Guilty summer pleasure? Sneaking out to swim
All summer, I kept working away on hot days, even with a pool coolly beckoning. “I’ll finish this project now and swim late in the day,” I told myself. I can’t tell you how many times a glorious sunny day turned dark as rain swept in about 4...
‘Getting rid of’ my kids? Nope, that’s not me
Summer is my season, so even though I enjoy different seasons, this time of year always makes me feel a little down. I’m expecting to feel a little bluer than usual just over a week from now, when our youngest heads off to university. Many people talk about how...
Trying to quit? Smartphones make it difficult
You claim you’re trying to quit. You sneak off to furtively indulge in just one more. You check your pockets often to make sure you have your secret vice with you. In the old days (the Dark Ages, as my kids would say), you’d be a smoker. These days, you’ve...Share the love – comment on social media
(Updated September 2017) A colleague in one of my networking groups, Rob Clark of The Elusive Fish, once likened social media to being at a party. He suggested that just as we would at a party, we need to get out and talk to people. Blogger Jean Gogolin (found through...
No glamour left in the air
Remember when flying used to be glamorous and exciting? You’d look forward to your trip. Flight attendants were cheerful and helpful, and gave out blankets and pillows so you’d be more comfortable. On long flights, you’d get a hot meal chosen from a...
Thanks, Air Canada – Baggage blues averted
Can you explain to me what on earth I was thinking? When I packed my bags for a visit to Calgary last week, I deliberately put a bottle of wine for my cousin in my carry-on bag, for safekeeping. That’s right. A container with more than 100 ml (3.4 oz) of liquid....Marketers are keeping up with the Joneses
Marketers are going after another supposedly influential group these days: Generation Jones, a term coined by Los Angeles “culture expert” Jonathan Pontell. This is the group within Baby Boomers born between 1954 and 1965. It probably tells you something...In renovations, writing or life, don’t wait for perfection
When my elderly neighbour passed away more than a year ago, his daughter took time to mourn. Then she started the task of cleaning up and fixing up, intending to sell the place. It’s a small two-bedroom bungalow, so the likely buyer will be elderly. The...