Columns

From Where I Sit – The Waiting Room

Much of our lives are spent waiting. Waiting in traffic, waiting in lineups, waiting for word, waiting for the perpetually late, waiting for service. Some of us are better waiters than others. We people-watch. We read the latest thriller. We eavesdrop. We catch a snooze. We make lists recapping the day or planning for the… Read more »

Words on Words – Sophie Kinsella – Shopaholic & Baby

Publication date: February 27, 2007 Publisher: The Dial Press Rating: 8 When the retail-obsessed heroine of the Shopaholic series returns–working as a personal shopper in London and expecting her first child–It’s no surprise that she’ll be buying for two. And in Shopaholic & Baby, Becky Bloomwood (now Brandon) doesn’t disappoint, and neither does her creator,… Read more »

The Good Life – Resisting Fear

It’s a sunny afternoon in early July, and I’m lying on my back in the tall grass of a neighbourhood park while my 10-year-old daughter climbs a tree. I’m starting to drift off when I hear her calling me, asking me to look up. I know that she wants me to try and find her… Read more »

AUSU This Month – Coalition for Student Loan Fairness; AUSU Frappr – Show Us Where You Are!

Coalition for Student Loan Fairness AUSU is currently investigating the Coalition for Student Loan Fairness (CSLF) to determine if participation with this group would be advantageous to our members. The group, a grassroots movement of student loan borrowers from across Canada, supports fairness in the loans repayment process. The CSLF notes that Canadian students are… Read more »

From Where I Sit – Speak Up

Increasingly I’m being asked to say grace at functions–the company Christmas party, family dinners. Prayers are like any other writing. To be effective they need to be relevant, appropriate for the occasion, and aimed at the specific audience. The words need to connect on an emotional level and be free of hypocrisy. In other words,… Read more »

Lost & Found – What We Choose To Believe

Love is a pop song. It’s sentimental and radio friendly. It’s smooth and slick and bright and shiny. That’s what some people believe. In truth, though, It’s a graveyard song, a drunken chant, a rising wail. It’s a Transylvanian dirge played on out-of-tune cellos. It’s a country and western song about train wrecks and widows?… Read more »