It’s been nine long/short months since we lost our Dad to complications of Parkinson’s disease. Grief is like that. It’s fast but it’s also slow. I feel it most acutely on weekends because that’s when I’d hit the road to see him. His absence is huge and created a hole in our lives that will never be filled. …
Throwback Thursday – Winner’s Circle Read More »
Some people have stacks of concert tickets from their teen years. I can count on one hand the number of concerts I saw when I was young. Growing up in rural Ontario, traveling to a live show wasn’t a top priority. Let’s see, there was Triumph, Frank Zappa – I’m already stumped. Apparently I only needed peter pointer and a thumb on one hand. …
Throwback Thursday – Def Jam Read More »
We spent some time sorting stuff in the basement last weekend, after the temperature plummeted to -22C after hitting 9C the day before. Bins of papers from The World of Motorcycles Expo are stacked floor to ceiling. As suspected, not all of them have to be kept. …
Throwback Thursday – Biker Buddies Read More »
Go looking for Saguaro Cactus in Arizona if you ever want to feel tiny and young, …
Throwback Thursday – Wile E. Coyote Read More »
It’s risky. A woman of a certain age writing about her cats. Readers might throw around phrases like “cat lady” and “crazy cat lady”. But it’s a chance I’m prepared to take. …
Throwback Thursday – Caturdays Read More »
On my last milestone birthday – one that ended in 0 – I wanted to jump out of a plane. My wish was to do a tandem skydive. The idea scares me to death so it seemed like a good one. …
Throwback Thursday – Up, Up and Away Read More »
The NASCAR season has just wrapped up with Martin Truex Jr. the champion. Truex’s Crew Chief is Cole Pearn, who cut his racing teeth at Delaware Speedway. His Mom Patti is a local realtor. Anyone connected to Delaware knows Cole. He’s a star of the sport right now. …
Throwback Thursday – A Summer at the Track Read More »
Plenty of discussion is underway about what London’s Bus Rapid Transit plans will do to properties along the proposed routes. It seems that several homeowners, especially along Richmond St. North, were unaware that the city owns a part of their frontage. City Hall can claim several metres if it needs it without offering compensation. …
Throwback Thursday – Timber! Read More »
On Remembrance Day, Derek found some personal connections to the second world war. He found a photo album dedicated to his Dad’s experience in WWII, put together by his Aunt Barb, his Dad’s sister. What a treasure trove. …
Throwback Thursday – War is Over Read More »
It’s been three years since Derek left his last radio job. Or, more accurately, since he was fired. (A rite of passage in our industry.) He decided then and there that he was done with radio and worked for one year in trailer sales before launching his own business: Derek Botten Media. …
Throwback Thursday – Radio Days Read More »
It took a long time to figure out what Spice and Sugar were to each other. Were they reluctant spouses? Roommates? It was about a year into their relationship before they cuddled up but they still have little spats. Spice still dominates her in little ways. He’ll shoo her away from the food bowl if he feels like it. Sugar will back up and sit patiently until he’s feeling more like sharing. We’ve determined they’re brother and sister. …
Throwback Thursday – Sibling (Cat) Rivalry Read More »
Aislin aka Terry Mosher, based in Montreal, is one of Canada’s best-known and most respected political cartoonists. And I was fortunate enough to work with him years ago, although “with” is a relative term. …
Throwback Thursday – Aislin’s Still Nailin’ It Read More »
I have the reputation of being a Grammar Nazi. However, I’m not a grammar expert. I double-check myself before I post anything publicly and I still make mistakes. I learned a lot by having my first book edited by a bulldog of an editor (that’s a compliment) who was relentless in her pursuit of perfection. When I got my first draft back it looked like someone had coloured on the pages with markers. Those were the changes she insisted on making. It was at first depressing and then illuminating. …
Throwback Thursday – Multiple Media Mishaps Read More »
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been to Las Vegas. I went to the old Vegas three times, before the mega-resorts and resort fees and insanely-sized hotels were erected. I vividly remember waiting in the limo with my Dad before we left for the airport. We were watching the cranes and other signs of construction that would eventually completely change The Strip and the city as we knew it. Dad said, “We won’t recognize this place next time we come back”. He didn’t go back, as far as I know, but I did and he was right. It was unrecognizable. …
Throwback Thursday – What Happens in Vegas Read More »
Last week, nearly nine years after I left 680 News, someone contacted me to tell me that they still missed hearing me on the air with Paul Cook. If I’m honest, I still miss hearing me on the air with Paul Cook! Â …
Throwback Thursday – The Times I Miss Read More »
There are many things to love about my husband but one of them is that he doesn’t hesitate when someone needs help. That was never more evident than when my Dad’s health began to fail. …
Throwback Thursday – Love Comes in Many Forms Read More »
You have to be of a certain age to remember Hee Haw. It’s not a reference you can throw into casual conversation when there’s a variety of ages present. The collection of country performers and sketches about hicks aired from 1969-1992. In his autobiography, Buck Owens called it a “cartoon donkey” and admitted to humiliating himself for several weeks a year on the show, strictly for the paycheque. Corny isn’t a strong enough word to describe Hee Haw but it was much-loved anyway. …
Throwback Thursday: Do I Make You Corny? Read More »
My first two full-time on-air radio jobs found me in country music radio, first in Red Deer, Alberta and then in Prince George, BC. I had some earlier experience with what was then called country & western, through my Mom and Dad and my cousin Wayne’s country band. But my exposure was limited and carefully curated. I grew to love Waylon Jennings and appreciate Conway Twitty. But some of the nasally, twangy stuff made me climb the walls. John Anderson’s Swingin’, anyone? …
Throwback Thursday – The Beautiful Simplicity of the Gentle GiantRead More »
Throwback Thursday – The Beautiful Simplicity of the Gentle Giant Read More »