The black helicopter rose seemingly out of nowhere and caused curiously little noise due to its stealth engine buffers as it moved slowly over the Ottawa building. Its bay doors opened and two ropes unfurled from the inside, no sooner had they snapped as they reached their full length only a few feet from the… Read more »
Afterglow Sarah McLachlan Sony/ATV Songs Listening to the radio one evening, I could not help but notice a new song blasting though the airwaves. “The past can be undone, but we carry on our back the burdens time always reveals. In the lonely light of morning. In the wound that would not heal. It’s the… Read more »
My sisters used to love burning candles in the house when we were in our teens. I took up the practice from them and we’d visit the local hobby shop to procure raw wax, wicks, scents, colours, and moulds to make our own candles. Wax turned liquid in a pot on the stove would combine… Read more »
I’ve officially been a grandma for about a week now. When I graduated this past June, 2003, I stated that graduating with my BA was the fifth most important life-altering experience I had ever undergone – after the birth of my four daughters. Well, my graduation has now been bumped to experience number six. The… Read more »
I usually constrain my hunting and hiking activities to areas of wilderness with which I am very familiar. However, on a few occasions I’ve allowed my arm to be twisted by an appropriate hunting partner who convinced me to strike out into places unknown to either of us. One of the earliest of these ventures… Read more »
As I await the imminent birth of my first grandchild, I find myself wondering whether it will be a boy or a girl. My daughter chose not to find out in advance at her ultrasound, preferring to wait. I’m not sure if I have a preference, although since I’ve only ever had daughters, I confess… Read more »
As I get older, there are certain illusions that are being gradually stripped away from me. I have lately come to realize, for instance, that I will likely never be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on the strength of a heavy write-in vote from my friends. Furthermore, I am now willing to admit to myself… Read more »
The title of one of Athabasca University’s recently released courses has always intrigued me: “Audience Effects Research” (CMNS 410). Of what would such a course consist? What Centre offers it? It seemed to me that the best way to explore the above questions and determine the content of CMNS 410 was to write a course… Read more »
Turn on the television on any day at any time, and you will be sure to find at least one show featuring animals; open any book, and there will almost surely be at least one reference to animals. While it may seem that we live in an entirely human-dominated world, animals are in fact all… Read more »
May 10, 1979, it sees like yesterday, yet it seems like a lifetime ago. I guess it’s both. That was the day I said goodbye to my mother for the last time. I always refer to her as my mother, not mom. I guess because she was a mother to me, not a mom. Mom’s… Read more »