Glenn Kubish

As we wait for the mosquitos' reaction to all the rain of late, here are three things left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude this week. Three Things, episode 127:                          1. Meow!   It’s August 1997. We are at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. From inside a portapotty near the children’s stage, I hear John Prine singing Hello In There. I am in the hot, polyurethane plastic confessional supervising one of our young sons who, I know, will, when we’re done, insist on going not to the stage Prine is at but back to the children’s area. In the battle of Gallagher Hill, it is Fred Penner triumphs.   Dr. Fred Penner was back on stage at the Jubilee Auditorium last week. It was spring convocation at the University of Alberta. The chancellor, Peggy Garritty, had just made him an honorary Doctor of Letters. Penner told the grads about his younger sister, Susie. She was born with Down Syndrome. He rem...

Happy end of the week, y’all. Besides the return of winter-weary crunchy ice, here are three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude this week.                     1. Resources   Somehow, I’m finishing up teaching a strategic communications planning course at MacEwan University. I enjoy hanging out in the academy where inquiry is still a thing. In school, I’m still a fish hooked by the question mark. The students are clever, and I’ve had a strong supporting cast for this one-of-a-kind experience. The doc came by to talk about diagnosing things properly, either medical situations or communications challenges. Rely on your heuristics, your shortcuts, as you assess the nature of a problem, he said, but don’t let them become prejudices. When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, but keep zebras in mind, he said.   J-P reminded the students there is no such thing as the general public. Be specific, she said. Son shared...