What happens when you don't limit your options.

New Directions

Even rocks need love

Never underestimate the power of confidence.

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The man in seat 47A

47B. That’s me. Aisle seat. On a 17-hour flight, I made sure to take an aisle seat.

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Memory triggers and Diamondbacks

I think I put up with my “friend” bullying me around because I liked playing his Commodore 64 and shooting his toy guns (I was never allowed toy guns).

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July 19 garden update (PHOTOS)

I’ve eaten some things out of the garden already. It’s already a success. The rest is gravy. Vegetarian gravy, of course.

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Finding the edge, then moving past it

The stinging from the shower on my freshly-made scrapes and cuts was far from pleasant. But it served a purpose.

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My Battle With the Rain

Think back to the last time you let yourself get soaked by a heavy rainfall. Was there a moment you gave in and enjoyed it?

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How a Fly Reminded Me That It’s Never Personal

Our perception is our reality. No one and nothing can force it upon us.

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Madness in Vancouver over Canucks Stanley Cup drive (VIDEO)

It’s with cautious optimism that I post this. I’ve had my heart broken enough by the Canucks in the past to know to not get too excited.

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Borneo Jazz & Mulu National Park: Day 1

I get a bit anxious before press trips. Not that I’ve been on many, but I never know what to expect.

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Off to Borneo for a Jazz Fest (and first time playing with a band on stage)

I was pretty stoked recently when I opened my Inbox to find an invite from the Sarawak Tourism Board to attend Borneo Jazz!, an international jazz festival taking place in Miri, Malaysia on the island of Borneo.

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Million Dollar Memo: Help send Matador to Australia! [VIDEO]

Our team has never met in real life. This contest can change that.

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So, Can You, Like, Sprout Anything?

Apparently, a lot more than I thought.

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Hard Work is Good for the Soul Part Deux

So it turns out you can learn a lot about yourself gardening.

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There are Talkers and There are Doers

And I think I know which category I fall into.

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DREAM: Benjamin Jordan paraglides across Canada for the kids

True love is hidden under what you fear the most.

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Good ol’ fashioned homemade (and how to sprout mung beans)

I’m amazed at how many things we can do on our own. And how easy a lot of it is. And how good it makes me feel to create stuff that I’d normally just buy in a cardboard box or sealed plastic container.

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I Heart (Nelson) Bathroom Graffiti [PHOTOS]

Forget cock-drawings and racist insults. This is what passes for bathroom graffiti in Nelson.

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Jesus in a taco. Maybe it’s not so far-fetched.

I just had my first vision; my first “face” that’s popped out at me in an inanimate object. Never mind that it looks like that mask from Scream.

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A Brief Look at Nelson Life [VIDEO]

A short and moody video by Brandon Boucher of life in Nelson during the winter.

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My Prized Possession

One of the hardest things about a marriage ending is deciding who gets to take what.

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Whitewater By The Numbers

Recollection of an epic day at the local ski resort.

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I’m breaking up with you

A letter to a long-lost love that didn’t work out.

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19 Steps to Getting Stuck in Nelson

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt at home.

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What Community Is All About: Nelson Reacts to Fire

The best test of community is when tragedy befalls those around us.

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Root Canal Myth Debunked (and How to Get to Know Your Dental Hygienist)

In Nelson, even going to the dentist can be a spiritual experience.

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Whitewater: The First Run of the Season

I’ve never lived in a town that has a collective passion. In Nelson, it’s the snow.

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Notes On Life In Nelson

Or, Nelson is the kind of place where…

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Stream of Consciousness on the Cabot Trail

Sometimes you just need to spit it out.

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The Fall Colours in Nelson [PHOTOS]

I felt inspired after putting together the autumn photo essay at Matador Trips, so I hit the streets with my camera to try to capture the pretty scene that surrounds this little town.

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Hard Work Is Good For The Soul

Getting your hands dirty can produce beautiful results.

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Road Snippets – First Installment

People watching is fun. Eavedropping is funner.

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Raining Raccoons: The Masks We Wear and the Roles We Play

In which I wonder if raccoons falling from the sky ‘might’ be a sign from above.

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Nova Scotia Road Trip: Halifax to Guysborough

Two nights and three days on Nova Scotia’s Authentic Seacoast.

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Gravedigging in Halifax [PHOTOS]

Every Saturday in Halifax, a group of volunteers gathers at Holy Cross Cemetery to repair the untended grave stones.

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Day Trip: Peggy’s Cove, Mahone Bay, and Lunenburg [PHOTOS]

On August 2, the day after my Sam Elliot encounter, I hopped in a car with fellow travel bloggers Cailin O’Neil and Andy Hayes for a wee bit of a road trip.

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Random Notes on My First Day in Halifax

I’m here until the end of August. So what were my first impressions?

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Interrogated at the Canadian Border (and Tips to Avoid Problems)

You know that feeling when something bad is just about to happen to you? You don’t know what exactly, but you feel it in your stomach?

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Woody Allen and the Perfect End to New York City

We couldn’t have scripted it any better.

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They Take Your Fingerprints At Storage Lockers

When is too much too much?

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New York City Rules: Signs of Civilization? [PHOTOS]

Ever wonder what the collective impact is from all the signs around the city? And what ever happened to common decency?

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Kickstarter Project: Below New York

Creative endeavours can be expensive, but we can all benefit from them. Help a project you believe in.

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Preview Screening in NYC: What About Me? Thursday 1 July 2010

Yet to be released in North America, this is a rare chance to check out this inspiring movie.

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Thoughts On: Visa Extensions in Cuba

Canadians be forewarned: You do NOT need a visa extension if you are in the country for under three months.

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Thoughts On: Dealing with Touts and Beggars

We love what traveling has done to us. How it’s shaped our lives and made us into the people we are today. Which is why it’s so irritating that it also makes us into people we don’t want to be.

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Thoughts On: Entrance Fees

We’re not museum type people. We rarely desire visiting sights that cost money. But sometimes we do.

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Thoughts On: Tourism in Cuba

If you think you’re getting off the beaten path by traveling independently in Cuba, you’re wrong.

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Thoughts On: Racism in Cuba

I thought it counter-intuitive that racism exists in Cuba. But after learning more about the country’s history, it started making sense.

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Thoughts On: Consumerism in Cuba

There is no denying it, consumerism has reached this socialist utopia.

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Thoughts On: Budgeting in Cuba

Cuba is probably more expensive than you think.

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How to Navigate Cuban Cuisine

It’s probably not quite as bad as you think (or have heard). Or, maybe it is.

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Thoughts On: Buses in Cuba

Learn the difference between the two types of long distance buses in Cuba. And bring a sweater.

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Recommended Casas Particulares (and How to Decipher Street Addresses)

Not all casas particulares are created equal. These were our favourite, plus a bonus lesson on how to read street addresses in Cuba.

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Thoughts On: Casas Particulares

The romance that many books try to portray doesn’t exist. At least, for the most part.

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Cycling Cienfuegos to Trinidad Part I

Well, that’s a surprise. A spandex-clad Cuban cyclist on an immaculate road bike is riding just ahead of us. He’s even wearing a cycling helmet.

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Cienfuegos

Tidy, neat, eye-pleasing Cienfuegos. I could easily see why Brayan and Orlando, our two friends in Havana, liked the place so much.

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Getting Out of Havana. Again.

Just to be clear, you can not take bicycles on trains in Cuba.

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MISSING: One Sanuk Flip-Flop. If Found, Please Return. REWARD.

Pair of Sanuk flip-flops went missing overnight at Vinales casa particular. Suspects included any number of workers and two dogs.

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Vinales

Cockroaches, yes. Geckos, yes. Frogs, never.

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Cycling San Diego de los Banos to Vinales

The emergency foil blanket we carry with us wasn’t cutting it anymore as a rain shelter. It was a torrential downpour, and as we huddled under this thin piece of aluminium, we looked down to watch a flow of water cascading around our feet, like boulders in a river.

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