Personal Interests
The Happiness Project
So far my 2015 Reading Challenge is right on track. Yes, I realize it’s still January, but I’ve completed the first challenge: a book I’ve been meaning to read. I first heard of Gretchen Rubin and her happiness project in 2008, when my friend Alex Fayle interviewed her for his Someday Syndrome blog. After the…
Read MoreTen Years
Since I’m a big fan of romantic comedies, whether novels or movies, it was no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed reading What Alice Forgot. It hooked me in very quickly (the quote I used in my last post came from page 6) and held my interest not just because of the story and characters, but because…
Read MoreWhen do you feel grown up?
My mom passed away a couple of months before I turned 40. Not too long before that, I told her I’d always thought 40 would feel more grown up than this. She smiled, knowingly. That’s the first time I clued in that age really is just a number. We are who we are, and even…
Read MoreI love a good challenge!
I joined Goodreads late in 2010, and loved the way it allowed me to organize my past, current, and future reading activities, as well as the social aspects of the site. During 2011 I noticed that other members of the site were in a reading challenge where they set a goal to read a certain…
Read MoreHappy New Year
In many ways, January 1st is just like any other day. And yet it’s not. When I used a paper planner, a new year meant a fresh new book full of blank pages to be filled. That’s one of the things I miss, now that my calendar is on my computer (and synch’d with my…
Read MoreMerry Christmas
These salt and pepper shakers belonged to my grandparents and are probably older than I am. One of my favourite parts of this season is bringing out treasures like this and remembering times spent with loved ones. It’s interesting how every family has its own traditions. I was quite surprised when I later learned that…
Read MoreHappy 20th Anniversary, Book Club Babes!
This month I had the joy of attending a very special celebration — the 20th anniversary of my book club. I don’t know how long most book clubs last, but I think 20 years is quite an achievement, especially considering the fact that four of the current six members have been there since the start.…
Read MoreCould a Book Club Enhance Your Life?
A few years ago, I attended my high school reunion, where I reconnected with a number of long lost friends. It turned out that some of them had not only stayed in touch, but had formed a book club with some other friends they’d met after high school, which they invited me to join. I…
Read MoreThe Perks of Being a Wallflower
I was really looking forward to watching The Perks of Being a Wallflower. What introvert wouldn’t be keen to see a movie that celebrates introversion? My husband even said, “I didn’t think there were any perks to being a wallflower,” to which I replied, “You need to read The Introvert Advantage!” Well anyway, I thoroughly…
Read MoreFrank Understands!
One of the hard things about being an introvert is trying to make people understand what it really means. In a recent interview at Someday Syndrome, I identified myself as being an introvert, and someone who only knows me online (with the exception of one telephone conversation) expressed surprise, because apparently I “have a wonderfully…
Read MorePlaying Extravert
Last year, one of my clients recommended me as a virtual assistant to one of her contacts. When I spoke with her, she was in the midst of a large project and already had admin support in place, so we agreed that we would connect again once that project was complete. She quickly realized she…
Read More