Vaid‘s Verdict: If you’d like to read six word memoirs from random strangers and B-List celebrities, I suggest a trip to the bathroom stalls of your local pub. Otherwise you can purchase the same level of wisdom in “Not Quite What I Was Planning.”

According to legend, Ernest Hemingway once bet his colleagues that he could write a complete work of fiction using just six words. The master of brevity came through with “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Six words described the conception, life and death of a human being and the parents who were parting with his little shoes. Absolutely brilliant. So SMITH, an online storytelling magazine, decided to challenge its readers and the internet public to do the same. Unfortunately, most of the people who submitted thought they should try and explain who they are, what they like or their entire life’s story in six words. The problem is, no one cares. Not even if you get Joan Rivers to add a quote in there. The reason Hemingway’s story works so well is because it’s an actual story…it creates a timeline in your mind from start to middle and finish. What “story” do the six words “Not quite what I was planning” tell you? That’s right, nothing. Read the rest of this entry »

Tax season is dreadful enough as it is, but if you’re living from paycheck to paycheck, a future of financial freedom likely becomes more and more of a dream than a realistic outlook. After the government takes its share of the cut next month, there’s probably not much left to contribute to that all-important RRSP.

I’m guessing account balances everywhere are probably looking a little thin these days so to help pad it out a wee bit, we’ve got some money saving QuickTips, courtesy of the Personal Budgeting Kit by financial planner and accountant Sylvia Lim.

Read on for more! Read the rest of this entry »

When Mad Morten cooks (i.e. when I let him), you can be sure every pot and pan within reach will be “essential” in his “culinary masterpiece.” Were I in charge of dinner, the kitchen would be spotless and the cleanup a breeze. Granted, I use the take-out menus more than the spatulas but when free time is a luxury, I just don’t want to waste it on complicated and time-consuming food preparations. That’s why I’m drawn to cookbooks with titles like “One Pot Italian Cooking.” In it, Massimo Capra (of Restaurant Makeover fame) showcases authentic Italian cooking that makes the best use of a single saucepan, skillet, soup kettle or bowl. Recipes range from the very simple Risi e Bisi (Rice & Pea Soup) to the sublime Beef Braised in Barolo, and every one of them will draw cooks to the stove, eager to stir, serve and savour the tasty results. Colourful and flavourful, One Pot Italian Cooking features more than 100 recipes developed by a master chef for everyday home cooking. For sample recipes, read on! Read the rest of this entry »

Vaid‘s Verdict: This writing guide has little nuggets of helpful advice for the aspiring romance writer but you have to dig through tedious excerpts and some outdated advice to get to it.

In its 3rd edition, Writing Romance is considered one of the best guides to starting your career as a romance novelist. The author, Vanessa Grant, uses excerpts from her 30 different romance novels to demonstrate successful writing in the field. The first thing to understand about romance novels is that they are inherently formulaic. Boy meets Girl. Boy wants Girl. Girl and Boy fight. Girl and Boy miss each other. Girl and Boy kiss/make out/make love in steamy scene. Girl and Boy live happily ever after. The End. Once you cross this mental hurdle, it gets a little easier to accept that the advice in this book is actually useful to aspiring writers of romance. But ONLY to writers of romance…if you used this flow chart approach to writing fiction, you’d be booted out of writing class. Read the rest of this entry »

What appears on the wine label counts. You can learn a lot about a wine before you buy. The trick is to know what’s worth reading. Wine label literacy can go a long way to increasing wine enjoyment and decreasing buyer remorse.

James Nevison & Kenji Hodgson
Co-authors, “Had a Glass” Annual Series

Read the rest of this entry »

Vaid‘s Verdict: Unless you’re an ardent fan of the history of climatology, I suggest waiting until this is turned into a Discovery Channel special presentation.

Brian Fagan had a brilliant idea. But you don’t necessarily want to read about it. The Great Warming is a fairly long winded book on how global warming a thousand years ago, called The Medieval Warm Period, caused some empires to flourish and others to crumble. The Great Warming goes on to explain how this rise in temperature is being mirrored today and what we, the global warming enthusiasts, can learn from that history. Yes, it’s interesting and I’m sure within the hallowed circle of climatologists, it’s a breakthrough idea. For you and I however, it’s a bit like having to sit through an elective class in ‘Wind Patterns Over the Prairies’. Read the rest of this entry »

Vaid‘s Verdict: A light, imaginative novel with a fun concept. You won’t be introducing this in Literature class but you’ll be reading it on the bus over.

At first glance, Gods Behaving Badly seems like another ‘concept novel.’ One where they take a clever idea and draw it out like soft taffy, pulling and stretching, until all that’s left is another piece of fluff writing. Yet Gods Behaving Badly actually works. The author takes well known Greek Gods and places them in modern day North London with surprising results – a witty, unpretentious and genuinely enjoyable read that reminds you why you fell in love with Greek mythology in the first place.

The beloved Greek Gods of Olympus – Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite, Zeus, Artemis etc – are living in a decrepit house in Hampstead where they are interminably bored with life and forced to live without worshippers, orgies or palaces. Their once omnipotent powers have waned to the point where they’re forced to work regular jobs – Aphrodite is a sex phone operator, Hermes is a bike courier, Artemis is a dog walker and Apollo is trying his hand at being a television psychic – these Gods have fallen far from grace. Their sole entertainment is plotting revenge against each other and the occasional romp with a relative. And that’s how the story begins…

After a rather lackluster shag between Apollo and Aphrodite, Apollo refuses to use his powers to heat up some bath water for her to shower in. Incensed by his refusal, Aphrodite employs her son Eros to inflict revenge. Apollo will be made to fall in love with a mortal woman who’ll hate him in return. But because Eros has turned to Christianity, his guilt doesn’t allow him to incite hate, so he simply makes Apollo fall in love with the woman and lets her decide how she feels about it. “It’s what Jesus would do,” he says. And so begins a love triangle between the mild mannered cleaner Alice, her would-be boyfriend Neil and the God of the Sun.

Now, if you’re like me and haven’t read a Greek myth since high school, don’t worry about getting lost in the legends. Marie Phillips, the exuberant author, does a very good job of gently reminding or explaining what each God is in charge of and what the classical tales are. The genius in what Phillips accomplishes is not the device itself (making Greek Gods ‘modern’) but in forming these omnipotent, flawed Gods into relatable, humorous and believable characters. The book isn’t ‘literary’ in any real sense but its use of classical stories and mythical figures brings an element of cleverness that takes it above the usual light read.

Light enough, in fact, that you get the impression it would make a great Disney animation if they could take all the lusty bits out. It has all the right elements – taking mythical creatures and making them more human, a meek Scrabble-obsessed man being the unlikely hero to save the world, a plain but good hearted heroine to stand up for what’s right (although really, when has there EVER been a ‘plain’-looking Disney girl?) and of course, that touch of magic and fancy that takes it over the top. There are even bits where Apollo sings, and Hera and Athena have a good old fashioned throw-down.

Personally, the idea of the world being ruled by selfish megalomaniacal Gods fits quite well with me. If you were immortal, how long do you think it would take before you became desensitized to famine, AIDS, rape, casualties of war, cancer and every other travesty on Earth? It would be quite a bore after a few hundred years, and even if taking care of it was your job, chances are you’d be slacking off by year 1030. If we knew that the ‘real’ Gods were Greek – squabbling amongst themselves, selfish, apathetic – would we want to believe in them? No more benevolent all-forgiving God, no more turning the cheek, or salvation through blind faith – we would all have to believe that our Gods are greedy, egotistical, lust-driven entities just like us. Gods Behaving Badly isn’t a particularly philosophical book but it does make you realize that the Greeks were a brave lot to allow their Gods flaws and still be able to worship them.

About the Author:

Marie Phillips was born in 1976 to a French Art historian-mother and a father who just happens to be Lord Chief Justice (which means he’s the highest judge in the Court of England and Wales). Although she didn’t study writing in university, she knew it was all she ever wanted to do. Her degree in anthropology and later an MA in visual anthropology might be part of the reason why she’s able to create such well formed, relatable characters. Says Phillips, “…[visual anthropology] was really another route into storytelling, which is what I wanted to do. I had always intended to write fiction, but I didn’t have anything to say till I was 23.” Much like the fantastical story she tells in Gods Behaving Badly, her own publishing story is something of a legend. Phillips was working at a bookstore when a publishing house representative happened to come in and agree to read her manuscript. The first four chapters then found their way into the inbox of famed editor Dan Franklin who loved it immediately and one week later, her novel was being sold in 14 different countries and has since been optioned for a TV series by Ben Stiller’s production company, Red Hour Films.

DABBLER BOOK GIVEAWAY DETAILS AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE!

Alright fellow Canadians! Tax season’s upon us so I know the procrastination bug is going to start spreadin’ like wildfire with the CRA Personal Income Tax deadline looming on the horizon. But you must be strong and to help you fight it off, here’s a shot of the vaccine:

If you’re like most, you’ll be filing your return by April 30th and hoping for the best. Before you do that though, check out these tips. You may be pleasantly surprised…

• Do you drive your own car to work? Travel between your home and employer’s office is generally considered a personal expense, but if your boss asks you to make a business stop on the way in, the entire distance you travel that day may constitute business use (does a Tim Hortons run count as a business stop?!)

• Run your own business? Consider getting a line of credit from your financial institution. The interest incurred on a line of credit used exclusively for business purchases is tax deductible!

• Fees for summer day camps, sports schools and other recreational activities for kids may be deductible, too!

• Moving for a new job or school? You may be able to claim your travel and storage costs, fees for disconnecting and connecting utilities, and more – even if you don’t yet have a job lined up in your new city!

• If you’re a bike or foot courier, you can qualify for a meal deduction of $17 a day – without receipts!

• Skating lessons? Night school courses? You might be eligible for a tuition credit, if the person taking them is at least 16 and the class is taken through a certified educational institution

• Be sure to save those monthly bus passes – they’re eligible for a tax credit!

You can save a heck of a lot more than you think! To get the exact details on these and other great money saving tips, you’ve gotta pick up a copy of Personal Tax Planning 2007/2008, where you’ll find the most up-to-date tax information from a source you can trust, the CGA (Certified General Accountants Association of Canada). Published by Self-Counsel Press, it retails at $16.95.

This concise book outlines what you need to know to minimize the income tax you pay, or defer it for future years. Updated annually, it’s written in plain language so it’s easy to follow and it’s the same book that helps CGAs keep up with developments in the personal income tax field. Personal Tax Planning 2007/2008 addresses personal tax rates and features that are specific to the federal level as well as to each province and territory, and provides current information of interest to all Canadians on topics such as:

• Income splitting
• Investment income and expenses
• Federal and provincial/territorial non-refundable and other personal tax credits
• Business and self-employment income and expenses
• Marginal tax rates for various levels of ordinary income, capital gains, and dividends

…and much much more (there’s a lotta detailed info in this thing).

You’ve all worked too hard for your money! So we’re gonna save you your first $16.95 by offering a FREE copy of Personal Tax Planning 2007/2008 to the first ten Canadians who email me (quickly!) with their full contact info:

Full name
Full Address (including postal code)
Phone Number

Women today are living longer, but are they living better quality lives?

It is a fact of life today that many women are juggling career, family, household responsibilities, and often sacrificing their own needs to take care of those around them. Some of the main health concerns that women face today are a result of these stressful and hectic lifestyles.

Stress is linked to heart disease, cancer, depression, anxiety, diabetes, and insomnia. When we are super busy, we don’t take time to eat properly, exercise and get adequate sleep, all factors that take their toll on our health – physically and emotionally.

Health expert Sherry Torkos explains how women need to make their health and well-being a priority and how this will also benefit those around them.

Read the rest of this entry »

Life saving Dabbler contest details at the end of this article!

With a Ph.D in robotics, most will go on to dedicate their lives to the betterment of this science, offering up all the modern conveniences that you and I enjoy. Daniel H. Wilson had something more practical in mind however. As Hollywood has proven time and again, the fate of the human species hangs by a thread. You wash down the seemingly implausible plot lines with popcorn and coke, but take a moment and really think about it. What WILL you do when the aliens descend? Or for that matter when ninjas attack, or hordes of zombies begin their massacre. And don’t forget the vampires, werewolves, and even great white sharks.

In his first book, Wilson prepared us for the inevitable robot invasion with How To Survive a Robot Uprising (c’mon, if cars can park themselves now, is it really that far fetched?). While readers digested its critical content, he wrote Where’s My Jetpack? which outlined all the scientific advancements that were promised but failed to materialize, from flying cars, to ray guns and moon colonies, and even teleportation. He then obviously came to the realization that none of this mattered if the human race itself was in danger.

As our Dr. Wilson rationalizes in his latest book How to Build a Robot Army, “We all know that robots are bloodthirsty machines bent on wreaking havoc with humankind…[but] unlike our robotic creations, [aliens, ninjas, zombies and great white sharks] cannot be remote-controlled, reprogrammed, or shut down. Vampires lust for our blood, werewolves stalk our children, and rogue asteroids hurtle toward our defenseless planet. To survive, we must look beyond the human-killing potential of robots and see them for what they really are: humankind’s most powerful ally in the war against horror.”

Let’s face it, we can’t even defend ourselves from evil paper cuts. But “In stark contrast to puny people,” Wilson goes on to say, “robots are highly specialized metallic superheroes capable of delivering diesel-powered scissor kicks and launching rocket fists at any time. A well-balanced combination of robots, humans, and slightly robotic humans constitutes our best defense – no matter what monstrous foes those caffeine-addled Hollywood screenwriters concoct.”

So, “leading scientists in academia and industry contributed advice on every section of this book, whether it be mobilizing a team of metal-sheathed robots against zombies, staking out a werewolf-infested forest with auto-guns, or sending an autonomous underwater vehicle to hunt a man-killing great white shark. In this book you will learn about every aspect of assembling and deploying a devastating robot horde. From weaponizing robotic household appliances to controlling swarms of metallic minions, you will receive step-by-step instructions for selecting appropriate robots, training them to fight, and commanding them in battle. Read this book, gather an army of mechanical mercenaries, and join the fight to protect the human way of life.”

‘Nuf said. I don’t know about you, but I want to be around long enough to teleport to my fully-automated, self-contained skyscraper city in the germ-free utopia of tomorrow. And to that end, I offer you the chance to win a copy of this must-have one-of-a-kind guide to the survival of the human species.

For your chance to win a copy of Dr. Daniel H. Wilson’s How to Build a Robot Army, email me with your answer to the following question:

What would wreak more havoc, aliens or exponentially multipliable zombies? Why?

Contest ends Friday, January 11th, 2008. Creative responses will be published!