If you’ve planned an event before, you know that it can be quite stressful. You wonder: will the word get out fast enough? Will people come? Will it run smoothly? Will the result be what you’d anticipated? One event takes a lot of time and energy, so hosting four events in 30 hours is foolhardy, unless you’re in the Sault …
Someone asked me recently what advice I’d have for them towards becoming a writer. I really didn’t know what to offer. After all, I’d only just figured out that I was a writer in the last four years. Now that we’ve launched a book at www.mantracking.ca , I’ve been reflecting on my career path, and laughing at how I ignored …
It’s easy to believe the millions of small ‘lies’ on the Internet
I have two recent examples for you relating to famous quotes. Granted, misattribution has gone on for years, but there seems to be an exponential increase now with the Internet. My favourite Marianne Williamson quote is from her work Return to Love. For years I have been saying that although it was indeed her quote, it was made notable by …
Favourite things in Portugal – brought to you by the letter C
On a recent trip to Lisbon, Portugal, I was struck by the fact that so many of the things that defined my visit started with the letter C. Fittingly, since Christopher Columbus spent so much time in Portugal, and some debate that he was Portuguese, I decided to provide you a list of my seven Cs of Portugal: after all, …
Lake Superior Circle Tour — all around a great trip
In my last column, I’d started the circle trip around Lake Superior and left off at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. While I’d been as far North as Ouimet Canyon once before, I was now in unfamiliar territory. I had a few advantages on my side in terms of trying to plan this trip on the fly. First, I had my …
Parks, scenery, adventures abound in trip around Lake Superior
This morning, from Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay, as the loon beckoned to us from somewhere across the lake, I couldn’t help but think that there is a real upside to the lower population density in the North and the character attribute of Canadians not being boastful. We set off on our trip around Lake Superior, without having …
Back to school reality
As the summer sets on the horizon, I’m trying to repress thoughts of purchasing school supplies, packing lunches, and fighting with the kids to practice their music. Entering any store makes it near impossible to ignore the back to school reality, so I bit the bullet and bought a more expensive knapsack for my daughter. Every time I turned around …
Of Mice and Boys
There’s more than one way to skin a cat, or catch a mouse In the latest tale of mice and men, the score could be construed as mouse 0, man 1. However that wouldn’t tell of the sad fall from grace of my partner, Steve, nor would it describe my search for a better mousetrap. I should start at the …
I just jumped out of a plane at 12,500 feet – What’s wrong with me?
People mark their milestone birthdays differently. Me, I chose a fundamental leap of faith. One month before my 40th birthday, at 12,500 feet, I jumped out of an airplane. I did it quite calmly and without any expectations. Strangely enough, it didn’t really hit me until I was in a Delta passenger airplane on my way home from California. Watching …
Firefighters have a good reputation in the community for a reason
Sir Winston Churchill said: “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” When I started hearing through the grapevine about all of the charitable work of the Sault Ste. Marie firefighters, this quote sprung to mind. We read about them fighting fires, our kids bring home their fire-prevention material, and we see …