I have long been aware of the privileges I have in this world simply because I am a white, Christian, American. That’s not to say…
I had a fantastic weekend in Glasgow with friends, despite being a bit run down from last week’s trip to London and Surrey for work.…
That’s it folks: the buck stops here. Actually, I suppose I should say the pound stops here. Why? Because my last PhD stipend payment was today, and…
Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair was in Edinburgh today, so I went out with my lovely friend, Susan, to find some affordable vintage flair. I had hoped…
Yesterday was Halloween. And Halloween means playing dress up. It was also the Alloa Real Ale Festival. And that means drinking beer. And as I love…
I love beer. But I bet you probably knew that by now. Especially if you follow me on Untappd. I also love cooking and making edibles from scratch. I…
I’ve talked a few times about my desire to build healthy routines for myself, to get out and be more active, and, of course, to prioritise myself a bit lot more. And I’m…
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival started on Friday, setting the tone (pun intended) for my weekend. I admit that the weekend has been slightly less active…
Last night, I did something I (almost) never do: I enjoyed mid-week cocktails with “the girls”. Or rather, with a random group of girls, some…
As part of my plan to have more adventures—even if I have to have them alone—I picked up a programme for the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival.…
Once again, my work day saw me walking to-and-from my office for all-important errands. And, once again, I seem to have stumbled into a charity…
I had a meeting in town today, and on the way back to my office I managed to get a little lost when I took…
I love tater tots. I love, love, love them. They are an amazingly delicious treat and I would eat them all the time if I could. Only…
When I was back home in America on my holidays, I was offered a couple of dresses that didn’t fit just right. But as the previous owners were…
What’s a penny worth to you? Is it worth stopping what you’re doing so that you can bend over and pick it up? What if…
I like to start the New Year with a fresh, clean start (as much as possible), which means doing a bit of de-cluttering and organising.…
There’s something very berry nice about a wee nip of flavoured vodka on a cold winter’s evening. Only if you’re a starving PhD student who is working hard to trim…
Growing up in a large family, hand-me-down clothing was a regular part of life. It wasn’t necessarily something I hated (after all, I really wanted some of them!) but it certainly…
I love beer, I really do. So when one of my favourite local breweries—Stewart Brewing—needed some extra hands bottling a large batch of their award-winning Hollyrood*…
[Note: This was originally posted on my PhD blog, FrancesRyanPhD. Not all posts from there are shared here, so go on over and check it out…