Hit and Miss

Hit and Miss #230: Occupied

January 30, 2022

Hi folks, I hope you’re doing well. I’d planned to follow up last week’s newsletter, saying “But we can’t do it alone” and examining where the public service...

Hit and Miss #229: Playing for team public

January 23, 2022

Good evening! It’s been a lovely weekend—I hope the same for you. This week, The Globe and Mail ran a number of articles on outsourcing by the federal...

Hit and Miss #228: Where have the snow days gone

January 16, 2022

Good afternoon! It’s blustery here in Ottawa, and it looks like we have an enormous storm headed our way. I miss snow days, whether staying home from school...

Hit and Miss #227: Melancholy and drama, but peace

January 9, 2022

Good afternoon. Something about an overcast winter day, gloomily raining after a day of sunny but freezing skies, causes feelings of melancholy and drama....

Hit and Miss #226: Digging roots

January 2, 2022

Good evening, and a good new year to you! I just jolted out of bed, realizing I hadn’t yet sent this newsletter—blame it on a day of driving. I haven’t had...

Hit and Miss #225: A few books feed us well

December 26, 2021

Good morning! Today’s the last Sunday of the year. It’s been a head-turning few weeks, capping off months full of ups and downs. I’m trying to take what...

Hit and Miss #224: Staring down the barrel, at least the memes are good

December 19, 2021

This issue is just COVID. There’s a gallows humour quote at the end, if that’s your jam; if you’d rather keep your mind on other things, sit this one out and...

Hit and Miss #223: Fragments

December 12, 2021

The paper didn’t arrive five out of six days this week, so I didn’t read as much as I normally do. When this happens, I turn often to Twitter to feed my need...

Hit and Miss #222: What we lose

December 5, 2021

Hi! This post is going out scheduled, as I’m on the road back to Ottawa today. T and I were up visiting her mom in northern Ontario, which was a splendid...

Hit and Miss #221: Outrunning the food coma

November 28, 2021

Good evening! I’m racing a rapid onset food coma, so will keep today’s newsletter pretty short, focused on the links, which we’ve aplenty. (Tonight’s food...

Hit and Miss #220: Stories within stories

November 21, 2021

(non-disaster links at the end of the email!) If you’re in Canada, there’s a good chance you heard of the terrible rains, floods, and mudslides that came...

Hit and Miss #219: Silent commemoration

November 14, 2021

Richard Wagamese’s Embers, a book of meditations shared in beguilingly simple language, opens with a chapter called “Stillness”. It includes this passage...

Hit and Miss #218: One week down

November 7, 2021

Good morning! Thus far, November is going pretty well, contrary to last week’s expectations. It’s been sunny, friendly, lovely—no complaints, really. Spent...

Hit and Miss #217: Surviving November

October 31, 2021

HELLO! I’m writing to you late, after a nourishing weekend of housework, walking, and friends (new and old alike). I’m leaving October on a high. With luck,...

Hit and Miss #216: Registering intent

October 24, 2021

Good morning! It’s sunny and my heart’s full. Even before physical distancing, I tried to give space while out and about. I walk at a brisk pace, which can...

Hit and Miss #215: Leaves pass to soil

October 17, 2021

Good afternoon! Isn’t fall grand? Fiery trees give way to a satisfying crunch underfoot, ultimately yielding the musty smell of decaying leaves. Leaves pass...

Hit and Miss #214: A brief rom-com review

October 10, 2021

Good afternoon! Last night, I started watching Beverly Hills Cop, thinking I’d do a few sudokus while tuning in and out of the action. A few minutes in, I...

Hit and Miss #213: Truer histories

October 3, 2021

Hello! Somehow today’s starting off even more drizzly and grey than yesterday—we (I, and hopefully you) fought off the gloom by baking biscuits and bopping...

Hit and Miss #212: Star Trek days

September 26, 2021

Hello! A friend’s visiting this weekend—it’s been a lovely change from routine. We bonded long ago over a shared love for Star Trek, so the weekend’s been...

Hit and Miss #211: Paths (not) taken

September 19, 2021

Hello! It’s a wonderfully sunny Sunday here in Ottawa. The political folks are out on the hustings across the country (don’t forget to vote tomorrow, if you...