I was referred to a specialist due to worsening tinnitus. The good news is it’s stress-related, as there’s nothing physically wrong with my ears. In fact, apparently, I have excellent hearing. So if I can’t make out what you’re saying, you’re probably just mumbling (take that from a fellow mumbler)
A few of my friends and I have been playing Call of Cthulhu together for years. My first character in this TTRPG got out of many scrapes on our adventures, but tonight she didn’t make it while bravely fighting monsters. Sad but also excited to create a new character for our campaign
Beautiful Magdalen, as seen from Addison’s Walk
Our December issue also contains a full range of book reviews - browse them here:
academic.oup.com/ehr/issue?lo...
Doing a bit of editing in the nice weather
A rust-brown ribbed knit beanie embroidered with ‘Little Waves’ rests next to a white to-go cup from Cocoa Cinnamon coffee shop, both sitting on a shiny metal surface.
At Cocoa Cinnamon, my favourite coffee shop in Durham, NC
“The Four Heavens: A New History of the Ancient Maya” by David Stuart (Princeton University Press). White book cover featuring a stylized Mayan serpent illustration in black, red, and gold.
Just started this book. A topic I know very little about. Fascinating so far!
I second this, a truly well-deserved prize. Lyndal is a wonderful and inspiring historian. She's also kind, generous, and supportive. She made my time at Oxford—and that of so many others I'm lucky to call friends—all the better for it
Today’s my birthday! The Ides of March. I’ve officially entered my 30s 😊
What’s the world coming to, eh? Spotted at a restaurant in Raleigh, NC
A blog post about a conference I went to in Ireland in January: open.substack.com/pub/leifhamm...
I kind of just write these to keep friends posted and to create a record for myself
Bonfire after Duke beat UNC in last night’s basketball game
A small bird grazed the side of my head last night. Think it was resting in the wreath my wife placed outside the door. It must have gotten a fright when I unlocked the door—well, in the dark, we both got a fright
Saw the Grand Canyon today
Exploring Arizona 🏜️
Had a good flight to the US. Did some editing on my iPad, and finally started reading Alice Loxton’s “Uproar! Satire, scandal and printmakers in Georgian London”
Gorgeous views while flying over Greenland
On Thursday, I had the pleasure of giving a talk to the local history society about King Christian VII (1749–1808) of Denmark-Norway, focusing on madness, enlightenment, and absolutism. It was fun!
I've changed settings many times, and yet Word continues to make life difficult. Anytime I create a new document, Word assumes I'm writing in Norwegian. Anytime I create a footnote, it assumes it's in Norwegian and automatically formats my quotation marks as guillemets… Infuriating
Off to a great start. I poured water into the electric coffee grinder instead of coffee beans…
The sun returned to the Arctic a couple of weeks ago. The sunlight makes such a difference!
Among the myriad things I'm currently working on, I'm also writing a short talk for the local history society that I'll give next week
Got an email that my article's been accepted for publication!
Lihkku beivviin! Today (6 Feb) is the Sámi National Day. I've written a short piece on Sámi history in my hometown. At the moment, only available in Norwegian, but I'll try to post an English translation on my blog
kystmuseene.no/berlevag/sam...
It looks like I'll have to send/receive four parcels to have enough points for a (let's face it, mediocre) coffee
I'm just waiting for them to roll out a tier system too. Send/receive a certain number of parcels a year to qualify for Premium Platinum Plus membership 😂
So the roastery kindly sent a replacement. Tracking said the bag of coffee would arrive last Friday, but it didn't. And since they only deliver mail every second day of the work week, my next hope was this Tuesday. Still hasn't shown. Fingers crossed it arrives on Thursday
2/2
My in laws got me a three-month coffee subscription for Christmas. The first bag arrived with no issues. It's now 4 Feb and I'm still waiting for my Jan bag… It's not an issue with the roastery, they dropped off the parcel on 12 Jan but the mail never processed the bag
1/2
Instead of, you know, improving their service, Norwegian mail Posten has launched a rewards scheme. You can now gather points for receiving/sending parcels. If I gather 290 points I get a free hot beverage at Narvesen… The key is to distract people, I guess
