Welcome to the first installment of “The Fab List”, a semi-regular feature that will list some of my favourite places, people and things.
Let me clarify: these lists are in no way scientific, comprehensive, or objective. You will probably not learn anything by reading them. You may not even be entertained. However, such is the […]
In my quest to be a better (happier, self-sufficient, less blister-prone) traveller, I’ve gradually learned that enjoyment while on the road exists in a direct relationship with the amount of crap you choose to carry on your back.
Recently, I’ve discovered the semi-revolutionary notion that all (and I mean ALL) your travel gear can be carried […]
For those of us with an eye to the south, Thanksgiving American-style (with more Martha Stewart than our northerly version of the same turkey/cranberry festival) just flapped through the weekend, inspiring a number of bloggers to muse on the idea of GRATITUDE.
Tim Ferris, for example, took note of research indicating that the practice of […]
LOST: 1 80-year old Douglas Fir tree (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Home to visiting eagles, ravens, crows, red-shafted flickers, warblers, and at least one raccoon. Last seen towering above our neighbourhood in spring 2006.
We miss you.
Quick, name all the songs about cars you can think of. Ok, Gary Numan (for all of us with grey hair), pretty much anything by Bruce Springsteen…oh, and what about “Greased Lightning”? Of course, Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” has to make the list, as well as “Little Deuce Coupe” by the Beachboys.
My point (besides noting […]
This summer, my darling friend Diane of Global Peasant fame decided to create her own 30-day challenge: 30 days of saying no, non & no thanks to our ubiquitous modern-day companion, the ever-present plastic bag. Instead, she relied on a bright orange market bag, a few of her own handbags, and even her arms (in […]
Baggage. If I could reduce my life to perhaps one or two thematic elements, the image of a suitcase (or a backpack) would predominate. I’ve spent years attempting to shed burdens, from the psychological (what a waste of time - those weights are stapled on for good) to the mundanely physical (anyone want to buy […]
My bookshelf harbours some strange beasts: Chuck Palahniuk sharing space (and spliffs?) with Pierre Berton, Rachel Carson nudging Watership Down for attention, and the inevitable paperback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. But perhaps the jewel in my campy collection is my battered paperback edition of Robert Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys.
Since childhood, […]
I freely admit that we have a dysfunctional relationship, music and I. When I was about 5, I discovered my older brother’s David Bowie albums in the attic and promptly memorized a whole bunch of really inappropriate lyrics, which I would happily sing loudly when guests came over. At 6 I started sitting at the […]
One of my favourite songs in the whole wide world is Bill Wither’s 1977 hit, Lovely Day. This song can transform my mood from sad to glad in a heartbeat. And it’s often a song that I hum when I’m riding my bicycle through the wet and wild city on my way to one of […]