When I was a kid and we learned about Anne Frank or the Underground Railroad, I took it for granted that if my family had lived through a horrible time, we’d do the upstanding thing. After all, it seemed obvious: if a Jewish family needs to hide from slaughter and you have an attic, give …
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 …
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 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 …
It’s quite something, isn’t it? To think that just recently, I was procrastinating the writing of a blog about inflation because it seemed too grim. And now. What to say about now? Let’s start with the big picture. In and beyond my circles, a great many people celebrate their good fortune to live in a democracy. …
It’s been 10 days and I was hoping I could let this one go. Alas, here we are. I was getting ready for work (a much easier process since giving up on makeup and fancy clothes somewhere around March 16, 2020) and listening to the morning news. The radio broadcast and one of the pop-ups …
I mostly agree with the adage, “there are no stupid questions.” But as I wait for results from the ballots cast by Albertans during our recent elections, I feel there are manipulative questions. For those outside Alberta: you can either ignore this post or continue to be entertained by our situation. Here’s a quick recap …
Dear John Dear John…er…I mean…Justin, Erin, and Jagmeet: I think we have different goals for our relationship. It seems you’re looking for an unquestioning, everlasting commitment. I, on the other hand, feel like we may need to start seeing other people. Based on the many, many emails I’ve received from “your people” – as well …
Like many people, one of my pandemic pastimes has been watching too much Netflix. One of the shows I watched in entirety was the sitcom Superstore. In one episode, a stereotypical hippie takes a temporary job at the store and begins her shift without wearing any shoes. One of her coworkers remarks on the lack …
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