Tag Archives: life

From Immigrant Roots to Artistic Wings

What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of ? I’m the firstborn daughter of a couple who immigrated to Canada from southern Italy. Growing up in Montreal with my parents — both of them very young, my mother only 18 when I was born — shaped so much of who I am.ContinueContinue reading “From Immigrant Roots to Artistic Wings”

Products That Shouldn’t Exist

We’ve been marketed a fantasy, whether it’s Vaginal deodorant spray, spray cheese, and Pilates rebranded as a path to sexual transcendence. One that whispers insecurities in our ear, then sells us the cure in monthly installments. This piece takes a hard look at the useless, the overhyped, and the outright harmful, both relics of the past and shiny new scams dressed up as wellness.

Letter Across Time

Write a letter to your 100-year-old self. If you’re reading this, we made it! I always suspected I was in this race for the long run. Just yesterday I told a friend I need 200 years on earth to get everything done I’d like to do. There’s so much to learn still and my thirstContinueContinue reading “Letter Across Time”

Accidental Outlaws

In Italy, breaking the law isn’t a question of if—it’s a question of when. Help a friend move a chair? Illegal labor. Accept a free candy? Tax evasion. Close your bar at the required time? Not closed enough. After twenty years, I’ve stopped wondering if I’m a criminal and started wondering how I haven’t been arrested yet.

Trite but True

Let’s face it: clichés get a bad rap. We roll our eyes at them, dismiss them as lazy thinking, and slap them on tacky motivational posters that no one buys. But here’s the thing—these overused nuggets of wisdom stick around for a reason. They’re annoyingly accurate, just like that friend who always says, I toldContinueContinue reading “Trite but True”

A Relaxed Italian Getaway: Balancing Sightseeing and Seaside Serenity

I’ve been living in Italy for two decades now, and on my first trip to Italy from Canada, I assumed that given the land mass of Italy compared to Canada, I’d be able to see a good deal in three weeks. And I did, but nowhere as much as I had imagined. Italy is soContinueContinue reading “A Relaxed Italian Getaway: Balancing Sightseeing and Seaside Serenity”

El Sindrome De La Gata Flora

A certain amount of anguish, restlessness, and confusion is guaranteed when hanging with a person who is afflicted by the Gata Flora Syndrome, whether in the bedroom or the boardroom, as you’ll never know where they or you stand.