Sunday Supplements (and Sunday puppy too)

Here's a low-budget photography tip: Anything, yes anything, can be used as a tripod or light-stand, even a yoga mat.

This week I spent a long time trying to recreate the glad blog from scratch using CSS, chatted with old friends about coding and cameras, designed some posters for my local YMCA, and got stood up by a photography client.*

While you're reading this I'll be out for birthday brunch with my friend Dave. When I moved over I was so worried about everything, including making new friends, but Dave is one of those guys I instantly clicked with over cocktails and conversations about British sit-coms. Everyone say happy (belated) birthday to Dave!

 *The rest of time, here's what I did…

Watching

 

Time Lapse Video of Philadelphia - This is quite cute, and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra soundtrack is always beautiful.

Admiring

 

A Philadelphia Row Home - This is what a Philly row home looks like in cross-section. 

Lonely photos of the BBC Television Centre - BBC TVC is a magical place to me. As a young child I knew that this was the place where television was made. It was a dream come true to get the chance to work there last year, especially since the BBC is moving out soon. It is a building so full of UK pop culture history, so perfectly designed, and yet so old and crumbling. Even in my short time there I found strange abandoned spaces, with walls that probably had a million celebrity stories to tell if only they could talk.

Jennifer Lawrence at the Oscars - Let's just all agree that it was her night. The Oscar, the dress, the finger, Jack Nicholson. Just wow.

Oscar Nominations - This is quite old now, but it's fun to revisit these literal movie posters post-Oscars.

Lunch Bags designed by the best dad in the world - This is a devoted father. A serious contender against the wave at the bus dad for best dad ever award.

Reading

Associate Animals Editor at Buzzfeed - This is a real job advert.

Expat voting rights - As a UK citizen with US Residency I don't get to vote. I don't get to vote anywhere. I'm not supposed to vote in the UK, and I can't vote in the USA. If I stay long enough to get a US Passport, then I'll be able to vote in US elections. It's strange being disenfranchised like this, but that's actually the way I think it should be.

I admit I was biased when I first stumbled upon this article - someone who does not live in the UK should not expect the right to vote in the UK. Her argument about voting in Spain, under the EU freedom of movement, is interesting.

I mentioned this to my husband, asking "if you lived abroad for 20 years, you could still vote in US elections?" to which he replied, in true American fashion "hell yeah, if I have property in the USA, I could still vote, wherever I was."

To my expat and traveller readers, what do you think about expat voting rights?