April 27th is Tell-a-Story Day. It is also what would have been my Pop’s 71st birthday. Time for another story with him. Pop did his PhD in the mid- to late-Seventies, on the topic of cocaine. Specifically, the study looked at the effects of coca leaf extracts on the physiology of rats, as a way to understand... Continue Reading →
Facebook philosophy
I use Facebook frequently (as I've written about before). It is a valuable tool for me for staying connected to friends. I have learned many interesting things - read about news and events that I otherwise would be unaware of. I've been entertained, moved, challenged by post from friends and strangers. I've been on Facebook... Continue Reading →
Book of Treasures: Grade 9
Grade 9: 1980, JH Bruns Collegiate, Winnipeg, MB. Homeroom teacher - Mr. O. Veldnick This is me in grade 9 – except it’s not, as I don’t have a class picture from grade 9 to share. Grade 9 was the great convergence of students from the three local elementary schools into the one collegiate (a... Continue Reading →
The Only Story, by Julian Barnes. Book report # un-numberable (2018)
The Only Story, by Julian Barnes. Pub 2018 "Sometimes you see a couple, and they seem bored witless with one another, and you can't imagine them having anything in common, or why they're still living together. But it's not just habit or complacency or convention or anything like that. It's because once, they had their... Continue Reading →
Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande. Book Reports #2-6 (2018)
Being on vacation is a great way to catch up on reading: Book report #2: Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande. Pub 2014 A very thoughtful gift from a dear friend, this book was full of meaning for me. As I crest middle-age and look forward, considerations of aging – from where and how to live, and... Continue Reading →
Food on Film
Another cinematic list, about another favourite topic - food. Eating is a universal activity, and yet it doesn't get portrayed very well or often in movies. Here are some of my favourites, for times when you want to eat vicariously or need culinary inspiration. Babette's Feast (1987, Gabriel Axel). Starring Stéphan Audran, Birgitte Federspiel, Bodil... Continue Reading →
The Elements of Eloquence, by Mark Forsyth. Book report #1 (2018)
The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase, by Mark Forsyth. Pub 2013 I found this book after seeing a Facebook post about the section on hyperbaton (defying the logical/grammatical order of words in a sentence). Hyperbaton covers three areas: prepositions (Shut up!), vowel order (tic-tac-toe), and word order (esp. adjectives and adjective-noun).... Continue Reading →
2018 Reading Challenge
Last year's reading challenge was a success, so we're repeating it in 2018, with a modified and longer list this year. The list is below. Any suggestions for additional categories? --------------------------------------------------------------- 2018 Reading Challenge (RSJ style) A book about or involving a murder (fiction or non-fiction). A book with a body part in the title.... Continue Reading →
Some Great Thing, by Lawrence Hill. Book report #26 (2017)
Some Great Thing, by Lawrence Hill. Pub 1992 I found this book when searching for a book set in Winnipeg (of which there are few) and a book published in 1992. Like The Republic of Love, this one met both criteria, and also happened to be one I’d not read before. Et voila, book 26!... Continue Reading →
Good Bones and Simple Murders, by Margaret Atwood. Book report #25 (2017)
Good Bones and Simple Murders, by Margaret Atwood. Pub 1994 (from material 1982-1994). An interesting if uneven collection of pieces, the material verges from short story to elegiac poem, covering science fiction, historical fiction and anthropomorphic portrayal. All with a healthy dose of strident feminism and a sprinkle of environmental guilt. While I usually like... Continue Reading →
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