Last weekend was so glorious. But this weekend? Our trees are spawning a rainforest. Where was all this wet in the summer? In BC? Just goes to show there are many many things out of our control, and that there’s no such thing as bad weather; there’s only bad gear. So, maybe stay in today and read instead.
1. A Michelin inspector confesses. He’s the guy who awards restaurants their coveted Michelin stars. It’s not easy. Oral and written exams, 10 meals a week to review, and most of the restaurants are “pretty mediocre.” The pay is low, the expense account large, and the weight gain is inevitable.
2. Churches with a sense of humour. “Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him.” Ya, like that.
3. Take an iPhone for depression. Years ago, a professor from MIT Media Lab told a RamsayTalk that you should be able to use a mobile phone to find depressed people before they consider suicide. Today, Apple is partnering on something a bit different; using ‘normal’ things like how fast you walk and type; how deeply you breathe and loudly you talk, all to determine if you’re depressed. So, a few years from now – well, we can but dream.
4. Make a Netflix documentary. Not only can anyone do it, you can make it about anything.
5. What’s cuter than cat videos? Bugs cleaning themselves.
6. Live tours of great buildings. Take these wonderful walking tours offered by the Toronto Society of Architects of the downtown towers, Harbourfront, the East Bayfront and the Grange. Extended through the end of October by popular demand.
7. The 24 most under-rated websites. Here are just 3 of them: Monitor lightning strikes happening across the planet right now. Find recipes that match your ingredients. What are the best places to live and work remotely? All 24 are here.
8. How to get back to the office. This is the best way I know.
9. Bringing Big Tech to heel. Got a sense we’ve had enough of their arrogance and surveillance? Ken Whyte reminds us of the last time governments took on Big Anything on behalf of consumers. It was 50 years ago with Ralph Nader’s ‘Sack of Detroit’ and its automakers.
10. Everybody loves somebody sometime. Vintage Dean Martin with cool retro graphics.
Forbidden Words: This week, the phrase you dare not use in public is “vaccine passports.” At least in Alberta, where Premier Jason Kenney has renamed them “restriction exemption programs.”
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Upcoming RamsayTalk Event
Helen Walsh will launch her propulsive Canadian thriller Pull Focus at the next RamsayTalk on Monday, September 27 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. ET.
Admission to the talk is FREE and we encourage you to buy the book before, during or after the event. To register, click here.
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To order a copy of my book Love or Die Trying, click here for Canadian orders, click here for US orders, or visit your favourite bookstore.