Passions – Page 2 – Julie Duffy Writing (& stuff)

A Productive Kitchen

A photo essay from August in the kitchen (it’s mostly tomatoes…)

Deported for Customs Form Error?

This could have been us. 30 years ago, when K was a scientist working at Harvard, the customs guys at Boston’s airport used to ask us if we were illegally smuggling haggis in our bags, as we stepped off the plane from Scotland (especially if it was near Burns’ Night). I would l laugh and… Continue reading Deported for Customs Form Error?

You Don’t Want An Aristocracy

I’ve been thinking about meritocracy, lately. It’s extremely hard to separate out the inbuilt advantages of the financially and genetically lucky, in any society, and give everyone a level playing field. But we should at least admit that some people start half-way to the finish line, if we think a meritocracy is worth striving for.… Continue reading You Don’t Want An Aristocracy

Not you, too, baseball?!

I am so angry about this. Have I begun harassing the baseball commissioner, Rob Manfred at: 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020? Yes. Here’s what I wrote: As a new season ticket holder this year I am appalled at your decision to scrub diversity from your website. You say it’s to comply with… Continue reading Not you, too, baseball?!

We are all Zelenskyy

“I would like Trump’s team to be more truthful,” said Vlodymyr Zelenskyy, today, speaking for all of us. Source When I went and looked at what he was responding to I may have (once again) screamed into the void: YOU CANT JUST SAY STUFF AND HAVE IT BE “TRUE”!!! Except, apparently you can just say… Continue reading We are all Zelenskyy

3D-Printed Sleeve Blockers, a knitting innovation

Soooo, I was knitting a weirdly shaped cardigan–kind of a shrug-with-sleeves, knitted all-in-one–and wondering how to block it. (Blocking is the act of pulling wool to shape during the drying process) Because it’s not a flat piece, it’s a puzzle to block. I saw a pciture where people had pinned out the body and then… Continue reading 3D-Printed Sleeve Blockers, a knitting innovation

Let The Summer Time Roll

I enjoyed our two weeks away, and it was definitely long enough for me to start thinking about all the things I wanted to do when I got back. There are many writing-related things, of course, but I’m trying to let them take a back-seat to family life, since I have my boys (9 and… Continue reading Let The Summer Time Roll

Lemon Water In the Morning

I keep running across articles about the health benefits of drinking lemon water on ye Internets, so you know, it must be true: 5 Reasons To Drink Lemon Water Can Lemon Water Help You Lose Weight 10 Reasons Why You Should Drink Lemon Water In The Morning While I’m extremely skeptical of their ‘scientific’ content,… Continue reading Lemon Water In the Morning

Frugal Flapjacks (cereal bars – not pancakes) Recipe

When I was back in Scotland this summer I rediscovered several things I had completely forgotten about. One of these things was, oh joy, Flapjacks. Flapjacks are not, as in the US, pancakes, but rather a gooey cereal bar consisting mostly of butter and golden syrup and oats, cut into squares and served almost anywhere… Continue reading Frugal Flapjacks (cereal bars – not pancakes) Recipe

Fun Food For Kids – Dinner Bricks

I like to feed my kids real food as much as possible – rather than something processed and canned and overpriced — so I like to cook for them. Back when they were babies I cooked everything for them. But when they were hungry, there was no time for waiting around for chopping, steaming, pureeing. One… Continue reading Fun Food For Kids – Dinner Bricks