The Old School Barber

The Old School Barber

I sat down in the barber chair and Joe draped the gown around me. He’s an elderly but hale Italian man who’s been lowering ears at Elveden House Barber Shop since the early 1960s. Usually very talkative, Joe was uncharacteristically laconic on this particular occasion so I took the opportunity to ask a question that had been on my mind for several years:

“Say, Joe? How'd you end up in Calgary?”

It was as simple as that, and I didn't really say another word for the next hour as Joe's story unfolded. (My haircuts usually take less than 30 minutes, but Joe often stopped to gesticulate, ponder a date or silently reminisce).

Canine Wisdom

Canine Wisdom

My wife and I said farewell to our elderly dog, Nika, last week. She was at least 16 years old, and I had the pleasure of spending the last 12 years with her. Her passing inspired me to dig up the following, which I wrote earlier this year and now wish to share with you:

Nika rests while I write this. As she gruntingly exhales and stirs into deeper realms of comfort, I marvel at the simplicity of her methods to improve lives, and the dissonance between the innate, instinctive wellspring of joy that she inspires versus the debilitating “wisdom” that our society has proliferated for centuries.

No! No Nouveau!

No! No Nouveau!

Hey, Hey- don’t get me wrong... I have an immense fondness, nay, outright love for Beaujolais! I am a freakin’ John the B level evangelist for this region’s wine! But I have a very strong belief that the only way Beaujolais Nouveau tastes good is on a long, drunken stroll through the streets, bistros and bouchons of Lyon on a chilly November night.

Metrovino Loves Sherry

Metrovino Loves Sherry

“Sherry is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing wines to ever grace my palate. It is simultaneously meditative and transcendental, possessing intrinsic flavour complexities and managing to fantastically pair with virtually anything that you’re eating. Sherry is your best friend and your lover; just when you think you understand all of its nuances, it reveals a new facet of itself that you didn't know existed... you thereupon fall even deeper in love, continually captivated and curious…”

Earth's Satisfied Exhalation

Earth's Satisfied Exhalation

Autumn is earth's satisfied exhalation. It's a season of strong character but it’s also precarious, often threatening an early segue into the tyranny of winter. If spring is spontaneous, autumn is pensive. If summer is frivolous, autumn is sentimental. If winter is dormant, autumn is a wise acquiescence of finality. In autumn, passions crackle like leaves underfoot, and when they take shape on still mornings, they hold form with stubborn, overwhelming clarity.

 
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