I’m not a pot smoker but I have done it in the distant past and I did inhale and hold it. Â It made me paranoid. Â I remember sitting in the corner at a Halloween party long, long ago, convinced everyone there was talking about me! I’ve never been a big fan of huge house parties anyway but that one was possibly my worst experience. I don’t ever plan to get acquainted with a joint again. …
I’ve long described myself as claustrophobic but I seem to be getting better at handling it. …
Even if you don’t care a whit about Miley Cyrus, current music or the MTV Video Music Awards you probably couldn’t escape some sort of commentary about what happened last Sunday night. …
Four years ago, US serviceman Jesse Cottle stepped on an IED in Afghanistan and both of his legs were blown off. Â During his recovery, he met a beautiful woman named Kelly and they fell in love. Â They’re about to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Â …
June was Celibacy Month. Â Blair and I made a bet on The Big Show back then to see who could go the longest without, you know. Like Ray Romano on Everybody Loves Raymond, I declaredmyself a “sex camel”. I was probably going to win – but Blair didn’t even last one night! Â …
If you’ve ever read the comments after newspaper articles you know that there are too many people who have too much time on their hands.  They’re called trolls and they always hide behind anonymity. …
A hundred years ago when I started in radio and snagged my first full-time job in Red Deer, Alberta, a wonderful, quirky, hilarious newscaster took me in as her roommate.  This weekend that woman and I are finishing up her visit from Winnipeg and I’m grateful that she’s still in my life and as hilarious as ever. …
Our friend Jennifer Watts has the sweetest little dog named Miley. Â …
I’m tickled to be a guest on the upcoming season of The Book Nook With Sarah on Rogers TV here in London. Sarah Hilton is a pro from the word go. She is a speaking coach and motivational speaker and taping the show with her was delightful. I don’t know the air date yet but she has already done something else that’s terrific to promote local authors. …
Boy oh boy, some people have too little to think about. Â …
You’d think former journalists would know better.  Apparently not. …
By now you must have heard of Duck Dynasty. The show about a homespun Louisiana family and their multi-million dollar duck-call company, Duck Commander, returned for season four this week with record-shattering ratings: 11.4-million people, the most ever for a reality show on cable. …
I could not believe the selfishness of some parents at the Royal Tyrrell Museum last week, and it must occur at all public spaces. Â There’s nothing wrong with schlepping little junior through in a stroller, but does it have to be the Hummer of strollers? Â …
We have mused and fantasized about owning an RV or trailer for as long as we’ve been together. Â …
One of the most gratifying aspects of writing is getting feedback from readers. Whether it’s this blog or my House Proud column or a book, the fact that something I did compelled someone to take the time to communicate with me is something I will never take for granted.
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My cousin BA, Aunt Wanda and I scooted over to Strathmore from Calgary and picked up two more cousins, Mike and Wanda and Wanda’s boyfriend Dave, for our excursion to Drumheller. …
On my plane ride to Calgary my seatmate, a man who had retired at 27 and somehow escaped without me strangling him in a jealous rage, said “You HAVE to go to the Columbia Icefield!” Â Apparently it has receded tremendously in the decades since I last saw it. I vividly recall running toward the plain of ice and recoiling in horror as a stranger next to me suddenly began urinating on its edge. Â …
Ah Calgary. It’s the Canadian city of exponential growth and recent, devastating flooding. It’s also the home of my closest cousin, my sister-from-another-mister, Barbara-Anne and her family. …