One Year Later

I may have forgotten my wedding anniversary this year, which is its own kind of victory. But this day I have seen coming for a while, looming darkly on the horizon. And now it is here. One year ago today I experienced the worst day of my life when my entire world shattered into dust. For […]

Getting Broken

I write for many reasons. The idea of this blog in particular was to write to break moulds. To write about people breaking moulds, and the experience of breaking them. But what happens when we are the ones who get broken instead?

Rethinking the “Reason”

“Tis the reason…” quipped the cover of a shopping guide for a retail establishment that should have known better. As if the insanity of Boxing Day shopping wasn’t enough in Canada, I’ve returned after 4 years living in Japan to discover the tendrils of America’s notorious Black Friday sales creeping north of the border as well. It is clear that […]

Shopping Cart Girl

Clang Clink Clang Clink Clang… I wince with every rattle of the shopping cart at first. The sound seems to reverberate off the storefronts announcing my presence. Could it possibly be any louder? Clink Clang Clink CLA CLANG!!! Okay, yes it can apparently, thanks giant sidewalk gap. If everyone wasn’t staring at me before they certainly are […]

Don’t Mess With Me, I’m From The Ghetto

I grew up in the ghetto. At least, that’s what I tell people when it works to my advantage. It’s a defense mechanism, maybe, but one can never have too many of those. Especially in the ghetto. “I’m gonna kill every G* D* person in this F*ing neighbourhood,” shouted our next door neighbour, as he […]

On The Fear Of Becoming a NEET

Dear Ms. Weibelzahl, Excuse the abruptness of this correspondence. I’ve heard all about you and your upcoming move to Ottawa. As it so happens, my organization is based in Ottawa, and we are in need of someone with your qualifications and experience. I have already reviewed your profile on LinkedIn, and believe that you would […]

How I Almost Got Un-Engaged At Starbucks

Shortly after my husband and I got officially engaged, we set off to the nearest Starbucks to plan our wedding, armed with a notebook, a checklist his dad had printed off the Internet, and a pile of magazine clippings his mom had been saving since… what year does that one say? 200…2? Had we even met […]

Side Effects Of Anthropology May Include Marriage

There is something in my bag that would make this whole situation a lot better. But from the front row, I’ll have to be pretty covert about it if I don’t want the professor to catch on. I have a “good student” reputation to defend, after all, and I can’t ruin that in my first […]

No Place Like Home Base On Christmas

I remember clearly the first time I didn’t make it “home” for Christmas. It was Christmas Eve, and it was snowing. Christmas snow is rare in Vancouver. I was happy, but my family was worried. My uncle, a pilot, was set to take my cousins and I in his 6-seater twin engine plane, to the […]

The Other “F” Word

My Japanese high school students are doing group work on the pros and cons of the Internet, and I’m challenging them to come up with something more creative than “The Internet is bad because danger!” when a word pops out at me. A student has doodled a cute wide-eyed character on the bottom of her team’s paper, and drawn a […]