When Glen and I moved to Vancouver in 2012, we downsized from a two-story house with a finished basement to a 900 sq ft condo. By purchasing our new home two blocks from English Bay in the West End, we satisfied the most important principle of real estate: location, location, location. But did we meet […]
WORLD BOOK DAY 2020
Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” Mason Cooley (1927-2002) Although decades old, Cooley’s aphorism seems especially relevant during this time of sheltering in place. The occasion’s ripe to renew our interest in books or, if we’re already avid readers, to devote more hours in a day to […]
FLATTENING THE CURVE 3
Guest writer Janyne Hodder returns with her amusing musings: Flattening the curve part 3. Into Week 6. I would like to report I have been re-reading Dostoyevsky or perfecting my sun salutation or generally finding a deeper and inspired inner self. I haven’t. I did finish a Miró jigsaw puzzle; in fact, I have completed […]
FLATTENING THE CURVE 2
Update from guest writer Janyne Hodder: Week 3 of voluntary isolation is now complete. Week 4 began yesterday, a week in which self-isolation is less and less voluntary, at least in a country that does not think preserving life only matters before you are born (as a clever journalist in The Washington Post put it). […]
FLATTENING THE CURVE
This piece was submitted by guest writer Janyne Hodder, who worked for decades in the field of education: Assistant Deputy Minister for Quebec’s Ministry of Education, Principal of Bishop’s University, President of the University of the Bahamas and now a consultant to various non profit organizations. I am 70 years old. There, acknowledged; though few […]
MARVELOUS MUSIC
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” – Plato (c. 428 BC – c. 348 BC) How did Plato manage to encapsulate music so eloquently long before it evolved into the many pleasing genres of today? In a brief history of classical music, […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: U.S. PRESIDENTS
In anticipation of Presidents Day on Monday, Fun Facts Fridays gives tidbits about former U.S. Presidents. The story of Presidents Day begins in 1800 following the death of President George Washington (1732-1799). The February 22 birthday of the first President became an annual day of remembrance. In 1879 President Rutherford Hayes (1822-1893) signed the federal holiday into law, initially applying […]
JANUARY: GET ORGANIZED MONTH
Discovering early in the New Year that January is Get Organized Month in the U.S., where I’m currently residing, could serve as the impetus for me to do just that. And I intended to. But procrastination prevailed until month’s end, even about writing this post on the value of organization. Many friends and my siblings might […]
TOP TV VIEWING OF 2019
Since Glen and I didn’t watch many riveting TV shows in 2019, winnowing our recommendations to five wasn’t too difficult. Before revealing our choices, I will mention the Golden Globe (GG) nominations: “Big Little Lies”, “The Crown”, “Killing Eve”, “The Morning Show” and “Succession”. Netflix dominated the GGs by earning 34 nominations: 17 in each of the different film […]
’TIS THE SEASON
Many people feel sad at this time of year and it’s not related to the festive season. Rather, they’re experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is associated with fewer hours of daylight and can be exacerbated by spending too little time outdoors. While some people react to the first signs of seasonal change around the […]