The Very Next Day
One has to appreciate the drama-free life while it’s happening because it can be so short-lived! After I posted about how well things were going, drama unfolded. Looks like I jinxed it and am now researching condo board management. I really didn't want to have to join the board but it is increasingly looking like I should get involved. (It's either that or move and I rather like this place.)...
Smarch
It’s mid-March and the weather has been vacillating between balmy sweater weather and the frozen tundra that need hollowed out tauntauns to stay warm. I’ve chosen to sequester myself indoors until some semblance of summer remains with relative consistency. Estate I’ve been using some of that time to review all things financial. With both my kids now in adulthood, I’ve been reviewing...
The Canal
I’ve lived in Ottawa since I was a teenager. In all of the time I’ve lived here, there has been a tourist attraction: The Rideau Canal Skateway. Every winter, the National Capital Commission prepares and maintains one of the longest skating rinks in the world at just over 7 kilometres in length. Despite the availability and proximity to this attraction, I can’t remember ever taking the t...
jQuery Reunion
Last summer, Richard Worth reached out to see if I’d be interested in attending a jQuery Reunion. I’ve only been to one other conference (Beyond Tellerand) in the last five years and a reunion seemed like the best opportunity to reconnect with people I hadn’t seen in a long time. I was trepidatious going into it as I had no idea who would be in attendance. Did everybody I knew from way b...
That One Time in Japan
I was in Japan with my mom and my son. The country had recently opened up again to tourism and I took the opportunity to take my son on a trip we were supposed to take pre-pandemic that was cancelled due to a typhoon. My mom tagging along this time was a bonus. It is nice to be in a place that isn’t overrun with tourists. Which, like, I get it: I am a tourist. I am the very thing I’m compl...
Easing into the New Year
We’ve reached the perineum of the holidays and I’m enjoying some quiet time before the new year—a perfect time to reflect on the year just spent. Travel This year was a quiet year for air travel, perhaps even quieter than expected. I have been avoiding travel to the States, for the most part. That has meant not getting any status on United next year—the first year in probably 15 year...
Success
As a child of the 80s, I have distinct things that I associate with successful people. We’re talking the age of shows like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Dallas, and Dynasty. Sports like tennis, racquetball, golf, and sailing. People in their white short shorts, and polo shirts, with a headband. Having a briefcase was yet one more sign of success. As a teenager, I had a briefcase. Brass ...
Television is the Worst
It’s gotten to the point where I almost pathologically avoid television shows. Name a popular tv show from the last 20 years and there’s a good chance I haven’t seen it. Game of Thrones? Nope. Succession? Nope. Mr Robot? Nope. Breaking Bad? I saw the first two seasons and gave up. Strangers Things? Also gave up after two seasons. It’s been difficult for me to articulate exactly why I d...