Rascal scooter to the rescue: an alternative to Ottawa public transit (part one) When I was a child my mom always called me “little rascal,” normally in Ukrainian, the language that her Polish family adopted when they came to Canada just before World War One. “Malenʹkyy dyyavol” she would yelp when I misbehaved…literally “little devil.”..
Random Thoughts on “Black Friday” My wife Anne is a latecomer to North American culture. Growing up in Communist Czechoslovakia, she learned at a very early age to tune out the constant drumbeat of mendacious propaganda. This impermeable filter has served her well in the Ameri-Canadian commercial sphere where orgies of greed punctuate a perpetual..
Noisy neighbours “Good fences make good neighbours” – Robert Frost “Hell is other people” – Jean-Paul Sartre We had been living in Paradise…until the new neighbours moved in. Before coming to France in the fall of 2021, we had never resided in a dwelling without at least one adjoining wall. And we paid the price..
Pet Influencers…Belatedly Learning How to Pet I am hopeless at marketing: technologically illiterate, too embarrassed to crank up the B.S. bazooka to fine mist, and too pressed for time to learn how to become a literary marketeer. I just learned that there is a marketing concept called Pet Influencers. https://afluencer.com/how-become-pet-influencer/ https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/11/6/18066056/dog-instagram-famous-pet-influencers https://afluencer.com/how-make-dog-influencer/ https://swaygroup.com/pet-influencer-marketing/..
I can’t get no…family doctor Being new to Ontario, my wife and I assiduously followed the Ontario Health Insurance Plan instructions and put our names on a waiting list for a family doctor. We learned that there are about 250,000 supplicants without a personal physician in our city alone. By the time we’re allocated..
The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour 2024 My book titled My Time with You Has Been Short but Very Funny is a candidate for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual Canadian literary award presented for..
A few pops Returning to Canada after spending well over two years in France – and moving to a city where English is the predominant language – have been quite a shock to say the least! (So have the incredibly high prices here in Canada…but that’s a whole other story for another day.) ..
The real reason that we returned to Canada: My wife Anne missed Simons too much to remain in France. Here is an excerpt from the story “Excuse My French” from the book entitled My Time with You Has Been Short but Very Funny. Simons, a clothing and department store, is a Quebec and even..
Weetabix: The Song My old friend Andy McClelland is a brilliant singer/songwriter. Recently Andy has taken some of the silly song lyrics and doggerel that I’ve written and turned this dross into some golden tunes. Our most recent collaboration is “The Weetabix Song” that Andy has created based on a satiric little piece that I..
Recyclage du livre My Time with You Has Been Short but Very Funny en français! Lancement du livre Book launch Aujourd’hui, je suis ravi d’annoncer le lancement de la version française de mon livre. Today I’m thrilled to announce the launching of the French version of my book. Recyclage du livre My Time with You..