just percolating...
So, my first attempt at creating a mountain slide of traffic to my blog by piggy-backing on the popularity of 50 Shades of Grey has been a total failure. But I'm not going to give up. No, siree! I'm no quitter. Today, I present you a photograph sent to me by one of my girlfriends. For Canada Day, her family had gathered up at the cottage to celebrate and hang out. Here, you can see a heart-warming image of cousin-ly love and children who are … [Read more...]
A major highlight for me when it comes to attending BlogWorld (now called NMX, short for New Media Expo) in New York City is that Book Expo America takes place at the same time, in the same building AND your pass for NMX also grants you access to Book Expo. Books and Blogging, all day, for three days -- How can I NOT attend?! This year, I took only one carry-on bag and it was half-full to allow space for books on the way home. So, although … [Read more...]
On several occasions, I've overheard Stella say this to someone who's asked her about me being away on a trip: When mom is away, my dad gets bored and watches Lord of the Rings or Star Wars movies at night. I don't like it! The music is so loud that I can hear it in my bedroom -- and it can be really scary and eerie! Not only do I find it sweet that she thinks he's bored without me (even though I don't actually believe that for a minute!), but … [Read more...]
I've been to two events recently and many people commented that they didn't recognize me. So I should explain that I look different. (And I'd also like to warmly welcome anyone who's new here from the Blog World Expo event in New York City as well as to my awesome local blogger community here in Ottawa from last night's Blog Out Loud Ottawa event!) The photo in my blog's "About" box in the right-hand column of the homepage was taken when I … [Read more...]
An English teacher by the name of David McCullough Jr. stood up and told a high school graduating class that they're not special. It was a commencement speech. And he told them nine times, "you're not special." Naturally, like most things these days, it was recorded and then uploaded to the internet. Yes, you guessed it -- it's gone completely viral. Everyone from traditional media to new media is weighing in. One the one hand, you have the … [Read more...]
Hubby and I are having one of those weeks where we are feeling burnt out and tired. On Tuesday evening, we decided to order-in pizza (haven't done that since mid-January!) and eat dinner with the kids in front of the television. Sort of a comfort-food and comfort-visual evening. It's fairly impossible for us to find anything that we all want to watch due to a combination of ages and interests. The only thing we can ever manage to agree upon is … [Read more...]
If I'd actually had enough spark left in me at the time, that's precisely what I would have cried out to the world almost ten years ago. But I didn't. Because it was too hard just to get out of bed, let alone care for my new born baby. I'd been smacked hard with a postpartum depression stick and was completely and utterly overwhelmed. I knew other mothers didn't feel like I did. And that made things feel worse. I distinctly recall observing … [Read more...]
Last week, I got all inspired by my copy of The Looneyspoons Collection (TLC) and made muffins. For the first time. Ever. Please don't ask how I got this far in life without having made muffins because then I'd have to admit to you all the other things that I've never cooked or baked. It's a long list. I was actually going to make a cookie recipe because it had fewer ingredients (and therefore seemed less intimidating), but Stella, my … [Read more...]
A little while back, I wrote about David Chilton, author of The Wealthy Barber and The Wealthy Barber Returns. (And did you hear the news that he's going to be one of the "dragons" in the next season of the Dragons' Den? I think he'll be fantastic!) In the most recent book, he details how he came to publish massively popular Looneyspoons cookbook with sisters Janet and Greta Podleski. Published in 1996, Looneyspoons broke publishing … [Read more...]
At 6pm today, Canada's National Arts Centre announced the line-up for English Theatre's upcoming season. I was particularly curious to see what this year would hold because it's Peter Hinton's last season. Love'em or hate'em, one thing everyone can agree on is that Peter Hinton, as Director of the English Theatre program since 2005, really shook things up. Sure, I didn't enjoy all of his choices, but he certainly made a mark and I love that he … [Read more...]
In our North American society, children are often considered to be annoyances in air travel, restaurants, grocery stores, and even when they are quietly feeding. I think that as a parent, now used to life with young children, I have far more tolerance than I might have had when I was child-less. In fact, it barely even registers with me that a child is making loud crying noises unless it is the specific crying that I recognize as one of my … [Read more...]
Have you ever read The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton? The year before I graduated from high school, this book on personal finance hit the bookstands with a storm! Over two million copies have been sold in North America, and I think that’s because of its unique fictional format. Here’s how Wikipedia describes the book: The book is structured around a story of three people in their late 20s visiting Roy, the title character, for lessons in … [Read more...]
Dear Grammys, I'm not sure what message you're trying to send. But I can tell you what message I received from your show last night. For all the young and impressionable young people watching the Grammy's yesterday, one thing was made clear: If you can dance and sing, we're willing to turn a blind eye. Well, at least if you're a man. Dancing and singing trumps all, people. Chris Brown, who in 2009, was brought in on criminal charges (and … [Read more...]
Back in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I shared my thoughts on pink-washing in a post called "Don't Drink the Pink Kool-Aid." In it, I questioned all the pink ribbons being slapped on everything from cell phones to chocolate bars; and wondered out loud about corporate profit-teering from an illness that is hurting so many of us. I didn't have any easy answers, and instead decided that rather than promote one of the many pink … [Read more...]
Yesterday, I did something unusual. I went to see a movie that was filled with frightening scenes and macho bravado. And I drank it up all. Liam Neeson in the film The Grey. Photo credit. It’s old fashioned and sexist to believe that men should all be strong and brave, just as it would be to believe that all women should be nurturing and gentle. But the news has been filled with stories of weak, dishonourable men as of late. And it is … [Read more...]
Before I start, let's be clear that I am certainly not a professional art critic and my dance training is so far behind me that I wouldn't even be able to properly name most of the moves. But since most audience members are likely more like me, rather than art critics, I thought it might be helpful to share my views on this ballet in case you're contemplating purchasing tickets. I love the arts and I'm pretty much up for seeing any kind of … [Read more...]
A while back, Stella (my nine-year-old daughter) and I added Amazon widgets to the sidebar of this blog -- take a gander over on the right-hand sidebar of the blog's homepage. We didn't have any ambitions of getting rich off of our 4%, but rather to share what's on our respective bedside tables as fellow bookworms. I don't know about you, but I just love poking around people's bookshelves and knowing what people have cracked open and set their … [Read more...]
Blog Housekeeping: New Comments System Installed (Livefyre)
There's a lot of work that goes into blogging beyond just typing and pressing publish. I learn on the fly (hello Google!), attend events like BlogWorld, and hire the very fine brains of a local developer that I've worked with since day one to try and keep up. There are also some hard costs like hosting fees and owning domains -- these are the "keep the lights on" costs of being a blogger. But when it comes to a lot of the tinkering and … [Read more...]