Powered by Max Banner Ads The Other Doctor by Mette Bach I am sitting in my doctor’s office, reading Time Magazine, nodding along to their cover story on global protests. The person of the year is not a single person but a type of person: the protester. I like this article very much. So much that I don’t notice how quickly time passes. The doctor surprises me when she opens the door... 

Our Younger Selves by Mette Bach Years ago, curled up in her arms, a girlfriend of mine asked me a question that I couldn’t answer. Or, wouldn’t. She asked, “If you could go back in time with what you know now, what would you tell your younger self?” I said, “Don’t use so much hair product.” She told me to be more serious, that she really wanted to know. I wasn’t ready for that kind... 

We Weren’t Right by Mette Bach Sometimes you just know it’s over. Maybe it’s something she says that gets under your skin, or the way she does that annoying thing she does just one time too many. For me, it was thinking in future tense. When I thought in present tense it was fine. It was fine to think to myself, “She’s here now,” and “It’s okay,” and, “Be kind.” But it became... 

That’s What Friends Are For by Mette Bach We had all been there. I had my biggest breakdown on a friend’s couch. I came over one night, plunked myself down and covered myself with a sleeping bag and didn’t leave for three weeks. Tony generally skips the details of his epic journey to rock bottom and back, with statements like, “Trust me, it was ugly.” Kaylum once spent four days locked in... 

Dating and Not Dating by Mette Bach “I’m not dating anymore,” my friend Kaylum announces as we’re walking down Jervis Street to the beach. I sip my iced matcha latte. Ken says, “That’s a pretty bold statement.” Kaylum adds, “Well, it’s not like I’m giving up on love or anything. It’s just that after fifteen years of dating and being a server and having to watch other people dating,... 

B.A.B.S. by Mette Bach This is a little story about making art and having fun at the same time. It’s not necessarily about making good art, high art or the kind of art that juries like. Okay, it’s mostly about having fun. It was late November and my neighbor, Tony, and I were hanging out, basking in our weekly ritual of having sundaes on Mondays. Monday Sundaes, we call them. We were talking about... 

Ice Skating by Mette Bach I could barely breathe, I was so nervous. This wasn’t just a date; it was an adventure – a foray into the unknown – she asked me to go ice-skating. I know, I know. Cute, right? Totally adorable. I mean, who even goes ice-skating on dates anymore? Right after she asked me, I had said, “You know I can’t skate, right?” “That’s okay,” she had winked, “You can... 

Breakfast in Bed by Mette Bach All this happened, more or less. The bacon part, at any rate, is true. The names have been changed. Pam and I met up at Santouki, a new Ramen place on Robson Street, not far from where I live and even closer to where she lives. It was a cold Tuesday afternoon and she came in, tossed her coat over her chair, rubbed her hands together and sat down. “I’m glad you could... 

Vacationing in Family Land NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL by Mette Bach My friend Elaine – she’s more than that: chosen family, honorary sister, person who gets me the most in this world – had a baby last February. This immediately made me ‘Auntie Mette’. Since Elaine lives in Toronto with her husband, I didn’t get to see their baby until they came out west in the summer. I was nervous about it... 

NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL by Mette Bach Settling into winter is like looking at yourself naked in a full-length mirror, especially if you live alone. This is the time of year when I start to spend an awful lot of time with myself. The hesitation to be outside sets in once my eyes and nose start watering in the cold. I find myself making excuses to not see friends because I’d rather take a hot bath and...