Bent But Not Broken
This story isn’t intended to be a chuckle-fest. We all need a little perspective sometimes, especially when we’re hosting our own pity party. Last Monday night I got a sharp, stabbing dose. Read more
The only thing I have in common with Stevie Nicks at this stage of my life, beyond an artistic appreciation for scarved tambourines, is the gradual facial Landslide we’ve both been on since Rumours came out in ‘77. But having procrastinated over finding a costume to wear to a Halloween party last Saturday night, I did a last minute rifling through our closet, past the Earth Wind and Fire selection of tie-dyed apparel (Andrew’s side … natch), and found this feathered hat, bell-sleeved top and black velvet cape that confirmed the fact that our closet really should belong to the wardrobe mistress of a glam-rock reunion tour. Read more
Closet Senior
As soon as I saw them, I knew they were a desperate cry for help. Andrew had gone on a shoe shopping expedition (a freaking miracle in itself) and returned with a pair of gummy-soled platform orthopedics that basically screamed, “I’ve fallen and I CAN’T GET IT UP!” Read more
Paralyzed Parking
When it comes to establishing routines, Andrew has always been a sensory learner, as in, see the bills, pay the bills, listen to the silence (from non-creditor phone calls). It’s not a complicated system, yet every year around his birthday, Andrew is stunned by the exorbitant cost of renewing his driver’s license. Read more
Happy Thanksglibbing
As I lay in bed trying to digest another Thanksgiving dinner, sweating out the gravy literally oozing from my pours, I felt grateful not only for the family and close friends willing to drive 160 km north to share it with us, but for the unique and memorable moments that came this weekend courtesy of neighbouring cottage kids. Read more
Has Halloween Turned Into A Pumpkin?
When is that magic, tragic age when your child is simply too old for trick or treating? I suppose when your son is the only power ranger in the neighbourhood with facial hair, it’s probably time. But how do you gently tell them the sugar shack is closed? Read more
The Puck Stops Here
Growing up in an all girl, artsy-fartsy household, the only contact sport I was ever thrust into as a kid was the physically demanding My-Sister-Has-Me-Pinned-To-The-Floor-And-Is-Dangling-Gob-Strings-Over-My-Face-While-I-Thrash-Frantically-For-Fear-Of-One-Landing-In-My-Mouth game. Not the road to Olympic glory let me tell you. Read more
I do not support child labour. Although my daughter does work as a voice actor on an animated kids’ show … which, come to think of it, they do pay her for … okay yeah, so maybe I support it a bit. But when it comes to personally profiting off the backs of my children, I am totally against it. Unless, of course, they needlessly break a limb as a result of somebody else’s negligence and you have to deal with the nerve-shattering scream-crying (theirs too) as you try not to run over innocent pedestrians while careening your car through rush hour traffic on route to the hospital, cursing at every red light because you can’t get there fast enough to alleviate your child’s suffering or your own spiking blood pressure. Then it’s totally okay. Read more
Aaaaand … We’re Rolling
Last Monday I was in the studio recording a voiceover for an accounting firm. Yea, it was pretty sexy. I discovered there are at least 78 different ways to interpret and deliver “It’s your bottom line”.
Lucky for me there was a control room full of frustrated accountants (the “creative team”), each with enough opposing directorial cues to turn a fifteen minute booking into a two-hour gig. Thanks to the good folks at Dewy Cheetem & Howe for the pay raise!
Watch this brilliant little clip – a painfully accurate window on the VO world. Livin’ the dream …?!
Remote Controlled
(ATTN: If you’ve NEVER thought to yourself, “Mother of God, I must be getting old”, then ditch this post, slip into your stilettos and go find a booze can somewhere. You just won’t get it.) Read more