Today only! Massive Sale on BOGOs!
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
6d ago
Dear Jessica Brennan, Last week, Dad and I were driving up Dundas St, and there was a sign that said “BOGO Sale.” Dad asked, “What’s a BOGO, and why is everyone selling them all of a sudden?  Are they those new things kids are spinning on their fingers?” Oh my. Your Dad is a genius (already established), yet somehow, the whole acronym thing really eludes him. Almost every day, I get a note that says, “What does ICYMI” mean?” Or, “Jeff says he’s ROTFL, is that bad?” (The answer depends on how much you enjoy Jeff laughing at you, I guess). Dad came from a time when letters formed words, the ..read more
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Love is Love, Hate is Hate
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
3w ago
Dear Jessica Brennan, (a ranty poem-ish blog) Hate is hate. You can wrap it up in gender, Colour, faith, sexual preference,  Or class structure.   You can call it politics  Or religion  Or history  Or charity Even decency,  Statistics or privilege.  Call it what you like. You can blame your parents,  Your friends,  Your job,  The geography you landed on, Or your sparkly, diamond-encrusted church. Hate is hate, and hate is fear. You can ask your God, Your Goddess,  Your lucky stars Or ancient changelings and fairies  For all I car ..read more
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Full Disclosure. It Works Both Ways.
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
1M ago
Dear Jessica Brennan, I have to admit, it isn’t just Dad who’s getting a bit thick with time. I, too, now seem to have the attention span of a hamster. Here’s an actual conversation we had at Sagi of Wortley the other night. Me: We forgot to ask the server her name. Dad: It’s MaryLynn. Me: Mary Anne? Dad: No, MaryLynn. Me: Marilyn? Dad: MaryLynn. Me: Oh, Muriel. Dad: (shout-whispering) Muriel? How the hell did you get Muriel? Not Muriel! MaryLynn! Me: She’s a lovely young woman. Love, Mum xo ..read more
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Thanks to the Song in My Head
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
1M ago
Dear Jessica Brennan, A couple of weeks ago, during the kind of impatience that can only come with a renovation, I noticed Dad’s way of almost putting things away. He has a hook behind the door for his coat, but instead, he hangs his coat on the doorknob. He knows the pan lids go in the stove drawer, but he washes them and leaves them on the stove. He can find a wine glass when he wants wine, but when it’s time to put it away, he sets it on the buffet. This “almost putting away” of things also shines a spotlight on something charming. Dad’s doing the dishes, running errands and dealing with al ..read more
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Never Sing Karaoke in a Belly-Top
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
1M ago
Dear Jessica Brennan, On the issue of karaoke. Here’s my call. Karaoke is like belly-tops. Those who shouldn’t often do. I have never sung Karaoke. I never will, but for those who do, I would like to know exactly what it is they are thinking when they’re wailing out the old standards like Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” or Robbie Williams’ “Angels.”I want to know what people are thinking because I have heard all of the above artists sing, and karaoke singers don’t sound like them. I want to understand what they are thinking because I don’t think I’ve ever tho ..read more
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(Never) Star in Your Own Commercial!
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
1M ago
Dear Jessica Brennan, Listen carefully. Never, ever do your own commercials. You don’t know how. Don’t even consider it, or you will end up like those guys on the TV and radio who just sound lame. There are three kinds of self-read commercials for the amateur producer. None of them are acceptable. First, there is the robot commercial. It sounds like this: Hi. I’m. Reg. From. Reg’s. Furniture. Integrity. And. Honesty. Is. Our. Business. Stop. By. Soon. For. Great. Deals. Reg’s. Furniture. The. Only. Store. You. Need. So sad. Then there is the screamer: WE’VE GONE CRAZY AT REG’S FURNITURE!! ALL ..read more
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How to Live with Sorrow and Troubled Water
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
2M ago
Dear Jessica Brennan, In life, we are sometimes sought out by sorrow surrounding us and hanging heavy, crushing our entire world. With sorrow comes the worst kind of misery and loss, and many times, it sneaks up, quietly arriving as the result of a shocking single crisis or tide of unpredictable events. When it’s upon you, you can’t just decide to crawl out from underneath the weight of it, and you can’t get over it by simply sucking it up. Sorrow is more profound and more meaningful than that. It needs to have its say. Sorrow is mighty because it is the opposite of joy; to understand it, you ..read more
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A Few Words About Rejection
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
1y ago
Dear Jessica Brennan, I now know a few things about rejection since writing my mystery. All creative people, whether musicians, actors, writers or visual artists, must brace themselves for rejection. It comes with the territory. Agencies, publishers, record labels and their equivalents have people on staff who reject way more than they accept. When I say way more, I mean fifty or sixty or one hundred times more. All rejection isn’t equal. Many agents simply ignore submissions. Some deliver the news dismissively with a form letter. Some enjoy the superiority and power of rejecting others and ta ..read more
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Living in a League of Humans
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
1y ago
Dear Jessica Brennan, There is nothing good or bad in your life that you don’t carry in your body, and by that, I don’t mean in your brain, although your brain is in your body, of course. Many emotions you notice in your body occur in your torso – your heart, solar plexus or stomach. How many times do you say, “I feel…” or ”it broke my heart,” or “I have a gut feeling,” or “it knocked the wind out of me.” Everything, good or bad, is there at a cellular level, and if you don’t feel that, you are ridiculously shut down, so run and get help quickly. Over time I have developed a personal practice ..read more
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Decide Who You Are and Be It
Dear Jessica Brennan
by Mum
1y ago
Dear Jessica Brennan,  We hear a lot about nature and nurture, and people who are way more intelligent than I will ever be have educated themselves extensively on the topic. Thank goodness.  Here is what I have observed while simply walking the planet and learning a little bit about people. Nature and nurture can make things challenging if you want to change your behaviour or that of others. It can be debated all day long in the clinical arena. But in the end, despite who raised us or who gave birth to us, most of us get to decide who we will be. You can be a loving mother even if yo ..read more
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