Category Society
Love and Denial
It seems a little strange that, due to the way the calendar works this year, today is not only Valentine’s Day, devoted to celebrating love, but Ash Wednesday, the day of fasting that opens the season of Lent. How are you supposed to celebrate the two together? Valentine’s Day is a big deal in North […]
The Facebook Reminder
Facebook kept sending me reminders yesterday. One of the downsides to digital communication is that for such sites you can turn notifications on or off but can’t be selective. I didn’t need this reminder. It was a friend’s birthday, and Facebook wanted to be sure I remembered to write something on his timeline. After all, […]
Politically Correct
The Senate of Canada has finally passed legislation to make the Canadian National anthem, O Canada, gender neutral. It has only taken a couple of years (or decades, depending on how you look at it). It has been a much- debated topic, reviving around the use of the word “sons” in the anthem in use […]
The Cover Charge
Judging from the signs I have seen, “flohmarkten” (flea markets) are a big deal in this part of southern Germany. Every weekend there seems to be one in a different town and everybody seems to go them. Maybe that is because there isn’t much else to do around here except walk in the Black Forest. […]
Boisterous
There was a party going on, though I never did figure out what the occasion was. It did show me the difference between Canadian and German liquor laws. Actually, I’m not sure if there are German liquor laws. We took the train to Freiburg Sunday morning at 10;30. You would think that at that time […]
The Kids On The Bus (Cultural Differences X)
When I was a child there were no school buses in our neighborhood; we had to walk to school. My mother tells me I was insistent on walking alone on my first day of kindergarten. I had not yet turned five. Supposedly she trailed me at a distance to ensure my safe arrival. Unnecessary really […]
Political Appearances
To some extent I have enjoyed being retired from politics. Mind you, I still check the news several times a day, just in case there is something I need to know. Sometimes a news story makes my blood boil, but then my mind kicks in and tells me to relax, I’m not on the front […]
Freiburg Cathedral I
It was a grey Saturday when we were in Freiburg last month, but we visited the cathedral anyway. I’m not sure if that was the right move. Certainly the building is impressive from a distance, and just as impressive up close, even surrounded by the stalls of the Saturday farmers’ market. Inside though it felt […]
No Respect
It was a quick visit to Freiburg and we decided to climb the hill, Schlossburg, in the centre of the city. In the Spring we’ll go back and explore, as we didn’t see the lake or any of the ruins I read about online. It was just a nice place for a Winter walk with […]
Cultural Differences IX – Holidays
It was Friday night, getting late, and our hostess casually mentioned, “of course, tomorrow is a holiday.” Nobody told me. I knew Saturday was January 6. I knew in the church calendar that is Epiphany, the dated celebrated for the arrival of the Magi. But I’m from Canada; it never occurred to me that the […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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