So my dear Skirt!istas, as you know I’m nearing the culmination of my PhD.  Passed my viva voce in June and now just have some corrections standing in the way of me and the big floppy hat (PhDs get big floppy hats in the UK, not mortarboards.  I couldn’t find a good picture that wouldn’t mean … Continue reading →

My favorite news story of the week: a survey showing that a third of all adults here in Britain still take teddy bears to bed.  Think of three grownups you know.  According to this survey, at least one of them still sleeps with a soft toy. Okay, in that context it’s actually a leeetle bit … Continue reading →

Kidnapped by Belly Dancers–Under the Eclipse! By caitieskirt, Friday, August 20, 2010 Print Email to a friend It was early one evening in 2007.  I had finished a set of Egyptian dance workshops in a dance studio somewhere near Waterloo Station in London with Sara Farouk Ahmed, who later became one of the research participants for … Continue reading →

So once again I’ve been extending a hand into the mixed bag that is Gumtree housing advertisements.  You never know whether you’re going to get a reply from some nice person looking to quietly circumvent the real estate industry, or from somebody who wants to quietly lift the cash from your pockets without providing anything … Continue reading →

So I was sitting in my back garden yesterday, reading a fictional book about a real magician and trying assiduously to ignore my little bubble of darkness (see previous posts), when a butterfly flitted along and landed on my leg.  I know it was a butterfly and not a moth because it had smooth rather than … Continue reading →

Did I tell you about the Mennonites at the rest stop? When my mom and I were driving back to Florida from Pennsylvania last month, we pulled into a rest stop in West Virginia.  As we went into the ladies’ room we saw a small handwritten sign that said: “Beware of placing your purse on the floor … Continue reading →

So I went to see that new movie this week, Heartbreaker.  You know, the French one about the con men who break up couples that don’t know they’re unhappy.  With the Dirty Dancing dance routine and the George Michael singing. It was cute, but trite.  Imminent marriage.  Girl meets someone else.  Marriage in jeapordy–who should the … Continue reading →

I visited the Greenwich Royal Observatory recently, home of Greenwich Mean Time, and had occasion to think about imaginary things. As you probably already know, Greenwich is home of the Prime Meridian of the world (Longitude 0o).  The Prime Meridian is the basis of Greenwich Mean Time, which in turn provides the references for all … Continue reading →