Musing on the matter of g-mahs, glam-mas, abuelas and other less-than-delighted grandmothers who do not answer to tradition when called by their offspring’s offspring.
Let me be the first to admit that my initial reaction was less than stellar. Upon being informed by my son and daughter-in-law that they are going to be parents, I shared a group hug. Then, squirming from their embrace, I pathetically yelled to the heavens, “But I’m too young to be a grandmother!” 
more
![final spot 1[1]](http://calgaryheraldswerve.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/final-spot-11.jpg "final spot 1[1]")
![final spot2[1]](http://calgaryheraldswerve.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/final-spot21.jpg "final spot2[1]")
Mark Bellamy is poised to leave his post as Vertigo Mystery Theatre’s artistic director. But before he goes, he’s presenting Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which means his final act is poised on a razor’s edge. more
On the heels of receiving four National Magazine Award nominations earlier this week, Swerve picked up 10 more nominations for the Western Magazine Awards on Friday, including Best Magazine of the Year, Alberta/NWT.
Swerve has garnered more than 60 national, international and regional awards for writing, photography, design and illustration since its inception in 2004. more
The two of you (plus a chosen few) got outta Dodge for your nuptials. Now it’s time for an after-wedding party that both suits you and smoothes out any turbulence with the folks you left behind.
Your eyes locked for the first, fateful time over a particularly lumpy volcanic rock on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Three years and one devastatingly romantic proposal later, there was no place on the planet either of you would consider tying the knot except, you guessed it, on top of Africa’s highest peak. more
Sometimes, you just want a good, simple meal. The Swerve Greasy Spoon Index ranks the sort of no-frills places where eggs are eggs, bacon is not pork belly and hold the star fruit.
Before 9 a.m., most people believe in the medicinal properties of coffee. It’s fitting, then, that the waitresses at the Blackfoot Truck Stop Restaurant wear bright pink outfits that bear more than a passing resemblance to nurses’ uniforms. more
Calgary’s only female priest is a member of a small but growing movement that is challenging the very nature of what the Roman Catholic Church considers sacred.
There’s something both ironic and prophetic about meeting a Roman Catholic priest at a Humpty’s restaurant. With its grim, 1990s-inspired decor and large booths that swallow you up, the eatery best known for “breakfast that never ends,” regularly serves as a weekend confessional for morning-after tales of wild, alcohol-fuelled nights. more
Calgary Italian Bakery turns a venerable half-century this year. Begun as a tiny storefront by a hardworking immigrant who has outlived his beloved wife and his pie-poking rivals, the now huge manufacturing plant still defines “family business.” more
This recipe comes from Sheryl Bontorin, who has been making it for years, as has her sister-in-law, Diane Bontorin. Sheryl and Diane are married to brothers Louis and David Bontorin, who own the Calgary Italian Bakery with their father Luigi. (The bakery is featured in the April 6th issue of Swerve.)
Rain. Wind. Snow. Sun. And that’s just the first five minutes of your day. How to make the runway work for you in a climate that doesn’t. more
Three decades into her career, Calgary’s most controversial baby trainer is sleeping just fine, thanks for asking. She wonders if you and your new baby are doing the same.
Kitty Raymond lives in a wooden cottage in Calgary’s not-too-deep southwest. Out front is an enormous spruce tree with a hand-carved nameplate tacked to it. Inside, the house is instantly cosy. The front room is all nubby chairs and dark wall-to-wall carpeting; visitors are invited to keep their shoes on if they like. more
Nerds proudly fly the flag for their shared love of model trains, low-rider dogs and Jane Austen’s novels.
Socializing is a basic need for humans—so much so, the right to freely assemble is a widely held human right and holds a place in the U.S. Constitution. Now, that likely had little to do with clubs (though the Founding Fathers is a pretty good name for a group of gun enthusiasts), but it speaks to the common desire of people to get together and share a common interest. more
A year in Provence worked for Peter Mayle, so why not for a deluded mother of two with no language skills, no place to live and no clue about how to scratch a life-long itch.
On New Year’s Day my husband and I made a pact. Rather, I made a pact and he absent-mindedly let me shake his hand for a second before pulling it away as if realizing too late that I had an infectious tropical disease. more
In our celebrity-obsessed age, the chefs get all the ink. But the sous-chefs—whose ink tends to come in the form of tattoos—deserve a little recognition, too. more
The old-school barbershop presents a manly risk-reward scenario. On the one hand, you’re being pampered with soothing balms, hot towels and a vigorous facial massage. On the other, a man is holding a blade to your throat. more
Who would have thought that Calgary could look twice as interesting seen from a mud puddle? It took an artist willing to get down and dirty to find out.
You’d think the son of a forest ranger—a guy who spent a good part of his childhood in the northern Alberta bush—would know something about how to survive in the wild. more
© 2008 - 2012 Postmedia Network Inc.
All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Powered by WordPress.com VIP
RECENT COMMENTS