Future arts
Parents, no doubt, want the best for their kids. They dream of their children entering professions a step up from their own generation. Jobs with good pay, job security, a retirement plan. Careers that will allow those children to expand their horizons, get a leg up and even heighten their social status. And, in all […]
9/11
And then it happened. Fifteen years later, the headline story in the Toronto Star for September 11 wasn’t a harkening back to that day in September of 2001. Nope,the Star editors chose to run, as their headliner, a story about TIFF. Yup, the Toronto International Film Festival is headline news today, Sunday September 11, as […]
A very long struggle
There are four teams in the American League East Division that are virtually deadlocked as we approach the final weeks of the season. Following tonight’s game, the Toronto Blue Jays head west to take on the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners on their last western road trip of the season. Traditionally, western road […]
Bleeding out
I caught up with an old friend the other day. She had come home for a few weeks before moving to California to start a new job. After updating each other on our lives and having a bit of a laugh, I asked her a burning question: Why California? From a young age, my friend […]
Labour Day 2016
Last week, I gave you an update on the Canadian Football League. I trust you enjoyed the annual Labour Day Classics in both the East and the West divisions. For those of you more attracted to the American game, the NFL training camps break this week and the season gets underway. They will battle until […]
A perfect time
If you manage to be in the right place at this time of year, you might catch the attention of the vineyard manager (owner, winemaker—basically jack-of-alltrades) agonizing over his vines, trying to determine the correct time to harvest and thinking ahead to the best choice of yeast for fermentation after the harvest. It was such […]
Eats, shoots and shampoos
What motivates me to select a particular shampoo, you ask? I check off the boxes. Price —check. Value for money (which is really just another way of saying price)— check. Biodegradable ingredients—check. Recyclable container—check. Never tested on animals—check. Added UV protectors guarding against environmental pollutants and discolouration—check. Made in Canada—check. Approval by the grammar police— […]
Scribblers and combination locks
September always brings a flood of emotion and memories for me and, likely, many of you. When I was a pre-schooler, I really wanted to go to school. I remember watching, tearfully, as my older sisters trudged across Strathburn Park to the corner where a big Greyhound bus picked them up and whisked them off […]
Grape temptations
If you have visited a vineyard recently, you will have noticed a magical transformation as grapes change from hard green berries into deep purple (if it is a red variety) or a golden green (if white). The animal world seems to know this veraison only occurs once the grapes reach a certain level of sugar. […]
Breakfast of Champions!
Most of the teams in the CFL have played half their games at this point in the season. As is often the case, the teams from the West Division have done a little better than the teams in the East. The Calgary Stampeders have lost just once in the nine games thus far. The British […]