The last spin for Quadzilla Spins3! I get it, you need a break from spinning and listening to awesome music. Welcome to Spinning Tales. Here you will find a collection of (look for new additions as the muse moves me) personal stories, book/movie reviews, musings, rants, and even some comedy; well, I think they’re funny. Sit back, put your jammies on, and enjoy. For your convenience, each entry has a letter in brackets next to its title to indicate the type of writing: (H) – Humor; (E) – Essay; (S) – Story; (F) – Fiction; (R) – Review
A Teachable Moment
My career in teaching (1991-2018) did not follow what some might call a “normal path.” Firstly, it started at 41 years old. Secondly, it began at a University in Canada and ended at a private school in Southern California. I went from lecturing in three different departments – Communications, Canadian Studies, and Geography – to…
Hockey Arenas: Canada’s Secular Shrines
The importance of the hockey arena to Canadian society is best summed up by a statistical curiosity published in Harper’s Magazine (circa 1998): The ratio of ice rinks to hospitals in Canada – 3:1. Now, this may have said more about the state of health care in this country at that time than it did…
To Write or Not To Write… (E/S)
There is no other way to say this, to sugar coat it, or to soften the blow. So, I will just get it off my chest right now: “If you recognize the picture above from the early 70s, you are old!” If it helps, I remember it quite vividly. I am referring here to Memorex…
“What A Long Strange ‘Drive’ It’s Been!” (E/S)
To say that North American, especially the US, has a long-entrenched history with the automobile may seem like a “duh” statement, but it is a bit more complicated than that, as these things usually are. There have been countless words written about “America’s love affair with the automobile,” and yet countless more that have debunked…
Once Upon A Time…(F)
“Good evening. Welcome to Box News’s [Box News: “If it’s “facts” you want, think outside the Box!”] Evening Update for this Wednesday, November 2, 2033, I’m your host Shane Yannit. Top stories we are following tonight: Melon Suk’s recent purchase of Amazon; Zoff Jebes’s recent purchase of Earth; The Supreme Court’s decision to not make…
Merry Christmas! Ho, Ho, Hmm… (S)
I know! It’s only April and Easter is just around the corner, and Passover begins tonight but, in my defense, there are only 264 days before Christmas! This is not really about the holiday per se; it is really about the fact that this winter celebration has always been somewhat awkward for me, especially when…
Enough Is Enough (E)
I have made this bold statement a few too many times – “I’m not reading the news anymore, it’s too depressing”- and I would love to report that I have listened to my words of wisdom, but alas I cannot do that. In fact, it is more accurate to say that I have been reading…
Coureur Des Bois…Or, Something Like That! (S)
As a child growing up in Montreal, I remember quite vividly the stories I was told in school about the brave “coureur des bois” (literal translation, runner of the woods) of New France (modern-day Quebec) in the second half of the 17th century who traveled the interior waterways of the land in handmade wooden canoes.…
Do You Want To Hear What My Body Told Me? Didn’t Think So! (E)
If you chuckled or said “Oy” after reading the above, you are not alone! In the last few years, I have become very fond of uttering that oft heard phrase: “I’m listening to my body,” or telling everyone that I meet: “Listen to your body,” as if somehow, I have found a secret portal that…
The Silence of The Humans! (E)
It certainly should not come as a shock that our lives these days are inextricably tied to and dependent upon technological innovation, because they have been for quite some time. However, the speed at which this dependency is taking root is alarming to some, especially those in a certain age bracket, and then there is…
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Spinning Three Ways! 