Eleven years ago today. That's how long I've lived in Fort McMurray, Alberta. That's how much time has passed since I made the choice to live here. Not bad considering I thought I would only be here for eight months. Just a quick stint to make some money. I'd be headed back to Ontario in… Continue reading Life at the Crossroads
We live in an isolated community. Fort McMurray - a city, or urban service area, located 435 km northeast of Edmonton with a population of 68,002. Besides a few other hamlets within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the closest other settlement lies approximately 200 km south. For all intents and purposes, we are alone.… Continue reading One Way In, One Way Out
What would you do to save your favourite haunts? Would you fight? Or would you do nothing and let them fade into obscurity? These are the questions I'm asking you today. It should come as no surprise at this point that the restaurant industry has taken a pounding over the last two years. Even more… Continue reading Give a Little, Save a Lot
A sprig of rosemary, a few cans of vegetable juice, and a pack of homestyle chicken stock pods. That's all I wanted. I'm not asking for much, right? At least, I don't think I am. It's not like this is an unreasonable request. Well, apparently, I was wrong. Last weekend, I went to the grocery… Continue reading Groceries are the Wurst
I want to curl up into a ball and sleep for a week. After finishing up with Purge, the latest show to hit the stage in Fort McMurray and the first one to run post-COVID, I find myself exhausted. But it's more than that. I feel worn - raw. As if someone is about to… Continue reading An Act of Darkness
There once was a man named Martin, Who's oddly obsessed with a garden. He’s kind of a creep, Treats his wife like a sheep, Watch Purge, this week, it's starting! I don't have the time to work on much this week, but I figured I’d still leave you with a little something. All my spare… Continue reading A Little Something…
It's hot. So bloody hot that I can't even focus on my post for today. I think we've hit the "I should be sitting on a beach, sipping away on a margarita, and listening to the ocean" hot. And it's only going to get hotter... Seriously! Look at the weather report for the whole week!… Continue reading Here Comes the Sun!
A week ago, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo declared a State of Local Emergency. This time, not because of a fire or flood. This time, due to the current rate at which this pandemic seems to be spreading in our region. The numbers are unbelievable. To make matters worse, a few days ago, the… Continue reading Looking Back
It's Friday night. You're excited for the weekend, and you decide to splurge a bit on dinner. You look at the menu of your favourite restaurant, and your mouth begins to water when your eyes fall upon your chosen morsel - your prey for the evening. Seven beautiful ounces of perfectly cooked sirloin paired with… Continue reading By Any Other Name
What do you do when everything in your life seems to go wrong? When the whole world appears to be against you, and you feel trapped? It can be scary. It can be demoralizing. It can be paralyzing. But it's ultimately human. I've found myself reflecting a bit on the last ten years of my… Continue reading On Hold
The CJBuzz 