March 2018

Leftover Rant II

This is the second and last column I wrote for a magazine that had a change at the helm. You know what that’s like; the new person wants to make their own decisions and hire their own people. It’s all good. But why let a collection of carefully chosen sentences go to waste? And so I ranted:  …

Clean Getaway

Derek and I have been looking around to invest in a vacation retreat. Something modest to match our budget. A little place near water we can spruce up and customize. Our summer home when we’re ready to become snowbirds. We’re looking everywhere – from other provinces to other countries. Nothing is off the table. If you’ve explored the cottage areas of Ontario and you don’t have a million dollars to spend, you know how difficult it is to find something affordable close to home. …

cover of the WKRP box set featuring the entire cast of the show

Thankful Thursday – Radio Days

Radio has given me a voice. It’s been loyal to me even when I wasn’t loyal to it. It’s forgiven me when I was a jerk (and there were times when I was a jerk!) and afforded me opportunities I wouldn’t have found anywhere else. Radio introduced me to some of the most wonderful people in the world, and some of the most famous. They’re not always the same thing. It legitimized me to strangers and gave me confidence until I built some of my own.  …

The Fish Sex Movie and Others

The Oscar-winners for Best Picture and Best Director often leave me baffled. Except for Titanic more than twenty years ago, the winner is rarely the most popular film. The Shape of Water certainly fits that mould. It’s a surreal cold-war tale about a monster from the sea and people on land who can’t seem to connect with others.  …

Short Cuts

Sometimes, I’m quite alright with cutting a corner or two. Farm Boy makes better gravy than I do. Lasagna is very time-consuming and there’s a frozen variety that we like. I once wrote a column about house-cleaning short-cuts that included pouring a little bleach down the sink, because the smell of bleach gives an illusion of “clean”.  …

Thankful Thursday – Meals on Wheels

Some of the simpler things in life aren’t so simple for many people. Having enough to eat. Being able to look after themselves. People struggle with these things every day. Last week I was asked to help deliver lunches with Meals on Wheels and saw first-hand how important their work is. I’m thankful for the experience. …

books stacked beside wooden candlesticks, titled Mystery, Romance, Biography

Birthing Another Book

I’ve signed the contract with Hibbert & Stiles . The manuscript has been edited. My fifth book is in production to come out as both a book-book and an eBook. Be Our Guest (working title) will be spineless, not in tone but it physical nature. It’s a quick read meant for publicists, talent managers and anyone at all who has an interest in radio and in getting a guest spot on the air. …

small spongebob running happily on a beach

Weighty Matters

I’ve only ever known how it feels to eat whatever I want for short periods of time. I’ve been on Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and always have a few Lean Cuisine dinners in the freezer, so I don’t get caught without anything to eat and have to tear into an entire elephant or something. Whenever I’ve strayed from the basic tenets of Weight Watchers, I’ve put on weight. True, the formula is calories-in, calories-out, but I’m not about to become the marathon runner my metabolism apparently wants me to be. (Darn you scoliosis!)  …

What Marcus Had to Say

Derek recently narrated a book devoted to the stoicism of Marcus Aurelius. Marcus – let’s call him Marc – on second thought let’s not – lived from the year 121 to 180. For the last 19 years of his life, he was the Roman Emperor. Until Derek got this job, I was unfamiliar with his master work, Meditations, although millions around the world have read it. …

My Good Friend Joe

A few weeks ago, I received an email telling me that I was one of ten finalists in the Win A Wardrobe For Life Contest from Joe Fresh. This immediately raised my suspicions, of course. However, I had a clear memory of entering the contest and the attached form wasn’t asking for anything related to my bank accounts or credit card numbers. It looked legit.  …