(Voir plus bas pour version Française) It was finally time to put our old dog to sleep last week. He had cancer and it was spreading fast. When he no longer wagged his tail upon seeing a member of the family, we called the vet. Deagan was not our first pet to die and won’t [...]
Category Archives: Life
Tabula rasa? Not quite.
Here is something I published last week as a follow-up to my last post. I’ll add a few comments at the end. From whence our characters? (Source: D’où vient notre charactère? Journal Métro, May 22, 2012) Voir plus bas pour version Française. In my last column I wrote about the challenge of having – or [...]
A child and a half
There is nothing more moving than seeing a baby being born. If you can watch a video of that without crying, you’re far more stoic than I can ever be. Just seeing a delivery of some stranger’s kid is enough to make my face wet. I can’t imagine how powerful it would be to watch the [...]
My father the janitor
THE MEASURE OF A MAN For the past few months, I have had to spend a lot of time at my parent’s home since they are both rapidly losing their autonomy. My mother, 83, is more and more confused and needs help with her medication. My father is weak and has trouble walking. It isn’t [...]
Fortune cookies of death
I like it when my lawn is freshly mown. I like when my doors don’t squeak. I like it when my car is washed. But I also like to play golf, ride my bike and go kayaking and something’s gotta give. Call me hedonistic but when I examine my priorities, play-time is right up there. I [...]
Psychologists make for lousy soldiers
I often think of all the talented artists and musicians who will never earn a living at their craft. It’s sad that we simply do not live in a world where such talents are rewarded. No, our current leaders are the ones with the most marketing savvy – whether they sell products or their political [...]
Amy and the Duke
Here is something published in today’s edition of Métro: Mon cadeau de Noël préféré. My favourite Christmas gift For my last column before the holidays I decided to write about my favourite Christmas gift. Unfortunately I sat for quite a while and couldn’t think of what it was. I considered a few possibilities such as [...]
I couldn’t get past the chicken
The title of this post is a direct quote from a program called Chopped on the Food Network. Chef contestants get a basket of mystery ingredients (ex., chicken feet, peach schnapps, and shoelaces) and have 20 or 30 minutes – depending on the round – to come up with something edible to present to the [...]
The evolution of personality
Not too long ago, I was interviewed by a number of media outlets on the subject of the trapped Chilean miners – What were they going through while trapped? What will they go through after their rescue? Were there risks of violence associated with trapping so many men together for so long? How will their [...]
Teenager wars
Although I am not a child psychologist I get plenty of practice with the four teens in my home. Thank God I have a full-time job so I can get away to relax. As part of our public education program at the Douglas Institute we have an annual series of lectures called the Mini-Psych School. [...]
