I'm behind on everything - we're reopening for Covid Summer 2021 Step 3 at my work! Summer camps! School! Side gig! Kids! - so of course I'm popping in to update my blog in the first time in forever. This morning I was lying in bed gathering my forces and I had such a strong … Continue reading Love abides in Pringles
Author: Jenn
Quality of light
I just went out for a walk as I'm having a high-anxiety day. There's no particular reason for the anxiety, other than the pandemic and Ontario's chaotic public health messaging right now, wondering if we've chosen the right path in keeping our kids going to school in-person, economic and career anxiety, plus the usual to-do … Continue reading Quality of light
Shipwrecked and Alone
I advised my wife also to dress herself in sailor's clothes, as more convenient for swimming should she be thrown into the water. She objected greatly at first, but eventually I convinced her of the means of safety the dress would prove in case of accident, and she retired from the cabin to make the … Continue reading Shipwrecked and Alone
The bearable fullness of being
This Saturday, I drove my 14-year-old son and 4 of his friends down to Storm Crow Manor for a DM&Dine session as a belated birthday party. Picking the boys up from various corners of our neighbourhood, I knew a lot of the streets because I have mapped out or driven routes to pick kids up … Continue reading The bearable fullness of being
#OkBoomer + The Rise of Skywalker anticipation
The generational warfare is strong this week as the NY Times points out the #OkBoomer trend. Thanks, New York Times, but the Boomer/Y showdown is really about to play out this December through the mythology of our time, as The Rise Of Skywalker hits movie theatres. Let's pause to consider the oeuvre to date. First … Continue reading #OkBoomer + The Rise of Skywalker anticipation
We Need To Talk About Ben
She opens his backpack with a frisson of shame. She's been a diplomatic spy, a princess, and now a general, but going through her own child's belongings feels scummy, a low blow. She'd brought him into the world with high expectations, at a time that the world felt on the cusp of better things. Breastfeeding, … Continue reading We Need To Talk About Ben
On Joker and raising boys
I saw Joker on Canadian Thanksgiving. First the whole family went for a walk in Colonel Danforth park and along the lake, and then we ended up hungry enough to stop at Swiss Chalet (we did our Thanksgiving meal on Sunday, as I usually do for long-weekend holidays as it gives me a day to … Continue reading On Joker and raising boys
Review: Once More We Saw Stars
Jayson Greene's Once More We Saw Stars Why I read it: I read one of the excerpts published online in advance of the story and the description Greene wrote of being in hospital with Greta was the closest thing I've ever read to my experience of Emily's death. So I read this book not for … Continue reading Review: Once More We Saw Stars
Midlife Dreams
Over the last few months, I've started to sleep more consistently than I have in years. I'm not sure whether this is because of the changes I've made professionally and personally, because I'm writing again, or -- most likely -- because my hormones are shifting again. But I'll take it, because sleeping well is pretty … Continue reading Midlife Dreams
Worldbuilding by neglect
I started the fantasy book(s) I'm working on now a long time ago, while on maternity leave with my eldest son...and in a rage over the popularity of the Twilight series. In the Writers and Company interview in my mind, I point out that I started the books holding my baby in the middle of the night, … Continue reading Worldbuilding by neglect
Jennifer Gruden 