I was driving when I received my first phone call about you. In subsequent conversations, I learned you were living in a group home meant for older boys, and the goal was to find somewhere more suitable for a child. Being at home with your mom was unfortunately not an option; among other things, you’d …
“If you hear anyone say this happened because of performance, that statement is wrong and you should correct it.” Our department’s vice-president said something like this to those of us who remained last week, where “this” referred to a significant round of lay-offs. If you saw my last blog post (inspired by several employers, including mine), you …
I was recently invited to deliver a guest lecture to a group of university students, and one of them asked if I thought capitalism should be dismantled. The short version of my more nuanced response was something like, “it definitely needs some changes.” It’s no secret I have concerns with how our economic system is …
Several weeks ago, I was doing daycare drop-off and saw a young girl getting out of her dad’s car. It was 7:22 am and she was eating two corndogs. I immediately thought, “Good for you, dude. Mornings are hard.” I also thought, “If that’s allowed in parenting, maybe I’m doing okay.” I became foster parent …
I was in Mexico earlier this year with family, and we benefited from the regional knowledge and good humour of David, a local guide. Sure, there was one trip to a colonial city and nearby volcano that had me wishing hard that David would, please, stop talking about salt. (Seriously: that guy knew a lot about salt, and he …
I spent the first few months of 2013 in Tanzania. For months beforehand, I’d been on a search for overseas volunteer opportunities that felt ethical. It was harder than I thought to do good things! I was mostly against being a teacher, since I had no teacher training or qualifications of any kind. I didn’t …
I did a favour for my dad yesterday morning. It involved getting up a bit earlier than I’d like on a Sunday, and driving across the city. On that particular day, it also meant driving through a snowstorm where the flakes were coming fast and sideways. When my eyes weren’t squinting into bright white sleet, I was …
I try not to have regrets at the close of a year. It seems a good idea to go into the next year with awareness of what I learned from the hard things behind me, but beating myself up about it seems counter-productive. Unfortunately, as we finish 2022, I have some solid regrets…about something left …
I ate my first cod tongue this year. And I’m not gonna lie: it was probably my last. If you’ve never sampled a cod tongue, you can get a feel – literally – for what it’s like. Just take a moment and try chewing on your own tongue. Did you try it? Was the texture …
A tree fell on my house this weekend. It was loud...and yet somehow unsurprising. That's right, I’ve reached the point of the 2020s where a tree can fall on my house and the first thing I say is “huh”. (Following the three-letter word, there may have been a few four-letter words. But they were still …
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