For the next few ‘episodes, I am handing over my blog to interviews with people who embody inspirational aspects of Australian culture.

First up, an interview with Mike Puleston, long-standing organiser in the Victorian branch of the Australian Greens. When I told Mike I wanted to interview him because I found what he [...]

Your gravestone epitaph competition

As I remain in Melbourne recovering from surgery, I find that I miss Pittsburgh quite a lot – in a yearning sort of way. Which is a bit mysterious given I have only really just moved there. But I think I have figured out the major reason for the heart tug: [...]

Celebrity death drugs

Last week, I was walking down Sydney Rd with Tia my good buddy and fellow veteran of the breast cancer wars. We had just finished lunch at the A1 Middle Eastern Food Store and Cafe, which consisted of a heaping plate of falafel, dips and salad – all still brilliant value for [...]

Ovary in a jar

On Tuesday, I caught the train out to Clayton, an outer Melbourne suburb, comfortably middle-class and economically boosted by the presence of a major public teaching hospital (Monash Medical Center), and other private health providers. One of those providers, Monash Surgical Private Hospital (MSPH), was my destination.

MSPH is one [...]

Location, location, location

Books read since leaving Pittsburgh for Melbourne (Australia) a month ago:
Niall Ferguson: The Ascent of Money
Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking
Norman Doige: The Brain That Changes Itself
Don Watson: American Journeys
Augusten Burroughs: You Better Not Cry
Dava Sobel; Longitude

All of these are extremely good books. However, only one of them has delivered a handful of lines that [...]