Dress code

Dress code

I like your hair,” my friend told our harried waitress, who could have smoothed a fast hand over her artful up-do, mumbled a thank you, then dashed away with our drink order. Instead she made a face and cast a quick glance at the phalanx of suits with name tags...
Too much busyness

Too much busyness

Forget your many pots on the burner, lines in the water, irons in the fire: I am going to tell you something that will stop you in your tracks. I’m not busy. I’m so not busy I couldn’t even get through the million and one things I didn’t need to get done today in...
Selfie-reflection

Selfie-reflection

An ever-growing number of museums, monuments, and amusement parks have announced that visitors must leave their selfie-sticks at home. I, for one, am applauding the decision with the free hand I’m not using to take a picture of myself with my cell phone. I took a solo...
Mother’s Day, Unaccompanied

Mother’s Day, Unaccompanied

Thirty years ago, my mum put my brother and I on a plane in Vancouver to meet my father in Australia, trusting us to the care of flight attendants. The airline staff gave us colouring books and put stickers on our chests with the initials “U.M.”...