Toothy has a new buddy to write with at Word Monster HQ. Last week we welcomed David Wright to the team – monster codename Ruffle – and it was a blast. David has a bombardment of career accomplishments that include a master’s in pharmacology, PhD in molecular physiology, postdoc and an array of large-calibre publications. […]

2017 started with a shock. My son, Harry, was born with Moebius syndrome – a rare neurological disorder characterised by weakness or paralysis of multiple cranial nerves. It has no known cause and was totally unexpected. No signs. No warning. Utter disbelief at the moment my wife and I were given the news. We thought […]

I’m appawlled by errors. My life is a constant battle between wanting to correct spelling/grammar and wanting to have friends. If your an officer for the grammar police or merely a grammer enthusiast ­­– and if reading this is causing you real emotional and physical unrest, like Chuck McGill near a refrigerator* – then I feel your […]

Do you know someone who works from home? I bet they’ve said how great it is. Well, they lied to you. It sucks. Here’s why: You have bad hair. It’s that extra hour in bed every morning. I heard lie-ins at the weekend are bad for you. And this is every single weekday. It’s terrifying. You […]

Remember when you were young and loved writing your thesis because each page was the start of something new, filled with opportunities? Me neither. Writing a thesis is ugly. All those hours. The eye strain. Countless sleepless nights. And that was just Call of Duty and Halo on the Xbox 360; the tactical task avoidance. No, […]

‘Am I bonkers’ I asked myself, watching Pablo Escobar escape the clutches of the Columbian police* – yet again. ‘Not as crazy as Hermilda. She’s one heck of a fruit loop’ I replied. ‘You’re one to talk’ I said. ‘You’re talking to yourself again’. And in that moment I realised I was mad. Mad enough […]