In my experience libraries are fusty places with fierce ladies telling you to be quiet, or big silent tombs where grim students bury their heads in books for hours on end. Many public libraries in Britain have been closed and others seem to be underfunded, under heated, empty and sad. (more…)
I avoid conferences and seminars as they can be so boring but recently I spent two days of my life at the Recovery from Addiction Conference at Chester University and it was really interesting. And I’m not saying this because somebody paid me to be there or write this (I wish they had). The truth is I was there out of genuine interest in addicts and their condition. (more…)
I wanted to see a film last night and the only thing on at my local cinema was The Martian. All I knew about this film was that it starred Matt Damon. The film is great and it gripped me so tightly that I forgot about the real world outside. It also helped me overcome writer’s block. (more…)
I am constantly reminded of the Glass Menagerie, a play by Tennessee Williams that I recently saw in Liverpool. The play is about a neurotic mother who lives in the past and makes her daughter’s life a misery. She reminds me of several people I have come across. (more…)
I don’t think I’m alone in hating Starbucks, the American coffee shop that has spread its tentacles all over the world. They haven’t lied like Volkswagen did but they are hypocrites.
The annoying thing is that I need Starbucks and if you get to the second half of this article I will explain why. (more…)