The Brown Knowser

We named him after a pig's pet in a children's story, but we usually called him, simply, "Ed." As a young kitten, he tore around our house with more energy than our two young daughters, combined. When he started sinking his claws into our fabric-covered furniture, I swore that we needed to get rid of him. I threatened, half-heartedly, that if one single nail touched my favourite leather sofa, I would kill him myself. Over time, though, he settled down and became the gentlest, most loving cat I have ever known. After Edwin passed away, on Tuesday, after a short-lived but aggressive illness, DW and I talked about the memories we shared, and about how we would never forget him. As soon as she, the kids, and I returned from the veterinary hospital ( I hate that hospital: I've now taken two cats there but have left without either ), DW sat down at our computer and wrote the following tribute on her Facebook page. With her permission, I'm sharing it—mostly, b...

I wasn't sure if this was going to work. Not with one over-energetic and one anxious teenager. My kids like predictable situations, ones that come without surprises. When DW and I try to introduce new foods, new travel destinations, or new activities, the initial reaction from our daughters is a resounding "No." On the first evening that we arrived in Montreal, last week, we took the kids to a familiar dinner spot. It's pretty hard for anyone in our family to say no to pizza, and when you're staying a short walk from the best pizza place in this city, Il Focolaio , it was a unanimous "Yes." Luckily, this time, there was no waiting—there's often a line out the door and around the corner—and we were seated right away. Everyone was happy. This is a restaurant we visit almost every time we're in Montreal. On the next day, we spent a lot of time walking around the downtown core. We were exploring options for universities for the girls, even ...

It took a long time for the drugs to kick in. With the first round of steroid injections for my feet, the reaction was quick. I received the shots in an operating room, with a surgeon, an assistant, and two technicians in a sheltered room. A live x-ray showed everyone the best place to inject the pain killer. The level of osteoarthritis in both feet is quite severe, so precision is paramount. Two days after those first injections, I arose from bed and, for the first time in decades, I felt absolutely no pain. Nothing. Not even those initial effects of stiffness. It was as though I was in my late teens again, able to do anything. I was so happy that I nearly cried. But the relief was short-lived. While I was told, before entering the operating room, that the steroid shots could last as little as six weeks or as long as six months, or could not work at all. By the seventh week, I could feel a bit of stiffness return and, by the eighth week, the drugs had completely worn off. ...

Great, Ontario PCs, just great. You had to go and fuck things up. Has what is happening in the United States not taught you anything? The Americans have a person in the White House who is unqualified, uneducated, and self-serving. He is a polarizing populist who is tearing his country apart. Given the opportunity, he would start World War III. Very few Ontarians like Kathleen Wynne and her Liberals, and many who, in the past, have supported her party, are having a tough time wanting to support her again. I'm one of those people. I voted Liberal in the last Ontario election because (and this is no surprise) I usually vote for the Liberals, but most importantly, I voted Liberal because the then-leader of the Ontario PCs was Tim Houdak seemed to be a bumbling moron who got his facts wrong, was too socially conservative for my liking, and seemed to run a campaign on fear and misinformation. I wasn't happy with the corruption that seemed to be underlying the Liberals, bu...

It is beyond words, how wonderful it is when a successful musician and his band take time and effort to help out young and upcoming musicians in their pursuits to reach the same pinnacle of success. That is just the sort of people that JW Jones and his band are. For a couple of years, the Juno-nominated Blues artist (his bassist, Laura Greenberg , won the 2017 Maple Blues Bassist of the Year award) has gathered musicians, aged 13 to 18, to show their stuff and perform along side him in his event, #613FutureBlues. Yesterday was the second year that my young drummer, DD14, auditioned and was invited to play. Irene's Pub was full of proud parents and supporters. We heard a young vocalist, three outstanding guitarists, and a total of seven drummers. JW told me that it's usually a challenge to find more than a couple of drummers (I think that last year, there was only one other drummer than my kid), and this time he was flush with them. All of the kids come with different ...

When I pulled off my mask, I didn't expect anyone to scream out in horror. " I'm not a monster... this is how I was born, " I was tempted to say. I felt the warm liquid running down my face, and I wiped it away, dismissively. It was only when DW pointed to the puddle of blood, on the deck of the boat, under me, that I paused. I had no idea how the mess got there. "When you took your mask off," DW explained, "a fountain of blood shot out of your nose." I had felt nothing. We had been snorkeling off Krabi, near Chicken Island, named after the shape of the skyrocketing limestone, like a neck, and a bulb on top, like a head with a beak. At one point, I had been following a group of rainbow fish, my flippers propelling me lower, to maybe three or four metres, and I remember feeling my ears pop from the pressure, but it was no worse than what I've experienced high above the clouds, in an airplane. The suction of my mask was strong, but to...

Trust me: this post is safe for work. If I had been paying attention, I would have never bought them, would have never even tried them on. It was through sheer negligence that they left the store with me. When I shop for shoes, I have to be careful about what I put on my feet. With my Kohler's Disease and acute osteoarthritis, I need firm support. The sole cannot bend, must keep my flat feet flat. My choice of shoes has been largely Rockports and Merrells, with the occasional New Balance or Brooks. As long as, of course, the sole is firm, the bed doesn't bend. When I lived in South Korea, I discovered a pair of brown-leather, casual walking shoes, by Skechers. The solid, gummed soles guaranteed good support, and the cushioned bed made for a soft feel on the foot. When I wore these Skechers, my feet felt supported and I could go a little longer in the shoes before my feet called it a day. These shoes were so comfortable, I bought three pairs. Because they were made in ...

She comes at a gallop, scurrying past your feet. One hop onto the covered toilet; another, onto the marble counter. She stops, her two striped forepaws into the sink as her head bends downward, to drink. Whether the faucet is still running, or not, makes no difference. She's not afraid of getting wet. Sometimes, when the sink isn't running, when there's no water to be found, she still can be found in the sink. One time, I entered the ensuite bathroom, my bathroom, to find her curled up, asleep in the empty basin. It was adorable, something that both DW and I failed to discourage . Why would we? She was doing no harm. Some days, the mere sound of the toilet flushing would bring her bounding to the room. Those humans would be turning on the faucet to wash their hands. She would try to poke her head between our hands, to get at that running water. Either to play or to drink. That source of liquid was hers. And then it happened. She beat me into the sink, before I co...

The first time that I heard of the Ottawa soul band, The Commotions , was through DD14. Her drum teacher, Jeff Asselin, told her that his band was performing at a tailgating party for last year's Grey Cup, at Lansdowne. She, DW, and I thought that we'd go down to support his band, and so we decided to brave the upcoming snow storm and see what the commotion was all about. I didn't realize that I would be blown away. The 12-piece band filled the tiny stage beside the Aberdeen Pavilion. Despite the snow that slowly covered the stage, the band played on. The Commotions has a solid horn section, including Jeff's twin brother and founding member, Brian, on tenor saxophone, a driving rhythm section, and the powerhouse vocals of Jeff Rogers and Rebecca Noelle. Their sound comes straight out of the golden age of Motown. During that short show at Lansdowne, we learned that The Commotions were going to be playing at Babylon , on Bank Street, for their CD release party...