The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

Happy Things Friday: 31 May

And just like that…May is over (I wrote this before Nicole posted but…ditto what she said). This means we have a little over a month to go until the half-way point of 2024.

I have…

Summer Brain Dump + Booking Another Adventure/Suggestions?

I have a love-hate relationship with summer. On the one hand, during the long, dark and cold Canadian winter I am kept alive by the promise of a day in the future where we…

Random, Travel
May, 30, 2024
49 Comments

Introducing My…Dreadsheet

I’ve been thinking about dread lately. That sounds like a rather somber and melancholy topic, but I’ve been considering it in the context of what that emotion can tell me. More generally I feel…

Life, Mental Health, Personality Insights
May, 29, 2024
31 Comments

Favourite Things: April + May 2024

It’s time for another round of Favourite Things. I have an eclectic mix today: some food, some outdoor furniture, some traffic decisions – and more!

Let’s get this party started…

MY GO-TO GRANOLA YOGURT PROTEIN BLAST

What…

Top Five/Bottom Five: The Best and Worst Ice Cream Flavours

Originally published May 2024; updated July 2026

Some subjects are almost too controversial for polite company.

Politics. Whether the toilet paper roll should go over or under (we all know the answer is OVER, right?).

And,…

The world seems shrouded in heaviness lately. Some of it is the era (COVID was an unprecedented experience; we’re living through periods of major political, economic and climate upheaval), and some of it is…