I have oft had cause to feel downhearted, for one reason or another, in the depths of Canadian winter. Brain functioning, pleasure, and physical energies all seem to plummet when the temperatures dive into the negatives and the sun is an infrequent visitor to the sky. Thankfully, quotes from famous authors, thinkers, and philosophers are…
Category: Life Thoughts
Youth Mobility and the Love – Career Balance
This week marks the first in which Will, my partner in crime and hiking, is working full time with Dillon Consulting Limited out of their Oakville, Ontario office. His job title, Field Biologist, thrills us both with its weight and heft. I am fascinated by his descriptions of the work culture and his experiences with…
Reconnecting with Healthy Eating
There was a time when I felt closely in touch with the world of health and nutrition. I took a strong interest in the topic throughout my teens, and was generally aware of what different types of foods did inside the body. More recently, I’ve either lost that knowledge or chosen to forget it –…
A January Foray in the Culinary Joys of London, Ontario
This past Friday I had the opportunity and the pleasure of returning to work with Ontario’s Southwest at the 2014 London Wine and Food Show. This event was indeed ‘bigger and tastier’ than the average trade show. Hosted at the Western Fair District – home, of course, to the famous Western Fair which happens every…
How Do You Say Happiness?
There are many situations which can cause people to feel unhappy. These situations can include unemployment, social or romantic struggles, family issues, or other more intricate ties to an individual’s physiological state. When life is static and nothing overtly negative is happening, however, these same people might be hard-pressed to define exactly what a state…
Board Games and Other Flights of Fancy
During these long, grey days of winter there are only a few things both consoling and warming to the spirit. These include tea, alcoholic beverages, a good book, and a board game. Not in that order or any particular combination – rather, they are singularly and on their own a balm for the frigid temperatures…
When a Friend Gets a Job
I was very relaxed over the holiday break, partly because I am back to working at my part-time job with the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI). Having this position lined up to start in January 2014 was both a curse and a blessing; it meant, of course, that I was able to relax….
New Year, New Job Search Strategies
This morning, the Globe and Mail released an overview of the latest unemployment figures from Statistics Canada – data which should not come as a surprise to anyone who was watching the job boards in December 2013: “The Canadian economy unexpectedly shed 45,900 jobs in December, the steepest decline in nine months, led by a…
Why Illness and Social Media Do Not Mix
For the last several days I have been (as many other people are at this time of year) struggling with a terrible cold. This tiny virus in my body comes complete with achy muscles, stuffy head, chest congestion, and frequent headaches. I can feel my body’s resources fighting it off, and the conflict distracts my…
Sit, Stay, Thrive: A Guide to Seeing the World, Making Money, and Caring for Creatures
I recently realized, in casual conversation with a family member, that I am a hard-core, long-term dog walker, house sitter, and cat caretaker. I have had sole responsibility for more animals owned by other people than I have personally owned in my life time. At the moment, I am marooned in Ethel, Ontario, due to…
A Wintery Welcome to 2014
Happy New Year to all, and I hope that you survived the holiday break with no major upsets. Here in Ontario we lived through an intense ice storm that left hundreds of thousands without power in and around Christmas Day. City crews, hydro workers, and other hard-working citizens have been labouring around the clock to…
I’m so #Social and the #Holiday #Break
First off, I’d like to wish everyone safe travels, happy holidays, and a wonderful New Year! This will be my final post until 2014, and I’ve taken a silent vow to try and avoid Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and all my other social media outlets as well. (Though I’ll still be checking email on a daily…
Maria Legault 