Never having gone to a premiere film night, this was a new experience for me. Fortunately, Michael blogged about the premiere of his movie "It Was You Charlie" in time to purchase tickets and make it to the premiere evening show. It was a great movie with an uplifting ending, and the opportunity to see and speak with the stars, directors, producers and cast members -…

Although the worst possible timing to post this self promoting blog, in light of the tragic loss of an amazing entertainer, Robin Williams, i've been encouraged to share some extraordinary news with the Kamazooie community.

For those who have not read my blog about my very non-linear career trajectory... Hello my name is Michael and i'm an Architect.  (Now…

Hello Kamazooie community!

I'm often asked, about my profession... and its interesting but, there is no simple answer to give.

Technically speaking i'm an Architect.. but I specialized in project management... I lived and worked in the arctic for several years managing infrastructure and housing development projects across the Nunavut Territory,…

It was with shock and heavy hearts that we heard yesterday that Robin Williams has made his last curtain call and left this world behind. It is even more shocking to hear that it is suspected that this fabulous actor/comic took his own life. If you are a follower of my blog, you may recognize that I write/post from an emotional standpoint, inspired by things that happen…

I have to admit that it felt strange to be taking in a concert on a "school" or "work" night! Anu and I drove downtown to catch a concert with guests from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, at the University of Toronto. 

We did not quite make it in time to the restaurant where I had made reservations... if you have reservations then "traffic" magically knows about…

Everyone seems to like this one. Its not low-fat but it is great tasting.

This version itself was copied down by my niece Debra. (My sister Gina's daughter)

Hope you enjoy it!

Mom, Gramma, (Auntie) Hilda

Last week, Anu and I took some time to go to a movie theatre downtown, to take in a wonderful dinner and a movie. We caught a brilliant movie called Boyhood, at the TIFF theatre (Toronto International Film Festival). 

On the heels of Brian's commentary on "Living in the Moment" - Boyhood is on that same theme. The brilliance of this movie was that Richard Linklater…

Let me start by saying I am no expert in this culinary art form. Quite the opposite. I am still quite rough around the edges despite having fished for decades. That said I have enjoyed the outcomes of those with far more prowess. There are a few variations on the theme and favourite fish meals that I would like to explore before opening the floor for comments.

1. Let's start  with the 'shore lunch'. Shore lunch is a term for an often unplanned meal on the side of the lake or…

We hear this mantra or suggestion a lot these days and I guess it can have many meanings. Perhaps in today's busy life with so much media streaming at us, it makes even more sense to try to bring ourselves to understand and appreciate this key to really living life. But…

Who cares about being grateful?

Isn’t thankfulness just for losers?

I tend to be a respectful, and thankful person, but some days these questions do come to mind. Whenever I can, I thank people… and have made an effort to provide a personal and sincere note of gratitude to those who were deserving of it, especially on my work-teams.

It does not take much. A…

I'm not an overly religious person but that title seemed to be best for what I wanted to discuss in this week's community post.

A comedian (whom I've since forgotten) once said, "There are two types of people in the world, those who like to sort things into two groups, and those that don't." With that in mind, I would like to say, there are two types of people in the world, those who like to read 'self-help' books and those that don't. I guess this week's post is directed…

Okay, it is not a 'best trip ever' or an amazing lifetime experience, only a great place to chill and have a lunch in Ottawa.

I was lucky enough to be traveling for work to our capital with a colleague who knows the Ottawa area fairly well.  He suggested we take our guests to the Dows Lake Pavilion which is at the base of Preston Street where it meets Queen Elizabeth…

I am a dog person. Not a cat person.  I never really could trust cats. Two events turned me off  of them early in life. First, when I was about 5 or 6 I was scratched by one that I tried to pet while it was perched on our fence. The second attitude shifting event was watching our neighbour's cat Snowball toy with a mouse until she killed and ate it. And there you have it...cats are cold blooded violent beasts. Later experiences of the needy mewling, leg rubbing and aloofness only tainted…

You know that feeling. You have just been on vacation for a week, and the Sunday night jitters start hitting you. Or maybe, as you are driving back from the cottage or vacation spot, you start thinking about all the things awaiting your return - like 1,500 emails, and half a dozen blow-ups that took place while you were away.

Having just taken a week's vacation with my…

I've been following Kamazooie for some time but haven't done more than comment. However, while relaxing on Canada Day, while my wife had to work ;-(, I came across this posting on "presence" that I thought I would share.

Whether you're a minister, a politician, a salesman or a customer service person, or even if you just want to be a likeable person, I think…

While its not an official long weekend in Canada leading up to the 147th Canada Day on Tuesday July 1, there are a lot of people I know taking Monday off for an extended long weekend.

Fittingly, I thought I would use Canadian heritage as the topic of this week's community post.

The Confederation Train:

I remember hearing from my dad about a Centennial Train that crossed the country in 1967 so I did a little research on that. It was called the…

Last week, Amanda asked "What are you doing after work?".  I commented that I wanted to come back to that topic when I finished my next post and this is that follow-up.

I had two separate conversations recently and a common theme came up; that of becoming so good at or…

Much of our time, energy and metal capacity is devoted to work but for many reasons, we also have to think about what do I do after work. For some, after work means chilling with friends at a patio bar, to others it means cycling from 6:00-9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and to others it means what you plan do after you retire.

Work is an important part of our…