November Bits and Bobs

My son was telling me about a throwback party he attended at the university bar; the throwback era, he said was mostly between 2012 and 2014. I was momentarily stunned into silence, and then had him list off a few of the songs that they had played: a lot of Pitbull and the Black-Eyed Peas, […]

Conversations With Strangers

Last Wednesday marked the beginning of Tiny Secret Festive Season! If you’re new here, welcome! Everyone is welcome in the Boyhouse. Also, if you’re new, you may be wondering what even is Tiny Secret Festive Season. The short answer is that it is something that I have created to enjoy the Christmas holiday spirit in […]

Still Spooky Season

Harry: Look, when the shit comes down, I’m going to be ready for it. That’s all I’m saying! Sally: Well, in the meantime you’re going to ruin the rest of your life thinking about it. Sally and Harry were discussing death, but I think these viewpoints can be utilized more generally, or, at the very […]

Let Me Eat Cake

One of the things I was most excited to do when I moved here was to restart cross-country skiing; I love it but, sadly, for one reason or another, have not skied in twenty years. Now that I don’t have children in school or classes to teach, I have been eager to restart, and because […]

Just Me Or Everyone

In beginning of The Blind Assassin, my favourite book of all time, there is a scene where octogenarian Iris is presenting an award at the local high school, watching the graduates file on stage. Up they trooped, solemn and radiant, in many sizes, all beautiful as only the young can be beautiful. Even the ugly […]

Gratitude and Grievance

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Yesterday my husband and I took a ten hour road trip to visit my parents. It was a gorgeous drive but I am a tiny bit tired; not, however, as tired as I was Saturday morning when I was woken up several times by a pack of howling coyotes in the vineyard. […]

Hairum Scarum

The thing about moving is that, once a person has moved, there is still so much paperwork to deal with, there are still so many decisions to make, and there is so very much to learn about the new environment. Moving across provinces, I am discovering, means that much time must be spent in a […]