Why does this word sound so familiar but I have no clue what the heck it is? — I’ve read the word in books before but going off the various contexts I’ve read it in, I still have no idea what the fuck a crampon is. So rather than googling it in the relative safety of my brain’s quiet chaos, I figured it would be more my style…

Observations and incidents — 1. I’ve been writing all morning, and rather than get up to make myself a healthy lunch, I keep eating these mini candy canes on my desk that were leftovers from Christmas. I’ve eaten so many of them that my fingers are shaking from the sugar rush I’m currently experiencing…

Material things that would definitely make me a better person — “I wish I had a zip line in my backyard,” I say to Lucy as we walk the path in one of our local parks. Once upon a time, I’d go on park crawls with my children, and now I venture out with my dog. A park crawl, if you…

In my defence, I felt really, really bad about it — When I was 19 years old, I packed my essential belongings (toothbrush, jean skirts, baby blue gumboots with the brass buckles, my beloved brass knuckles, a carton of cigarettes, and laptop) into an oversized duffle bag and skipped the province. I suppose I can’t really call it “skipping” the province…

Observations and incidents — I listened to The Unfocused Writer podcast as soon as I woke up today. I was still waiting for my coffee to perk while locating it on Spotify. It was simply fantastic. Chris and Kristi are an incredible podcast team; their banter is hilarious. They talk about life and writing…

Observations and incidents — 1. As I was walking Lucy in the fog this morning, I saw a strange character coming toward us. It frightened me. Not because I am a small woman walking alone on a dark path but because of how this man ambled straight for us. He was running in the…

What have I become? — Once upon a time, I had a very rude man living next door to me. On our street, we had limited parking. Because this story takes place in the land of the working-class suburbs, each family household averaged two cars to each lot. We were no different. …

A story about poop — Every day I go out into the world and am forced to battle with a 90-pound beast during her relentless quest to consume all varieties of fecal matter. I never remember my childhood dogs eating shit. Perhaps they did, and I was too busy building snow tunnels or running away…

A birthday listicle from LRB — I’m sitting at my desk, drinking a black coffee (because I’m a monster), wearing a fuzzy robe and no pants. That’s my first bit of wisdom — avoid pants at all costs. …