3rd Spaces

A blue jay perched on top of a shepherd's hook against a wall of backlit green leaves

Football's Coming, But First: Mom's Birds

naturephotography

Football season is about to take over around here. But this week I sat on Mom's porch and watched her feeders instead. Jays, hummingbirds, a red-bellied woodpecker, grackles, and one very well-fed chipmunk.

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Joel at sunset in front of the fields at the farm

The Farm Still Has Its Hook In Me

photography

A weekend at my mom's place at the farm. Scotch, my sister's she shed, a Spider-Man movie that got us both, and a deer that watched me the whole way past.

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The Hog's Back trail marker on a tree, with white trilliums blooming on the slope below
Scotland Hiking Expedition

Trilliums on the Hog's Back

photography

Fifteen kilometers on the Green A loop in Northumberland Forest. Three laps of the Hog's Back to prep my legs for Scotland. And the trilliums everywhere, just doing their thing.

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Apple Health Cardio Fitness chart showing VO2 max reaching 42 in April 2026

VO2 Max Over 42!

sportsai

I've been working on getting my VO2 max over 42 for over a year, and today I finally cracked it. Here's what that number means, how Apple Watch tracks it, and why I care more about the trend than the actual score.

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Glinda and Elphaba in a Mirvish production of Wicked

World Theatre Day

theatre

Today is World Theatre Day. For me, that means remembering the productions I've been part of, the incredible performances I've been lucky enough to witness, and the connections that make all of it matter.

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Joel out for his first outdoor run of 2026 on a cold winter day

First Run Outside for 2026

sports

The first outdoor run of 2026, an Apple Fitness+ Time to Run through the streets of Toronto, and a hint about what's coming next.

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Lisa Heitzner as Donna, standing front and centre with the Mamma Mia ensemble - photo by Sherwood McLernon
Mamma Mia

When the Mic Goes Out and the Magic Steps In

theatre

A microphone fails mid-show during Mamma Mia, and what happens next is the most purely theatre moment you can imagine - the whole room holding its breath together.

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Director Val Russell
Mamma Mia

I'd Run Through a Wall for Val

theatre

What it's like to do a show with Val Russell directing Mamma Mia, and why her approach to connection, family, and theatre makes you want to give everything you've got.

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Joel in the lighting grid above the stage at Capitol Theatre during the Mamma Mia hang
Mamma Mia

Up in the Grid

theatre

I was invited to help with the lighting hang for Mamma Mia at the Capitol Theatre. What I found up in the catwalks was more than just heavy instruments and steep angles.

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TASS teams with Joel Varty

What Does Your Team Need from You?

sportstheatreleadership

Leadership isn't about what you can get from your team. It's about asking a different question entirely, one I learned from high school coaches and a theatre director who changed how I see the whole thing.

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