Imagine that you are going to be away for a long period of time, and so you ask your good neighbour to take care of the house for you. He says “Of course! No worries. I’ll be happy to.” Then he says, “By the way, we’ve got guests […]
We don’t see suspenders holding up pants much these days, except on some business attire, at Pride parades, and in wedding parties. And, it is one of the quirks of the language that in the U.S. braces are the wire restraints on teeth, and in the UK suspenders […]
Is coffee good for you, or bad? How about wine? What is the latest on gluten–does anyone know? Warm-up exercises are either essential or a waste of time, and homeopathic remedies are either closer to nature or criminally dangerous. It seems as though we have been […]
Several years ago I met someone online whose empathy helped me with the daily tribulations that accompanied my husband’s illness and, ultimately, his death. I appreciated his friendship and looked forward to exchanging emails with him. Unfortunately, it turned out that his empathy was not without self-interest. Little […]
The more complex a thing is, the more likely I am to trust it. Things like online statements of understanding, loan contracts, and car maintenance estimates have become the pause before the signature. I don’t usually read them. Some of you will now be saying things like “What […]
My ventromedial prefrontal cortex is shrinking! At least, that’s my excuse. I recently read an article in the Globe and Mail which says that as we get older our ability to doubt is impaired because this part of the brain begins to shrink.* This means that we are […]
I am a snowbird who travels south for the winter. When I get there I have a bird of paradise plant on my patio.
