I have lived in Ottawa most of my life, but it was only this week that I visited Notre Dame Basilica for the first time. Which is not surprising. When you live in a place you have a routine. Things that appeal to tourists aren’t necessarily part of your daily life. You check them out […]
They came out by the thousands, the tens of thousands and the hundreds of thousands. What happens next? Nothing. Friday they rallied in cities across the globe calling in leaders to do more to address the issue of climate change. Many teenagers took, or were given, the day off school to let their voices be […]
I’m left with unanswered questions. I can’t decide if that is a good thing. Shawn Smucker’s latest novel, Light From Distant Stars, didn’t grip me at first. As I continued to read though, I came to realize there was so much more to the story than I first imagined. (Interestingly enough, I found Smucker’s The […]
Let’s call this “Throwback Thursday” with this post from October 2014. If a picture really is worth a thousand words, then I don’t need to say too much today. Maybe it’s my eyes, but taking the shade into account, I don’t think the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. […]
Took a look at my “bulk mail” folder yesterday and now I have questions about spam. If I go to a car dealer’s website, I get inundated with vehicle ads for weeks afterward. That’s because I don’t feel the need to spend time hiding my online activities. My life is an open book. I’m not […]
Okay, I know it is a non-sequitur. But some days you wonder if there is a correlation. When I first saw the statistic, I figured it was a joke, but there are too many respectable news outlets with the same story for it to be ‘fake news.’ And if you read the entire article, you […]
Whatever happened to the out of control wildfires in the Brazilian rain forest? Six weeks ago, they were at the forefront of the daily news. I just realized though that it has been a month since I heard them mentioned. I guess the situation is under control, temporarily anyway. You can expect lots of talk […]
It is a beautifully told story – and one of the most disturbing books I have read in recent years. I am left to confront the question: why am I not like that? Stronger Than Death, by Rachel Pieh Jones details the life and work of a woman you probably have never heard of, someone […]
I’ve never had a fear of spiders – which doesn’t mean I like them. That dislike though isn’t arachnophobia, Those who have that unnatural fear are not overly enamored with the sculpture on the plaza in front of Canada’s National Gallery. The giant spider, with its egg sac prominently displayed, is titled “Maman,” which is French […]
I’m seeing things in Ottawa I have never seen before. Like this statue. A good chunk of my time these days is being spent in the Byward Market area of the city, not far from Parliament Hill. Despite working (and living) downtown for close to 20 years, I really don’t know the neighbourhood. What […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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