February 26, 2010
Every Friday I point you to some worthwhile reading around the blogosphere:
1. Here’s a really interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about why the “aging” of scientific research grants may impede creativity.
2. And while we’re on the topic of aging – according to the Los Angeles Times – the Tea Partiers are just a bunch of baby boomers longing for the 60s. Who knew?
3. I absolutely adored this homage to The New Yorker over on A Boat Against The Current. Who amongst us didn’t dream of the day the New Yorker would call? (Who am I kidding? Who amongst us *still* doesn’t dream…)
4. I’m now a regular over at Roger Ebert’s Journal on the SunTimes. Here’s a recent post he did on a visit to London (with many ref’s to my very own ‘hood.) It’s about writing…and walking…and, well, writing and walking. Fabulous.
5. If you’re into libraries, have a look at this article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about Joyce Carol Oates’ abiding love of libraries. While you’re at it, here’s an interview in Salon with Marilyn Johnson, the author of a new book on librarians entitled This Book Is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All.
6. Finally, a dispatch from Fast Company on why it’s actually more productive to nap. Hallelujah!
Follow me on Twitter.
6 Comments | 
Recommended Reading | Tagged: a boat against the current, aging of science, baby boomers, Creativity, librarians, libraries, london, Marilyn Johnson, naps, naps and productivty, research grants, roger ebert, Roger Ebert's Journal, scientific research, tea partiers, tea parties, The New Yorker, This Book Is Overdue!, walking, Writing, writing and walking | 
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Posted by delialloyd
February 22, 2010
3 Comments | Health and Beauty, Parenting, Trends/Studies/Research | Tagged: airborn allergies, allergies, anaphylaxis, children's allergies, epipens, food allergies, life-threatening food allergies, multiple allergies, peanut allergies, peanuts | Permalink
Posted by delialloyd
February 19, 2010
Every Friday I point you to some worthwhile reading around the blogosphere:
1. Here’s a hilarious spoof of the Ipad (and Apple more generally) from The Onion.
2. And while we’re on the subject of technology, The New Republic also has a very funny piece on how middle aged people are being ruined by new media.
3. If you’re a wordsmith, you’ll love this piece from The Nieman Journalism Lab about words New York Times readers find difficult.
4. You’ll also love this video of a real, live calligrapher in The Guardian.
5. This feature on Roger Ebert in Esquire is amazing, as is his response to it in The Sun Times. (Hat Tip: Lisa Romeo Writes.)
6. Finally, here’s a piece I did on the evolving diplomatic row between the UK and Israel over the Hamas Assassination in Dubai in PoliticsDaily.com.
Follow me on Twitter.
Enjoy your weekend!
3 Comments | Recommended Reading | Tagged: Apple, assassination, calligrapher, calligraphy, difficult words, dubai assassination, Hamas, Ipad, israel, mossad, New York Times, Nieman Journalism Lab, roger ebert, social media and middle age, technology and middle age, UK-Israeli relations, wordsmiths | Permalink
Posted by delialloyd
February 17, 2010
Every Wednesday I offer tips for adulthood.
This week’s list is inspired by a recent post I did on five reasons we all need a wife.
As with the division of labor within marriage, I’m a big believer that – it’s best to be honest as a parent about which tasks you like and which tasks you find onerous.
I’m not in a position to hire a nanny right now – (and we all know how hard that can be) – but if I had an imaginary care-taker for my children, here are five jobs I’d readily delegate:
1. Swim Lessons. Much like riding a bike (see below), learning to swim is one of those formative childhood experiences that’s meant to stay with you your entire life. I was at a dinner party last night and everyone at the table very clearly remembered their first swim lesson (often with a grimace.) I don’t mind going to watch my kids swim (as I currently do every Sunday morning.) But those early lessons where you also have to don a bathing suit and jump in and “acclimate them to the water” while singing Motorboat, Motorboat over and over? No thanks.
2. Riding a Bike. You know how they have that expression “It’s like riding a bike!”? I think there should be a sister expression: “It’s like learning to ride a bike” which captures the tedium, frustration, and near-death experiences that characterize the bike-learning process. Yeah, I know. This is parent blasphemy. What can I say? I told you I valued honesty.
3. Art Projects. I’m cool with some paper and crayons, even a scissor or two. But once glue, paint and – God Forbid – anything with a needle and thread get involved, I’m totally ready to hand off to someone else. I don’t, mind you. But I’d like to. Which is why I’m *so* jazzed that my daughter is at a camp this week where she’s learning to make her own clothes. Today she came home in a tiger-fur waist coat (vest, for you Americans.) She was so proud of herself. And so was I. And relieved.
4. Science Experiments. Ditto. Mind you, I love the *idea* of a test tube. But once you actually start mixing things in those beakers and waiting for them to react…uh-uh. (And by the way, why do all the experiments require iron filings? I mean, really. Who has those just lying around the house? Sure. Right here with my copy of the Constitution…)
5. Spectator Sports. I enjoy watching my kids compete in sporting events. It’s when they ask me to take them to watch a sporting event that I wince inwardly. This might be because – as someone whose own sporting prowess doesn’t extend much beyond pool and bowling – I just don’t find sports that interesting (Musical Theatre, in contrast? Now you’re talking…). So attending, say, a professional soccer game? Not my cuppa…
Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of parenting duties I do enjoy: reading, writing, singing, play acting, playing board games, doing homework, baking cookies, ice skating. And more.
But I’ll happily pass on those listed above.
What’s on your list?
*****
I’m over on PoliticsDaily.com today talking about a controversial CIA torture case in the UK and why it’s been so divisive for this country.
Image: Sewing Lesson by Robert the Noid via Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
16 Comments | Current Events, Parenting, Tips List | Tagged: art projects, children's art projects, CIA, CIA torture case, first swim lesson, iron filings, learning to ride a bike, motorboat, musical theatre, needle and thread, outsourcing parenting, Parenting, professional soccer, riding a bike, science experiments, spectator sports, swim lessons, test tubes, torture, waist coat | Permalink
Posted by delialloyd
February 15, 2010
Some people I’m close to are going through some difficult times right now. Some are having relationship problems, others are enduring career crises, and some are just very, very low.
So in the spirit of Valentine’s Day – which is, at the end of the day, a celebration of friendship and love – I thought I’d post this poem written by the fabulous Colleen Wainwright of Communicatrix fame.
I’ve been sending it around a lot lately:
For Occasional Blues
When you are low
—and you will be,
just as sure as you
may not be now—
it is good to have
a few necessities in stock
to keep the beasts
at bay.
Like your day at Point Dume,
and that wall of wind pushing back
as you sung the first three lines
of fifty pop songs
against it
while your heart screamed,
my ocean!
Or sinking into the air-cooled comfort
of first show at the Grove
and tucking your chilled toes
up under your tush
as you prepared
to disappear
for two delicious hours
Or the heat of the tarpaper tiles
on the low-slanted roof
as you baked between classes
beside your traveling companion,
passing salted Ruffles
and a half-quart tub of sour cream
back and forth
against the prospect
of imminent minor discomfort.
The trick
if there is one
is to recall specifics
with the precision
of an ichthyologist
aligning individual scales:
the feel of leaning in
the nap of new velour
the slope of the incline
And if you can’t,
make it up
But precisely
God is in the details
even if you are the god
who put them there
and it is through these million
man-made pinholes
that you will reconnect
with the All-That-Is
and find the love
that eludes you now.
Send this to someone you love. We all need a pick-me-up once in awhile…
Image: Depression by Canonsnapper via Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
20 Comments | Relationships, Self-development | Tagged: career crises, Colleen Wainwright, Communicatrix, depression, friendship, love, relationship problems, valentine's day | Permalink
Posted by delialloyd
February 12, 2010
Every Friday I point you to some worthwhile reading around the blogosphere:
1. As someone who blogs about adulthood, I really liked Jacob Weisberg’s analysis in Slate of what’s wrong with American politics right now. (Answer: The voters haven’t grown up.)
2. I absolutely adored Kate Harding’s paean to the LRB personals ads in Salon. Her own two ads are laugh-out-loud funny. And while I’m at it, allow me to plug my good friend Paul Reizin’s memoir of how he met his wife through a personals ad: Date Expectations: One Man’s Voyage Through The Lonely Hearts.
3. With all the gloomy talk of marriage lately (and the real-life implosion of several high profile marriages…I mention no names!), it was heartening to read this account of what makes for a successful long-term marriage in The Wall Street Journal. You gotta love an article that includes the Carters (as in Jimmy and Rosalyn) and the Osbournes (as in Sharon and Ozzy) under one tent.
4. Here’s a thoughtful piece by author Dani Shapiro in The Los Angeles Times about how publishing has overtaken writing as a goal for writers these days.
5. Finally, I was delighted to discover (via Practicing Writing) this new (to me) blog about the adventures of an expatriate writer called Writer Abroad. For obvious reasons, I was particularly taken with this post on how one can become addicted to living abroad.
Oh yes. And please do follow me on Twitter!
2 Comments | Recommended Reading | Tagged: american voters, dani shapiro, Date Expectations, expatriate writers, grown ups in politics, Jacob Weisberg, jimmy carter, kate harding, living abroad, long-term marriage, LRB, LRB personals, marriage, ozzy osbourne, Paul Reizin, Practicing Writing, publishing, rosalyn carter, sharon osbourne, writer abroad, writers, Writing | Permalink
Posted by delialloyd
February 11, 2010
4 Comments | Books, Movies, Parenting | Tagged: childcare, finding a nanny, good childcare, hiring a nanny, Joan Crawford, Mommy Dearest, mother-nanny relationship, nannies, nanny, Nanny Returns, The Nanny Diaries | Permalink
Posted by delialloyd
February 10, 2010
Every Wednesday I offer tips for adulthood.
Awhile back, I posted on five reasons you should listen to BBC Radio. Today I’d like to complement that post with some thoughts on why you should also watch BBC television:
1. It has the most amazing mini-series. Back when my husband and I first met, I knew that we were well-suited to one another when we both dove in with two feet to watch the six part BBC mini-series Reckless, about a young man who falls for an older (married) woman. A few years later, we watched State of Play, a contemporary thriller about a political-media scandal (later re-made into a less satisfactory feature film set in America.) Just this past weekend, we finished the trilogy House of Cards, a political drama about Westminster intrigue set in post-Thatcher England. All three series combine superb acting, fine writing and a willingness to explore the messy interface between love and power. Fabulous.
2. It has the most amazing documentaries. I’ve got a 9-year-old son, which means that prying him away from violent computer games is no mean feat. But I can’t tell you how many spellbinding afternoons we’ve spent this year watching the most compelling documentaries about science and nature on the BBC I-player. I’m particularly taken with the series How Earth Made Us. Watch this one entitled Deep Earth to learn why civilizations sprung up along fault lines. Incredible.
3. The presenters look like us. Despite charges of ageism and sexism, the vast majority of the people presenting and reporting the news on the BBC just aren’t all that attractive, at least by American broadcast standards. Rather, they look like – gasp – normal people. At first, I found this shocking and vaguely disconcerting. (What’s up with that guy’s teeth? How can she possibly go on air in that top?) But now that I’ve gotten used to it, I find it quite refreshing. The people who report the news look a lot like the people they’re reporting on. How…appropriate.
4. It Employs Jonathan Ross. At least for now. If you’re *so* over the late night television wars in the United States, I’d urge you to tune in to this weekend staple over here in the UK: Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Yeah, he looks a bit like Leno and – at first glance – acts a bit like him, with his bumptious grin and easy way with the ladies. But make no mistake. Ross is clever and funny and seems to really enjoy what he’s doing. (Even if he occasionally steps over the line.) I’ve never watched late night TV with any regularity in my life until now. I will sorely miss him when he goes.
5. It created The Office. Many Americans don’t realize this, but NBC’s hit comedy, The Office, is actually based on a BBC television show by the same name. (As Ricky Gervais – its star and co-creator – was quick to remind us at The Golden Globes recently. Read here for a terrific comparison of the two.) I love the American version of The Office. But there’s nothing quite like the mixture of humor, pathos and off-beat romance that defined the original series – it’s almost unbearable to watch at times. And Thank Goodness.
*****
For those who are interested, I’m over on PoliticsDaily.com today talking about efforts to improve the enfranchisement of overseas American voters.
Image: Empire Awards 2008 by Claire_h via Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
12 Comments | Expat Living, Lifestyle, Movies | Tagged: BBC, The Office, Jonathan Ross, BBC Mini Series, House of Cards, Ricky Gervais, BBC Iplayer, The Golden Globes, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, ageism, sexism, BBC news presenters, BBC news, How Earth Made Us, BBC documentaries, State of Play, Reckless, Expat Voting, overseas voting, enfranchising overseas voters, overseas voters, expat vote, Deep Earth, BBC Science and Nature | Permalink
Posted by delialloyd
February 8, 2010
Awhile back, I posted on five household items you can do without, as well as five household items you *can’t* do without. Both posts were inspired by the myriad tchotchkes that pepper our house, courtesy of my gadget-loving husband.
I got to thinking about this very issue once again this weekend on a somewhat grander scale when two things that had gone missing from my life unexpectedly reappeared.
The first was a dishwasher. As I noted when talking about why we all need a wife, my dishwasher died about six weeks ago. Ever since, I’ve been washing dishes for our four-person household by hand. On Friday, the new dishwasher finally arrived and I’ll say it here first: God, do I love my new dishwasher. Yes, I could have managed just fine without one. But I literally feel *blessed* everytime I place a dish in its new home, rather than piling them up in the sink.
The second thing from a former life which reappeared over the weekend was – oddly enough – a health club. When I first moved to London, I wrote an essay for the Guardian Weekly about how the cost of living was so high in this city that my husband and were forced to become Green by default. It wasn’t so much that we embraced Green living as that we had no choice; overnight, certain things had just become prohibitively expensive. So we gave up those staples of middle-class American life: two cars…a tumble dryer… and our health club memberships. And both of us started exercising outdoors; he cycling and I running.
But this past weekend my son was invited to a birthday party at a health club. While the kids played, the adults got a free workout. I went nuts. I climbed a StairMaster, I used an elliptical trainer, I lifted some weights…heck, I even took a sauna. And I topped it all off with a lovely cappuccino in the adjoining cafe where – posh mama that I am…(not) – I purchased some long overdue yoga gear. In a word: spectacular.
But unlike my new dishwasher, I came away from the whole health club experience thinking that – much as I enjoyed being in a fancy gym for two hours – I’m not sure that it’s something I actually need in my life. I’m actually quite happy just going running. I like the feeling of freedom it affords. I like the odd assortment of people and animals that I encounter along the way (which in my hood’ runs the gamut from Helena Bonham Carter to wild foxes). I like the cold air waking me up as it hits my face. And most of all, I like that it doesn’t cost a penny (pence).
In short, I learned that I could live without a health club.
As we grow older, it’s worth reflecting now and again on what we need in our lives to make us happy and what we can do without.
How about you? What creature comforts could you let go of?
*****
I was absolutely thrilled to get this shout out from the blog This Bird’s Day about my essay “Married to a Metrosexual” in the forthcoming Chicken Soup For The Soul: True Love. It made my day!
Image: day1DSC_0055.jpg by journojen via Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
22 Comments | Consumerism, Gadgets, Lifestyle | Tagged: Gadgets, cycling, green living, married to a metrosexual, chicken soup for the soul, washing dishes, wives, dishwasher, health clubs, what can you life without, doing without something, creature comforts, StairMaster, Elliptical Machine, Helena Bonham Carter, foxes, This Bird's Day, household items, needing a wife, running, going running, gyms, metrosexual, yoga wear | Permalink
Posted by delialloyd
Every Wednesday I offer tips for adulthood.
There are plenty of things you don’t bargain for before you become a parent: just how little sleep you’ll actually get that first year (five years?)…just how 
Have you heard? “
