Raising the Stakes, Canadian Style

Raising the Stakes, Canadian Style

A post in which readers will learn how the Brier exposed writers’ secrets I recently spent ten days watching the Brier—the Canadian men’s curling championship. If you are among the misguided souls who think curling is boring, you might wonder why I’d voluntarily...
Characterization, Part I: Blue hair and cowboy boots

Characterization, Part I: Blue hair and cowboy boots

There was a time when blue hair was the signature of many women in my hometown. Their hairdressers (the term “hair stylist” was not yet au courant) used a special rinse on graying hair – the rinse neutralized the yellow tones of gray hair, but left a definite blue or...
Friday’s Itty Bitties — #10

Friday’s Itty Bitties — #10

Have you figured out yet that I’m a Yogi Berra fan? Here’s another statement some have attributed to him: “In theory, theory and practice are the same thing. In practice, they’re not.” In theory, a person ought to be able to take a few...