We are in Kathmandu. Or rather, we are in Patan, one of the three royal cities in the valley. It is like and unlike home, and I think that made it it even more intense for me than I would have expected, because my mind was continually readjusting its expectations – to stupas and temples […]
Sea change
The Kavanaugh hearing feels like a sea change; surely, decades from now, historians will mark it as another moment in the decline of the United States. It felt like everyone in the world (granted, in my limited circles) was aware of and watching with horror and disgust. The woman giving her testimony, and then the […]
Trablous
On Friday, soon after I finished my work the prayer took place at the mosque across the road from the cafe. Soon after it ended the Gentleman Friend arrived, and we hailed a taxi to take us to Al Mina, the port city of Tripoli where we had booked a bed and breakfast in the […]
2 days of glumness
A couple of days of mild glumness have passed, thanks to getting overly excited about potential work opportunities, and then disappointment when one didn’t come through and the other is taking far too long to resolve one way or the other. That said, I am equally unhappy whether I have too much work or too […]
A disappointing sequel
I listened to a fascinating podcast yesterday, an episode of the New Books Network. It was so interesting I listened to it a second time. It was an interview with an anthropologist in Australia who has recently published a book on difference and perceptions of difference, between Aborigines and white settlers. One of the most […]
Curses
Today, in my routine checking of Kindle ebooks on sale, I came across the fine specimen below.
Tusk
I was to meet the Gentleman Friend at the Kalei Cafe, where he was taking advantage of their superior internet connectoin to make some work calls. I went first to the Tusk Bakery just around the corner and bought a loaf of focaccia (thinking that given Lebanese proclivities a bread that rises and falls on […]
What happened long ago
I spent the whole day in the flat yesterday, as editing had come in (a dissertation on migration). I can’t say it felt a particularly productive day, as I was scattered and found it hard to concentrate, and I could hardly bear to think about my memory room story. That is an odd side of […]
Finished
A quiet sort of working day. The Gentleman Friend went into the office for much of the day so I had the flat to myself and later wento to a cafe for the better intenret. The internet in the flat is usually ok for browsing and downloading, but even attaching a 30kb document to an […]
Trouble with an astrolabe
The ending to ‘The Astrolabe’ remains unsatisfying. Usually I’m quite good at final scenes, but it occurs to me this is because they are often the first thing that comes to me, whereas with this I didn’t have an ending before I began. I read Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West last night, and that clearly suffered […]