Can You Spot What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Look at the two pictures I took in my neighbourhood yesterday afternoon. Do you notice anything strange? Anything missing, maybe?
Do You See Your Smartphone as a Basic Need or as a Luxury?
My laptop and a reliable Internet connexion are a necessity in my personal and professional life. Provided I have both, my smartphone isn’t. Am I an oddity?
These Waves of Primal, Overwhelming Love
That’s pretty much life with kids. When you least expect it, you get completely overwhelmed by love and a primal instinct to protect, hug, and kiss them.
International Money Transfers Are Tricky When You’re Not the 1%
In 2018, I re-opened a bank account in France. Problem is, sending money to myself from Canada didn’t go exactly as planned.
We Are Being Stalked (By an Unlikely Stalker)
Life is punctuated by a series of enlightening, unexpected, and occasionally puzzling before-and-after moments.
What You Need to Do To Enjoy Your Vacation
Going on a vacation is an excellent way of unwinding. Work can become stressful, and…
3 Types of Crisis All Immigrants Should Prepare For
Quick exercise—make a list of your friends and acquaintances. Now look at it. How many of them would you feel comfortable asking a favour from?
Against the Clock
These days, the time is the only information I can give straight out because I’m always racing against the clock.
Our New Tuesday Evening Phobia
Tuesdays are now known as the “six mots” day, a weekly homework writing exercise a native French speaker and skilled translator/copywriter/proofreader is struggling to complete.
Did I Tell You About the Weather?
Someone finally turned the heat on this weekend. It was lovely, warm, hot, amazing and other adjectives used and reused by everyone here. And this is what happens when it suddenly gets hotter in Ottawa…
Will Winter Ever End?
It rained all day on Friday. It snowed on Saturday. As I’m typing this tonight, on May 1, there’s a freezing rain warning in effect.
The Shady Side of Blogging in 2019
We live in a world where companies and brands can buy traffic, followers, commenters and content so that in turn, we buy products and into ideas.
Turns Out I Didn’t Screw Up My Kid—School Did!
I take full responsibilities for many parenting mistakes. But Fortnite and Momo? Blame the school.
Rainy Easter
The grim forecast was all over local news before the Easter long weekend—“Significant rain expected!” “Exercise caution!” “Flood concerns along the Ottawa River!”
Unsolved Mysteries of Everyday Life
What are the odds! Every time Mark plays Parcheesi against Bat-Bear, he wins. Crazy.
Kindhearted Canada
There are plenty of attitudes I can’t stand in North America, but this is the Canada I’m proud of—kind, welcoming, helpful and understanding.
Six Unexpected Places to Stay in the USA
With the United States so close to the Canadian border, you would be hard pressed…
7 Questions People Ask Canadians Abroad
If I out myself as a Canadian, I know I’m about to be quizzed.People have comments about France, but they sure have a lot of questions about Canada.
White Hair, Kind of Care
I can’t pinpoint how having white hairs make me feel, but it bugs me more than I care to admit.
15 Things People Say When They Meet a French Outside the EU
As a general rule, if I’m travelling with my Canadian passport, I’m Canadian. But once in a while, I introduced myself as French.And this is what happens.
It Wasn’t a Waste of Time
Sometimes, I think I’m not cut out for North America. I’m not competitive enough, I’m too subversive and I don’t care that much about money—these are unforgivable flaws.
36
The transition, these ten hours spent on a cramped plane, a day of travel in total, was almost too fast. And on top of that, today, I’m apparently turning 36. Crazy world, I’m telling you.
Online Casino or Offline Casino? Which is Better?
Since online gambling has been dominating the casino industry it has been a question hanging…
AC 093
After packing, finishing a last-minute badly timed work assignment and eating dinner, I decide to lie in bed for a couple of hours. It’s already almost 3 a.m., will I hear the alarm at 5:30 a.m.? Is it even worth sleeping?