Category: Life & Times
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When You Are Trapped in an Elevator for Two Hours…
When the lights flickered and the elevator went pitch dark, I didn’t give it a second thought. The nearby Hurontario Light Rail Construction had been causing a few planned and unplanned power outages in our building. I was on my way down to the parking garage when the elevator ground to a halt. “It should…
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Apartment Living: 18 Things to Know Before Downsizing
✏️ Update: November 2, 2024 Ten years ago, when I sold my house and moved into a condominium, I had only positive things to say about the transition. Some of the challenges, costs, and considerations of apartment living were not apparent to me until I started living in one. When living in Multi-Unit Residential Buildings…
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When Friends Get Old, But Friendships Don’t
The shrill calls of the door-to-door vegetable vendor interrupted my thoughts. I had been skimming the newspaper headlines as I sipped tea sitting on the porch of my friend’s house in Chandigarh, India. The greenery around the house and the incessant chirping of the birds provided the perfect backdrop for a lazy morning. As the…
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Can Companies Justify a Return-to-Office Mandate?
It is a classic case of employer-employee misalignment. Over 81% of employees in a recent survey indicated that they enjoyed working from home. Yet, 79% of the survey respondents believe their employers expect them to revert to in-office work soon. That begs the question: Can companies justify a return-to-office mandate? It’s been two years since life…
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Post-Pandemic Air Travel and a New Fear of Flying
Fifteen months, a few untimely deaths in the family, and four COVID variants later, I am ambivalent about post-pandemic air travel. I have a new fear of flying. I try to tell myself that it is business as usual, but I know it’s not. Pandemic-related restrictions have been relaxed, again. Mask-less life should be just…
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EV Charging, Cannabis, Social Distancing – New Costs and Considerations of Condo Living
Eight years ago, when I sold my house and moved into a condominium, I wrote a post titled “Ten things about downsizing to a condo.” This follow-up post on new costs and consideration of condo living is based on my personal experience. Some aspects of condo living become obvious only when you live in one.…
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Nerve Damage Blues – A Career-Ending Tennis Injury Changed My Life
My name is Brant Buckley and I am a USPTA certified Tennis Pro and a Blues musician. Nerve Damage Blues is my story about how a career-ending tennis injury changed my life. I am grateful to be walking again and I am thankful that Blues music helped me pull through. Though I try to make…
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Ten More Things About Condo Living That You Need to Know
When I wrote the post “A dozen things about downsizing to a condo,” I had just sold my house and moved into a condominium. We thought we knew what we were getting into. However, many aspects of condo living were apparent only after my wife and I moved in. In eight years, things have changed.…
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Buying Local – Another Version of the Starfish Story
A couple of months into the pandemic, my wife and I decided that it was time to start buying local. The impetus for our decision came after a visit to a local eatery. The small place, once bustling with customers and staff, was deserted. The food-warmer trays sat empty. The owner sounded despondent as he…
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Naomi Osaka: The Art of Getting Rich From Sponsorships
If you are not a tennis fan, the name Naomi Osaka may not immediately ring a bell. She is a professional tennis player who is currently the highest-paid female athlete on the planet. This week, Forbes released its list of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes of 2020. The measurement period runs from June 2019 through May…