CLERK 1: Do you need firewood. ME: Yes, please. CLERK 1: Oh good, how many bags? ME: Umm. Well, how much is it? CLERK 1: $10 per bag. ME: Hmm. Two bags, I guess. CLERK 1: It’s supposed to rain tonight. Are you sure you don’t want three? ME: [???] CLERK 1: [smile] ME: [???] […]
Know Thy Golden Handcuffs
Aristotle said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” The man was centuries ahead of his time with that meme-worthy nugget. He was Facebook before Facebook was cool. Or invented. He was also full of shit. Truth is, knowing yourself is the beginning of depression. And self-loathing. Knowing myself has never so much as […]
Grand Canyon Caverns – Everything to Know
I used to love driving. The longer the drive, the better. The first time I drove out west, I made the 3700 km trek from St. Jacobs, Ontario to Chateau Lake Louise (Alberta) in two and a half days. By myself. Without cruise control. The muscles in my accelerator foot hurt like hell by the […]
L’Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site – review
Is it worth the drive? That is the decisive question when contemplating a visit to L’Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site. At first blush, L’Anse Aux Meadows sounds like the most awesome historical place in North America. I mean, come on, Vikings! From one thousand years ago! Muscular fighting men dressed in furs and metal, […]
On the Matter of Voting in Alberta
Four years ago, I voted for the NDP in the Alberta provincial election that shocked the wor … country. Mine wasn’t a principled vote, born more out of mischief and curiosity. I certainly held no love for the splintered conservative party who had governed for 44 years but were now running as two entities. The […]
I Am Albertan and I Am Angry!
I am Albertan and I am angry! Really, really angry! Incredible Hulk in cowboy boots and white Stetson angry! The code of allegiance to the True Alberta Residents Syndicate and Social Society, or TARSandSS, requires that I say that. If I don’t, I risk being branded a traitor and hung, as some of my […]
The Unity We Don’t Know We Have
It’s election time in Alberta. Yay? You are forgiven for thinking election time is perpetual these days, what with the non-stop campaigning that goes on. There’s seemingly no end to the pep rallies, town halls, leadership contests, policy announcements, billboards, radio spots, and television commercials. And don’t get me started on the social media memes. […]
Coffee Cove Seaside Retreat Part 2 – What To Do
Mention a road trip to Green Bay and your friends will envision cheeseheads, Packers jerseys, and shotgunning Schlitz faster than a spirit-crushing Favre interception. Understandable. But in this case, completely wrong. Let them have a couple more Schlitz and then tell them you were thinking more along the lines of sou’westers, kissing cod fish, and […]
Coffee Cove Seaside Retreat Part 1 – Where To Stay
Family can make you do the most unexpected things, in no small part because they themselves do the most unexpected things. Like moving to Newfoundland. Nobody does this unless they’re moving back home. Certainly not born and bred mainlanders, or so the legends (and more often than not, the facts) say. But I have an […]
There’s No Vaccine for Layoffs
You think you’re immune, until you discover you aren’t. In February 1995, god that’s nearly thirty years ago, I grew up in a hurry. Or at least my budding work persona did. I was one of five wide-eyed geology students freshly fallen from the Ontario turnip truck in the early weeks of eight month, co-op, […]