Trusting Community
Last Thursday I was playing in my weekly Tier 2 Men’s Basketball League game. We won, but that’s not what this story is about. This story is about trust. As I sat on the bench during the game (I get…
Pedal Etiquette – Drivers are too nice!
Most weekdays see me ride my bike home from work. And the lovely and talented Michelle Burtnyk-Horn rides to and from work every day. Recently, we had a chat about similar problems that we were having with drivers at four-way-stops.Long…
“I Am Enough” – Wholehearted Communities
I just finished watching a very awesome TEDx Talk by Brene Brown, who is Research Professor at the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work. As a self-described Storyteller – though she admittedly downplays this colloquial title in the…
On Getting Old
It’s Saturday afternoon. As I type this every part of my body is throbbing with the dull ache of stiffness, fatigue, defeat, and aging. On Thursday night, my basketball team was thoroughly trounced by our younger, sprier opponents. The nine…
October – the best month of them all
Ok. I admit it. I’m biased. I happen to have a birthday that falls right at the beginning of the month. But that’s not why I like – no scratch that – love October. Let’s start with the season itself…
Overhearing Community
And my point is this. Listen to the people around you. In addition to all of the hilarious stuff that we spout-off, there are also a lot of interesting, meaningful and touching snapshots of creative concepts that we might overhear that might be world-change-worthy that might inspire the best idea you’ve ever had. So listen to your community. Trust me – and trust Dave and Graham – it’ll be pretty great.
School lunch – tastier than I remember
For the past few weeks I’ve been deployed to Churchill Secondary School with other VSB exempt staff. We’ve been tasked with supervising school lunch. Each day I arrive at 11:40 and plant myself in front of the lunch line. When…
Theatre and Education Partnership a Win-Win
Yesterday was a big day for theatre and education (at least in Vancouver). It was a kick off of a new partnership between Green Thumb Theatre and the Vancouver School Board. The aim of the partnership was to preserve one of…
English Bay’s Bulk Carriers Revealed
Ever notice that Vancouver’s English Bay skyline is constantly littered with those, squat, red-hulled ships? Or maybe not. They’re such an omnipresent feature of our surroundings, that we pay them little heed despite their importance. Each of these modern-day merchant…
Vacations and Canada’s Work Ethic
I love the rumour/fact that the French are in possession of the most productive economy on the planet. The argument that the French get the most done while spending the least amount of time at work was recently put forward by Business Insider’s John Carney and Vincent Fernando. The Wall Street Journal and MSNBC, however, counter with some solid arguments about American productivity – not only do Americans spend more time at work, but they also produce more wealth-per-person than anywhere else.