Help Me, hangTag – I’m Stuck in a Parkade with a Ten Dollar Bill

I prefer street parking. No concrete, minus the curb. Those quaint parking metres? Accepting all forms of payment. Impark's hangTag app. Love it. Forget the long lines. So long, waiters! But parkades? They're basically jails for vehicles. In a previous post, I wrote about my fears: tornadoes, bees, and underground parkades. It's parkades, period. Under …

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Rugby Shirts, Stir Frys, and the Top 40 – My First and Last Winnipeg Waitress Job

It was the late '90s. Leonardo DiCaprio was riding a wave to fame. Big Shiny Tunes 2 spun in boom boxes. Plaid skirts, cargo pants, and chunky heels were all the rage. In 1997, I left the semi-bright lights of River Heights, pulling a 14-month round trip: Winnipeg to Arborg to Winnipeg. While in Arborg, …

From Winnipeg to Arborg – Change is Good Even When You’re Lost

I'm surrounded by boxes. Tons of boxes. Triple the amount and my furniture are in a storage unit - which barely closed. My clothes are squeezed in a 12 ft closet space. The rest are wrapped in a white bedsheet, resembling a massive marshmallow. The rest-rest - oh yes, there's more - are stuffed into …

Left Maxillary Sinus Surgery, Radio, and Pizza – Waiting for a Call While You’re in the Booth

I could've sworn the curtains were on fire. Ah, the summer of 2014. Tornado warnings, floods, FIFA, and Butterscotch the Cat rose to unfortunate fame with a birdcage on his head. Remember Butterscotch? In May 2014, I signed a three-month contract with 680 CJOB as a reporter and weekend evening news anchor. Nothing breaks in an anchor …

Brain Tumour Awareness and Balance – Mine was Perfect

I was a figure skater with perfect balance. However, a symptom of a brain tumour is unsteadiness. It's Brain Tumour Awareness Week. Where we attempt to erase the stigma, educate the public, and so forth. The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada wants the public to be aware of the above eight signs. But my symptoms? I …

Resolve to Make Goals, Not Resolutions

Let me guess. You promised to hit the gym. Make more time for family. Cut down on wine. Or whining, whatever works. Here's the thing. According to Business Insider, 80 per cent of resolutions fail by February. Saving money? No, you're spending like a bandit. Smoking? Oh, yeah. Like a chimney. At the end of …

“Victim of Crime,” Missing Winnipeg Man Could be in Arborg

The search for a missing Winnipeg man has expanded into Arborg, Manitoba. The Winnipeg Police are asking residents and business owners in the Arborg and surrounding areas to check for signs of Eduardo Balaquit, who is considered to be a "victim of crime." Eduardo "Eddie" Balaquit, 59 years old, disappeared on June 4, 2018. His …

Who Moved my Epic Moment – I Was Ready!

I waited for this moment. Like a giddy child, I waited for this moment for a month. I mean, didn't we all? How often does this happen? Has this ever happened before? Exactly. This was going to be awesome. Huge. Epic. Spectacular! Momentous! I need a life! In anticipation, I cleared my cache, boosted my …

Separation, Divorce, and A Late Night Message – Why, why, why

I was in an awesome mood. A little over a week ago, I went to the Skate Canada Manitoba AGM. Honestly, I was super thrilled about staying in a hotel room. By myself. Solo. As I drove into the parking lot of the hotel, I felt like Hermey from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Independent. …

Quick, Jump – It’s a Marble in My Nose

It was 1982. In other words, twenty years ago. And I had a relationship with a white marble, which caused my deviated septum. Growing up, I had a lot of toys. Well, not an Easy-Bake-Oven or Snoopy Sno Cone Machine. However, I had the Easy Bake mixes. I used a grown up oven for my …

Owning Your Birthday When You’re Alone

In about eight hours, something different will happen. Not completely different, just different. For the first time in 20 years, I'll be alone on my birthday. I have a ritual where I wake up and yell, "It's my birfday! It's myyyy birfday!" and then I break into song. Thank goodness the neighbours have moved out. …

Remembering Oma’s on Roblin Blvd – Simply the Best

We had to go there. A friend called today. Our conversation was fine until she brought up a painful word. Bakery. Gasp. For ten minutes, we spoke about bakeries. Lovely, sweet bakeries. Filled with gluten. Lots and lots of gluten. Don't offer me a macaroon. Please, I don't want rice flour bread. I want a …

Must Like Unreasonable Heat, Sweating, and Carving Pumpkins

"Dear Tammy, if you're reading this in five years, and you're still at this job ... " That was my diary entry from 2006. At the time, I was less than enchanted with my job. Answering phones for eight hours while sweltering beneath a McDonald's French Fry Grate. I didn't mind answering phones, but that …

Searching for a Bride, Years After Her Wedding

I love old photos. Especially when there's a story behind them. But it's sad when you have the photo, and you know there's a story - but you have no clue what it is. When I started college in September 2009, I found myself in the heart of Winnipeg's Exchange District. The downtown Red River …

Rebooting the 29 then 40 Journey

Technically, this year it's 29 then 42. Another challenge. To write 42 posts in 42 days. How will these posts differ from when I turned 40? To start, I've made a Facebook page for my 29then40 blog. It's, like, totally free to join! When I turned 40, my posts were reflections. Such as Dear teenage …

Nothing Says Happy Valentine’s Day Like Jury Duty

It's February the 14th! Happy birthday, Yuka Sato! Oh, yes, and it's Valentine's Day. When we celebrate enduring love for our significant other with heart shaped boxes of chocolates and red roses. This year, I'm alone on Cupid's annual arrow day. Some people are probably thinking, "Poor girl. Probably so lonely. Must be awful. Hang in …

A Retrospective: New Year’s Eve Twenty Years Later, I Miss My Shoes

Last night. New Year's Eve 2017. I was dressed in pajamas, drinking coffee by the Christmas tree and reading my family history tree. Four minutes before midnight, I cued In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins. Sure enough, at the stroke of midnight, the famous drum riff played. It was the first time I celebrated New …

From Tea Bag to Coffee Factory – The Story of a Teenager’s Caffeinated Paradise

It was hot. Steamy. And smelled ... oh ... that glorious sensory tingling smell. The type that conjured up images of Smurfs and Care Bears. At five years old, I drank tea. And five-year olds have no concept of the term "clear." I preferred mine with cream. Lots of cream. And one lump or two? Oh, …

Dusting Off Memories Of A Synchro Competition – A Throwback Thursday

It seems like yesterday. But it was 27 years ago. I'll let that soak in for a moment. The 1990 Interlake Regional *Precision Competition at the Stonewall arena. I remember the weirdest parts of that afternoon. Eating pizza buns at a teammate's house. Her mom driving my teammate (her daughter), my sister, and me to the …

The Land Of Confusion – Why Can’t I Write These Posts

I don't know what's different this year. I can't seem to write for this blog. Maybe the best stories were written. Or I have stories, but I can't share them. Sure, I wrote a post last night. I confessed I think I'm fat. And now people are aware of my insecurities. A round of applause please. I …

A Different Sort Of Hindsight – Another Journey Begins

Here were go again. It's another 40 days until I turn 41 years old. Yet, I don't feel like I'll be 41. I didn't feel 40, nor did I feel 35. How is an age supposed to feel? Warm and fuzzy? Cold and bitter? No idea. Since I've written, a lot has happened. Changed. Stayed …

It’s Almost Time – From Older Me to Younger Me

Dear 39-Year-Old Tammy, Nothing will change. You will wake up tomorrow. A day older. On the right side of the bed. And nothing will change. With time, your body might. Same with your skin and hair. But not overnight. Body changes take time. More than eight hours. Attitude changes can take a lifetime. Nothing will …

Stepping Out of the EMU

I’m free! Well, almost. After 11 days in Winnipeg's Health Science Centre’s Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, I'm being released tomorrow. It seems like yesterday when I arrived at the EMU and a technician glued 37 nodules to my skull, and then I was led to my little room. I had two provoked seizures. My usual: awake, …

Making Waves in the EMU

I had my second event. I actually said, "Finally" as I entered it. I lost consciousness for the first time since 1991 - my first seizure. When I came to, my day nurse and my husband were by my side. They are putting me back on my regular dose. Tonight, I'm so weak my husband …

An Exhausted Joke about Bears

Question: What do you call a bear without an ear? Answer: "B." I thought it was funny.

Frosted Mini-Wheats Unite – Let Us Get To Know Each Other

I'm fun. But few people know about my Frosted Mini-Wheats side. They think I’m a plain dry Mini-Wheat. You know, those large ones that need milk or you’ll choke. Few people understand me. I’m a serious person who cracks jokes most people don’t understand. I can see how that causes confusion. In 1998, I met …