Image thanks to PsychologyToday In the last week I have been offered gifts for doing something that I would have done for free anyway. In both cases I declined but in the end, at their persuasive insistence, I relented to one of them. Both tested my values. The first case was easier to deal with. … Continue reading Just giving
Click and collect
Ah, the inside of a shop This lockdown has been very different to the first one. Who knows, it may be very different to the next one, if indeed another one comes. There is a lot more traffic on the roads, probably because the schools are still open but also due to the large number … Continue reading Click and collect
Different folks
How many blogs have I started off with the words ‘I’m reading a book’? I’m not sure either but here’s another. The book I’m reading is one of those different types of people books. There are a few of them about, in which they attempt to categorise people into personality types. This book has four, … Continue reading Different folks
A difference of opinion
Image thanks to Acepnow.com I have been reading a book for a long time now, ‘The ant and the Peacock’ by Helena Cronin. For some reason I am reading it in Spanish, having picked it up at Barter Books and this could explain why it is taking me so long. Two pages a day is … Continue reading A difference of opinion
Commodified giving
Since lockdown I have done my big shop almost exclusively at Morrisons. It’s handy as it’s local and I can get nearly everything that we need. On the way out, just after the tills there are a couple of cages set aside for the Wansbeck food bank. Food banks have always troubled me. In many … Continue reading Commodified giving
Background checks
Now that's just showing off - image thanks to Dartmouth College It’s amazing how quickly we have become used to seeing the insides of people’s homes. Whether it is on a work call or an interview on television, more and more content is coming from inside where people live. The quality of the speaker and … Continue reading Background checks
I am who I am
It’s been a long time since I have had a job interview. The pitches I have made for consultancy work have been similar but the questions have tended to be focussed on what I can do for them rather than proving my experience and skills. In reality though it’s not long since I had a … Continue reading I am who I am
A trip to Morrissons
Other shops are available Another sign of my advancing years is that I like to get to Morrissons by seven o'clock in the morning, just as it is supposed to open, though there are always people coming out as I go in. I can’t be bothered with the queues or a shop full of people … Continue reading A trip to Morrissons
Life Lessons
I am reading The Secret Barrister having picked up his book at Waterstones. I have been following him on twitter for some time and have been fascinated to learn more about how the law works, or doesn’t. What has struck me though is that I have managed to get to the ripe old age of … Continue reading Life Lessons
The secret future of writing
I don’t know if you caught the BBC 4 series ‘The Secret History of Writing’ but if you didn’t it is worth catching up online. It is another example of the excellent output of the channel and highlights the shame that it is now under threat. The third programme in the series featured Chinese artist … Continue reading The secret future of writing
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 