story-telling

My favourite books of the last year (or two)

It’s been awhile since my last favourite book list. Admittedly, there was a long stretch when I was hard pressed to find a good book, let alone recommend one. And then the drought ended and good books started to flow again. Some of the selections below were published this year, while others are a year or two old. Regardless of their birthdate, in my opinion, all are worth the effort. As you Christmas shop or plan your holiday break read, keep these gems in mind: Descent Tim Johnston Once I got into this book, I could not put it down. […]

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 […]

Lessons from a Gogo

I had a Gogo. If you had met him, you’d wish you had a Gogo too. My Ukrainian heritage dictated that I had a Gido (Ukrainian for grandfather). Except when I was little, I couldn’t say Gido. I called him Gogo (pronounced Go-Go). A nickname that started with me, got picked up by my brother, and then the 6 other grandkids and 2 great grandkids after that. Gogo he always was. Maybe it was because Gogo rolled off the tongue pretty easily, or maybe it was because he just couldn’t be anything else. Gogo simply stuck. I feel pretty lucky […]