I know it’s not very lady-like, but sometimes I burp. It probably wasn't the best time to let go of one of those big bellywonkers, but it happened right as I walked into my daughter’s room. Me: "Braack…whatcha doing?" A: "My homework…and, say hi to Zoe." Me: (recoiling in shame) "When did Zoe get [...]
I went to a memorial service on Saturday for my father’s best friend and pastor, Carlin Weinhauer. He was a remarkable man and a testimony of what God can do with a servant who puts Jesus first in all his words and deeds. He accomplished many, many things in his lifetime, but perhaps the most [...]
I teach Beowulf in Literature 12. It's a story about a hero and a monster. I did some research and learned that heroes represent cultural ideals—our best selves. Monsters challenge these ideals—they represent our doubts about who we are. Zombies are everywhere these days. If literary monsters reveal a cultural identity crisis, I wondered what [...]
My wife and I met tree-planting in Northern B.C. That was the best thing that came out of that experience, but there were a few things I learned about life from that job as well. I think everyone should have a tree-planting-type job at some point during their life time. You can learn a lot [...]
This is my work mug. I've been drinking from it since before my current students were born. There's much you can know about my mug if you study it as a scientist might. One of the tools scientists use is empirical observation. By this method they could determine things like capacity (32 ml), mass, (347.1 [...]
I love to sail. It started when I was 12 and went sailing with my counsellor at camp. I was hooked. I loved the wind, the waves, the complexity of the rigging, the sparkling water from a summer sun shimmering on foaming white caps. Since then, I have spent a lot of time sailing on [...]
I'm not too keen on flying. I wouldn't say I'm terrified, but even if it's a very smooth flight, I'm at least uncomfortable with being nine kilometers above the surface of the earth. It's not actually a fear of flying; it's more a fear of crashing. To deal with this fear, I have a little [...]
I grew up in the heart of the city of Vancouver’s west side in a little neighborhood called Kerrisdale. But although I am a city boy, my father, a family physician, taught my twin brother and I how to live like we were from the country. I think it is because my father wanted his [...]
When I was 10, I was a fundamentalist. It was then that I learned in science class that the tomato was a fruit. It's likely that, armed with this new information, I sallied forth to do battle against ignorance—or, rather, against the ignorant. I'd approach my unsuspecting victim and say, "Tomatoes are fruit." Predictably, they'd [...]
