The suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain rattled me. I don’t own a Kate Spade bag and I’ve never watched Bourdain’s show, although I did purchase Kitchen Confidential after years of hearing about how brave and bold it is. But I didn’t have to be a fan to understand the importance of these special artists to so many people. …
Help is on Its Way Read More »
If you weren’t aware, Google has an online translation service. I’ve used it here and there and recently Ken read about an Easter Egg on the site. Remember Easter Eggs on DVDs? They were little hidden gems, like outtakes or special scenes, that you could only find if you knew where to look. …
It’s difficult to find an audience for your online wares. When people found Lisa’s Pieces, they liked our tables, lamps and found treasures, but translating that into sales wasn’t easy. We ended up with a lot of unsold stuff simply because we couldn’t find enough of the right people. …
Thankful Thursday – The Ultimate Garage Sale Read More »
When did being progressive become a bad thing? …
Rhetorical Questions Read More »
The personal possession purge continues. A cedar chest we acquired and have no room for; a barnboard-and-bulb-cage chandelier made by Derek; an extra motorcycle windshield we boxed up and stored – it’s all going, going, gone! …
The Wheat Stuff and the Chaff Stuff Read More »
I suppose I should feel flattered. Scores of Twitter bots, those automated, pre-programmed fake accounts, started following me last week. I didn’t even realize it was part of a trend until London’s Medical Officer of Health tweeted about it. Then CTV London did a story about it, explaining that ‘prominent’ Londoners were being targeted by these sinister little twits. …
I don’t believe in saying “never” to anything on the food chain. If someone tells me they will never eat bread again, but they absolutely love bread, I’ll hold my tongue but I want to tell them they’re crazy. Where is the joy in depriving yourself of something you love? …
When I was a kid, I loved the poems of Robert Service. They told stories of the Yukon gold rush in a musical cadence that included lots of alliteration and rhymes. Service didn’t bother with subtleties in his most famous works. You knew what you were getting with The Cremation of Sam McGee, The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill and hundreds of others. He also wrote six novels, two autobiographies and even acted in the 1942 film, The Spoilers, with Marlene Dietrich. Visiting his restored cabin in Dawson City, Yukon – a preserved historical site – is on my bucket list. …
Throwback Thursday – At Your Service Read More »
While I check out my items at the grocery store, I can’t help but think about the last time I went through a cashier’s lane. We exchanged the usual pleasantries. She asked how I was. I responded, fine, how are you. And then she launched into the reasons why she shouldn’t be there. It wasn’t her shift. Someone called in sick and she was summoned at the last minute. She was really tired. …
The future is always beginning now ~Mark Strand. Read More »
One of the great privileges of my career has been to meet so many people and hear their stories. It’s fun to meet the rich and famous, sure, but it’s the ordinary folks fighting various battles who have made the most impact on me. As Amanda Marshall sings, “Everybody’s got a story that could break your heart”. …
Thankful Thursday – A Life of Bounty Read More »
So, this is what our basement floor looks like! I haven’t seen this much of it since it was installed!
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I was “let go” from a magazine before I even got started! The Managing Editor hired me to write a column titled Brandt’s Rant and then she left for another job. The new M.E. didn’t see me as a fit for the mag unless I wanted to write about something I have no interest in. And so it goes. …
I’m concerned that the new era of openness about harassment, bullying and toxicity is going to have an unintended consequence: driving the sexes even further apart. …
This week, Throwback Thursday makes way for a Thankful Thursday. …
Thankful Thursday #1 Read More »
Girlfriends, remember when we first realized that we could wear yoga pants to do anything and go anywhere and it was fashionable? That was a great day. …
Lulu for Lululemon Read More »
A report last week claims the federal Heritage Ministry is considering a bailout for Canada’s newspaper industry. While the struggling middle-class in that industry attempts to keep its jobs, our Liberal government might reward the CEOs for their greed and self-preservation on the backs of employees. I hope it’s not so. …
It’s been too cold to drag a saw out of the shop and cut wood. Too cold to sand or stain or paint for that matter, even in shop #2 in our basement. But it’s not too cold for stencils. …
It’s possible that I’m falling out of love with my first love: media. Okay, you got me. My first love was Donny Osmond but that was unrequited so it doesn’t count. Media has mostly loved me back even when I thought I was unlovable. Media has kept me guessing, engaged, interested and energized. And it’s not even media’s fault that my feelings are changing. It’s the fault of its wild child, social media. …
Love’s Labour’s Lost Read More »