Whew!

It seemed like I was gone forever. And, I suppose in internet time, I was. It's now been a month since my return from holidays and I've been back to work and getting back to my normal routine, but my mind is anything but returned. It, I'm afraid, is still… Read full post »

They say you can't go home again, and until recently I believed them.

After all home, once you leave, is your past. You step out of it and change forever. You construct your own reality, build your life as you see fit, examine your values and set up your world according… Read full post »

I haven't been here much of late. Commenting, reading, sure. Almost every day. But as for actually contributing to the body of work, no. I just don't have it in me.

Because I've been too busy counting down the days to my vacation. And engaging in celebratory fist pumps...… Read full post »

Ever since I can remember, summer to me has meant barefooted days spent stretched out on a blanket reading. I'd get lost between the pages, traveling through imaginary worlds for entire days, preferring to keep my eyes cemented to the book during lunch than to break the spell for even the… Read full post »

I’ve never really been a “camper”, happy or otherwise. Maybe it was something to do with having grown up in a rural area with running water that was spotty at best, but the idea of carrying a whole load of stuff on my back to hang out in the woods has… Read full post »

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?

CM. His grad, my grade 11. We weren't really dating, but... I had an up-do, (I had hair for chrissakes) and even now, looking at the pictures, it's the first time I think I looked like a grown up.  

2. Who was your… Read full post »

Gripped by a crippling ennui caused by heat, stiff muscles, restless sleep, stagnant work projects, and the knowledge that vacation is still a month away, I've been unable to write much of anything.

I'm heading to Nova Scotia for my vacation this summer. Airfare has been purchased, details are being… Read full post »

A quiet evening spent sitting on the front step. 

It rained today--a real, air-cleansing rain, one that soaks into the soil a good inch or so, leaving it spongy and clean-smelling. Now it's stopped though, and the sky has cleared along the western horizon. But there are still places that… Read full post »

Last night as I sat in front of my computer, I opened Facebook. But didn't log in.

I'm still not sure if I opened the page out of reflex, or if I just wanted to look at it for the familiarity. I worry that it's more the former, rather than the… Read full post »

For a little background on what the heck I'm on about, please see:

http://open.salon.com/blog/the_noun/2009/06/02/facebook_free_-_the_first_24_hours
http://open.salon.com/blog/the_noun/2009/06/01/into_the_facebookless_void

Common symptoms of withdrawal include confusion, disorientation, and agitation. C…

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For the background on the torturous experiment I'm embarking on, please read:

http://open.salon.com/blog/the_noun/2009/06/01/into_the_facebookless_void

Day 1 - I changed my Facebook status to say I'm going to be under the radar for the next while, and to phone or email to get in touch with me. I fe… Read full post »

My name is AnnMarie MacKinnon, and I have an attention span of approximately 2.24 seconds. Like most people, I often feel pressed for time, rushing from one thing to the next. I’m in constant contact for all of my waking hours (and for some of my sleeping hours). I tweet, read… Read full post »

Maybe it’s a bit of a cheat, but to break the pattern of not posting, I offer you this. A song that, without fail, always makes me happy when I hear it.

lips quiver lightly
limbs everywhere, skin pulled taut
i can scarcely breathe

innocents once, we
now, thieves under dark covers
taking what we must

in shafts of sunlight
all treasures have been replaced
urge to steal remains

I'd like to bring your attention to a crippling disorder that is afflicting millions of North Americans every day. It's called DOA--Delayed Onset Adulthood. You've probably never heard of it, but neither have 99% of the people who are suffering from this heartbreaking disease.

DOA is a spectrum disor… Read full post »

I have a dream.

In it, I am not wearing pants.

I feel happy, and busy, and relaxed, and challenged.

In this dream, I work for myself at home.

I've worked in publishing for about 8 years now as a writer, editor, and marketeer. To say I love… Read full post »

your hot cogency
ensues, envelopes, then ends
leaving me sated

It’s been a while since I’ve written a halfway decent post. It seems March has been the month of hiding out.

Normally I’m all about hibernation after the holiday season, but normally snap out of it at the end of Inuary (for those uninitiated, this is the two week… Read full post »

As it is Thursday (that not-quite-the-weekend-yet-missy day), it seems appropriate to come up with a list of things that cause me to be peevish–not unlike Thursday itself. I hope to follow it later with a list of things that please me to no end. But until then, in no particular order… Read full post »

Worker: "I won't be coming in to work tomorrow. I need to attend a funeral."
Boss: "How will you be making up the time?"
Worker: "Wow."
BB King: ""The thrill is gone, baby..."

There's a certain quiet euphoria that comes from the realization that you no longer give a fuck--an almost preternatural calm as…

Read full post »

Often when I think of food, the thing that springs to mind is not flavors, textures, or aromas. While I consider myself a foodie, someone who happily slaves away in a hot kitchen all day, who revels in the sights and smells of the grocery store or spends too much time… Read full post »

 I'm not even sure how much I have to say about the many posts concerning domestic violence and women's returning to their abusers. So many people have said so much.

Thanks to Stewie 13 for this thoughtful post:

http://open.salon.com/blog/stewie13/2009/03/01/my_response_why_women_return_to_the… Read full post »