Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·PinnedMember-onlyAn Apocalyptic Rave In A Strawberry FieldTurning down a country lane, I approached the farm as the sun steadily dropped in the sky. I took a right and began heading down a dirt track between two hedgerows before being flagged down by a woman who was opening a field gate. “Come through ‘ere,” she said. “You…Humor7 min readHumor7 min read
Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·PinnedMember-onlyNow Advertising For The Position Of: Travel WriterI think I would make an excellent travel writer. This is how I imagine the job: 1) The magazine strikes a deal to publicise a 5-star hotel in the Caribbean. 2) I am mobilised, tasked with flying out there, enjoying 3–5 days of everything the hotel has to offer, before…Humor10 min readHumor10 min read
Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·PinnedMember-onlyThe Man Across The RoadMy wife was at the window again. “Oh my god,” she said. I was lying on the sofa, which itself lay across one side of our cramped living room, watching one perma-tanned floozy tell another perma-tanned floozy in no uncertain terms that she was trash and that she’d always be…Life11 min readLife11 min read
Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·Mar 21Member-onlyYou Had Me At GoodbyeI’ve always been very good at deleting people. I think this is why I’ve found the hostile environment of cancel culture confusing at best. I always figure it is better to be forgotten, if possible. Then people leave you alone. If I delete people, then it’s all for the good…Cancel Culture7 min readCancel Culture7 min read
Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·Mar 1Member-onlyIs Now A Good Time For A Mid-Life Crisis?On Turning 39 — A friend recently asked me why I obsess so much over what others have and what I do not. I got a bit defensive. It isn’t so much an obsession. It is an unavoidable thing. I go out into the world and I observe. But yes. They have a point…Work5 min readWork5 min read
Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·Feb 27Member-onlyThe Harrogate FlasherAt some point around 2010, I would write little poems and chuck them into the digital void of employee inboxes at a small media startup. Just like now, most of the recipients pretended it wasn’t happening, because then they’d have to address the fact that they were working with someone…Poetry3 min readPoetry3 min read
Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·Feb 22Member-onlyWhere Are Your Gods Hiding?I feel I should confess something before we begin. A lot of my work begins badly. I start out angry at one thing or another, or despairing, and I must try to rein in that voice and make it go away. It doesn’t always work, but I suppose that’s at…Psychology8 min readPsychology8 min read
Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·Feb 9Member-onlyA Rough Sketch Of New York City, 2005A stubby hand adorned with painted fingernails clicked and beckoned from the top of a plexiglass counter. “Come to me, baby!” The hand was talking to me, and I hesitantly made my way forward clutching my breakfast token, a green slip of paper entitling the holder to their complimentary pre-meridiem…New York6 min readNew York6 min read
Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·Jan 30Member-onlyHappy Birthday, Phil!Today, we celebrate the birthday of Phil Collins. Well done, mate! You are 72! Former lead singer and drummer for the hit 80s band Genesis, Phil now lives in Switzerland and eats chocolate for a living. You might wonder how one can make any money from such a profession. Chocolatier…Music3 min readMusic3 min read
Published in The Manic Depressive’s Handbook·Jan 24Member-onlyThe End Of Childhood And The Death Of Fun?Recently, and by ‘recently’ I mean in the last few years, I have gotten more in touch with the work of A.A. Milne, popularly known as the writer of Winnie the Pooh. As a grown man, I am not one for tears even in the worst of circumstances. But perhaps…Childhood6 min readChildhood6 min read
