Remember the severe hives I complained about? That condition is now officially chronic idiopathic urticaria. Translation: long-term hives of no known cause. After struggling through our mini-vacation in Victoria and Salt Spring Island, I called the dermatologist’s office and pleaded my case. They very kindly squeezed me in as an
Continue readingAuthor: laura k
wmtc: africans were involved in the slave trade. why do you think that matters?
The statement If you are exposed to any bigoted, right-wing media or social media — whether by misfortune, sport, or a delusion that you must counter their arguments — and someone raises the subject of slavery, you will doubtless see on this trope. They were sold by their own people.
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: all my puny sorrows by miriam toews
I’ve just finished reading All My Puny Sorrows, the haunting, heartbreaking, hilarious, and life-affirming 2014 novel by Miriam Toews. It’s difficult for me to write about fiction. I don’t like to describe plots, because for my own reading, I hate knowing plots in advance. I really enjoy letting the story
Continue readingwmtc: a little story about learning to play piano
Recently I was unable to play piano for three weeks — a combination of the unbearable hives (now about 75% gone!) and being on vacation. Since beginning Pianote’s “Foundations” course in March, for four months I never missed a day of practice, and after that never missed more than the
Continue readingwmtc: "you guys": change language, do no harm, but can we please leave space for learning and growing?
First reactions: the language police I’ve recently learned that calling a group of people you guys may be considered insensitive to transgender people. My first reaction to this was an inner eye-roll, and thoughts along the lines of, “Oh come on, that’s going too far.” The same reaction I had to
Continue readingwmtc: international safe abortion day: abortion is healthcare
September 28 is International Safe Abortion Day, a day to reflect on how many women around the world do not have control over their reproduction — that is, do not have control over their lives. Abortion is the sine qua non of women’s liberation. Without the ability to choose whether and
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: love: possibly roddy doyle’s best book
Love, the latest novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle, is a miniature tour de force. It’s a story where seemingly nothing happens, nothing that you could really call a plot. Two men who have known each other a very long time, but haven’t seen each other in many years, are
Continue readingwmtc: interspecies love: it’s been too long
I’ve been stashing these in a folder, but it’s been years since I’ve posted any! I don’t know about you, but I could sure use a break.
Continue readingwmtc: ruth bader ginsburg, rest in power
These highlights of Ginsburg’s decisions and dissents on the SCOTUS are a joy to read. I used two sources, and decided to keep the overlap. Many highlight the reason she was affectionately known as the Notorious RBG. United States v. Virginia, 1996 In United States v. Virginia, Ginsburg wrote the majority
Continue readingwmtc: in which i implore the goddess of antihistamines to smile upon me
I am so grateful to be home, and to have several more days off before returning to work. All four of us are happy to be back. What a joy and a privilege to have a home that I love! Seeing the dermatologist in Campbell River on the day we were
Continue readingwmtc: cpmvfsgu days 8 and 9: monday and tuesday on salt spring island; whether or not to leave a negative review for an airbnb
I’ve spent the last two days reading, blogging, scratching, and occasionally eating and sleeping. There were other things to do on Salt Spring Island, but I was too uncomfortable to do anything. It was very nice to have uninterrupted time to read and write. Tomorrow we’ll take an early ferry
Continue readingwmtc: "fine. biden. but this is bullshit."
I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: Donald Trump is the single greatest gift the Democratic Party could ever hope to receive. The Democrats have finally achieved their most sought-after position: every thinking person must now vote Democrat, no matter what. They can now run whoever they want
Continue readingwmtc: cpmvfsgu day 7: salt spring island (sunday)
Today’s big news is that the GP Dermatologist in Campbell River will see me on the day we are driving through that town, on our way home. Which is two days from now! I’m so relieved I could cry. I called and pleaded my case — to be honest, just
Continue readingwmtc: cpmvfsgu day 6: salt spring island (saturday)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times? Perhaps not as dramatic as all that, but yesterday was a tale of two days, for sure. We had a leisurely morning — well, when you barely sleep, all mornings seem long — and drove the dogs over
Continue readingwmtc: cpmvfsgu day 5: victoria to salt spring island
I am having the surreal experience of looking through photographs of the wildfire devastation in Washington State, Oregon, and California, and seeing the names of towns where much of my family live. They are all personally safe, and as of right now their homes are intact. It’s very scary, both
Continue readingwmtc: cpmvfsgu day 4: victoria
I slept more last night than I have since the hives started, and this morning felt halfway human for the first time in months. I took Cookie and Kai for an early-morning walk on the harbour. There are few things I love more than a paved, accessible, waterfront walk. (On
Continue readingwmtc: cpmvfsgu day 3
We had another good breakfast at Popsey’s, then hit the road to Victoria. Campbell River is halfway between Port Hardy, the northernmost town on the Island, and Victoria, at the southern tip. We really felt the change in climate, from the north and west coast cool, temperate barely-summer weather, to
Continue readingwmtc: consolation-prize mini-vacation featuring special guest urticaria: day 1 and 2
This is the time when wmtc turns into a travel journal, which I write almost entirely for myself, for a record of my travels. First of all, we were supposed to travel in April, an ultimate road trip that would take in everything I could want in a vacation, from
Continue readingwmtc: for labour day: the unsung heroes of our labour movement
I thought about choosing a few memorable heroes of the labour movement throughout history, writing some short profiles. There’s no shortage of fascinating information about the likes of Eugene V. Debs, A. Philip Randolph, Dolores Huerta, Mary Harris Jones, Joe Hill… and so on. My own experience has shown me
Continue readingwmtc: current musical obsession: electric president (ben cooper): safe and sound
It’s been a very long time since I’ve posted a musical obsession. I’m watching The Blacklist and I cannot tear myself away from this song. frame>
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