One Suitcase

I've always been a minimalist. I don't have much in the way of worldly possessions, my life has almost always fit in a single room, and I regularly go through my things and let go of what I don't use or wear. When I left home to move to the UK back in 2013, I …

I Am Home

It has been just over 4 years since I last published a post here on Gravitas & Giggles. 4 whole years! It feels good to be back. In returning, I wondered how I should approach re-entry -- a 4-year hiatus is, well, not a short one. Should I start fresh and archive old posts completely? …

The First Quarter Update

I've been terribly remiss with my blogging since I left. Mostly because, you know, I've been experiencing London and/or trying to find work and/or doing completely boring things that no one really wants to read about anyway, so why would I write about them? And so, I welcome you all to the "Super Sara Catch-up …

London After Midnight

A couple of nights ago, I had the extraordinary experience of taking in central London after midnight through very tired eyes and it has officially eclipsed all other sights I've seen since I arrived. Normally, I make sure I'm home before last (Tube, Overground, DLR) train in the evening -- I don't like to be …

Paying Attention & Seeing Signs

Why hello there, folks! My apologies for the lag between blog entries: the first couple of weeks in a new country are hectic, as you might imagine, and blogging quickly falls down the priority list when one is looking for a job, searching for a flat, and trying to fit in some "I'm in a …

“The Sara Swagger” or “On Beauty”

I think it would be difficult to come to London and not enjoy it. Who was it that said “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”? I never remember, and I’m not even going to bother to look it up because it’s the wisdom and sentiment of the statement that matters, …

“Sara has arrived!” or “Ink from Clink”

Hello from London, England! I’m writing from my hostel near King’s Cross. It’s a giant hostel, it’s got lots of different, awesome people staying in it, and I’m really enjoying it here so far. When I finally arrived here around suppertime my first night, I could have kissed the floor (I didn’t – bad idea …

Since I’ve been home

Ever since I moved home to Shoal Harbour a few months ago, I've been getting the same question from friends, family, and foes alike: "How's living in Shoal Harbour?". It comes in various forms, of course: "How's home?", "How are you making out in Shoal Harbour?", or just plain, "How are you surviving?". Some who …

Praise for my Winter Writing Slump

I have a love/hate relationship with my winter writing slump. I hate that, during the winter, the majority of my writing goes in the 'draft' file and never sees the light of day. I also hate that the amount of writing I produce is a fraction of what I produce during other parts of the …

Yeats, my Irish accent, and “what had you…?!” brain

When was the last time you scolded someone in an Irish accent? Not recently, hey? Never, you say! Pity. It's rather enjoyable. I've been doing it on a regular basis these past few weeks during rehearsals for a production of William Butler Yeats's play Cathleen Ni Houlihan that a friend of mine is putting off …