Dear Barb: My parents divorced when I was 10 years old. My dad moved away with this new girlfriend and seemed to just forget about us. I loved my dad and really missed him at the time, but eventually I got angry and wondered why he never came back to see me or my brother. … Read more »
If you love surprises, like your bestie’s birthday, you’ll love market research. A new pattern will pop out at you, crying, “Look at me. Act on me. Make lots of money.” Who doesn’t like these eye-openers? But market research is even better than your bestie’s birthday. Why? Let’s see. You’ll gain not one, but hundreds,… Read more »
August 6th and 9th mark 75th Anniversaries of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It’s sad, but it happened, and the war ended a week later. These attacks, approved by Britain and Canada as per the Quebec Agreement, followed on the heels of not only the Nazi Holocaust but also the Blitz of London… Read more »
I was much older when I first tried hummus and found that I really enjoyed it. So, one day I was at home with my then three-year-old, and I thought we should try falafel. We looked up a few recipes to give it a try. We immediately loved it! It was crunchy on the outside,… Read more »
What emotions might you feel on the day you graduate? Elated? Worried? Amused? Relieved? Now, take those emotions and put them in a story. What might you see on your graduation degree? Your dying grandmother, peering at you with tears, looking like a frail yet beautiful angel? Or would you see your parents fighting—a tad… Read more »
Album: A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular Artist: Hooverphonic I first learned about the trip hop group Hooverphonic when I looked up the soundtrack to the 1996 drama Stealing Beauty, only to coincidently discover their tongue-twister album, A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular, in the comfort of my own basement. With a title like that, I had… Read more »
Dear Barb: I am in my early forties and work away from home. My two sons are eight and ten and I have been working away from home for the last four years. I usually manage to make it home for one weekend each month. My wife has been great, but I can see she… Read more »
Multiple lifetimes ago I took a Horticulture Technician course in Creston, BC. Our first unit was mechanics, and I vividly recall possessing a dull and listless gaze as I tried to wrap my noggin around the textbook’s schematics. The instructor was the local high school mechanics teacher, and he made things interesting by telling stories… Read more »
Are you one of those smart folks who saves every penny? Or do you own assets like a house? Or do you flaunt fine credit? Well then, splurge and buy a franchise. Why not? Or you might today work as a loyal McDonald’s staff, perhaps as a supervisor. If that’s you, you’d make a star… Read more »
A few years ago, we were visiting my wife’s aunt, Louise, in the Shuswap. She has a cottage on the lake and had invited us to stay. One night for dinner she made us some roasted cauliflower as a side dish, and I will never forget how great it tasted. Ever since then we’ve been… Read more »