Hit and Miss

Hit and Miss #190: To what grounds us

April 25, 2021

Somehow, inexplicably, this is the last weekend in April. (It is explicable, of course—it’s the inexorable march of time.) This is the same week the budget...

Hit and Miss #189: Furious, heartbroken—but not surprised

April 18, 2021

Hello! Well, it’s been quite a few days, hasn’t it? There’s been a lot of gloom. But today my family gathered on Zoom today to wish my Nonna happy birthday...

Hit and Miss #188: Daydream believer

April 11, 2021

Cheer up, sleepy Jean Oh, what can it mean To a daydream believer I spent much of yesterday afternoon lazing about, basking in the sun and feeling a cool...

Hit and Miss #187: Sunshine escape

April 4, 2021

Allo! We’ve the gift of gorgeous weather on this extra-long long weekend, and I’m indulging in it. Also I’m hiding from the news, which SUCKS. Briefly, some...

Hit and Miss #186: Rainy day people

March 28, 2021

Hello! It’s a drizzly day here in O-town. This afternoon, I’ll flop on the couch, read the paper, maybe play some video games—I’m aiming high, in other...

Hit and Miss #185: Spring—change, or not

March 21, 2021

Yesterday was the first day of spring. I woke relatively early, layered up (these edge weeks are so odd—chilly mornings, “hot” afternoons), and ventured out,...

Hit and Miss #184: On we go

March 14, 2021

Hello! The week was filled with speaking, writing, and all the thinking that demands. My brain is melted as the snow, but nourishing walks are setting it...

Hit and Miss #183: Reporting thoughtfully

March 7, 2021

A week today, the time change will slide sunsets an hour later, brightening the evenings even as we face a few more heavy months. Today marks the final day...

Hit and Miss #182: Keeping it light

February 28, 2021

It was a morning of hoar frost and slowly clearing fog, a perfect scene setter for my riverside ramble. The birds are on their way back, slowly—the weeks...

Hit and Miss #181: Close to home

February 21, 2021

It’s “cold” but not really cold today. After a few months of winter, the body adjusts—what feels unacceptably frigid in early fall becomes a pleasant winter...

Hit and Miss #180: Another day older, closer to the grave

February 14, 2021

It was a lovely week here in Ottawa—sunny, not too cold, ideal for long rambles. My adventures brought me to Hog’s Back Falls and the skateable extent of the...

Hit and Miss #179: Chase the sun

February 7, 2021

nervous laughter It’s February!? I know, I know, mentioning time passing is as clichéd as talking about the weather. But, goodness, it’s just zooming along....

Hit and Miss #178: Coding by any other name

January 31, 2021

Hello! It’s a wonderfully sunny day here—sunshine, cheer for the heart and soul. I recently learned that you can only open 500 tabs in Safari on iOS. I know,...

Hit and Miss #177: Gettin’ sauced

January 24, 2021

Goooood day! I’m bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning—thanks no doubt to the glorious sunshine and crisp, cold air. I hope you’re similarly energized,...

Hit and Miss #176: Working (again)

January 17, 2021

When I first started at the Canadian Digital Service (in May 2018!!), I (unintentionally) wrote a mini-series on working. #35: Working #37: Working...

Hit and Miss #175: This week in anti-democracy…

January 10, 2021

A sunny walk, Motown (from Ikechúkwú Onyewuenyi’s “chez baldwin” playlist), and quiet kitchen puttering—I’m settling into winter routines. But this week was...

Hit and Miss #174: Zoom zoom

January 3, 2021

Hellooooo! I hope you’re well. The snow on the trees feels properly like winter and the holiday season—hoorah! This week, I’ve watched opera (it was...

Hit and Miss #173: Revisiting

December 27, 2020

I’m cozied up in bed, looking out on snow-covered trees, a few birds hopping form branch to branch, doing the quiet work of staying alive on this bright,...

Hit and Miss #172: Five books for the year

December 20, 2020

I have few traditions in my life. One, though, has emerged from this newsletter: a pre-Christmas roundup of significant books from my year’s reading. (For...

Hit and Miss #171: Ugh, algorithms

December 13, 2020

We’re living in one of the least interesting timelines, as far as consumer algorithms go. Allow me to weave a few threads together… 1. Revealed preference...