriment of our sex life. I am interested in sex, but at this point I am more interested in bees. Is this kind of relationship normal? How can I bring my partner round to enjoying my interest in beekeeping with me?
It seems to me that this must be a joke. You may see the reply here, should you so wish.
And tonight’s fresh from the blogroll links for your delectation:
Townmouse used to be a city girl and she wrote about her daily London commute on a bicycle. Then she moved to the middle of nowhere and now she writes about the weather. It’s a lot more entertaining than it sounds.
Remember in an earlier post I gave you a link describing various different European institutions and how some are EU and, crucially, some are not. I think that, if the man from the Daily Mail had known that, he could, at the very least have spared himself from Jon’s ire.
Very European tonight, but this is a hilarious account of the consequences of Lisbon Treaty ratification in the UK. Frankly these are not words you see juxtaposed frequently.
My esteemed sister-in-law has decided to join in the Nablopomo thingamajig. She is not a frequent blogger, so she needs all the encouragement she can get to survive this marathon. And she is funny, consider her commute home.
Like many another, I love the sartorialist. He photographs people on the street wearing interesting and clever clothes. I find this a very inspiring blog and am always sizing people up to see whether they could go on it. What amazes me is how shoes so often make the outfit. I lalways have to scroll down to see the bottom of the pictures and it is extraordinary how often shoes make the look and tie everything together. Like here.
I can’t help feeling that Mr. Godin’s advice to marketers might also be applied to the Irish population as the economic crisis continues unabated.
I know I already linked to the bad writing blog but this gave me my biggest laugh of today.
A nice post from Charlotte on the joy of less formality at work.
Look, a writing competition for your blog posting. Since we’re all NaBloPoMoing anyway, you might as well give it a go.
More links tomorrow, if I’m feeling strong.