Category Archives: UK

Happy Canada Day!

I hope all my Canadian readers are having an awesome long weekend! (And that everyone else had an awesome normal weekend!) Ours has involved spending time with various friends on patios, roller coasters, log flumes, beaches, ocean swims, picnics in … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, drunkenness, family, silliness, sport, travel, UK, videos | 5 Comments

Temporospatial trends in germophobia

One of the cultural differences I noticed soon after I moved from Britain to Canada is how people treat you if you say you have a cold or other minor ailment. In the UK, my experience is that friends, family, … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, medicine, personal, UK, virology | 19 Comments

Expat: a musical in three acts

Setting: Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom Act I: 54-40 (A whole room full of drunken Canadians is jumping up and down in ecstasy, singing along with every word of every song. Within the crowd is a group of friends, most of whom … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, embarrassing fan girl, music, personal, UK, Uncategorized, Vancouver, videos | 23 Comments

MIRABILIS!

I just received a package from home: Yeah. Some of these are going up next to my desk at work. Unfortunately, my parents’ local post office was all sold out of Jessica’s stamp, though…

Posted in embarrassing fan girl, family, photos, silliness, sport, UK | 12 Comments

“What’s the difference between Mick Jagger and a Scottish farmer?”

Thus begins the last really good joke I heard, several years ago now; answer at the bottom! I recently realised that I never hear new jokes any more. I had an actual joke book as a small kid, and my … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, communication, family, fun with language, furry friends, personal, silliness, UK | 33 Comments

Bucket List and 2012 Resolutions

Bucket List The plan is to add at least one new item every time I tick one off! Write at least one book (and get it published) Run for political office (and preferably win) Own a boat large enough to … Continue reading

Posted in apes, Canada, career, Climate change, environment, freelancing, furry friends, kayaking, nature, personal, politics, publishing, snow, sport, travel, UK | 24 Comments

Time travelling to reach you

If time travel is supposedly impossible now, how did a podcast just send me back in time by more than a decade? I listen to various music podcasts at work, and this morning I selected a 2009 episode of “Y-Pod: … Continue reading

Posted in drunkenness, music, personal, silliness, travel, UK, videos | 2 Comments

When the NIH and UK Research Councils sneeze…

…does the CIHR catch a cold? From an email I received last week, titled “CIHR Funding News: Issue 104 – Results of the March 2011 Operating Grants Competition”: Looking ahead, it seems clear that we will continue to be challenged … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, grant wrangling, UK | 7 Comments

Birds of a feather

If I’d been born in the Middle Ages, I would have been lucky to reach adulthood. If I had made it that far, I’d almost certainly have promptly died in childbirth, or from bubonic plague, or something of that nature. … Continue reading

Posted in book review, embarrassing fan girl, exercise, family, furry friends, nature, personal, photos, sport, travel, UK, videos | 15 Comments

Geek tourism

I’m back, and ready to lightly and cheerily distract people from their woes! We had a great time in England – in fact, it was our most fun visit EVAH! I’m not quite sure why it was better than previous … Continue reading

Posted in blog buddies, book review, drunkenness, embarrassing fan girl, family, food glorious food, medicine, nature, personal, photos, science, silliness, travel, UK | 21 Comments