December 2009
10 posts
Merry Cashmas! →
Did you know the English have found a way to monetize snow? Not the civilized way, by allowing people to ski on it, but by allowing them to bet on it.
Every year, thousands of British residents…
Virtual Marmite →
Dear English people with iPhones,
Just wanted to let you know that if you’re looking for a virtual iPhone toast-making app that comes pre-loaded with a Marmite option, More Toast has you…
Homicidal Nottingham squirrels →
Growing up in Vancouver, I got used to squirrels being the outdoor version of a family pet. Fluffy and bright-eyed, their livelihood pretty much consists of hanging around looking cute…
PowerPoint Karaoke →
Is this one of those situations where I let slip how humiliatingly out of touch I am by trying to introduce you to something that has already emerged, crested, appeared on Oprah and…
Where the stores have no name →
Can you imagine people in Vancouver shopping almost daily at a chain store and not knowing how to pronounce the name of it? This is the situation with U.K. (by way of Germany) grocery…
Nigel Havers and I are having a thing →
Nigel Havers and I first became seriously involved when I watched a BBC series called “Manchild,” which followed the immature antics of four rudderless, outrageously wealthy…
Good writers, bad sex →
The Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award, bestowed annually on the author who writes the squeam-inducingest literary description of sex, has been won this year by Jonathan Littell….
iPhone grief counsellor →
Yesterday, between 10:14 and 11 a.m., my iPhone lost consciousness.
At first, I reacted with weak denial. “Maybe I forgot to recharge it,” I said to myself. “Maybe it’s the cold…
This pen for hire →
I’m on several email lists for freelance writing opportunities, and one of them delivers job postings so bizarre and random, they’ve become my daily treat. Here’s today’s offering:
“I need a…