Hit and Miss

Hit and Miss #50: We shape the land

August 19, 2018

I spent last Sunday morning sitting with a friend in the shade of Parliament Hill, talking and watching the birds on the water. That evening, I sat in nearby...

Hit and Miss #49: Learning languages, loving words

August 12, 2018

Hia, Earlier this week, I read Ru, by Kim Thúy. It tells the story of a Vietnamese refugee who immigrated to Canada as one of the “boat people”. Here are a...

Hit and Miss #48: Cool recipes for a hot day

August 5, 2018

Hia, I’m brained out from the heat and am thinking through a few ideas for future newsletters. (Plus, ruminating on whether to continue with the newsletter.)...

Hit and Miss #47: Turn to the local

July 29, 2018

After a hurting week for those who care deeply about municipalities and local government, here are some links on why local community is so important: Naheed...

Hit and Miss #46: Heat

July 22, 2018

Hi there! Despite a brief reprieve today, this week is looking hot in Ottawa. On the theme of heat, here are three links for you this week. Extreme heat is...

Hit and Miss #45: Humbly human

July 15, 2018

Hi there, Heat tires me. Combined with a lack of food or water, it can also inflame my temper. Aware of these risks, I tend to retreat into myself more when...

Hit and Miss #44: Working (remotely)

July 8, 2018

Hi! Happy Sunday. I stepped back a few years this week, working remotely instead of from an office. I appreciated the flexibility—it allowed me to visit some...

Hit and Miss #43: Centennial

July 1, 2018

Hello there! It's Canada Day and I'm visiting my grandparents. They arrived in Canada in the early 1960s, which prompted me to wear my Canada Centennial logo...

Hit and Miss #42: Creative constraints

June 24, 2018

Hi there! A hopefully happy Sunday to you. Mine has been quiet thus far; quiet seems to be the theme of my weekend. I’ve been puttering about the apartment,...

Hit and Miss #41: Historically minded

June 17, 2018

Hello there! It’s shaping up to be a scorcher today and I feel like I’m melting. In case I do melt away today, I’d like to share a bit about how I think with...

Hit and Miss #40: A quantified, incentivized life

June 10, 2018

Hello there! It’s a sunny Sunday morning, and I’ve already been out and about. I spent about an hour and a half buying groceries, on two separate trips....

Hit and Miss #39: Here I go again!

June 3, 2018

I don’t know how old I was when I first saw (experienced?) Mamma Mia!. It was probably over a decade ago. Since then, I’ve listened to the cast recording...

Hit and Miss #38: Pacifism

May 27, 2018

Hello there, I drafted this yesterday, during a gloomy afternoon. No doubt that shaped this newsletter’s tone, though I’d planned its subject for some time....

Hit and Miss #37: Working (together)

May 20, 2018

It’s a beautiful (beautiful beautiful beautiful) Sunday morning on a long weekend. As I write this I’m staring out at intense sky blues and leaf...

Hit and Miss #36: Science fair!!

May 13, 2018

Hi there! This newsletter’s coming a bit later today because I spent the day volunteering at the 2018 Canada-Wide Science Fair, hosted this year at Carleton...

Hit and Miss #35: Working

May 6, 2018

Hello there! I’m writing this during my first leisurely weekend in months. No specific places to be, nor work to do—just chipping away at the small daily...

Hit and Miss #34: Portable pasta party kit

April 29, 2018

Hi there! I’m writing this after finishing a lunch of stuffed shells from my nonna (Italian grandmother); this morning’s breakfast was some slices of cake,...

Hit and Miss #33: Keep going

April 22, 2018

Hia! I know I promised a newsletter this week on food, but I need to postpone it one more week. I’m short on time again today—exams, yeesh. (But also...

Hit and Miss #32: Season 2, episode 22

April 15, 2018

I’d planned a letter about whose subject I’m quite passionate, but I find myself too tired tonight to do it justice. Note to self: if you have an idea about...

Hit and Miss #31: Regularly local

April 8, 2018

Hello there! This morning, I made my weekly trip to the Italian grocery. My two deli guys weren’t in today, but I felt at home nonetheless. Tomorrow, I’ll...

Hit and Miss #30: M*A*S*H

April 1, 2018

Earlier this month, David Ogden Stiers died. Many, myself included, know him from M*A*S*H, but I remember him equally for one episode of Star Trek: The Next...

Hit and Miss #29: On the environment

March 25, 2018

Hi there! A happy Sunday to you. Here in Ottawa, it’s bright and warming up after a frigid few days. I hope you share in such cheery weather. The other week,...

Hit and Miss #28: Robots!

March 18, 2018

One fine morning to you! Robots are important and inspiring. They present almost limitless potential (given enough time and investment) to change how we...

Hit and Miss #27: Editing

March 11, 2018

Good afternoon! Yesterday was a day of writing. Today is a day of editing. I enjoy editing even more than writing. Though I’ve improved my planning process...

Hit and Miss #26: Presenting work

March 4, 2018

What’s the best way to present design? Or any work, for that matter? Once you’ve created something, what’s the best way to gather feedback? I’ve been...

Hit and Miss #25: The importance of internet access

February 25, 2018

I came home to a surprise last week. My dad upgraded our internet package, tripling the speeds. I recently reflected on the significance of internet access....

Hit and Miss #24: Ode to the road

February 18, 2018

I’ve been driving now for four years. Not long, but long enough to have some disconnected, disjointed thoughts about it. On Friday, my dad and I drove from...

Hit and Miss #23: Some links

February 11, 2018

Hello! I hope you’re well. This week is my final push here in Ottawa before spending a few days in Waterloo for reading week, so I’ve got my head down in...

Hit and Miss #22: Life is long

February 4, 2018

We’re motoring right along, aren’t we? It’s February 2018, though apparently my brain doesn’t quite realize it—on Friday, I wrote down “December 2” as the...

Hit and Miss #21: Complex, connected problems

January 28, 2018

Tanya Talaga’s book Seven Fallen Feathers is a triumph. She compassionately bears witness to the incredibly complex network of challenges facing Indigenous...

Hit and Miss #20: Profiles and interviews

January 21, 2018

Happy Sunday! One of my overriding interests is in remembering the human face of a situation. Oftentimes I’ll be in deep on some issue, whether researching a...

Hit and Miss #19: Thinking about time

January 14, 2018

Hello! How’s this week going for you? We’re midway through the first month of the new year. (Milestones!) Yesterday morning I read this lovely piece on...

Hit and Miss #18: “Feed”

January 7, 2018

“Words Have Special Meanings When Computers are Involved” —Editorial in the October 1983 issue of Output, the newsletter/journal of the Educational Computing...

Hit and Miss #17: Constant questions

December 31, 2017

Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it?...

Hit and Miss #16: Three welcome books

December 24, 2017

Hello there, It’s the holiday season. It’s an odd one, with intense periods of busyness followed by long stretches of quiet. While enjoying the break, I seek...

Hit and Miss #15: Small victories

December 17, 2017

Good morning. Spend enough time around me, and you’ll probably hear me talk about small victories. (You may also discover my love for the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯...

Hit and Miss #14: Our faves are problematic

December 10, 2017

Hello there! Happy Sunday to you, hopefully. Sometimes we construct images of public figures that are flawed or contrary to reality. (Surprise, surprise.)...

Hit and Miss #13: The Seven Year Itch

December 3, 2017

Just over seven years ago, I issued my first invoice for web development work. At the time, I didn’t realize how much it’d shape the years to come. Over more...

Hit and Miss #12: Bye Bye Birdie

November 26, 2017

It’s funny how small conversations often prompt larger changes in my life. Talking with friends last weekend, I mentioned the brief history of timekeeping...

Hit and Miss #11: What’s a personal bio good for?

November 19, 2017

Hello there! I’m writing after a nice little weekend visiting friends. Taking time for myself is really, really important, but I too often let it slip....

Hit and Miss #10: Research reading

November 12, 2017

Happy Sunday! This week has been spent in a bit of a productive daze. I’ve lurched from task to task, moving in what feels like too many directions at once....

Hit and Miss #9: Modern monopolies

November 5, 2017

Hello there! I hope this week has been great for you. (And if it hasn’t, know that that’s fine too! Sometimes things go that way, and with time we can find...

Hit and Miss #8: Civic tech

October 29, 2017

Hi there! Thanks to a nice week off, I’m feeling better this weekend than I have for the past little while, despite still having a fair bit of work to do....

Hit and Miss #7: A revealing week

October 22, 2017

I must raise two issues that had significant moments this week. The Québec legislature passed a racist bill banning face coverings for anybody accessing...

Hit and Miss #6: Veritable Listening

October 15, 2017

Hello! I hope this finds you well. I’m fighting both tiredness and sickness today, but I wanted to share something small with you. I spent yesterday at the...

Hit and Miss #5: Newsletter Recommendations

October 8, 2017

Good morning! It’s a long weekend here and this newsletter is nice and short. Too much time off means too little time to write, apparently :) I thought I’d...

Hit and Miss #4: Loving Libraries

October 1, 2017

It’s time to nerd out about libraries. I love that we have places that collect lots of books and enable us to enjoy them well into the future. To start,...

Hit and Miss #3: Conversational Contributions

September 24, 2017

Good afternoon! It’s scorching here in Ottawa, so I escaped this morning to the National Gallery’s patio, where I edited this week’s email. Star Trek:...

Hit and Miss #2: Questioning Labels

September 17, 2017

Hello again! Thanks for sticking around for issue #2. I received some gentle feedback about last week’s: it was too long. I guess I was just too excited to...

Hit and Miss #1: Earthworming

September 10, 2017

Hia! Thanks for joining me. I really appreciate you yielding some portion of your inbox and your day to me. Let’s dive in. An update on my life I’m writing...