A Kings

  • How I Accidentally Joined the Railway and Dodged a Missile Company

    by someone who wore boat shoes to a railway interview Back in the early 2000s—when Nokia was king and broadband meant waiting three hours to download one photo of a car—I returned to England after a stint abroad. I had a young family, a head full of vague responsibilities, and a sudden awareness that baby…

    AKings

  • DIY: Why My Toolbox Now Includes a First Aid Kit

    People are obsessed with DIY these days. Why? I am not sure but I’ve some idea on why they do it. For some, it’s a fun hobby. For others, it’s therapy, their way of unwinding, and relaxing. But for the rest of us? It’s a fast track to the ER and a drawer full of…

    AKings

  • A Jubilee, a Corr, and a Cold Goodbye

    February 2017, London. Cold, damp, and everything was wrapped in that stubborn, bone-chilling English gray. It was the sort of chill that could freeze tea right in the kettle. So naturally, I thought, “What better time for a nostalgia walk?” There I was, hoofing it down the Mall, past Buckingham Palace, when I realized the…

    AKings

  • When the World Was Young (And Then It Wasn’t)

    I remember yesterday, when the world was younger—when everything smelled faintly of vinyl records and cigarettes, and no one had yet decided that being permanently offended was a lifestyle choice. The 1970s—at least the bits I can recall—were a curious time. Women’s hair were a towering work of architectural ambition, and the men? Well, they…

    AKings