Author Archives: jules09
Milestoned: 13 Years as a Massage Therapist
“Your hands must be soooo tired at the end of the day,” comments yet another anonymous massage client. Three minutes later: “But would you mind going deeper?” It’s been 13 years. The body count must be at 56,000. I’ve been patiently waiting for a gold pen to recognize my years of service, but may have [...]
Running Away
A friend recently asked how I stay motivated to run five times a week. I’m not the best person to ask, because it’s just something that I do. It’s part of my daily infrastructure and as normal and necessary as coffee to me. Scroll back to elementary school and ParticipACTION, an endeavour funded by the [...]
Cheese Whiz Waffles and Panty Rippers
Our sense of smell is a remarkable gateway to our past. There are scents that transport us to a time and place with the inertia of memory on auto-pilot. Zest soap: my great-grandmother’s bathroom. Tiny Tom donuts: the CNE fairgrounds, Labour Day weekend. Gasoline on a still and frozen winter morning: snowmobiling with my grandfather. [...]
In Lieu of Maternity Leave: Leaving the Country
When you are a massage therapist, you are bestowed with a lot of contemplative time (unfortunately accompanied by a pan flute soundtrack). Most often I have five to six hours of uninterrupted reflection a day as my hands navigate chronically irritated muscles, scar tissue, non-turning necks and stubborn low backs. In between hypertonic hamstrings and quads (and [...]
Central American Correspondent: Guest Blogger & My Kid Sister–Kiley Torti!
Oh, how I love to razz my sister about her angst-filled teenagehood. The days when she was so cross-armed miserable if there wasn’t a souvenir shop or outlet mall scheduled into our day. She HATED nature. Loathed it. Rolled her eyes at my mom’s carefully researched itinerary of everglades, whale-watching, breeding grounds and biosphere reserves. [...]
Channeling Our Inner Cavewoman: Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave, Belize
My spelunking career aspirations were squashed early on, after an unexpected and very harrowing moment for my 11-year-old self. I was midway through the fox hole of a cave in Rockwood Conservation Area, ignoring a rapid heartbeat and clammy hands in pursuit of raw adventure. After emerging from the fox hole we were promised the [...]
Jann Arden and the Dog Whistle Blower
On Sunday, every Canadian news source was belching out the story of Jann Arden getting sidetracked by VIA Rail for inadvertently boarding a train in Toronto with her ever-present Morkie in tow. Midi, her darling four pound dog became a weighty issue when noticed by a policy watchdog VIA employee en route to Ottawa. After several [...]
How To Not Dive in the Blue Hole
Travel for me is extremely dangerous. As soon as I have a boarding pass in my hand, a carry-on breaking my shoulder and half a murky airport coffee, I’m gone. I instantly forget that I have any other obligation or responsibility. A career. Rent. A fixed address. This all becomes foreign to me. I generally [...]
An Elixir for a Shivery March Night: The Bounty of Belize
A Beach Called Vicarious
And sometimes in February, you find yourself on a random Thursday night, trolling through old vacay photos, counting the sleeps until your itinerary of concentrated beach naps, sizzling in the sun, recreational reading, swizzle-stick drinks and sunset observation. We’ll be in Belize for the next three weeks and I thought you might enjoy a vicarious [...]
