thewomancondition.blogspot.com
The Woman Condition: August 2011
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Dieting and Decision Fatigue. The other day, my husband pointed out an article that 'would interest me'. He was right – as usual. The article was called ' Do you make too many decisions? Posted at the smart and thought-provoking Farnam Street. Decisions, Decisions . This leads to what is called 'decision fatigue', which is described in detail in this New York Times article. And in Roy F. Baumeister's and John Tierney's book: 'Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength'. The Catch-22 of Dieting .
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The Woman Condition: March 2012
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Living in the Heart of Europe. I'm having one of these moments where I feel incredibly lucky. It's connected with the lovely spring weather, I'm sure, and being tired helps too. Yesterday I had a 15-hour working day, and it was a really good one. I got up at 5:45 (okay, an awful start) to catch a train to the French city of Amiens. There I spent a few hours in a meeting and a working lunch, before getting on another train to Tournai. Belgium's oldest city, in the French-speaking part of our country.
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The Woman Condition: They Are Beautiful and So Are You.
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They Are Beautiful and So Are You. Woman's portrait'. © 2007, manu diana. Some time ago, I posted a list of life questions. And one of them dealt with beauty. A few of the comments struck a chord with me and made me think about how we define 'beauty', and 'being beautiful'. Somehow, along the way, we have come to accept this new, narrow definition of beauty. We've even invented phrases like 'being beautiful on the inside', with an unspoken 'instead' underneath. Portrait of Villager, Jongkhar'. To illustr...
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The Woman Condition: Of Love, Blood and Saying Goodbye.
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Of Love, Blood and Saying Goodbye. Four and a half weeks ago, we buried my father. A tall, sturdy man of 65, in apparent good health. He died unexpectedly, on a bicycle ride organised by a local club of which he was the chairman. About a mile from home, he gave a scream and fell over. One scream, and Dad is no longer just a phone call away. I work a lot, and enjoy what I do. Yet it takes up a large chunk of my life, leaving precious little to divide between everyone and everything else I love: my hus...
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The Woman Condition: December 2011
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Looking for a Home - the Sequel. Two weeks ago I shared a few videos of our newest Guest Kittens. And wrote about the subsequent 'Looking for a Home' campaign. Well, a lot has happened since then. First of all, we've officially adopted their mum. She's been to the vet, has been sterilised and she's recovering well. We've named her Maharet, after the character from the Anne Rice novels. Here's a video of Guest Kitten 1 'playing it cool'. Not an easy job when you're snuggled up on a giant sunflower . Poste...
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The Woman Condition: October 2011
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The Better Story Wins. In writing, for us mere mortals, the quality of our stories and characters is key. Video made me wonder for how many other aspects of life this might be true. In his 2009 talk, novelist and politician Shashi Tharoor (himself a fascinating character) looks at India's success and emerging popularity from a cultural point of view. He discusses the 'soft power' with which Indian culture, food, technology and music influences people's hearts and minds. A few of my favourite passages:.
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The Woman Condition: May 2011
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Le Tombeau du Géant, Belgium. May 2011. I spent the past weekend with a bunch of friends in the Belgian Ardennes, in a former water mill near the river Semois and a site called 'Le Tombeau du Géant' (the Giant's Tomb). It is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt parts of the country, and very special to all of us. Some of my friends have been going there for over 20 years, and are still as much in awe as the first time. Here's to friendship, laughter and heart-warming, mind-blowing beauty! What a great ...
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The Woman Condition: November 2011
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Du Pain, Du Vin . Jugendstil villa in Bonn - Bad Godesberg. November 2011. In spite of alarming daily news reports about the euro crisis and the fact we still don't have a government after 500 days of negotiating, the majority of us seem to lead our daily lives with little noticeable change. Spare wine racks, anyone? Some big, others small, these wine fairs are the perfect occasion to discover wines from independent winemakers and many of the smaller vineyards all over France. And now for some trivia:.
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The Woman Condition: July 2011
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I've spent the last few weeks travelling through England and part of Scotland. Now back home, I feel different, refreshed and above all . inspired. What had been intended as a final research trip for my Cotswolds-based novel, has become much more. Travelling tends to do that: you start off with an idea of where you want to go and what you'd like to do, and somewhere along the way the real journey takes shape. Inspiration is everywhere, all the time, but it seems more apparent when we're travelling. W...
