a peek inside the fishbowl

Some of my Twitter and Facebook friends are probably already aware that I’m in the middle of a Dry January. No beer, no cider, no wine, no alcohol whatsoever, for the entire month. So far so good! :) I’ve been doing a lot of reading about what alcohol does to our brain and body. If […]

Last night, Mark and I had the pleasure of attending the 19th annual United Way Community Builder of the Year Awards Gala at the Shaw Centre. I’ve been a few times and it’s always a great event. Good food, good chatting, and of course, a chance to learn about some of the people and the […]

When I was 18 I visited family in the Czech Republic for the first time. It wasn’t long after the Berlin wall had come down. I never expected to be able to go there, back to the motherland, but I did. I stayed with my grandmother, my mother’s mother, who lived in Prague. I remember […]

Last week I decided to mark Valentine’s Day with an appointment to give blood and today is the day. I’m writing about it here because I’ve decided that Valentine’s Day should be associated with more than just chocolate, flowers, and cards. Why not add blood donation to the list? Here’s the thing: A lot of […]

“When you eat an orange, eat an orange.” I don’t know who originally said this. Some sources attribute it to an unnamed Zen master, others, to Vietnamese Buddhist monk and religious leader, Thich Nhat Hanh. Regardless who said it, this philosophy is one I try to live by and instill in our kids. It reminds […]