Home for the Holidays

/ Hilary Mandel / 2 Comments

Make yourself at home.  There’s no place like home.  Home is where the heart is.

As I approach the fourth anniversary of my return to Vancouver, I am comforted knowing that I have found a home here.  It wasn’t always clear to me where my home was, especially during my decade of moving up and down and back and forth across the western part of the continent (LA – Oakland – Vancouver – Sedona – Berkeley – LA – Vancouver). That question — where is my home? – weighed heavily on me at times.

Of course, old adages are usually right.  Continue reading →

Belated Thanks

/ Hilary Mandel / 2 Comments

Another Thanksgiving (or two, if you count Canadian and American) come and gone.  Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude abounds.

This has been an unusually busy fall, between the move and three, count ’em, three trips to Southern California since August.  My most recent trip had me in Palm Springs for our annual gathering with family and longtime friends.   This year, my dad and his wife were in town for a change, as well as my mom and my brother and his wife and two girls.  There’s no greater joy for me than being an auntie… it’s just about the best thing ever.  My nieces are growing up so fast, as kids tend to do, so every time I get to spend quality time with them, it’s a blessing. Continue reading →

This Old House

/ Hilary Mandel / 10 Comments

I never thought I’d say it, but I might actually miss this old house.

My time here was never meant to be long-term.  When I moved in less than two years ago, I figured I’d stick around for maybe six months, tops.  Cute place, yes… top floor of an old house, high ceilings, good light, but not in a part of town I particularly loved, and not enough square footage for my stuff (much of which I hurriedly threw into storage, after realizing the day before the movers came that it wouldn’t all fit). Continue reading →

Post Post 9-11: Frowing Up

/ Hilary Mandel / 4 Comments

With all of the coverage over the last week leading up to yesterday’s 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, the world probably doesn’t need one more blog about the impact of this shattering event on one life, even one as fascinating as mine.  So rather than recalling where I was when I first heard what had happened a decade ago yesterday (waking up to get ready for my second day of business school) or musing about how it felt to be an American in Canada yesterday (like a wolf without her pack), or pondering the tears that welled up as I sat in the park late in the day and read the names of those whose lives were lost… rather than any of that, I think I’ll write about my adventures last week on the high seas. Continue reading →

You Don’t Know Jack

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I didn’t know who Jack Layton was when I moved to Vancouver three and a half years ago, and I’ll bet you that if you’re one of my American friends or relatives reading this, you’ve never heard of him either.  It’s entirely possible that your local newspaper won’t mention that he died today.  If that’s the case, then read this. Continue reading →

Another year…

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I’ve never been to a Polish wedding, but from what little I know about them, they last for a good long time… sort of like my birthday celebration did this year.  I turned another year older last Thursday – not a birthday that ended in a five or a zero, just another one of those “regular” years that puts me more squarely into the “late” side of this decade than in the “mid”.  Not a particularly special year in terms of numbers, but still a wonderful excuse for celebrating. Continue reading →

More on Why I Love Living in Vancouver

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The events of the last couple weeks have significantly heightened my appreciation of living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

First was the Royal Wedding.  I’m told it was a big deal in the States, but really, the lead up and coverage on CBC was over the top.  I loved it.  And I loved hearing about all of the “wedding breakfast” parties that my friends here attended, many in their pajamas.  Given that the ceremony was at 3:00 a.m. west coast time, you know that I was in my finest PJ’s while watching (the ones with the owls and bears on them). Continue reading →

My First Tweetup

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Yesterday afternoon, I went to a Tweetup.  A what?  You heard me.  A Tweetup… an organized  gathering of people who use Twitter… that is, a ‘meet up’ of people who ‘tweet’ using Twitter.

I don’t tweet.  I signed up for a Twitter account last summer, for what purpose I cannot fathom at this moment, but have never really used the thing. So I was more of an observer at this event than a participant.  It was fascinating. Continue reading →

The First Day of Winter That Felt Like Spring

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Yesterday was a day of hellos.  Hello!, I said, to the part of the hardwood floor in my bedroom usually covered by a large area rug (and to the dust that had arrived since I last peeked under there).   With the warm sun streaming through my bedroom window on a Sunday morning, it felt like time to start my spring cleaning.

Continue reading →

Read Naked Much?

/ Hilary Mandel / 2 Comments

Reading out loud is such a delight.  I’d almost forgotten how much I love the spoken word until Thursday night, when AB and I went to Beaumont Studios to hear four women read a selection of writings on the subject of “Heaven and Hell.”  Truthfully, I can’t say how much of my pleasure derived from hearing them bring the words alive from the page, and how much came from staring at their completely unclothed bodies while they did so. Continue reading →