Meet Sylvester. He’s a sweet young cat—full of mischief and muscle. He had a loving home with an elderly lady in Northern Ontario until last May, when she died unexpectedly. Sadly, it appears she didn’t leave any provisions for her cat’s care in her estate planning. A ruthless estate trustee kicked him out of the … Read more
It’s not every day you are lucky enough to receive a good financial planning book or two from dog walking, but that’s what happened to me. When my dog Bear was alive, we regularly encountered a man walking his two dogs—Tessa and Bailey—coming in the opposite direction. Tessa was a husky German shepherd cross and … Read more
People often ask me where I get writing ideas. Truth is a lot of the writing I do is prescribed—meaning I don’t have to generate ideas. These are things like technical proposals and reports, where I write according to certain guidelines. Other times I’m assigned a story or editorial to write on a given topic, … Read more
True confessions – I used to read tabloids when I was in university! Mind you it was only to chill after a round of intense study and essay writing. I reasoned it was okay to waste a few hours on shallow stuff after weeks of self-denial, self-discipline and focus on deep academic stuff. It became … Read more
My veterinarian and I call ourselves language purists – and we love to discuss English usage whenever I bring my cats in to see him. While he’s examining my furry felines’ eyes, vaccinating against rabies or checking for fleas, we engage in animated debates on the correct and incorrect forms and uses of English words, … Read more
Mental models, mind sets, world views all mean basically the same thing – how humans perceive the world around them and how these perceptions affect their decision making and behaviour. When it comes to communicating about risk, getting insight into people’s mental models goes a long way to helping your communications strategies and materials do what … Read more
In my work I wear many hats. One is proposal writer. In fact, I’m a proposal princess. Over the last 9 years I’ve pulled together dozens of proposals of varying scope, budget and complexity. Some are very long (over 100 pages), technical and/or scientific, and require collaboration with many people – say, in response to … Read more
To work live or not work live. That is the question and decision that electricians face on a daily basis, and it’s an important one. It can mean the difference between life and death. According to the Ontario Electrical Safety Authority the probable cause of 70% electrical related fatalities over 2004 to 2013 in Ontario was improper … Read more
I attended a funeral for an elderly Greek lady last month. She was 91. I didn’t know her but do know her family. Just before the service started, a lady walked past me, someone I hadn’t seen in over 30 years. We chatted afterwards at the cemetery while waiting for the casket to arrive. She … Read more
A few weeks ago I attended Clarinet Day at Western University’s Faculty of Music. There were about 40 of us clarinetists of all ages, levels and ability. This community outreach initiative is devoted to clarinet matters – clinics, master classes, faculty member performances, vendor exhibits, and rehearsals for our end-of-day clarinet choir concert. Some of us, myself included, … Read more