Anna McMartin

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Nerd Sunday: The value of life

Something’s making me uncomfortable. This week, there was an announcement. It mostly went under the radar - but disabled people certainly noticed. The government sent out an email with a proposal to cut back compulsory mask wearing. A bunch of people have been invited to comment on the proposal,

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Thought for the day, 9 September 2022

Today's involved feelings, perhaps unexpectedly, and I've been trying to boil them down. I don't think she was lazy. Turning up to events with a smile, connecting and sharing words and emotions for twelve hours or more in a day - well, without a

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Thought for the day, 8 September 2022

On September 11 2001 - the day the world changed forever, challenging everything we thought we knew - I had a cherished baby. My first. We were going to celebrate his 21st this weekend, all of us as a family - and I was really looking forward to it. But

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They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said 'Apply better evidence-based policymaking'

ACT has released a policy of forcing people on the benefit for addiction into rehab. I saw it on the news tonight, but I can't find it online. Maybe they regret it. I certainly do. Leaving aside the irony of a twerking lycra-clad David Seymour lecturing other people

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All by my selfie

Today I'm having my first proper outing since I got COVID (4.5 months!) and my first crowd experience since anyone got COVID. I decided I would sneak along to Les Misérables. I know it's tacky and I DON'T CARE. I've come

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Strike a flame

Warning for challenging content.

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Spot the difference!

Why do I prefer the original Terminator to Brian Tamaki? 1. Unwavering purpose and principles 2. Had a better excuse for holding 1980s values 3. More convincing cosmetic enhancements   4. Cast the woman as the childbirth vehicle for an important man - but at least gave her a sequel 5.

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Thought for the day, 10 August 2022

I've been wondering: with a past like his, why was he silly enough to run for public office? Then I realised, it wasn't silly at all. It was entirely rational. He's been doing this stuff his whole life, I would guess. And until now,

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Knowing how to work it

I used to be young and a bit useless.  Sometimes I look back on those days with nostalgia - you know, before I became old and a bit useless. I entered the workforce like many of my era.  My first job was berry picking, aged twelve.  I knew what to

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Know better, do better, be radder

I try not to judge. Truly. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve used a word I now regret, I’d buy a giant roll of sticky tape to cover my mouth. And I’m not just talking about ‘moist’, ‘nourishing’, ‘succulent’, ‘encrusted’ or ‘panties’. Lizzo did

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Follow me for more tips

Dear Anna I’ve been wondering how to raise this with you. To put it gently, you haven’t been yourself. And I’ve noticed. After all, we spend a lot of time together. It started three and a half months ago, when you looked down and saw two lines

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The weird emotional unsafety of midlife dating

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The smallest of asks

I'm grumpy. To be fair, others have made this point better. It was never a game for them. From the outset, they lived in fear, under a house arrest with no end date. My journey started just three and a half months ago - only dipping my toes

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Nerd Tuesday: There must be something in the water

If you think this cock-up doesn't affect you, think again.

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Terry

I've changed the names in this story, since they belong to real people.

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My brain is broken

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Beige against the machine

Recently, I bought one of those little high-density units off the plan, nearby in Upper Hutt. It's exciting - you get to see it take shape before your eyes. Above all, it's easy. The developers take the decisions for you. Until they don't. Today,

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Thought for the day, 23 June 2022

Here's what I reckon. You can be bitter if you want, or closed. You can complain that this is not your culture, these aren't your ideas. You can tell yourself it's all too trendy, too new, even though it's as old as

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From the ashes

Since Thursday, when I read the news, I have asked myself: how can I say this nicely?  Then I realised, I don’t want to say it nicely.  I figured that out this afternoon, under the stage lights, in the crowd, watching the dancers. For today, at least, I am

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Tough on crime

I posted this two years ago, in the Facebook days, but it seems relevant again now. Kids are still more important than cars. Leaders of every stripe need to know it.

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Neither perfect nor silent

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The (im)patient

It was only after her death - I was thirteen at the time - that I realised. My Nana was one of the most interesting people I’ve known. She had three of my favourite qualities: intellectual curiosity, a moral compass, and the occasional urge to wind people up for

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Nerd Sunday: How Budgets work, for people who hate numbers and are cynical more generally

In the first post in this series, I promised something a little less boring than it sounded. Can I deliver again?

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Thought for the day, 15 May 2022

Not concerned with accuracy. Not concerned with detail. Not concerned with public health. Not concerned with financial stewardship. Not concerned with intergenerational welfare. Not concerned with our ethical - our constitutional - commitments, dating back to 1840. Just concerned with the weak and lazy comfort that comes from, you know,

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Getting our house in order