The photo above is of my niece Beth, and it shows the moment when she wrapped herself in the quilt that Martha made for her. She came over during the holidays for a fun evening,… Read More
“Nothing recedes like success.” — Walter Winchell For decades an observer (and sometimes an instigator) of the news, the columnist and broadcaster Walter Winchell certainly witnessed and documented the rise and fall of many a… Read More
Neil Hannon has been performing as the Divine Comedy since he was a young man in Northern Ireland in the late 1980s, and he’s still going strong. I think he’s a remarkable songwriter, and so… Read More
It’s a snow day in St. John’s, and even more so just outside the city, where the snowfall accumulations are really piling up. An odd thing about St. John’s in winter: the closer you are… Read More
“There are two kinds of people in the world — bath people and shower people.”— Yoko Ono Artist Yoko Ono made this quip during an interview in 2002, as collected here by the BBC. I… Read More
I don’t even notice them anymore. Thin plastic hoses, draping down from the ceilings in Memorial University’s network of tunnels, eventually finding their way to buckets. They collect water that otherwise would — and indeed… Read More
“I really didn’t say everything I said.”– Yogi Berra Yogi Berra was an acclaimed catcher for the New York Yankees (a 10-time World Series champ), but he is perhaps better known for what have long… Read More
On Sunday afternoon, we joined a full house at the refurbished Majestic Theatre in downtown St. John’s for a beautiful performance. Anita Best and Pamela Morgan have been singing together for decades, and they do… Read More
“Briefing is not reading. In fact it is the antithesis of reading. Briefing is terse, factual and to the point. Reading is untidy, discursive and perpetually inviting. Briefing closes down a subject, reading opens it… Read More
On Friday afternoon, Joni Mitchell’s official Facebook page shared again a photo that makes people of a certain range of ages and temperaments smile. “A yearly return to this heartwarming moment at David Hockney’s solo exhibition at… Read More
Winter often brings some terrific things to watch on television, and we’re caught up in a few shows currently rolling out. Here are some notes. The Pitt, second season. We quite like the first series… Read More
“I did scary things like that when I was a young woman. I had all of my 20s to fail. I wanted to be a stand-up and then I wanted to be Lily Tomlin. I… Read More
When you’re in St. John’s, you might well walk right by an abandoned house without noticing something’s amiss. Take a closer look, though, and you notice things. The electrical meter is missing, or the paint… Read More
“I have never met a group of people who so routinely make so many personal sacrifices for their job. And they start so young. At a time when people are navigating Grade 8, they basically… Read More
A mug of hot chocolate always eases the sting of a cold winter’s night, and for most of my life, I’ve been content to have a mug of milk (boiling water, if we’re low) heated… Read More