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Marilyn Carr

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Marilyn Carr

Looking at life through a funhouse mirror

March 7, 2023 / Houses

Suburban Status Report 20230304

For more than 140 days, all the lights have been on in the house behind me. Every single bulb is ablaze 24/7. The house is for sale and has been on the market since last October, with at least one changeover of real estate contract that I am aware of. It is not a bad …

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February 19, 2023 / Middle Age

Julia et moi

Julie Powell, who wrote the book Julie and Julia about her project to cook her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which eventually became a movie of the same name (Julie Powell’s book, not Julia’s, but actually that’s not quite true since the Julia Child portion of the movie is based another of …

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January 29, 2023 / Middle Age

Not so Yonge Anymore

In the early 1970s, Toronto’s Yonge Street was a place to see and be seen. The sidewalks from Bloor to Queen were filled with people shopping for Indian cotton gauze shirts from stores that smelled like pachouli, buying head shop roach clips fashioned from hardware intended to look innocuous to feckless cops, and scoring the …

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January 15, 2023 / Houses

Suburban Status Report 20230115

The suburbs are trying to kill me. To be fair, the feeling is mutual, but they aren’t even being subtle about it. First, a bit of back story. Despite having a well stocked kitchen, I like to walk out around noon a few times a week to pick up some lunch. This accomplishes two goals: …

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December 4, 2022 / Middle Age

Audiobook Giveaway!

ICYMI, the audio format of Nowhere like This Place: Tales from a Nuclear Childhood was released earlier this year. In case you are really out of the loop, this is what the book is about: Marilyn Carr’s family arrived in Deep River, Ontario in 1960 because her dad got a job at a mysterious place …

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November 27, 2022 / Customer Service

Shop ’til You Drop

I am not a huge online shopper, no matter what colour Friday happens to be. This is probably because I am not much of a shopper and not much of a girly girl, with all the lack of penchant for shoes, bags, perfumes, and magic potions that implies. But I do admit the Interweb does …

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November 12, 2022 / Middle Age

Techno Jailbird

“Looks like this laptop was dropped,” the geek at Best Buy said. “This whole edge has gone all wonky.” I feigned ignorance. “Possibly. I wouldn’t know. But can you fix it?” “Maybe. The power supply port is out of alignment. That’s why you can’t plug it in. For $100 I can send it to the …

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October 30, 2022 / Houses

October, it’s Over

This is the time of year I usually refer to as “the southbound march of the condiments.” Not this year. I have decided to reconsider my cottage closing tactics. Perhaps forever. Do you know what happens when the bottles and jars that survived the summer arrive in my winter kitchen? Yes, you do. They play …

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September 28, 2022 / Work

My new book: How I Invented the Internet

Very excited to announce the second installment of my memoirs (what? am I somebody important? who the heck keeps writing about herself? hint: I do), How I Invented the Internet, available September 30, 2022 wherever fine books are sold online (softcover and eBook, and in case you missed it, all of the above plus audiobook …

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September 9, 2022 / Middle Age

Back to School

It has been a long time since I was part of the back-to-school cohort, at least when it involved education that was not of my choosing. As I recall, there was the requisite B2S prep and shopping, with one of the most important tasks being deciding what to wear for the first day. It was …

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August 25, 2022 / Houses

Cottage Status Report 20220825

The hummingbirds are acting like assholes. There are three of them that swoop around chasing each other away from the feeder whenever one of them decides it’s time for a snack. Apparently, this means they are getting ready to start migrating. I’m not sure how well that will turn out, since they seem to be …

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August 8, 2022 / Houses

The Cat’s Pajamas

As you may know, I am now down to one cat. In case you were not aware (and in my own defense), I only had two. Also in my own defense, there was only one period in my life when I had more than two, which was when I lived with my ex-husband and a …

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July 17, 2022 / Middle Age

Word Play

Sometimes when I’m out and about on the bus or subway or simply just walking around, I amuse myself by reading signs or even reading articles of clothing. Inevitably, I come across crimes against the English language. Committing these crimes can occasionally be forgiven if they occur within the privacy of your own home, but …

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June 29, 2022 / Middle Age

Only in America

I am pretty sure I have mentioned this before, but I am a magazine-aholic. I currently subscribe to six magazines: Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Bon Appetit, The Walrus, Cottage Life, and Toronto Life. I also get the Report on Business every month via my Globe and Mail newspaper subscription, bonus issues of Fashion (useless) …

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June 19, 2022 / Middle Age

Senior Moments

Like many of my cohort, I am in deep denial with respect to my chronological age. In my head, I am in my early forties, officially grownup but still able to stay out way too late on a school night without dire consequences. The money the government sends me every month tells a different story. …

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March 19, 2022 / Travels

Tripping Out

I admit that even a very internet savvy person like me sometimes clicks on the bait. I do this knowingly. I am not like a bass chasing a shiny floating object. Jut sometimes I want to consume virtual junk food. And speaking of food, how can someone resist “30 Things Personal Trainers Will Never Eat.” …

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Book Cover: How I Invented the Internet
How I Invented the Internet
Book Cover: Nowhere like This Place: Tales from a Nuclear Childhood
Nowhere like This Place: Tales from a Nuclear Childhood

Recent Posts

  • Suburban Status Report 20230304
  • Julia et moi
  • Not so Yonge Anymore

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