What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
Have you ever met someone by chance, looked across a crowded room, or passed somebody in the street, unexpectedly experiencing an excited tingle? I know I have and on occasions this colloquial collision of contact has led to convivial conversations, friendships, and on rarer occasions, sex. I was keen to map this latter route to … Read more
The internet is awash with parenting quotes ─ some glib, countless gushing, and many ─ honestly ─ graphic. As a dad myself, I prefer the latter references; Tom Hanks provides my favourite summation: “It’s like being caffeine-deprived for eighteen years.” Whatever the slant, if you are a parent there is one overriding objective: to keep … Read more
I was pretty much late to the party losing my virginity ─ at the relatively ripe age of nineteen in an Austrian chalet with my Julie. From what I can recall of this cumming of age, it was behind closed doors, in a bed, with the lights out. I guess, in my defence, it was … Read more
Once upon a time in a place not too far away there were brown and white faces of varying tones, straight and gay guys and girls all together, either revering a raft of religious beliefs, or not believing at all. They worked, played, fell in love, and formed friendships that would be forever celebrated. They … Read more
I’m old enough to be unable to remember what it felt like to be me as a child. Sure I can recall events, but my perception of the world as a kid has ebbed away over the passage of time. My ability to experience utter wonderment, pure emotion, naivety, and steely selfishness have been tempered … Read more
Seismic shifts in my thinking have a habit of originating from the most mundane circumstances. I guess that is the beauty of life – as opposed to the alternative – that makes being human so wonderfully confusing; from chaos a sense of clarity is often the victor. Adam’s milestone 30th birthday – my youngest child … Read more
If human communication was simply the exchange of sanitised data life would be pretty dull. We are an emotional species and have an eternal obsession with exploring, questioning and dreaming. As the late entrepreneur, Steve Jobs, concluded, “The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who … Read more
From my perspective, WhatsApp is a terrific tool for convenient communication; fast and often furious. However, there is an important qualification to this assertion: one to one chat is champion. Unfortunately, being connected to a group chat is where it all seems to get gruesome. Even more grotesque are the community groups – a virtual … Read more
I love a good natter: from idle chit-chat through to the philosophical riddles of life. At the lower end of the communication continuum, the topic of talk rarely bewilders or bamboozles me. Similarly, gratuitous gossip – although often exciting as long as I’m not the central character – comes without cerebral strain. I prefer to … Read more
One of the more bizarre birthday gifts ever bestowed on me arrived by email. I had to read it a couple of times, if only to fully manage my disappointment: an Alpaca walk. I had little appetite to get up close and personal with an animal I knew little about; and I’d read that they … Read more