Monthly Archives: October 2017
Harvest Festival
Caught the tail end of the parade in Ihringen last Sunday. Thousands of people were lining the streets, tourists mostly as it is a small town. I couldn’t get close to the action and had to settle for some shots from farther away. I think the throngs may be explained by the sharing of the […]
The Unreal Thing
I’m not sure I would be described as a cola connoisseur, or maybe I would. I have taken the Pepsi Challenge on more than one occasion. I can tell the difference between diet cola (which has one calorie) and a zero-calorie cola. If I thought about it I could probably tell you what container the […]
An Untimely Passing
Gord Downie, lead vocalist of The Tragically Hip, died yesterday. He was 53. Coverage of his death dominated Canadian news. It seems fitting therefore to repeat my thoughts on The Hip and Gord Downie that were published here 14 months ago. END OF THE ROAD? August 20, 2016 Tonight Canada pauses. The Olympics are forgotten. Wars […]
High Rollers
I have read that in Las Vegas big money gamblers get special treatment. Free hotel rooms, even free flights too and from the city. I’ve never been to Las Vegas, and even if I were to visit I wouldn’t be gambling. I understand that the games are set so that the casino always wins over […]
The Shoe On The Roof
Today is a red letter day for book lovers as Will Ferguson’s latest novel, The Shoe on the Roof, hits the bookstores. Given that his last novel, 419, won Canada’s most lucrative literary award, the Giller Prize, it is safe to say this is a highly anticipated book. Ferguson’s reputation has established him as a […]
Cultural Differences – II
In North America time is money. We are always looking for ways to save it; it may be the most valuable thing we own. Europe runs at a different pace. That was obvious the first time I went to a gas station to fill up the car. We had borrowed a car to run some […]
Deadly Proof
A good story draws the reader in. From the outset you want to know more about the characters and the situations they find themselves in. From that perspective, Rachel Dylan has been successful with her latest novel, Deadly Proof. I wanted to know more about lawyer Kate Sullivan and her battle with a big pharmaceutical […]
Somebody Loves Me
As I was decluttering our house I came across a box of cards, birthday cards. They were for my birthday, but they had been sent to my mother. At the time I was too young to read them. There were a lot of them; I didn’t recognize many of the names. Not surprising really – […]
Two Years Ago Today
You may have seen this before, but I thought it was worth repeating. THE WAITING ROOM I’ve been in this room at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute before; at least I think it was the same one. Seven years ago. Waiting for the heart surgeon conducting my mother’s operation to come and tell me how it […]
Furniture In Hell
I have a theological conundrum that has been bothering me this week. Time to put it out for your consideration. I was wondering if all the furniture in Hell (assuming there is furniture in Hell) comes from IKEA. If you’ve ever struggled with putting together IKEA tables, dressers and other furniture based on their drawings, […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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