Here is this little narrative, trying to push beyond the here and now, whatever the heck they are. My here and now, sitting in front of this keyboard, typing this very sentence is so utterly different to the here and now you might be in while reading this, neither of us could begin to understand the differences. To be honest, I sometimes wonder why we bother. Yet I want to be able to step beyond these places, even step between them. Maybe this is where peace lies. Maybe writing this will a...

I had a thought. Yeah, I know, there is probably a bunch of you typewriter comedians with a bunch of great lines you could throw at me so if your idea of a good target is a soft one, and you will feel better after it, then go right ahead. Otherwise, let me go on. The thought I had was with respect (and I do mean that in the truest sense) to numerous recent discussions regarding religion generally and Christianity in particular. I was baptised and raised as a Catholic, raised to believe...

While I liked and enjoyed Sean's 'Dog Wisdom' post, being a cat lover, I couldn't let it pass without a response. So, here it is: “One cat just leads to another.” Ernest Hemingway “Managing senior programmers is like herding cats.” Dave Platt” Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss on your computer.” Bruce Graham “There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.” Unknown “Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have ne...

You tried for years, putting me to the test time and time again. But I never gave in to you. Yours was a task done out of love rather than spite. It was only because of this you kept at it. Time and time again, you presented conundrums to infuriate me, situations to enrage me, lies to deceive and derange me but I kept hold and never lost you. Time and time again, you strengthened my resolve, made me smarter by challenging my intellect, my ego and my spirit. I can only be thankful to...

I'm lucky in that I've got two parents who loved each other and the family they built around them. Like most families, we harbour a few secrets. Not dark ones, but no less disturbing. The fact that one of my three brothers refuses to acknowledge the existence of my parents anymore is sad in the telling, but we've all moved past it in our own ways. That's resilience, one of a number of patterns of thinking I learnt from my parents. Mum and Dad have accepted my brother distancing himself f...