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Expats: From Neither Here Nor There
Ottawa is known as a government town. It is predominantly middle-class, not obviously flash or sexy. I don’t say these things as a criticism. We chose to live here for the past thirteen years and continue to make that choice for a variety of reasons. But unlike Montreal or Vancouver, with their more obvious charms,…
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More Urban Than You
Last summer we attended a barbecue at a friend’s house in Westboro, Ottawa’s hip neighbourhood filled with yoga studios, coffee houses and Montessori daycares. It was a stunningly gorgeous blue sky day, the spread of food looked amazing, and our kids happily wandered off in search of other kids to play with. I’m generally happy…
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The Consequences of Living With Animals
I don’t know how to say this delicately so I’m just going to say it: my kid has pinworms.
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How Did You Find Your Dream House?
ser·en·dip·i·ty/ˌserənˈdipitē/ Noun: The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: “a fortunate stroke of serendipity”. – Merriam-Webster We never did look at another house. We were driving ever so slowly through the tiny rural village when we saw the real estate For Sale sign on the front lawn.…
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CurioCabinet: Anatomy of a House
Ma’a’seh Toviyah Venice, 1708. Woodcut. National Library of Medicine. Toviyah Kats (ca. 1652-1729) [author] This illustration from a Hebrew encyclopedia pairs the interior of a human interior with the interior of a house, a visual metaphor: the organs, like rooms in…
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SacredSpaces: Vedic Verses on the Mystical Rites of House Consecration
FROM THE VEDAS Reproduced with permission from Hinduism Today The building of a house, or even any transaction concerning it, is not just a matter of masonry or of business. It is in both instances a liturgical act, in which human lives as well as the powers above and below are involved. A house is…
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Making Tangible Our Intangible Cultural Heritage
[pullquote]Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. UNESCO Culture Sector, 2003…
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The Mystic Music of Everyday Household Objects
Most people think ‘utilitarian’ when they see everyday objects like a trash bin or a plain white china side plate lying around their house. But musician/artist/composer/sound designer Diego Stocco observes these objects and hears music. Animate or inanimate, everything around his house – including the tree in his backyard – are potential instruments to create exceptional…
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“Nothing in Front of Me But My Hands”
(I deem it time for some more Bentlily loveliness. All rights Samantha Reynolds.) It’s early and raining they are bundled my husband and son on an adventure they promise to bring home treasures sticks bright leaves unidentifiable pieces of plastic. The house is oddly still as though it isn’t us that runs around it but…