Now, I do not underestimate the challenge of teaching, especially teenagers. Trying to distract Patricia and I from our doodle game escapades in chemistry class was no small feat, and I can only imagine how hard it is to do now that kids have smartphones (or it needs to be done remotely/safely during a global pandemic, 100% respect...) So, although this particular “lesson” was, questionable - I have to kind of respect Mr. Farooqi because it not only got Patricia and I to pay attention, but the whole class me thinks. And, I still remember the story, and therefore the lesson, to this day... Chapter 3: ATOMIC THEORY - Atoms, Molecules and Ions. Now, like a really bad game of telephone from 1808 to 1996, the original modern atomic theory from English scientist John Dalton states: All matter is composed of atoms. Atoms of the same element are the same; atoms of different elements are different. Atoms combine in whole number ratios to form compounds. So far, so good? (At this point in class ...

When Grace and I were growing up, we had to learn the basics like how to read, do arithmetic (that’s math young people), understand and speak a language (in our case this was french and english with solid phonetics), and to write.  And when I mean write – I mean write in cursive. That’s where your letters are all connected, flow like liquid gold, and have gorgeous curves throughout the capital and lower case letters. When you’re fluent in cursive writing, it’s like a beautiful dance between écriture and personality that seamlessly come together. We used to practice our absolute best cursive writing when we were in elementary school and had to write book reports – then into high school when we wrote essays. No kids, there were not computers in most homes yet - or if there were, your parents were very very well off. We didn’t get our first home computer until I was 19. I know, shocking right? Quoting Mr. St. Sauveur “Ow do you not ave a computer in your ome - you ave running wah-ta...

Although Patricia and I have been friends since we were FIVE YEARS OLD, we did not always travel in the same circles. Don’t get me wrong, we were always close - we went to the same elementary and high schools and were bonded by our shared love of art, softball (me recreational, she competitive), Doodle Games, chemistry class and when she turned eighteen seven months before me, I REALLY loved her for her fake ID. (In a little province over the bridge from our hometown the legal age was eighteen…) I still remember all the details of Patricia’s ID – especially that she’s a Pisces. Bouncers never asked the birthday on the ID, they asked your sign… (Wait, back the truck up… do we really believe a bouncer at a nightclub memorized all the Zodiac signs?? I could have said anything as long as I said it as confidently as a seventeen-year-old with a fake ID could and he would have let me in!... Well played bouncers, well played.) However, prior to sneaking into nightclubs was on the agenda, my fa...

The summer between grade 8 and grade 9 was the exact moment in time when our youth seemed to take a back seat to being a kid, and we strapped on our adulting training wheels. With this new found confidence, the world would now watch us become little "know-it-all-dinks" that express said "know-it-all dinkyness" for the next five (5) to eight (8) loooong years.  Without screen capping a thing to prove it happened, here's the conversation that changed our mindset – forever. Me: Hi, is Grace there? It’s Patricia. Adult: Yes she is, just one moment please. ​ Me: Thanks Grace: Hey Patty, what’s up? Me: I wanted to know if you wanted to come out to pla– I mean, hang out? Grace: What did you want to pla– I mean, do? Me: I thought we could go to the par– I mean the mall. Grace: Sure, I’d love to go to the par– I mean, mall. Me: I’ll just have to ask my mo– I mean, tell my mom we’re going out. Grace: Yeah me too. Me: Ok. I’ll jump on my bik– I mean, I’ll see if...

When we went to school in the 1990s, brace yourselves kids, we DID NOT HAVE PHONES! I know, right? Like every past generation thinking theirs was a simpler time than the present one, we Gen Xers say, “I’m so glad we didn’t have phones when I went to school!” (Echoed most recently with my university friends, because going to the library once a week to check your email was more than enough chore for us -- but more on that at a later…) The absence of phones in no way negates the absence of distractions. Enter, the “DOODLE GAME.” As many '90S teens will remember, we used to have to cover our textbooks in paper from brown paper grocery bags. The school saw it as a means of protecting the books for future generations to come, we saw it as blank canvases. Now, Patricia and I are both creatives who lived for art classes and creative endeavours, so naturally we were VERY diligent and studious when it came to… chemistry class. Yeah, no. We both squeaked through the class to get the credit ...

  For today’s blog we’re going to talk about our Moms... On second thought, this should not be done without the direct supervision of a licensed therapist. #loveyourmom Love, Grace & Patricia

Grace and I graduated from Grade 13. Yes, Grade 13. OAC to be exact. Just a little history lesson for you kids, OAC was our fifth year of secondary school and had been around for 76 years before being axed in 2003. Our course load involved passing six (6) Ontario Academic Credits to be eligible for university. If you didn’t have those magical six (6) credits, you were being groomed for a beautiful post-secondary future at college. Grace was on the fast-track to getting her six (6) OAC credits (but now I know she had a little calculus help from her bro to get her there) and guess who graduated with five (5) – thanks a lot Mr. Difranco. I’m sarcastically thanking Mr. Difranco because he failed me with a 47% in my sixth course. Economics. And I liked that class… a lot! It all came down to one night of impending procrastination and a new home computer. Now, keep in mind it’s 1997, and a new home computer was bare boned compared to them today and did not have “Autosave”. (I love Autosave...