Michael Harling's Blog, page 35
November 12, 2012
A Quintessentially British Experience
Over the years I have had many British experiences—such as going to a Pantomime, being put on an NHS waiting list and watching Midsomer Murders—but none of these compares to the quintessential Britishness of being “Made Redundant.”
In America, I would have simply been “laid off” or, even worse, “downsized” whereas here I am redundant, which, if you take it literally, means “superfluous, unnecessary and outmoded.” Compared to that, I might prefer the old fashioned “fired,” but being...
In America, I would have simply been “laid off” or, even worse, “downsized” whereas here I am redundant, which, if you take it literally, means “superfluous, unnecessary and outmoded.” Compared to that, I might prefer the old fashioned “fired,” but being...
November 5, 2012
David Sedaris is Stalking Me
For those of you who don’t know, David Sedaris is a very funny man whose work I have long admired. I have known for some time that he is, like me, an expat, but that was hardly notable; there are a lot of expats around these days.
What I did not know was that Mr. Sedaris had a series of shows on BBC Radio 4, where he would read selected essays to a live audience. I accidentally bumped into these broadcasts during an ironing marathon one Sunday afternoon back in May and have been a keen listene...
October 29, 2012
About the Book
It was in the summer of 2007 that Rachel Davenport (the real one) handed me her business card and I got the idea for the novel. A mere 5 years later, a book is born (and Rachel is still at the travel agency, though she has received a promotion in the interim).
This post will be short and to the point: the book is good; buy it!
Opis, an imprint of Prospera Publishing, opted for the manuscript and turned it into an eBook. They helped me tremendously with editing and made the final product one I a...
October 24, 2012
Herfing in the Rain
I had occasion, recently, to revisit a valuable life-lesson, but in order to enlighten you about that, I first need to tell you about our windows, my post-prandial cigar ritual and camping with my boys. Bear with me.
The windows in our flat are “single glazed.” I’m not sure of the American translation of this because I haven’t seen a single-glazed window in the US since I was 16, but single-glazed means a window with a single sheet of glass in it. If you were lucky enough to have this type of...
October 19, 2012
Back to Normal
My wife is returning this evening after being away for several days. I know I have been joking about running with scissors while she was gone (I didn’t) and willfully leaving interior doors open when I left the flat, despite the danger of the television exploding or the wardrobe spontaneously combusting and the resulting fire running rampant through our block of flats because I didn’t secure the doors; I did do this—after all, what do I care if the place burns to the ground 3 seconds sooner b...
October 13, 2012
When the Wooden Planks Rabbit and Pork
It has recently come to my attention that the Americans are imitating British speech. If you happen to be one of them, I have this to say to you:
Stop it. Stop it right now. You sound like a twit. I’ve been living in Britain for 10 years and even I don’t say “Cheers,” and do you know why? Because I sound like a twit when I do. When a Brit says “Cheers,” it sounds natural; when an Americans says it, they say it as if they imagine themselves wearing a tweed outfit and a flat cap. Like it or not,...
October 3, 2012
Cover Story
Finally making some progress. Well, not in the “finding time to update the blog” arena, obviously. I had great plans, really I did. While I was on my America Tour I and America Tour II, a whole raft of blog ideas came to me. I even wrote them down. When I got home, of course, I couldn’t read my notes.
Buck heads, buck shot and baseball -- now that's a bar
One of the many untold stories from my first US trip
A book store without a huge display of 50 Shades of Grey
One of the many untold stories f...
Buck heads, buck shot and baseball -- now that's a bar One of the many untold stories from my first US trip
A book store without a huge display of 50 Shades of GreyOne of the many untold stories f...
September 21, 2012
Meet Me at the Fair
County fairs: brash, gaudy, exciting and just a bit dangerous. Ours was held over Labor Day weekend, neatly capping off the summer season. Before the fair, hot, sultry summer reigned, filling our lazy days with the buzz of insects, hot dogs, swimming in the creek and visits to the local ice cream shops; after the fair, school resumed, the seasonal shops closed and the nights grew long and cool. For me, the fair was summer’s exclamation point.
Officially dubbed the Columbia County Fair it...
