The real reason the Oilers suck
It’s not the coach, our defense, offense, youthfulness nor the fact that we don’t have a A-lister goalie. It’s not because it is a “building” year, or because we don’t check enough, lack locker room leadership, or [insert any theory here]. Every year for the past 6 years we hear all of these excuses as reasons for our team’s lackluster performance. The Oilers themselves know they suck. They have fired coaches and GMs, traded, benched and publicly berated players. Yet nothing changes. We continue to lose. We continue to live in the league’s basement. Why? What’s the real reason the […]
Look forward and back
Every so often opportunities come along where you step back and realize life has been preparing you for that exact moment in time. Before these moments happen, you catch yourself in challenging, everyday experiences and think, “Why am I doing this?”, “What’s the point?”, or most appropriately, “Is this actually happening?” 🙂 You wonder if your efforts, toil and stress are taking you towards something hard-earned and great, or if you will be left with only bruises and (hopefully) lessons learned. Lately, I’ve been lucky enough to have a few of these a-ha moments, both personally and professionally. Extreme moments of […]
Green thumb
Every spring, I experience many “This is Actually Happening” moments in my yard. I may have watched the movie American Beauty a few too many times, but I say honestly that sometimes there is so much beauty in my front and back yard, it hurts. And at this time of year, beauty doesn’t come in a showy or full package. There is beauty in what pokes out of the soil. Beauty in how easily everything multiplies and morphs. Beauty in how nothing becomes something, roots become flowers, flowers become fruit. While all this beauty happens around me, I simply stand back […]
Wearing bloomers leads to career success
You’d never think wearing bloomers would get you anywhere. But it did. I had the best worst job for two summers of university. I was a role player and a tour guide at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. What does that entail and how was it both the best and the worst? First, a bit of dirt on “The Village”. For those that haven’t spent time at The Village, it is a living history museum just east of Edmonton on Highway 16 that recreates the lives of Ukrainian settlers in East Central Alberta from 1899 to 1930. The buildings on […]
Introvert? Hello, Rockstar
Once upon a time, not that long ago, the quiet ones among us kept quiet about the fact we were quiet. We tried to hide or make excuses for the fact that we didn’t like big groups, had zero interest in being the center of attention, and liked time spent alone. There was a time when being an introvert was a bad thing. Not anymore. Over the last couple of years, the introverts among us have quietly crept up, positioning ourselves as tomorrow’s rockstars. The cool kids. The A-listers. The sought-after ones. Susan Cain’s book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts […]
A tourist’s guide to the gym
It’s January. Tourist season. People are flocking to the gym for the first time in ages to make good on their resolution for fitness, health, a slimmer waistline, better pecs. Tourist season can be a frustrating time for both gym locals and gym tourists. The locals, who call the gym home every month of the year, appreciate that tourists want to love the gym as they do, but groan at the increased traffic, the fact that long held traditions aren’t being followed, and that their regular routine is disrupted, even if just for a brief period of time. The tourists, […]
On turning 40
Today, I am 40. The big 4-0. The first true milestone birthday of real adulthood. While 40 and I have only known each other briefly, here’s what I know about this much discussed age. It is…. An age with a reputation problem. An age that offers no apologies. An age that brings a suitcase of expectations when it comes to visit. An age that makes you realize when you were 16, you wrote the story all wrong. An age that dead bolts many doors shut, and opens up ones you’ve been trying to pry for years. An age that everyone […]
My favourite books of 2012
The year started off slow. I struggled to find a book that made me want to keep reading. And then the flood gates opened. One great book begat another, and another, and another. I even found a book that I count as one of my favourite books of all time. Now that doesn’t happen every year. While 2012 is not over, I thought I’d share my list now in case you wanted to pick up one or more of these for the favourite people on your Christmas list. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking […]