In January 2020, as I slapped sellotape onto boxes with ‘FOR MARCH’ written on them in Sharpie, I had no way of knowing that these same boxes would remain untouched for the next three years. In my ignorance, I expected to be back two months later to pick up these non-essential essentials; the items I…… Continue reading Ready For Takeoff
This morning, when I went to pull on my sock, there was a great rending RRRRRRRRIP and my heel went straight through the fabric. I sighed and stared at it, unsurprised but somehow still disappointed that this €2 pair of socks from Penneys had finally given out after two years of wear. I pulled its…… Continue reading Life, Interrupted
This site has now moved to When Do I Get The Manual? Same same but different!
If you have been wondering where I have been, what I have been doing, why I have been gone from this typographical home for so long…. Reader, I made a human. This may come as something of a surprise because I have never been a broody person. I am a soft touch with cats, dogs,…… Continue reading Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
When you’re a child, everything is very black or white. You’re well-behaved, or you’re bold. You’re bad, or you’re good. The world is arranged into two halves and, with good parenting, you are steered towards the positive. “Yucky” things are smacked out of your hand, and the explanations of the world leave no room for…… Continue reading Just People
I love a good wedding, and I was at a great wedding on Saturday. The bride, my cousin – who is stunning on a bad day – looked so beautiful she actually glowed. I’ve read about people “glowing” before and always thought it was hyperbole, but I can’t think of any other word to describe…… Continue reading Wedding Daze
Dear Body, I feel like you and I are not on the same wavelength these days, so I thought I’d write you a quick note. You know, just to check in. We’ve had some communication issues this past while. Or maybe you’re mad at me? It really could be either. I know a steady diet…… Continue reading Open Letter To My Body
Over the weekend, after reading a message that had just come through on my phone, I let out a small huff. It was the kind of huff that acts as a tiny, audible exclamation point; the kind that tells you something has been noted that doesn’t deserve the energy or attention of actual words. Across…… Continue reading What Not To Do: Facebook Messenger Edition
It seems like these days, everyone has anxiety. Not just anxiety, but frustrating, life-altering, capital-A ‘Anxiety.’ I hear the word used a lot. I hear it in different forms – ‘I have anxiety,’ ‘I have social anxiety,’ ‘I am a super anxious person’ – and when I do, I want to tug on that person’s sleeve…… Continue reading Okay, Let’s Talk about Anxiety
My kitchen smells like cat pee. Considering I don’t own a cat (yet), this is not a sentence I expected to type. A kitchen can smell like many things – the toast we burned at the weekend, the flapjacks I made on Tuesday, the cacio e pepe spaghetti we ate last night – but I…… Continue reading Life Skills Unlocked: Solving the Riddle of the Strong Smell of Cat Pee
When Do I Get The Manual? 