Canada
On November 9th, 2016, the day after the US election, when even my elementary students were freaking out about Trump, I pictured chaos in the United States. Society – which may never have truly earned the term “civil” – crumbling. Now, I feel like that moment has arrived. Pandemic, hospitals overflowing. Unemployment and poverty off the charts. Inequality rearing up, […]
It’s Day 41 of pandemic distancing. I began an innocent little check-in post about two weeks ago. I wanted to ask how you are, and to write about what life is like during these “trying times” for posterity. It was difficult, though, because how one is doing keeps changing. The post has morphed several times in those weeks, and today […]
Yesterday, Canada’s new official Food Guide was released, and I am stoked about it! For the first time EVER in this country, the Food Guide has not been influenced by agricultural promotion. Instead, it has been influenced by SCIENCE. As it should have been all along. Way to shake off the fetters of commercial enterprise, Food-Guidologists! That’s Reason Number One […]
Today is National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, formerly known as National Aboriginal Day, established to celebrate First Nations, Métis, and Inuit culture in Canada. I know that for many Indigenous people, this day seems like lip-service, since we have not yet established a day to focus on Truth and Reconciliation. I decided to use this day for that purpose. On this […]
Today, I’m so grateful for our new government. Remember how I said, a couple weeks ago, that I’d decided to be optimistic and allow myself to be excited about the new PM and his MPs? Well, I can tell you now: being hopeful is FUN. Way more fun than cringing and waiting for things to go wrong(er and wronger). Telling […]
Dear Jian, In March 2013, I was inspired to write a blog post entitled “Living Canadian Heroes.” I had been moved by the interview I’d just listened to on Q – the one you had with Stompin’ Tom Connors, replayed on the occasion of his death. I remember thinking how often we talk about Canadian heroes who are not alive – […]
To the gunman who bloodied Parliament Hill yesterday: thank you for making a statement. Actually, you made several statements. But are they the ones you meant to make? Whenever someone famously and violently takes a life, I wonder what brought the perpetrator to think that killing another human is the best option. What did you intend to accomplish? Since you’re dead – and […]
As always, humans are up in arms about stuff right now. The thing I’ve been reading about today is the white poppy. Traditionally, the red poppy is worn to remember and honour war veterans, both living and dead. In the past, I’ve worn a red poppy to indicate that I am thinking prayerfully of soldiers, like my grandpa, who did […]
Let’s take a walk! What could be more invigorating, more wholesome, more beneficial for body and soul? I can take the kids, we can all get some fresh air, and the baby can have a nice lung-cleansing nap. On Wednesday I took my children for a walk around the neighbourhood. We have been graciously handed down a “sit-and-stand” stroller from […]
On Friday evening, Sean and I had the good fortune to see ukulelist James Hill in concert with his cellist fiancee, Anne Janelle (Davison)… in the company of our not-quite-four-week-old Baby A. We had debated about whether to go, since we would have to buy our baby a ticket, and then there was always the possibility that she would fuss […]
