WATCH WHAT YOU WRITE, RIGHT?

You have a son or daughter growing up and you have to

wonder what they'll do with their lives. I'm sure my parents

thought the same thing about me and how I'd turn out.

I remember my Dad telling me he didn't expect me to

follow in his footsteps. Me being a preacher's kid.

I had graduated with an arts degree leaving many friends

and family to think I'd become a teacher. A good job but

it didn't catch my imagination.

I was visiting a friend in St. Thomas, south of London

Ontario, when he told me the St. Thomas Times/Journal

was looking for someone to write obits.

The editor must have been desperate at the time because

he hired me without knowing if I'd even graduated from

high school.

Writer's comment: Writing obituaries is a good place to

start in the newspaper business. Accuracy is high on the list.

Spell someone's name in a news story, or get the name wrong

altogether and you've started off a fire storm beyond burning

your knickers.

LOSING SLEEP?

I picked up a back issue of the Toronto Star in my keep for reading' pile under my desk - I don't always get around to attacking it - about changing blankets in the spring for a better sleep. It isn't something we get around to until it's damn near mid-summer.

Hot nights lead to a restless sleep, The Canadian Institutes of Heath Research tells us. It links chronic health deprivation to multiple issues: hypertension and poor health among them. It lets us know emphatically we Canadians aren't getting enough sleep. Blankets are not the only cause. Tariffs, politics and a slumping economy can keep us tossing and turning.

Author's comment: Here's what to look for-organic cotton or bamboo sheets. What to avoid: polyester and other synthetic materials are likely to trap in heat and sweat. Should we Canadians be snuggling under a blanket when it's more than 25 degrees at midnight? That 's enough to keep us awake.