Comedy Always Wins
…Comedy is much more difficult than tragedy. It’s much easier to make people cry than to make them laugh.Â
Vivien Leigh
Politics
You’ve Got to Change Your Mind
A young friend, a former colleague actually, told me this phrase as part of a teenage-hood anecdote. When she got upset about something she couldn’t do anything about, her Mother would say, “You’ve got to change your mind”. As someone who didn’t grow up with that kind of advice, I see its immense power and wisdom.
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Brushes Before Fame
Someone on Twitter recently asked whether anyone had seen a band or knew an actor before they became famous. Most of us radio types have had the good fortune to experience loads of those moments. But the questions took me further back, to my days of beer and bars. There were several times when I saw bands before they hit it big.
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A Lifetime of Learning
The beginning of a new school year always makes me think of warm clothes like long sweaters and stiff cords. I remember an ugly belted sweater I wore until it practically disintegrated. And the sound of corduroys brushing against themselves as I walked quickly down the hallway at South Lincoln High School. You wanted to move fast because the Hare brothers, Craig Nelson and Jerald Collens were standing at the end of the hall. With folded arms they silently judged the girls rounding the corner to history class or the gym. You had to pass by, there was no way around it.
…Such a Waste
London is the largest city in Ontario without a green bin program. “It’s coming later this year”, they say. Forgive my uncharacteristic cynicism but I’ll believe it when I see it!
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This Could Change Everything
When a journalist discovered that the FX network had the worst record for hiring women directors, the network’s President was horrified. Within a year, instead of being 89% male and 11% female, it was 50/50.
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Following Advice
A while back, I shared a tweet by Senator Patrick Brazeau. He said one of the best things a Canadian could do to advance Indigenous issues, is to write to their member of parliament.
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Symbols
When Lady Diana Spencer was killed in that Paris car crash 24 years ago, I remember feeling horrified at the memorials that grew outside Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace.
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DIY Under my Belt
I scroll Twitter and see the millionth tweet from someone who drove past somewhere and saw that people weren’t masked. My blood pressure rises. How can some people STILL not get that this virus is killing people indiscriminately? It’s insane. I shake my head. That moment of GAH! on social media can be the one thing that keeps a person’s head from exploding. But for me, it might be the final thing that makes my head pop off its mooring.
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News Junkie Declutters
Being kind to oneself, self-care is a journey. I find that while making changes at the start of a new year is a bit of a cliche it’s also a really logical time for it. I have a few in mind, but first, the news.
…Bring on Beautifully Boring Biden
The US election hasn’t been formally decided yet, but I’m just being hopeful.
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On Doing Better
There are many ways to support Black Lives Matter. My way, right now, is to use my social media feeds and to purchase books written by black authors.
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On Being an Ally
I’m a white person who wants to stop racism. Many of us – I’d like to think most of us – want to do something, we just don’t know what to do.
…Random Thoughts From A Pandemic
Does everybody’s weekly budget look like this?
Gas: $0. Movies & dinners out: $0. Groceries: $62,176.23.
Gaslighting
Gaslighting is my favourite term of the – whatever they call this era. Before it had a name, I called this behavior “bad boyfriend syndrome”. The bad boyfriend is toxic. He sleeps with your friend and then tells you you’re overreacting when you find out and get upset.
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We Need A Hero
I’ve been trying to stay away from politics, and, more importantly, political commentary here. Politicians don’t make it easy. They lie – they ALL lie and each and every one of them has one main goal: to get re-elected.
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9/11 – Memories Still Fresh; The Only Video of the First Plane
Eighteen years ago today, terrorist attacks that stole our confidence and launched a thousand conspiracy theories rocked the world.
…9/11 – Memories Still Fresh; The Only Video of the First PlaneRead More »