For many years, I’ve delighted in telling people about a library in St. John’s that most folks have never seen — nor even heard of. I’ve written an article for the summer issue of NQ,… Read More
“We have things that grow outside of the house but I wouldn’t really call it a garden.”— Roz Chast A prime attraction of The New Yorker for almost five decades, the cartoonist Roz Chast draws… Read More
“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it emotionally.”— Flannery O’Connor You won’t find photos of the American author Flannery O’Connor as an old woman, nor even really of a middle-aged… Read More
Even before I started reading up on dementia in early 2024, when my mother’s Alzheimer’s was presenting itself, I knew about the phenomenon of wanting to go home. I heard about it from friends, who… Read More
For almost a year, I’ve been eating from a breakfast bowl that often isn’t much to look at, but I can say without reservations that it’s had a great effect on my health. The goal… Read More
Like hundreds of millions of others, we’ve been watching the men’s World Cup. Sometimes we’re at home, but we’ve been making a point of joining others for a communal watch at bars downtown. This is… Read More
You’re not supposed to have a special auntie, but we all do, I think. I was fortunate to grow up with plenty of aunts and uncles, and wonderful family connections, but Trish Cogswell was the… Read More
On Wednesday, Martha and I stopped for a pint and caught the final stretch of the England-Congo match at the World Cup. Congo was leading 1-0, and then — boom. Harry Kane scored not one… Read More
I’ll be on CBC Radio’s The Signal with host Adam Walsh this Friday for the kick-up-your-feetest hour of radio. Well, that’s the intention. It’s time for another trivia show, and I’m … what? thrilled? ecstatic?… Read More
“I believe the climax of our troubles will be reached within the next few days, (after which the day of peace will quickly draw near), though they will undoubtedly bring trouble to many. Jim and… Read More
“A bore is a fellow who opens his mouth and puts his feats in it.”— Henry Ford Henry Ford’s well-known observation has a decent pun in it, as well as a sharp insight into human… Read More
My mobile phone rang, and my mom’s name was on the screen. It was almost a couple of hours after she went to bed, so I quickly prepared myself for whatever prompted her to call. … Read More
One of the peculiarities of journalism is hewing to a phrase that is the right usage, yet does not appear to be grammatically correct. An example is the Tim Hortons coffee chain, and another is the Sobeys supermarket chain…. Read More
I love libraries. I wish the libraries in St. John’s were like cathedrals, that there were more of them, that they were better located and that they had better resources for public use and service…. Read More
“I began to understand that self-esteem isn’t everything; it’s just that there’s nothing without it.”— Gloria Steinem Self-esteem has been on my mind a bit lately, for a variety of reasons. One thing that has… Read More