Landschlacht, Switzerland, 1 March 2017 There are moments when the well runs dry, the fire is out, the spirit extinguished. Moments when I look at this blank screen and ask myself: What should I write about? Regular readers of my blog (both of them?!) patiently wait for some blog series to continue and/or conclude –… Continue reading Behind the veil: Islam(ophobia) for dummies
Category: Psychology
Just another day?
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 24 February 2017 Perhaps all of this is none of my business. Perhaps I should just quietly go about my life ignoring the world around me. What does one man’s opinion matter, especially if that man lacks wealth, power or fame? I believe that no man is an island, that each man is… Continue reading Just another day?
The great adventure
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 21 February 2017 Sometimes words flow out of you, rushing and pouring out of your heart and soul like a waterfall that can´t be stopped. Other times ideas and thoughts trickle down into words upon a screen like a desiccated desert drain from which only gasping drops remain. And then there are moments when… Continue reading The great adventure
Half the sky: the wonder of Woman
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 6 February 2017 “We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.” (Konstantin Josef Jirecek) Could this statement be strangely appropo if we viewed it from the perspective… Continue reading Half the sky: the wonder of Woman
Out of the Shadows
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 2 February 2017 Sometimes inspiration flows like sap through a maple tree. Sometimes it is as slow-moving as molasses in January. Those who read this blog (both of them!) or follow me on Facebook (the rest of their families!) are aware that I work…a lot. Between working as an English teacher during the… Continue reading Out of the Shadows
The cure for Wanderlust?
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 28 January 2017 As those already acquainted with myself already know, I earn my income in two ways: I am a Canadian, resident in Switzerland, working as a freelance English-as-a-second-language teacher and part-time Starbucks barista. And while both physical and psychological health remain I wish to continue to do both jobs for a… Continue reading The cure for Wanderlust?
The sorrow of Batman
Istanbul, Turkey, 10 September 2016 In Istanbul, extraordinary experiences are found around every corner. Here, dervishes whirl, müezzins call from minarets and people move between continents multiple times a day. Istanbul is home to millenia-old monuments and cutting edge art galleries – sometimes on the same block. It is an utterly beguiling city full of… Continue reading The sorrow of Batman
Eye problems
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 9 January 2017 Today is my first day back to work as a teacher and this, of course, involves planning. Planning involves going through my wee little library here at home in search of interesting material to share with my students in the hopes that as they learn they might also be entertained,… Continue reading Eye problems
One foot down
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 6 January 2017 “An aged man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick, unless Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing For every tatter in its mortal dress.” (William Butler Yeats. “Sailing to Byzantium”, The Tower) Above: William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939) Yesterday, working at Starbucks… Continue reading One foot down
The Wolves of Washington
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 5 January 2017 Sometimes I believe that there is hope for us simple humans. Other times… I am not so sure. Been reading lately of the US Republican Party seeking to dismantle or at least disable the US House Committee on Ethics. It has many functions, but they all revolve around the standards of… Continue reading The Wolves of Washington