survival stories
under my skein: a survival story
July 1981 10:15 am: My mother parks our black Mercury Monarch on Main Street. I am nine years old and sitting up front alongside my mother. My seven-year-old sister and three-year-old brother are sitting in the back. Nova Scotia didn’t pass seatbelt laws until 1985, so we were free to bounce around like fleas on…
Read Morepoop on deck: a captain’s log
ALL IS WELL. UNTIL IT ISN’T. 6:50 pm: Ten steps from the restaurant I feel a violent shift in my gut. The thirteen-block walk to my car seems manageable despite the uneasiness growing in my pelvic region, so I begin my trek. 6:51 pm: With each step comes more discomfort; a beastly churning rises…
Read Moremarooned
In the 1980s, the Red Cross ran a water safety program which aimed to make Canadians safer in, on, and around the water. Certified instructors led countless children through a program of swimming lessons which consisted of eight levels, each marked by a coloured badge. Lessons started at the yellow level and progressed to orange,…
Read Moreclose call
Saturday, 4:15 pm: I return from work to find our garden gate flung open. The gate was not open when I left that morning. I check the yard and then enter the house cautiously. 4:45 pm: Our landline is not working. I unplug and re-plug all the phones in the house, but despite my technical savvy, the phones…
Read Morebeartrayal
Garden tours and yard updates are a regular occurrence when visiting my parents; Bill and Rosie have a large, wooded property with meticulously maintained gardens. I’m no fan of the great outdoors, but I’ll put up with the occasional nature walk in exchange for a good meal. It was during one of those post-meal yard…
Read Moremoth-erly instincts
On April 26, 2012, I ate between 1 and 4.5 million moth eggs. I’m not sure how many I actually kept down, thus the broad range in estimated consumption. Immediately after consuming the moth eggs, I texted 2.0. The text read: I just ate moth larvae. I sent the text at 12:27 pm. I expected an immediate…
Read Morehigh-speed liaison
Many years ago, long before 2.0 came into my life, I lived in a large apartment building overlooking the Halifax Common. I shared the building with a man I called That Hot Guy In The Wheelchair Who Lives Just Up The Hall. But because that’s a long name, we’ll just call him Brett. I saw Brett frequently, but…
Read Moresave the curry
Late this morning, 2.0 called me from his job site. movita: Hello? 2.0: Hi, honey! How are you? movita: Fine. You? 2.0: Good. Um… what are you doing? movita: Editing some photos. 2.0: So… you’re okay? movita: Sure. Are you okay? 2.0: Yah. It’s just… I guess there’s some guy running around our neighbourhood with guns.…
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