Freelancer follies, or how to follow up on unpaid invoices
While Jake and I were out walking the other day, a bird crapped on my head. I’ve heard it’s good luck and maybe that’s true. In my mail that day was payment of an invoice that had been outstanding for months. In my e-mail, promise of more money....
Lee Valley Tools takes the right approach
Christmas catalogues are landing in the mailbox about as fast as the two maple trees next door dropped all their leaves last week. Today’s specimen: Lee Valley Tools. The company is based in Ottawa, but they have a dozen locations across Canada and a thriving...
A gut-wrenching disease in the spotlight in November
November is Crohn’s and colitis awareness month, or as the Crohn’s & Colitis Canada used to call it, “Get Gutsy Month.” So this is my public awareness message for an autoimmune disorder that hits not just close to home but also right...
Get control of your e-mail by limiting its interruptions
A smart reminder from Jakob Nielsen: “…the best way to boost your productivity is to switch off IM, Twitter and the like and refrain from checking your email more than once per hour. Even the shortest interruption costs you several minutes of productivity...Thanks, Studs, for a moment of gaming glory
I have author/historian/actor/broadcaster Studs Terkel to thank for a shining moment of gaming glory. Studs (real name Louis) died on Friday at the age of 96. During a game of Trivial Pursuit, my opponent practically rubbed his hands with glee at the question he was...Reaching for a word II
I’ve written before about the delightful column in The Atlantic where Barbara Wallraff posts reader requests (and ideas) for words that don’t exist but should. I didn’t realize that she also has a book called Word Fugitives until my husband, knowing...
Your name in a book means you’ve been ’tuckerized’ (it’s a good thing)
Astrologers who find new stars get their discoveries named after them; so do researchers identifying new diseases. Did you know that there is at least one writer who has been similarly recognized, although for a practice rather than a discovery? I had never heard the...
Start your glory file to stop imposter syndrome
Here’s a secret about a lot of writers, or maybe just humans. We have fragile egos. We crave positive feedback, and when we don’t get much (or any), we’re often struck by a feeling of “I’m not as good as [fill in name of admired author...