The most popular questions I get asked are about being a veggie, life as a parasitic journo (“hacking any phones lately?” har de har har) and about working from home. The latter is a bit of a funny one. Office-based people are intrigued or repelled by it. For example, I used to work with someone … Continue reading
On Saturday I clicked the “protect my tweets” box on Twitter. Yep, my random thoughts are no longer in the public domain. Ok, so they are for a select few but from now on I lord over who sees them. When I first joined Twitter over a year ago, I had this box ticked but … Continue reading
When a journalism student emailed me asking for my tips on starting out in the profession, I reacted like a True Professional Journalist does: I checked to see was the email really meant for me. And it was. Trust me, I’m as shocked as you are. I’ve thought about it a lot and scratched out … Continue reading
Here’s a question for you journalists, writers, wannabe hacks: when was the last time you saw a journalism job ad with “perfect spelling and grammar” as a requirement? “When was the last time you saw a journalism job advert” might be a more apt question, but think about it. I think I’ve seen spelling stressed … Continue reading
Non-media people, I love ya’s but you’re still a pain in the ass sometimes, especially when you ask me to explain my job in tedious detail. Why? It’s hardly rocket science but somehow the phrase ‘freelance journalist’ is like saying you analyse moon rocks or work on Iran’s nuclear energy programme. A lot of non-media … Continue reading
On Saturday night I witnessed the shambles that is RTE’s Saturday Night Show. For my non-Irish readers, this show is essentially a piss-poor imitation of classic American talk shows like Letterman but with hilariously unfunny, inept interviewer Brendan O’Connor, star of ads for supermarket Mace, at the helm. Dear God, why was I watching this … Continue reading
Do you work in an office where the 9am Monday question is not “What did you do at the weekend?” but is instead a discussion of the weekend’s X Factor? Massive sigh. If you’re a Cowell minion, I mean fan of the show, that’s alright, you get to sit at work and get paid to … Continue reading
Or the Gospel according to Kate Moss. Newlywed/Croydon supermodel/Cokate/Insert tabloid term of endearment here Kate Moss’s old diet tip “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” has come back to haunt her once again. Last week t-shirts with the slogan emblazoned on them were banned for being irresponsible, y’know by encouraging kids not to eat … Continue reading
Remember back when you were a grubby child and your parents bought you a winter coat as soon as the weather got a bit cold and the coat was such a big deal because it was designed for you to grow into it and you had to wear it until it literally crumbled off you … Continue reading
Like our tragedy-obsessed media, I’ve always had a thing for tragic heroines. I’ve been enthralled by Marilyn Monroe and thought I was Zelda Fitzgerald, but the poor little girl act wasn’t why Amy Winehouse always struck a chord and remained occupying a soft spot with me long after she was uncool and dismissed for her … Continue reading
