Trashy costume? Yawn.

Halloween 1980: I was headed out the door with a face of fake freckles and a neon orange fringe. My date matched me freckle for freckle. There were over sized red felt hearts glued to our chest. We were Raggedy Anne and Raggedy Andy, ready for the teen party circuit. I was aiming for ironic and cute but dorky was more like it.

Halloween 2012: Google that iconic doll and this pops up. Dorky has left the building. No sign of a revival here.

 

Read more »

Read More

Epic Battles and other Monday blues

Put up your hand if your alarm clock provoked a shudder and huddle early this morning.
Peek outside. Gloom.
Our autumn palette clings to the trees and one hopes the coming storm will not sweep it all away.  Will we city dwellers face power failures and flooding as some have predicted? Thousands of flights are grounded and traffic is already a nightmare or so the radio chirps.
In other alarming news, Justin Bieber will perform at halftime during the Grey Cup next month.

Can you blame our household for hiding under the duvet?

Read more »

Read More

Red Letter Day: Zombie alert!

Another Red Letter Day List: weekend browsing is my gift to you so click pink for fun links!

Read more »

Read More

In the beginning I was a TV intern

If advising your younger self were an option, what would you say? 

Read more »

Read More

What does it take to be a good man?

Read more »

Read More

Red Letter Day: The List

Life grim? Perk up. Find a reason to sneak in a little joy.
It's FRIDAY!
Red Letter Day!
Browse awhile. Sneak in a smile. Some links for you:

Read more »

Read More

Love me, love what I love? Not always.

Ragtime has been playing to record crowds at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the -Lake since it opened in April earlier this year. Critical response has been generous but I know of at least two holdouts.


Read more »

Read More

Waiting for the parody. Brad does Chanel.

My first perfume was Love's Baby Soft. It didn't last long on my adolescent vanity.

For around the time I discovered mascara, I took my first heavenly whiff of Chanel #5 perfume. I was immediately smitten. Wearing it was better than the sexy black dresses deemed too adult for my teen image.

These days I have graduated to other equally potent Chanel scents but my daughter has inherited my beloved #5. But will the classic scent endure this abysmal new ad featuring Brad Pitt?
Read more »

Read More

Girl power lesson #1: book the funny lady

We heard lots of chatter about "girl power" this week thanks to the efforts of Plan Canada and their campaign to get girls to recognise, and be recognised for their own power to change communities.

It is a mission shared by writer and comedian Amy Poehler, former Saturday Night Live cast member and now star of Parks and Recreation. Poehler has launched a new Web series, Smart Girls at the Party, showcasing"girls who are changing the world by being themselves".

Read more »

Read More

Missing the point

Today is the first International Day of the Girl, declared by the United Nations as a movement to speak out against gender bias and advocate for girls rights everywhere.

In our corner of the world, advocacy has gone a long way for us girls  (in our house, we outnumber 3 to 1). Women are taking over, building a sparkling new matriarchy that spells The End Of Men. That's the title, and thesis, from author Hanna Rosin, whose bestseller is on my book club's reading list to digest later this year.

Her thesis is part myth, however fanciful the notion.
This morning, as I sat at an awards assembly at my kids all girls high school, I listened to the short address that saluted this new declaration and waited for the news blast that surely would have startled them awake from their morning slumps:

Read more »

Read More

Thanksgiving pulse

When I was a kid, sharing Thanksgiving meant a squished seat between relatives and a truck sized turkey. Around the table we went, as requested, sharing something we were thankful for and nothing was off limits. Your answer, for example, might be the four helpings of mashed potatoes I am about to eat.  Not soon enough, late as I am to most things if you ask my friends, I figured out that it was those excess of relatives and very existence of a bird at the table that might give me pause. But I digress.
Today, as the annual gobble season looms, family rituals stick. Here's what I'll say this year:
Read more »

Read More