Our mega-consumer society has hit my last nerve.  The stuff we accumulate, particularly at this time of year, is enough to make me physically ill. For a few years now, I've had a "no-buy, no-receive" policy that I adhere to. My friends and loved ones know not to buy me

The Newtown tragedy of Friday breaks my heart.  We've become somewhat desensitized to such killing sprees, but the idea of a young man spraying bullets into a frightened huddle of six and seven years olds feels different.  Every time I see a picture of one of the young victims I

In 2012, good employees are fired every day.  I'm not talking about getting fired for cause, like incompetence or stealing or something untoward like that, I'm talking about good, reliable employees being let go for a variety of reasons ranging from: corporate restructuringthe fact they can replace you for half

I start every day with a steaming hot cup of coffee.  I usually start boiling the water at 9am and by 9:15 I'm enjoying my first sip. Lots of people are espousing the virtues of Tassimo, Keurig, Nespresso and other convenient one-cup coffee systems but I'm not the least

I've just returned from the dentist.  I had a dental exam, two x-rays, polishing and scaling.  It cost me $157 + tax. Luckily, I have dental insurance through work, and my insurance plan will cover $156 of the $157.  That's right, my dentist charges $31 for x-rays that my insurance company

Rob Ford is an extremely polarizing political figure in this city.  Actually, beyond this city.  Most of the comments on the Rob Ford Removed From Office entry are from commenters I happen to know live outside the 416, but that's okay.  Everyone is entitled to express their opinions here. Some

After years of owning an Olympus digital camera, I picked up a Canon PowerShot camera a few years ago for $199.  It was the only digital camera I used, and it did a fine job. It was also my only option.  The camera built into my old Blackberry was pretty

The CBC headline didn't surprise me in the least, but it still pissed me off.  "Canadians pay more than Americans for Canadian-made vehicles." CBC News looked at the relative prices of 24 models made in Ontario by the five big automakers — Ford, GM, Chrysler, Honda and Toyota — and found that

At my former place of employment, I worked on the 10th floor.  The men's bathroom had urinal dividers between the urinals.  It felt nice and private when taking a leak beside a colleague. At some point, I was moved to the 9th floor.  It was nicer on the 9th floor,

Toronto has removed 38 posters for the hockey comedy Goon, deeming them as inappropriate, according to Alliance Films. Here's the controversial poster. It's a guy sticking his tongue out between his V fingers to make the international sign for cunnilingus. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to learn this poster

I now work from home.  There are so many positives to working from home, but it's not all bread and roses.  It's fantastic having no commute and very few interruptions, but there are a few problems when working from home. Here are four: You'll Forget to ShaveIt turns out you

For my visually challenged friends, here's the quote from Sam Harris. Water is two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. What if someone says, "Well, that's not how I choose to think about water."? All we can do is appeal to scientific values. And if he doesn't share those values,

I saw this on Reddit today.  The title was "When people ask why I have a problem with religion, it's hard to come up with a single answer..." and I thought it packed a pretty good punch.

I was in traffic court this afternoon.  I arrived at 2700 Eglinton just before 1:30 and was out of there by 2pm.  If you get a traffic ticket, for speeding or failing to stop at a stop sign or anything at all, always go to court. I've heard stories

I meant to write this entry about 18 months ago, but I forgot.  I've got something to say about Angry Birds... I don't get it.  Angry Birds has been absolutely everywhere since 2009, with several people I know and love claiming addiction to the game.  My kids, for example, love

Rumour has it Myspace is going to lay off at least 150 of its around 400 employees.  I missed the entire Myspace era. I never got Myspace, and never created a profile.  Myspace was the biggest thing in social networking, and everyone seemed to flock to it, but I hated

There's a great article on the public opinion of climate change over on NPR.org. The American public is less likely to believe in global warming than it was just five years ago. Yet, paradoxically, scientists are more confident than ever that climate change is real and caused largely by

Ryan Dunn died today.  I had never heard of him, but he apparently starred in "Jackass". I wished no early death for Ryan Dunn, but I hated his show.  I once listed "Jackass" as one of the things everyone liked that I hated.  "Jackass" seems so popular, but the allure

Here in Canada, today is Victoria Day.  This holiday is in celebration of Queen Victoria's Birthday. Hold on just a moment.  We get a holiday devoted to some Queen of Britain who's been dead for over a hundred years?  Surely we can do better than that.  Where is our Canadian

I've never liked Sean Avery.  He doesn't like us, either.  Our dislike is mutual, but I believe in giving credit when credit is due. Sean Avery's appearance in a PSA for the Human Rights Campaign in support of gay marriage in New York is both brave and commendable.  He's a