Ed. note: This is the Christmas memo going out in my Christmas cards this year. If you're not on my IRL friends list -- or even if you are -- please accept my Merriest Christmakwanzukkah holiday greetings, and enjoy my year in review.

I hope that 2019 found you well and leaves you in the same condition.

The big thing in pop culture these days is ( Read more... )

ST JOHN'S NL - I can never sleep well the night before a trip like this. It's equal parts excitement and fear that I'll oversleep ( Read more... )

VANCOUVER -- Chad opted for the free hotel breakfast instead of just free pancakes, so we hopped in the car and headed north -- right into a good old-fashioned Northwest drizzle, which lasted the rest of the way into Vancouver ( Read more... )

CHATTANOOGA -- There was no dawn's early light on this Fourth of July, as a steady stream of showers plagued us most of the day. While we ourselves avoided trouble on Tennessee's highways, we also took notice of those who weren't as fortunate -- particularly, a jackknifed tractor-trailer in downtown Nashville ( Read more... )

WINNIPEG MB -- As any football coach would tell you, a good long drive usually leads to victory ( Read more... )

In ordering CFL tickets for our vacation in late June, I had to call the BC Lions office directly. (Ticketmaster Vancouver's accessible ticket line told me they had tickets available, but for some reason the computer wouldn't release the seats.) That's when I met Arlene ( Read more... )