Hearts

Did I mention my cardiologist is handsome? And are you aware that hospital gowns are never flattering? I didn’t say either of these as I sat in the St. Paul’s Hospital Nuclear Medicine Ward yesterday. There wasn’t any idle chatter amongst the patients. Most looked scared or bored. The wait between IV insertions, scans, treadmills, […]

January and Fitness

Mid-January and the fitness business is my type of juxtaposition. The gyms are still full with people attempting to fulfil their pesky resolutions. By this time next week the treadmills won’t have waiting lines and those Zumba classes will be thinning out. Many free-weights will be still. I bet the smoothie venders will also have […]

911

Have you ever been really scared and dialed 911 for help? I’ve had to make that call a few times in my life. What does the person answering say, “Is this a police, ambulance or fire emergency?” All I remember is feeling relieved. Someone was asking how they can help. And even better, they were […]

Happy New Year

The phrase says it all, “Happy New Year.” It dawned on me that it might be that simple. Happy There will be hopes and prayers, resolutions and goals, parties and fireworks. But what if we just spent 2015 asking ourselves one question? Does this make me happy or unhappy? Then opt for the happy one. […]

Merry Christmas

I started the day with a pretty clear idea of what my Christmas Eve would look like and what this week’s blog would be about. Then the cosmos tossed me a curve-ball and for a little while I thought this might be the Wednesday I miss a posting. Life sometimes wants to upset your stride […]

Robbie Strikes Again

There has been a flurry of conversations, emails and phone calls about the planned Robbie Burns Supper at the famous Terminal City Club here in Vancouver. It’s the start of a new tradition for the St. Andrew’s & Caledonian Society. I thought the lead up to this January 25th would be easy. With no Burns […]

First Readers

Each time I’ve started to write this week’s blog I’ve floundered. My mind settles on the unimportance of it all, the “Why should I bother?” A few days ago I got word that a woman I admire and cherish is in the hospital in critical condition. One day she was fine, the next in a […]

A Black and Cold Friday

For those who follow my twitter feed, @TriciaBarkerMEP, you will know I was in Seattle this past weekend helping a client complete the Seattle Half Marathon. We finished the race in fine form and had fun tweeting pics about our mascot @runspirrelrun1. It was a joyful time with the added benefit of being in the […]

Santa Shuffle

My twitter feed asked a question that gave me the answer to what I would blog about this week… Why do I run the Salvation Army’s Santa Shuffle every year? On December 4th, 2008 I went to visit Dad. He was not well and the dementia was looming large. We somehow managed to chat about […]

Politics

I love politics. I love human nature. I love when someone exceeds my perception of who they are. Last Friday I was in a meeting to learn how to be a scrutineer for the NPA Political Party. I was there to support their candidates in the Vancouver municipal election. I like to expose myself to […]