I'm sleeping in my old bedroom for two nights this week. The apartment I grew up in is in an old house in Bucharest, built around 1900 and split into flats once the Communists took over. I’ve often wondered how the flats were created; did they decide how many families would move in and then … Continue reading Colour, 2021
One of the difficult things about being Romanian is that our version of “Happy Birthday” has this very challenging bit at the end. You need serious range (and lung capacity) to get through it, which is why it’s good that you sing it as the party is about to finish, because someone (usually an uncle) … Continue reading Singing Lessons
Hate reading - or just miss me? Audio version here: I'm going to be 40 in just over two months. That doesn't surprise me. I always thought I'd end up turning 40, if I was lucky enough. But there's something about this number that I'm apparently supposed to dread. I'm supposed to pretend that I'm … Continue reading #40iscoming and I need a toolkit
Facebook very helpfully reminded me today that exactly one year ago I wrote a post on my (now defunct) MBA blog about failing at parenting. I went back and read it..and yep, I still feel pretty much exactly the same. I thought you might want to be reminded how to fail as a parent too - … Continue reading How to Fail at Parenting – a Hashtagged Crash Course
Because it's very very late and I really should be sleeping and it's a school day tomorrow, I decided that the most intelligent thing to do after writing this post would be to spend some more time on it by recording an audio version, just in case anyone would rather listen to it than read … Continue reading How I Killed Hello Kitty
I’ve recently received two comments about my blog, both from male friends (by the way, I love feedback so keep it coming please - likes and shares are also really really nice, but I don’t want to come across as too needy, so I’ll ask you for those next time). One of these comments said … Continue reading Angry Young (and Old, and Everywhere in Between) Men
A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon an article announcing that researchers have developed an “emotional atlas” of the human body. With the help of participants in three different countries, the scientists have mapped what basic emotions feel like in the body. The photo accompanying the article (below) shows the areas of increased / decreased sensation … Continue reading No Wonder We’re Tired – We’ve Been Battling Superheroes All Day
Remember that thing I said about spring in my last (and first) post? That it can be unpredictable and tempestuous? Well guess what, so can your brain – which is another good reason why aiming for spring-like internal weather is more realistic than wishing for eternal summer (unless you’re Buddha – in which case: dear … Continue reading So Your Spring Just Got Stormy – Now What? Three Quick Tips for Bad (Internal) Weather Days
“Everywhere you go / You always take the weather with you” sang Crowded House in 1992, and you might be familiar with the song even if 1992 is ancient history to you, because it’s also on the soundtrack of the movie Everest, which only came out last year (remember the party, the night before they … Continue reading What’s the Deal with Spring Mind? A DIY Manifesto
Saturday started ordinarily enough. My four-year old and I woke up early, we had some cuddles and tickles and then went about our usual pre-breakfast rituals: I went into my study to catch up on friends’ Facebook updates and the weekend newspapers; she went into the living room to draw princesses (this is done mostly … Continue reading When Hearts Need to Take Cover
Spring Mind 