Dear Readers: The government is on break and so are we. However if you’d like to share your thoughts about politics (or anything else for that matter) please feel free to post them here. See you soon. Susan
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Susan on the Soapbox: Seasons Greetings!
The Soapbox family and Rudy the rescue dog would like to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a peaceful and happy holiday. Some of you may have noticed that Rudy has become rounder and furrier; but then again, who hasn’t. See you next year!
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Sabbatical
Ms Soapbox is going on sabbatical until September (but may be tempted to post a blog or two if the craziness gets to be too much). This is not Rudy the dog, but he’s close I wish you all a wonderful summer and look forward to more great discussions in
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Who’s On First: Jason Kenney’s Response to the 4th Wave
Abbott and Costello’s comedy routine “Who’s on First” was performed in the late 1940s. It’s based on a skit Abbott heard in an episode of a radio comedy show called “It Pays to be Ignorant.” Premier Kenney performed his own version of this routine in the Legislature last Thursday, only
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Halloween in Alberta
In its Halloween message the Kenney government said today is a day filled with costumes, pumpkin carving, scary movies, and tasty treats. They encouraged everyone to follow the advice of our health officials so we can all enjoy the spookiest time of the year. Sounds nice but the rest of
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
The politicians are on break (thank god) and so are we. The Soapbox family and Rudy the rescue dog would like to wish you and yours a peaceful and happy holiday. Those of you with a discerning eye will notice Rudy the rescue dog is plumper and furrier this year. But
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
The politicians are on break (thank god) and so are we. The Soapbox family and Rudy the rescue dog would like to wish you and yours a peaceful and happy holiday. And here’s the traditional photo of the mutt under the Christmas tree. Those of you with a discerning eye
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Hello Ottawa!
Ms Soapbox is on her way to Ottawa. There’s a good chance she’s in the air right now squashed into a tiny little seat trying to figure out why her WestJet onboard entertainment app isn’t working (luckily, she’s brought along her youngest daughter “Mini” who will fix the glitch in
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Paris!
Ms Soapbox and her daughter have gone to Paris for a week. Take good care of the province and the country until we get back. What pops into your mind when you see this: Louvre or Da Vinci Code?
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Go to Scotland, learn about Canada
Ms Soapbox and her eldest daughter “Missy” just returned from a 10 day trip to Scotland. We explored Edinburgh (refined and dignified), Glasgow (gritty and boisterous) and the Highlands (majestic and dangerous). Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness Along the way something magical happened. We learned about Scotland, but we learned even
Continue readingcmkl: Notes from a taster trip to Northern California
Mallory Irene and I went to The Bay and drove up the coast this August. We flew into San Francisco and took the BART up to Berkeley Hills where Irene had booked us an awesome AirBnB. It’s only the second time I’ve been to California and the first time I
Continue readingThings Are Good: Use Happiness Research to Maximize Vacations
Regular readers already know that going on vacation is good for one’s happiness and there are ways to travel while keeping a small carbon footprint. It can be hard to find time to travel and expensive too, so how should one go about thinking about vacations? Vacations aren’t things that
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Hallelujah
This was going to be a Ms-Soapbox-is-stampeding-see-you-next-week-blog…then she remembered something. Ms Soapbox’s sister and brother-in-law popped into town just in time for the Calgary Stampede. We did the fair grounds, the Dog Bowl, the Clydesdales and the llamas, we ate raindrop cake and teriyaki perogies and ducked into the casino to
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: A Double Dose of Christmas
This Christmas was unusual…even for the Soapbox family. Missy* our eldest daughter is a nurse working in Victoria. She was scheduled to work over Christmas which meant that for the first time ever the Soapbox family was not going to be together on Christmas Day. No problem we said, we’ll
Continue readingcentre of the universe: Strange Times
Everything seemed normal. Normal for any road trip you take with your kids. A million stops for the peanut-bladders; a million cruddy road snacks. At one roadside stop, I bought some semiprecious stone bracelets (a couple of mine have broken lately so I guess I needed to stock up). It
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Stampede!
“Sometimes you need a little break”—Ms Soapbox’s Mom The fun started when Ms Soapbox’s sister Roz and her husband Jay came to town. They flew in from Vancouver where it rains 168 days a year–to spend a week in Calgary … Continue reading →
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Vacation Planning – Dan Ariely
Well, holiday Monday is a little late to be evaluating your August Vacation plans, but some interesting thoughts as far as what your next vacation will be. Filed under: Culture Tagged: Dan Ariely, Vacation
Continue readingThings Are Good: Increase Your Happiness by Going on Vacation
Everybody loves going on vacation and here’s why: it makes for good conversations. Really. The short term gain of increased happiness from a vacation is very short indeed, just a few days. However, the benefit of a vacation can keep giving through your social life as you relive (and share)
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Road Trip!!!
There is so much we could talk about: the G7 “support” for a fossil fuel free world by 2100, Mr Harper’s visit with the Pope, the Senate’s secret arbitration process, but today we’re going to talk about road trips. Ms Soapbox and her daughter (let’s call her Missy) are going
Continue readingcmkl: Biking on the wrong side of the road
? ?I am in London for my sister’s 50th birthday party. It occurred to me that since they don’t really have what you and I understand by ‘winter’ here, that I should set up to go for a ride while I’m here. Like outside. Moving forward. But two things struck
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