November 12, 2017 - Yesterday was Remembrance Day and an opportunity for all of us to remember those who died for freedom and those who are still fighting for freedom today. I proudly wear my poppy each year to honour our veterans. This year was no different. I kept one on my coat and one …
The week that was – Nov 5/17
November 5, 2017 - It's been a week. We've had awful weather - rain on Hallowe'en followed by snow. We've had snow every day of November. Apparently we've had more snow in the first 5 days of November than we had in all of November 2016. It's now -15C plus the windchill. So it's -23C if you …
#Metoo
October 16, 2017 A shockwave hit the media last week with the revelation that a well-known Hollywood producer had sexually harassed and/or assaulted actresses and employees within his own company. Those allegations, unproven at this writing, sparked a conversation that turned in to a movement. It got people talking, regardless of their gender, about victimization/victim …
I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody.
January 3, 2014 Those immortal lines uttered by Marlon Brando, playing Terry Malloy, in “On the Waterfront”. I used to quote those lines to a former boss when we would stumble across something old that we had written or when we were reliving a memory of the days when colleagues came to us looking …
Continue reading "I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody."
My Father
October 15, 2013 - My father died today. I’m not sure how long he knew he was sick. He only started telling the family about a year ago. He was vague on a lot of the details. I’m not sure if he didn’t understand what was happening or if he just chose to keep everything to …
Nagging Thoughts
July 22, 2013 - As I was walking my dog, my mind started to drift and, before I knew it, I was revisiting familiar, dark territory. I started making a mental list of the loose ends I had to tie up before I could kill myself. I’m not sure what triggered the thoughts. I had …
My Shitty Week
July 12, 2013 - Last week I came back from vacation rejuvenated and ready to take on anything that life would throw at me. I was still basking in the afterglow of a self-empowerment conference. I was holding on to my mantras of kindness and positivity and the lessons I learned. With each passing day, I …
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
July 3, 2013 - When I was young, the one thing teachers would always ask us to do on the first day back at school in September was to write a short story about what we did on our summer vacation. I never really had anything "exciting" to write about - no camping trips or …
You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness….
October 2012 - It’s been a month since I moved out. I had been treating the whole process like an adventure since even before I moved – looking forward to being on my own, making my own decisions about things – just breathing and finding myself. I had begun to forget who I was. I was …
Continue reading "You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness…."
Loyalty
June 10, 2011 - I had lunch with a friend recently and, during the course of our meal, he told me a story from his childhood about friendship and what loyalty meant to him. My friend’s mom had just remarried. Shortly after the remarriage, the family fell on hard times and had to move …
Diary of a DOW 