Q. We’re headlong into gift season. But, some gifts – even when marvellously intentioned – are just not a hit. Dinosaur oven mitts! Fantastic. How good are you at hiding when you are less than enraptured with a gift you’ve been given? How good are you at noticing when others

Q. It’s undeniably the talk of the town.  Ticket woes and triumphs, hours spent crafting friendship bracelets, an onslaught of out of town visitors, unimaginable foot traffic, new buzz in old places, the historic Gastown Steam Clock now playing ‘Shake it Off.’ From one end of the city to the

Q. A hobby?! No thanks to telling a Bengal House Cat or a Border Collie that some people consider them ‘hobbies.’ “A hobby? Hold my bone…” ‘Pets’ aside, which hobbies are particularly entrancing people these days? . A. Here are the top twelve most popular hobbies identified by US respondents,

Q. Which animals run the fastest and how do we humans fare in comparison? . A. The 2020 World Almanac (with its teeny-tiny writing) and the American Museum of Natural History have answers. Sad to say, it’s rather bad race news for we non-Olympian humans. Most of these animals were

Q. Is ‘That morning coffee (brewed it for ya (yes)’ a merry ear worm for you? Well, get ready for an extra shot of caffeine on Halloween night. Google Trends tells us that Sabrina Carpenter and her sparkly corset is the 9th most searched Halloween costume for 2024. And you

Q. It’s World Mental Health Day. In my other ‘hat’ as an organizational psychologist – working non-clinically with leaders of different stripes – I’m acutely aware of the dangers of mental health disinformation. One frequent reality check for me is the well-stocked American Psychological Association site. What guidance does the

Q. Macbeth: Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? It might have happened to you. Not the murderous schemes of Macbeth and his Lady, but the stumbling out of a situation that made you feel unclean, dirty, tainted, ashamed. You might have been nothing more

Q. Well, look who finally made their way Into the Spider-Verse. Wow. I get the nominations and the hype. The use of character, art, music; the seamless melding between comic book and film animation – it’s brilliant. Just how passionate are people about their favourite superheroes? It depends, of course,

Q. We gentlefolk – reader, writer – are nothing but a delight. But, what habits do other people find annoying in their partners? . A. Hammonds surveyed 2,000 Brits on the partner habits that rankle the most. Their results? Top ten most annoying habits according to couples i.    Not

Q. For me, it’s the crackle of the kitchen radio, the  clack of Dad’s typewriter, the steam hiss of Mum’s vintage iron, the minor third trill ring of a rotary phone call that best be for me. What are some nostalgic sounds that you miss from your childhood? How many