DISQUS

Becoming a father has completely transformed my priorities. Creating the best life possible for my little girl is now job #1.

Beth Orton, years ago in a small venue in Vancouver. I think it was her first tour date after a long break.

I know an embarrassing amount about cars.

Apologies for the minor glitch with the email this morning. Everything now seems to be working.

Hi Joannie: Currently we have the site set up so that there are only two levels of reply, but we are launching a revised site this month that will support more levels of reply (as well as tons of other amazing stuff!).

Right this second? Finding some truly authentic Szechuan food for my brother-in-law who is visiting from Scotland.

I'm a huge car fan, and I love Maseratis, so I'd have to say a Maserati 5000GT. A total of 34 were built between 1959 and 1965, each one custom-made for its owner, and one was sold at auction last year for $1.1 million...

A tough question, but a great one! But I can't name just one book... The Sun Also Rises, The Sound and the Fury, Catcher in the Rye, Paris Trance (by a relatively little known British author, Geoff Dyer). I could go on and on...

Oh, just the old staples of time, money and a dash of good luck.

Never behave as if something has happened until it actually has. Particularly if it involves anything to do with money and finance.

Personal circumstances certainly come into it, but I think I'd give at least half of the windfall to an environmental charity / pressure group or related cause. I feel like money that arrives entirely out of the blue is asking to be passed along to someone else who will be equally surprised.

Agree 1,000%... I'm amazed that my wife manages to run a business full-time and look after our 13-month-old daughter, let alone how difficult it must be for a single mother.

It seems like single mothers are being demonized in the media again, particularly in Britain, where the Daily Mail newspaper loves writing awful pieces on how women are deliberately becoming single mothers so they can exploit the social security benefits system. And of course they dress this kind of nonsense up as concern about "family values"! Sorry, rant over...

Any place where there's no Internet access or cellphone coverage. I spent a week in Ullapool in the north-west of Scotland. Actually about seven miles outside of the town, up an unmade road. The isolation was strange to begin with, but ultimately amazingly relaxing.

I still haven't seen a Kindle in the wild, but apparently a new, updated model is coming in October. Might be enough to make me jump in and try one.

You are most welcome. And welcome aboard!

Well it's really my 13-month-old daughter's favorite thing. Even though I say so myself, I make the best macaroni and cheese. The not-so-secret secret is a proper roux as the basis for the bechamel sauce, to which I add a tablespoon's worth of hot mustard, gruyere, a good aged cheddar and parmigiano reggiano cheese, in about equal parts. I then pour it over al dente rigatoni and bake for about 25 minutes with a topping of coarse breadcrumbs and some of the cheeses.

That very much depends what they're selling...

When I haven't quite figured out my position on an issue. I'd rather defer the conversation until I know exactly what I'm going to say and where I'm going to land.

I love the one-block concept. Thanks for sharing the link!

It's a tie between my MacBook Pro (looks like we have a pretty strong mac theme here today...), and the Bluetooth system in my car. Now rather than juggle my cellphone while driving, I just hit a button on the steering wheel to answer or make calls, and I can even speak the number to dial.

My old BlackBerry Pearl is on its last legs, so I'm thinking about picking up a new iPhone this week. I got one of the first generation ones when they were launched last year, but I hear the new one is so much better.

Without a doubt it's driving less. We've driven about 2,500 miles in the last year, compared to about 10,000 the year before.

I need to let go of regret about missed opportunities, and focus on opportunities that lie ahead.

Hi Kristin,
Thanks for the suggestions. The old-school side of me wishes I could get the Saturday edition of the Guardian in paper form, but the website is *almost* as good. I'll definitely check out your links.
D

My life is cluttered in almost every way you could imagine! My goal for the next 12 months is to simplify my business interests and free my house of paper-based chaos.