Erin Baumeister is a transplant. She landed in Pemberton after a nomadic childhood — her dad, in global telecommunications, moved the family to Taiwain and then Israel. At 19, Erin, who had spent her youth taking camel-riding field trips with the Bedouin and fundraising to deliver school supplies to Masai kids in Kenya, found herself…

Technically, I’m a vegetarian. Have been for over 20 years. Pretty much since I was in a position to say “this is what’s going into my body, and this is not, “I’ve taken a left turn at eating anything that used to have a heartbeat. But when Chef Randy Jones says “try this” and slides…

  I read an article that said the single best way to win the dinner party (ie make a positive enduring impression) is to ask people what they do for a living, and then say: “That sounds hard.” Apparently, this social ninja move is the fail-proof opening gambit. Three simple words to bypass tedious small…

I’m a slow learner. But this is what I managed to piece together during this most recent solar orbit. I learned that productivity is a con (and I should really stop clicking on all those headlines that offer happiness and productivity hacks), that hope is a radical act, and that writing is still my best medicine,…

This, from the latest issue of Coast Mountain Culture, which can be hard to find on the ground – being such a luscious piece of print yumminess that it gets scooped up quickly. So, here’s one of the pieces I penned for the Holy issue. Ancient human footprints unearthed on British Columbia’s Central Coast challenge…

I’m working on a new stress management strategy. Gritting my teeth and just getting ‘er done has backfired. Compulsive clenching has begun to undermine the fillings in my molars. So much for the grin and bear it approach. So, impromptu dance parties it is. I mean, how good does it feel to crank the tunes,…

I reserve the right to remain hopeful. 6 days in to a new government, and 3 weeks past the election, I’m declaring it, as though it’s a constitutional right, a mantra and a magic spell all rolled up into one. I felt hope crest like a rogue wave the morning after the election, and it…

I went hiking with a bunch of ladies over night at a cabin up the Duffey. Most of us had kids, so the hardest work of the weekend was just getting out of the house. By the time we were on top of the mountain, we were giddy with freedom. Or altitude. That’s where we…

I wrote this column on the toilet. I’d finished my business minutes earlier but was on a writing roll and didn’t want to stop typing to pull up my pants. I have gotten into the habit of taking my device to the washroom with me because it might be the only chance I will get…