Why I Made The Corona Chronicles A Series

Last updated on November 4th, 2020 at 04:25 pm

Casey's Corona Chronicles—How to Outlast Your Kids in the Midst of a Global Pandemic—Empty Grocery Store Shelves
Is this what the world’s end looks like? Credit to André Proulx.

What do you even write about when the whole world’s burning down? Multibillion-dollar sports empires ended their seasons early. The travel industry shut down in one fell swoop. I didn’t start talking about COVID-19 right away because it was all anyone could talk about, but as soon as we closed schools down for three weeks across Ontario, how could I not?

When I first published The Corona Chronicles on March 13th, though, I was so short-sighted. I called the three-week quarantine “March Br3ak”, thinking this would all somehow resolve itself by April. I didn’t jump on long-term prep right away, figuring I could do some catch-up once things calmed down a bit.

But then our businesses shut down on the 16th. Travel another four days later. We learned that this was no small thing—we needed to learn a “new normal” with a very uncertain future ahead. This was no three-week ordeal.

And as the days dragged on and I kept writing about the experience, it only grew clearer there was more going on than a single post could contain. I needed a full series.

So here, in week eight of The Great Quarantine, I’d like to welcome you to The Corona Chronicles: The Series, where we talk about life as a family in Toronto, trying to stay sane each day as we find new ways to adjust.

I, for one, look forward to returning to some semblance of normal soon, but until we do, you can expect me to keep writing about it.

Be well, everyone, and keep doing what you need to to make it in these times!

Until the next, I remain,

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

Nelson Caetano | Playing with People’s Attention

Last updated on April 21st, 2021 at 09:34 pm

Whenever I worry I’m giving my boys a little too much screen time, I remember growing up on a generous diet of cartoons, comic books and video games—and I think everything turned out fine.

It Feels Like a Lifetime Ago….

You see, way back when, I was the archetype of what you’d call a nerd—oversized glasses on my face and curled up with a good book in most social settings—and at a time long before the things that made me a nerd were ever cool.

Piles of comic books before their movies became the force they are today. Video game fan clubs before we had reddit to bring us together. But all these things were fundamental parts of my life for many years to come, especially as I drew comics of my own well into my twenties.

Though life took me down a different path than I expected (you can thank my Dad’s sage advice to get a job that pays the bills, as painful a pill it was to swallow at the time), I understand what it’s like to put your all into your creation, trying to create something truly reflecting your vision.

This IS Toronto. What Do We DO About It?

I was driving the five minutes home from dropping off a friend as I saw several police cars zoom by westbound in front of me—we’re just one street away from the Danforth. I was woefully unaware of what was happening only five minutes away. Unaware, that is until the messages started pouring in.

Please tell me you don’t live here!”

“Are you okay???”

“This happened just five minutes from us!”

This IS Toronto. What Do We DO About It?—Baby Palmer on the Danforth

When we think of violence in Toronto, Greektown—the bustling stretch of the Danforth known for its family-friendly nightlife and generational communities—is not what comes to mind.

Though we can say the same for an angry young man running pedestrians down in a van in North York or a gunfight breaking out in the city’s busiest mall. Sadly, Toronto’s no stranger to violence—it’s just rare that it hits so close to home.

But let me explain to anyone who doesn’t live here why this is so surprising.

Drekken Pownz & Jemmie Robles | Be Fabulous

Last updated on April 21st, 2021 at 09:24 pm

And then sometimes you need to take a step back and handle your ish.

Chatting with Casey 0006—Everybody Wants to be Fabulous—Casey Palmer, June 2018

With Father’s Day come and gone for 2018, I was finally free to take stock of everything going on in the rest of my life, and it was a mess. A to-do list 270 items deep. Friends and family whose voices I hadn’t heard in months. Things were hectic, and I quickly remembered I couldn’t be a good husband, father, son, brother, friend, employee, churchgoer and content creator all at the same time.

So I took the time to handle a few things and while they’re still far from perfect, being able to find some time to get back to the podcast’s always okay by me!

But enough with the preamble—let me tell you why episode six is so good.

Paramount Butcher Shop Yonge & Eglinton

Last updated on April 20th, 2021 at 04:46 pm

Once you go rack, you never go back.

Get Meat That's Sure to Pop at the Paramount Butcher Shop—Cuts of Meat

The problem with eating delicious meat is that lesser cuts just don’t taste the same once you have!

When Paramount Fine Foods invited myself and a few other tastemakers to the grand opening of their Yonge & Eglinton Paramount Butcher Shop location (pun intended), I expected good food. I’d hit my share of butcher shops over the years, so I figured my taste buds were ready for whatever might come my way.

I couldn’t be more wrong—they most definitely were not.

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