There have been a few. Where to begin? I nearly died of tetanus when I was five. I can still remember the hideous ether hallucination that an inept country doctor caused when he nearly overdosed me while doing a biopsy on my jaw. It took me days to wake up. I… Read full post »

In the light of what seems to be a rash of OS bloggers dictating what comments they will or won't accept on their blogs I need to get something off my chest. That is an attitude that really, really chaps my britches. 

Here's how I break it down: Some people… Read full post »

Given all the comic U.S./Canadian invasion brouhaha and banter that has been going on at OS as of late, I have decided to take this opportunity to show Canadian superiority in the culinary department. Presto, I am sharing some quintessential down-home Canadian recipes -- my versions of them – a… Read full post »

My general life addictions without going into too many gory details:

Freedom

Sunshine

Fresh air

Nature --ocean, mountains, flowers, trees, desert. The wonder and terror of it all

Beauty

Love -- my husband and family, most of the time anyway

Physical affection

Writing, doing it and reading it,… Read full post »

As a former film critic, I’ve seen countless movies, the good, the bad, the indifferent, and ones that made me want to hurl something at the screen for stealing time from my life that I could never have back. One of the best things about not being a film critic any… Read full post »

One of the first things I ever said to my husband-to-be was that I was not going to get married. Marriage, I told him, was for people who felt compelled to make it legal for religious reasons, or because they wanted children, or had decided to gamble that they wouldn’t be… Read full post »

For some time now it has become commonplace for people to refer to themselves as beautiful, gorgeous, smart, brilliant, funny, spectacular, profound, and my least favourite descriptor, special. I’m not talking about personal ads where such hyperbole is apparently expected, truth be damned. I am… Read full post »

Many moons ago I interviewed Marion Ross of Happy Days for TV Guide Canada and she gave me one of her favourite recipes. Although her Lebanese husband was the chef in the family, this is one dish that… Read full post »

There are a million nacho dip recipes out there, but this one is special. Cream cheese special. I first sampled it at a party. I remember hovering over it almost the whole time I was there, which was kind of embarassing since I didn't know the hosts, but the dip was… Read full post »

When I first arrived here about six weeks ago, I was absolutely thrilled to have discovered OpenSalon. I'd been an on/off again member of Salon for a long time, but was more off than on in recent years. I hadn't been writing very much either, perhaps a reaction to having written… Read full post »

Potatoes Dauphinoise

I love all things potatoes and this is one of my favourite potato dishes. This French recipe was created in the 18th century in the "Land of the four mountains": Lans, Villard de Lans, Autrans and Sassenage. The original recipe calls for heavy cream -- … Read full post »

Some OS regulars might recall that I made several impassioned comments about teaching and the state of education on one of Shelle Stormoe’s blog posts my first week here. Most of them were of the “love teaching, hate the administration and some students, I can’t wait to get out&rdqu… Read full post »

 Ardee's Sunday’s blog about the quintessential question of the Boomer Generation – which do you prefer, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones – got me thinking about the movie A Hard Day’s Night for the first time in a long time. I’d nearly forgotten the… Read full post »

I’ve been making ratatouille all of my adult life. Ever since a Hungarian college friend in Montreal introduced me to this savoury vegetable dish, I’ve been hooked on it. For some bizarre reason however, I’ve never actually written down a recipe until now.  Making it up as I go… Read full post »

Born in a prairie blizzard, I’m a double fire sign and sun worshipper, inveterate traveler and bon vivant. Independent, free-thinking, friendly, loyal and foolishly honest at times. Journalist/writer, film/theatre/music/restaurant critic, teacher, life coach. Married twice, no children, one sis… Read full post »

Baked Brie

Doesn't everyone love hot, gooey, runny cheese? I know I do. Brie wrapped in pastry and baked until it has thoroughly melted inside is one of the world's easiest yet tastiest appetizers.  I also like to serve it as a dessert. This is one of those dishes that never… Read full post »

I've been racking my brain trying to remember the most interesting of my New Year's Eves. I have the usual litany of wild parties, drunken, drug-fuelled escapades (can't remember all of those that clearly anyway), exotic locations (Rio, Koh Samui, London, my back yard) and one dreadful party with bor… Read full post »

I cannot bear to be confined in a small, windowless, airless space.

Oddly enough, I love flying, or used to before planes turned into flying cattle cars. The feeling of being suspended in space with limitless vistas ahead of me used to always fill me with anticipation and glee. Sometimes… Read full post »

The old joke goes: it’s a recession when your neighbour loses his job, a depression when you lose yours. Depression is a word, a metaphor, an illness and a ghost that has haunted my life from my earliest memory.  I was born at the end of the baby boom into one… Read full post »

This is based on a true childhood story. Only the names have been changed.

    Tessa shifted in her lumpy bed as she opened her eyes and stared out of the bedroom window. Christmas Day had dawned cold and grey. She dressed quickly, pulling on long underwear, a flannel shirt and… Read full post »

Dear Mother,

I thought I had shed my last tear. Tears of rage, regret, guilt and sadness have been pouring out of me for a year. Yet it seems I still have more to cry. After I visited you in the care home yesterday, I drove home and wept some more.… Read full post »