Category: Life & Times

  • A dozen things I like about apartment living
    A dozen things I like about apartment living

    When it comes to living in an apartment versus a house, most of the people I know lean towards a house. I get their pro-house arguments – larger spaces, more privacy, potential equity growth, and other such benefits. Apartment living is not for everyone. But, if you have considered rightsizing or see yourself living in…

  • If it weren’t for the money…
    If it weren’t for the money…

    I am beginning to wonder if I am a boring person. It’s the kind of stuff that no one will tell to your face.  I read posts about people giving up lucrative jobs to pursue their passion. People seem to quit jobs to pursue trekking, photography, dancing, travel, yoga, and baking – the kind of…

  • No touch. No talk. No eye contact!
    No touch. No talk. No eye contact!

    I wouldn’t have noticed the dog if my wife hadn’t stepped into Sephora. I chose to wait outside. I figured people-watching on Union Square would be more interesting than helping her pick out lipstick and nail polish shades. Plus, the last time I tried to guess the ones that worked best with her skin, I…

  • Houston Floods – We Have a Problem!
    Houston Floods – We Have a Problem!

    As I watched on TV the devastation caused by Category 4 Hurricane, Harvey, I felt compelled to write this post. I have a personal connection to Houston. My daughter lived there for a few years and I enjoyed visiting the city. It is inconceivable to me that with all the financial, technological, and people resources…

  • Memoirs of an Only Child
    Memoirs of an Only Child

    Recently I caught up with a few of my mates and the conversation turned to siblings. Interestingly, the group had a mix of sibling hierarchies. Some were firstborns, a few in the middle, and others the youngest. True to the law of sibling hierarchy, the firstborns were more assertive – the ‘enforcer’ type, the middle…

  • Charlie Gard, an epilogue
    Charlie Gard, an epilogue

    I waited a couple of weeks to gather my thoughts before I wrote this post.  When Charlie Gard passed away, I felt numb relief.  Living with uncertainty, constantly balancing on the precipice of life and death, is exhausting. Charlie’s parents fought so hard for him — living off the fumes of hope. It sickens me…

  • Won’t You Be My Neighbour?
    Won’t You Be My Neighbour?

    The first evening it happened I dismissed it as a one-off.  My neighbours with whom I shared an adjacent wall in our townhome complex obviously had some company over and were enjoying what sounded like a Wii-type interactive physical game that made a lot of noise. Live and let live, I initially thought. I knew…

  • Old habits die hard
    Old habits die hard

    “Do you eat it raw?” The question came from the portly gentleman who was sitting across from me at the table. It was directed at Olson, the attendee from Minnesota. There were eight of us gathered in a hotel bar in Atlanta, GA. Each of us represented a different company and had flown in from…

  • A Story About My Expensive Watch
    A Story About My Expensive Watch

    A few months ago, my wife decided to get me an expensive watch. Until then, I had not owned a watch of any significant value. I had been considering buying a new watch since the two I had were looking tired. Minimalism was far from my mind at that time. As for watches, I have…

  • Of breathalyzers and false positives…
    Of breathalyzers and false positives…

    At first, I thought that there had been an accident. As I inched my way up the line to the police officer with the flashlight, I realized that I was caught in a RIDE spot check – an Ontario sobriety testing program designed to catch drivers driving under the influence of alcohol. There were flashing…