I ventured out late this afternoon for another International Week session titled, “Gender, Education and the HIV/AID Pandemic in Rural Malawi.” Presenting were Dr. Anne Fanning, a retired physician, and Rachel Maser, who just recently returned from a ten-month volunteer stint in Malawi with Engineers Without Borders.
Dr. Fanning began the session with a whirlwind twenty [...]

Dickson and I met up after work today for a quick bite to eat. He insisted on something “warm” (what can I say? He’s an articulate one), and I suggested the Free Press Bistro (10014-104 Street).
Until recently, the restaurant belonged to the Original Fare collective, a group of independently-owned eateries in the city. The following [...]

Occupation:
Day: Evil OverlordNight: Math TutorWhat did you eat today?Breakfast: Kellogg’s Corn FlakesLunch: Sticky rice.Dinner: Instant Noodles.Late night snack: Kellogg’s Corn FlakesWhat do you never eat?
Raw meat – especially fish
What is your personal specialty?
Beefy Cheesy Pasta – now with tomatoes!What is your favorite kitchen item?Oven/Microwave
World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.Appetizer: I’ve never cared too much [...]

Who knew? I read an article in the Edmonton Journal today about a new collectibles phenomenon – Starbucks gift cards. From the piece by Shannon Proudfoot:
“BucksCards.com, a website devoted to collectors of Starbucks gift cards – by far the most popular and lucrative on the market – reports that two anonymous collectors recently paid more [...]

I read an Associated Press article reprinted in the Edmonton Journal on Friday about a program women everywhere have been holding their breath for – standardized sizing across merchants.
“Spain’s government has reached an agreement with major fashion designers, including the owner of the Zara chain, to standardize women’s clothing sizes with the aim of promoting [...]

After months of self-flogging as punishment for missing Stephen Lewis’s keynote address in 2006, I made sure to take time out of my regularly scheduled workday this afternoon to attend Ronald Wright’s opening lecture for the University of Alberta’s annual International Week.
Wright’s address was excerpted from his award winning Massey Lecture, A Short History of [...]

I watched Little Miss Sunshine over the weekend. It’s easily the funniest movie I’ve seen in recent memory. Steve Carell was hilariously dry, and Paul Dano, the silent, Nietze-reading adolescent brother, had me in pieces with his looks of eye-rolling indifference.
Had a brush with a fake designer bag – bought what I thought was a [...]

Following the play, Annie and I went to Sushi Wasabi (5714-111 Street) for dinner.
Tucked away in the Lendrum strip mall, I was somewhat surprised that such a nondescript eatery could draw the constant patronage that it did that night. And this led to one of the downsides of the restaurant – because of the table [...]

I met up with Annie on Saturday afternoon to watch Shadow Theatre’s Sexy Laundry at the Varscona Theatre. From the website:
“Armed with a copy of Sex for Dummies, Alice and Henry check into a trendy hotel with a mission to jumpstart their 25-year marriage. Time has taken its toll; kids, stress, and gravity have all [...]

On Saturday afternoon, I headed to the 4th annual Ice on Whyte Festival.
Had I been better prepared with a hat and scarf to combat the wicked windchill that day, I would have stayed longer, but as it was, I snapped a few pictures and ran for indoor cover.
All of the carving competitions had taken place [...]