#BringBackMasks

Image: A medical mask. Photo by Ri_ya on Pixabay. Given the current public health and respiratory virus/illness climate, I thought this post, originally titled “People suck & also rock”, was worth a re-post. Sadly, it’s pretty clear that we can’t count on political leaders to #BringBackMasks That doesn’t mean we can’t do it ourselves. ThinkContinue reading “#BringBackMasks”

People suck & also rock

Image: A medical mask. Photo by Ri_ya on Pixabay. People suck. Not us, the others. (Yes, I stole that last bit from Ellen DeGeneres.) Allow me to explain. Get comfortable, this may take a little while. I was very excited to win a 10-play pass for Toronto Fringe 2022 after filling out their survey inContinue reading “People suck & also rock”

Finding my voice again: a work in progress

Image: A vintage microphone, with sound waves vibrating in the background. Photo by stux on Pixabay. It’s been almost two years to the day since I posted my intention to take a break from the blog to consider a new direction—ruminations that ultimately resulted in the transition from a reviewing platform to one of personalContinue reading “Finding my voice again: a work in progress”

Wish list

Five dandelion seed pods float on the breeze in a clear blue sky. Photo by Kranich17 on Pixabay. Back in October, I posted a list of firsts, interrupted by the second wave of the pandemic and the reintroduction of stricter public health measures. And, since the third wave hit—with accompanying variations of lockdown and stay-at-homeContinue reading “Wish list”

Languishing but not totally broken

A stone cemetery monument featuring a relief sculpture of a mourning woman with long flowing hair, her head bent in sorrow as she leans over an urn. Photo taken by the blogger, at St. James Cemetery, Toronto, ON. Hello! It’s been a while, I know. So much going on, collectively and personally. And, frankly, myContinue reading “Languishing but not totally broken”

All the feels

Photo of a pink neon heart, shining from an apartment window, by Valerie Gow. Happy really belated New Year! It’s been a while since I posted here. Like many of you, I’ve been taking some time for self-care and reflection as we transition into 2021. I celebrated the holidays this year, a year unlike anyContinue reading “All the feels”

Safe & happy holidays

And, suddenly, it’s December. It’s Winter Solstice today, and the final weeks of the holiday season are unfolding unlike any other before. Many of us are in, or about to go into, lockdown. Favourite holiday traditions, family gatherings, shopping and outings have had to be cancelled or rearranged to follow public health protocols and localContinue reading “Safe & happy holidays”

Mental health takes centre stage in the mercurial, heart-wrenching, provocative adaptation Hamlet(s)

Skipping Stones Theatre gives us a new, contemporary take on the Shakespeare classic brings mental health front and centre with its mercurial, heart-wrenching, provocative adaptation Hamlet(s), directed by Sean O’Brien, supplemented by additional Shakespearian text; and opening last night to a sold out house at b current Studio in Artscape Wychwood Barns. Here, we haveContinue reading “Mental health takes centre stage in the mercurial, heart-wrenching, provocative adaptation Hamlet(s)”

Power, connection & identity in the potent, magical, eye-opening Watah Theatre Double Bill

“A world without fairy tales and myths would be as drab as life without music.”—The Watah Theatre The Watah Theatre presents a Double Bill of biomythographies, including an excerpt reading of d’bi.young anitafrika’s Once Upon A Black Boy and the world premiere of Najla Nubyanluv’s I Cannot Lose My Mind, running in the Studio at Streetcar Crowsnest.Continue reading “Power, connection & identity in the potent, magical, eye-opening Watah Theatre Double Bill”