Alex Carrick’s Blog

I’ve taken up roller blading. The joke is that it’s to save on gasoline. But it’s actually because I’ve done a lot of ice skating and how much harder can it be to roller blade?   Turns out, it’s a lot harder. Ice is slippery, but it’s flat. The roads I’ve been going on with […]

[Read more →]

You could tell these two had been at it, off and on, for years. The sparks were so intense and the language so extreme. Accusations were lobbed back and forth and concussive blasts figuratively shook the firmament. It was the dead of night, but the heat of anger made it seem bright as day.

[Read more →]

Now that I’m in my sixties, I have to work a little harder to remember that snow has provided some of the best moments of my life. When I’m out walking our dog, Daisy, after a heavy downfall, the beauty can leave me awestruck and feeling young again. The smell of the ozone goes straight to one’s […]

[Read more →]

Fortune telling is a profession that seems to have fallen by the wayside. When some old black and white movie finds its way onto TV, it’s great to see a wild-eyed gypsy lady pull out her crystal ball and start to prognosticate. In most of these thrillers, after telling the truth, things don’t turn out […]

[Read more →]

In the quest for mates, various species of Canadian males have their own unique and surprisingly successful “pick-up” or “come-on” lines they use in drinking establishments, shopping mall food courts and wherever else potential female companionship is to be found.   Here are a few of them. I know these are effective, because I’ve tried several […]

[Read more →]

My wife and I had kind of a unique wedding. We sort of eloped, but then we also bought the farm on the same day –  literally, not figuratively. And our only child at the time, Tom, aged 12, was my best man.   Donna and I were due to get married, so we arranged for […]

[Read more →]

Once again, last night, the tooth fairy missed coming to our house. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence. Donna is concerned this paints a poor picture of us as parents.   At least Donna feels guilty. It hardly even registers with me. 

[Read more →]

What’s with the Canadian obsession for categorizing our artists according to numbers? There is the Group of Seven, Painters 11 and the Regina Five, for starters. We’re not the only nation to do this. The Americans had The Eight and I am sure that there are many other examples around the world. However, we may be unique in not being able to count.

[Read more →]

Today, I’ll continue with a discussion about the perils of watching movies at home with the children. I’ll cover the embarrassment of violence, pornography and bad language.   As for violence, Donna and I haven’t wanted our kids to be over-protected, so we’re pretty liberal in our viewing habits. Besides, you can’t get away from […]

[Read more →]

There are few things in life much more fun than taking the kids to a movie in an actual theatre. You load up on popcorn, Pepsi and Twizzlers; the lights go down; the sound starts to reverberate; and the fun begins. You look over and your youngest ones are looking up at the screen, wide-eyed […]

[Read more →]