The smooth-skinned and often rain-slicked Arbutus tree is only found on the salty, mist drenched coast of Vancouver Island and close surrounds. Growing nowhere else across Canada, its naked trunk is a specific marker in this unique biome. Steller’s Jay, the mohawked goth relative of the Blue Jay, is the official bird of British Columbia….
Everyone has A Scenario
I believe everyone has a hidden end-of-world terror scenario tucked away in the storage closet of their mind. Think Doomsday Preppers. For the uninitiated, Doomsday Preppers is a delight for over-anxious humans who enjoy occasional reality TV. This does not describe me in the slightest. Really. Anyway, the premise of the show is to go…
Saskatche-what?
Saskatchewan’s angular name comes from the Cree, “kisiskāciwani-sīpiy”, meaning “swift-flowing-river”. It has other secrets though. This oddly rectangular province is where chokecherries grow in the ditch, black-eyed Susan’s bob on the roadside and the smell of bright canola drifts alongside clouds of grasshoppers; where nightly summer storms roll through the skies visible for miles as…
Red glasses, cake, and indifferent cats. This is 30.
I’m turning 30. I’ve been looking for a good excuse to resurrect this blog for some time now, and this seems as good a reason as any. I understand that turning 30 means I should be deeply upset, spending many hours on contemplative introspection. But look, I have friends coming to visit, and I also…
Why is healthy only for the wealthy?
Fellow Hippies, we need to talk. We need to talk about the economics of healthy eating. We need to talk about why, as a student, every time I visit my local health food store I feel priced out of a market that I truly believe in. Health food is too expensive. Before I go on,…
The Canadian Apology: Sorry, eh?
Sorry to bother you, but I’d like to talk about something today. The Canadian Sorry. Canadians are subject to stereotypes like all other nations, often suffering them gladly. I have yet to see a backpacker appropriating any other country’s flag, which is an odd, but pleasant compliment. However, our reputation for extreme politeness has led…
Cauliflower Pizza Dough – (gluten free!)
Ok, hear me out on this one! This sounds like the oddest recipe ever, but it is SO GOOD. The crust comes out nice and crispy, and it doesn’t actually taste like cauliflower – it just tastes like deliciousness. This is a great gluten-free recipe, but hey – it’s also a great recipe if your kids don’t…
All aboard Spaceship Earth. Oh, wait…
Well, my week unexpectedly ended up very hectic, and in the melee my mid-week post has been sadly neglected. I know you all missed me very, very much. (ha.) So, in lieu of a proper post I’d like to share a video that is really worth the 20 minutes of your day. I posted earlier this…
“Stop ignoring me” – Ennui
Happiness, it seems, is the topic of our generation. It’s been impossible not to notice the constant stream of articles analyzing happiness, or the lack thereof over the last few years. We know money won’t buy it, and that Gen Y wants it now. We know that it is elusive, like a tiny Fairy lurking…
Linguistic odds & ends: the bold, the beautiful, and the bizarre
Language is a diverse and bizarre creature (oh, how I love thee), and it occasionally creates some gorgeously odd words. Personally, I think English could benefit from adopting a few more of these; we’ve never been shy about language borrowing, why stop now!? Today, I felt like sharing a few of my favourites. Saudade (Portugese) Saudade is…
Gluten-free Apple, Cinnamon & Oatmeal pancakes
Pancakes might not seem like the most exciting recipe ever, but who doesn’t love a plate of fluffy pancakes on a Saturday morning? A lot of the gluten free pancake recipes I’ve come across so far just seem overly complicated – ingredient lists a mile long, and far too much work for my groggy self on a weekend morning. …
Reading: like talking to yourself, but without the looming insanity
Once again, it’s a rainy, rainy Friday. I innocently went into a bookstore yesterday, intending to pick up a copy of Anna Karenina. But I somehow walked out with a collector’s set of F. Scott Fitzgerald and a lengthy bit of Gogol as well (THERE WAS A SALE, OK?) – so my weekend plans are…
The Endangered Bookeater 