Let’s call ghosting what it really is …

I belong to an online group for freelancers in the ad industry. It’s on Facebook. Yesterday morning someone posted about a recent experience she had.

She’d been talking with someone about possibly doing some work together and suddenly the conversation just stopped. No reason, no explanation, no nothing. She wanted to know if “ghosting” is common in the industry — she’s spent a lot of time working in Europe, where apparently business is conducted differently.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen posts like this. It’s an all-too-common occurrence. And I’ve got to

Family …

My mother once told me that when she and my father got married there were 200-plus people at their wedding, most of whom were family. Like most children, I never thought about a time when our family would stop growing and start shrinking. Children assume everyone they love will be around forever.

In actual fact, I’m lucky. Most of my family lived long and full lives. I was 15 when my great grandfather passed away, in my 20s when my great grandmother passed. One grandmother lived to 98, the other to

Why not travel light, even when you’re not traveling?

Have you been seeing all the ads on Facebook and Instagram for luggage?

I actually find them fascinating. Not the ads — the products themselves. All the different kinds of suitcases, knapsacks and packing cubes designed to let you cram as much as you can into a bag small and compact and lightweight enough to take on board with you — thereby avoiding the need to check

(sigh) …

In a tribute to the late poet, Mary Oliver, Maria Popova re-posted in last Sunday’s BrainPickings, an essay Oliver wrote — “Of Power and Time.” In it, she writes about how “creative work needs solitude … concentration without interruptions.” It really resonated with me, because I’m so easily distracted these days. It wasn’t always thus, but it’s been a problem for a while now.

Thankfully, my “paid” work isn’t affected. I have no problem hunkering down and getting client projects and articles written — getting right to them, staying focused and meeting the deadlines. But my personal

Curiosities …

There’s nothing pressing on my mind I want to share at the moment. So here are some things I’ve been wondering about:

I just got off the phone with Rogers (my cable/internet/wireless provider). I was questioning something on my bill and when we were done the rep I was speaking with asked if I had a minute so he could go over my account and make sure I was getting the best deal possible. He soon came back on the line and said he could save me about $40 a month (for 24 months) — with no changes being made to the services I have

Good old days …

Amid all the ugliness last week, I did get some glimpses of sunshine; and I’m not talking about the  weather. Twice, I spent time with people I haven’t seen in years, and I do mean years, reminiscing about all the good times we shared.

The last several years I lived in Montreal I was doing advertising and PR in the fashion industry; and, after a couple of years at a tiny agency that specialized in the fur industry, I ended up working for a manufacturer and

Luck of the draw?

I’ve been thinking a lot about my family lately. No particular reason, at least as far as I’m aware.

Maybe it’s because of all the recent Facebook backlash. Like so many, I’m not happy about the role they played in the Russian meddling and Cambridge Analytica data breech — but am loath to disconnect because it’s such a great way to keep up to date on all the comings and goings of friends and family who live elsewhere.

Maybe it’s because of Easter and Passover. I’ve written before about how we weren’t particularly observant, but we

As the year draws to a close …

I was introduced to Pema Chödrön, the American Tibetan Buddhist nun and teacher, back in 2014 on an Oprah Winfrey show, Super Soul Sunday. I  was instantly enthralled, just loved what she had to say and have been following her ever since, although not religiously (no pun intended).

Last Saturday she showed up in my Facebook newsfeed. She was the subject of a story from a Brain Pickings newsletter.

Brain Pickings, which I’ve been subscribing to for several years, was founded by the writer and MIT Futures of

Feeling hopeful … hopefully … ?

It started last Friday with the news that Mike Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was cooperating with the Mueller investigation.

“Be still my heart,” I thought, “this could be big.” “Big,” because the Mueller team has a lot of evidence on a lot of Flynn’s wrongdoing; and they could have indicted him on much more serious crimes. Crimes that would have carried a long, long jail term — thirty years or more.

And so, I thought — hoped — if Mueller was willing to pass that up and settle for a much lesser charge — one that would carry a much shorter jail term — then he (Flynn) must have some pretty powerful evidence on a much bigger fish. A

Age? Bring it …

I’m not one who’s ever obsessed over age. It really has just been a number to me. Growing up and into my 20s, I spent a lot of time with my mother’s friends, who never treated me like a kid; and, as a result, I always felt like they were my friends, too.

In my youth I was attracted to older men and a lot of the guys I dated were at least 10 years older than I was. One was actually not much younger than my mother, yes, scandalous I know.

Now I have friends who are my age, friends who are