People look at me when I’ve got my phone out, and they’re like, how’ve you got one of those? And I say ‘I’m homeless, not dead’. George had the look of a deer that had braved the headlights, escaped to safety, and turned to a companion, eye-bulge on the wain, appreciative of how close to […]
Read more "George"“Just because you’re homeless doesn’t mean that you’re stupid, or deserve it.” Coming back from the train station yesterday we ran into a guy who, well, looked unhinged. He was skittish, asking for money for a taxi and refusing my apologetic replacement offer of food, and seemed to be dancing on the brink of doing […]
Read more "Shelter?"It occurred to me, maybe 2 weeks into my month-long intensive language course, that I didn’t really care about perfecting my Spanish. I sat in the classroom next-door to the upmarket dressmakers and let my eyes wander out of the window, choosing to pay scant attention to the discussion around me about the differences between […]
Read more "Ventas station is empty"I’m lost, I’m broke; I’m level I know that runners sit alongside vegans and guitar solo enthusiasts as the most tedious dinner party guests – always reeling off regimes, equipment, speeds and figures that mean nothing to anyone – but what can I say? I’m one of them. I don’t know where my professional […]
Read more "Feet forward"Ronald’s five strands of hair were pulled backwards, high, to give the impression of depth, but his tendency to bow his head and stare at you through his good eye mid-conversation ruined the already weak illusion. His stomach fought its way out of his aviation jacket in two distinct bulges, though he tended to caress […]
Read more "Ronald"Women in prostitution don’t have it easy. The majority have been raped and / or sexually assaulted, probably entered into the trade as a minor, and are likely to have a serious substance abuse problem. There’s little guarantee that they’re selling sex voluntarily, and a substantial chance that they suffer from harassment and emotional blackmail […]
Read more "Don’t ‘end demand’ for prostitution. Make it safer instead"After discovering an author, or an artist, or a musician that I’m crazy about – I’m talking find-any-opportunity-to-mention-their-book/song/show-crazy – I often like to buzz around my social networks and see which of my peers feel similarly. You know, for solidarity. A simple search on Twitter can tell me who else follows them. An acquaintance studying […]
Read more "I don’t want to know everything about my favourite artists"Here’s the thing: I’m a card-carrying Radiohead fan. I was actually, until shockingly recently, a band-carrying fan, when in a controlled bout of ‘maturity’ I decided to slice off the plastic entrance band to a Radiohead gig in Manchester that had been one of a number of mementos protecting my wrist against skin cancer since […]
Read more "Thom Yorke’s surprise solo album is nothing new – but it’s still worth your time"It’s taken me two days to be able to stand up without grimacing. Whether it’s the fault of the futon that I sleep on, or simply the payback for my exceedingly heavy footfall, my back is also in constant pain. Both the space under the left and right shoulder blades ache with every movement made […]
Read more "Half Marathon"17.05.14 ‘She WORE, she WORE, she WORE a yellow ribbon She WORE a yellow ribbon in the merry month of may And WHEN I ASKED Oh WHY she wore that ribbon She said its for the ARSENAL and we’re going to WEMBLEY WEMBLEY, WEMBLEY WE’RE THE FAMOUS ARSENAL AND WE’RE GOING TO WEMBLEY’ The day […]
Read more "FA Cup Final"
Christy Romer 