I read this book last year, and have been recommending it nonstop, so it’s about time to commit it to wmtc. My Notorious Life was an obvious book for me to love — or to hate. Much historical fiction feels contrived to me. An author takes a period of history, writes
Continue readingAuthor: laura k
wmtc: judy heumann, rest in power
Judith Heumann, one of the founders and primary movers of the disability rights movement, died recently at the too-young age of 75. Judith Heumann was a force of nature. She was the consummate activist — a brilliant communicator, a charismatic organizer, and a warm, compassionate, attentive person. Judy was the
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: empire of pain, the secret history of the sackler family
Buried on page 364 of the hardcover edition of Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty — almost two-thirds into the book — is one sentence that, for me, defines the most important piece of this urgent story. The opioid crisis is, among other things, a parable about
Continue readingwmtc: a note about subscribing to wmtc by email
This is an note for wmtc readers subscribe to the blog by email. Zoho, the service I am now using to handle the wmtc mailing list, allows three “campaigns” (sends) per month on their free level. This will sometimes be enough for one email per post, but sometimes it will
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit, part 6 and final (portland to port angeles to victoria)
On our way out of Portland, we stopped at the home of R, the well-known baseball writer who Allan had met at Powell’s. By sheer coincidence, he had some research materials that he was looking to re-home — on the exact topic Allan is currently working on! Amazing! This took
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit, part 5 (portland)
Our full day in Portland was almost entirely about books and food, with a little shopping-I-can’t-do-at-home thrown in. I thought I was going to do a bit of tourism — the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden was calling — but I ran out of time and energy. As my mother used
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit, part 4
We stopped briefly at my mom’s place in the morning. Allan was interested in some old family photos — from my mother’s childhood, and from family before I was born. (Allan does the genealogy thing. I do not.) We managed to identify everyone: my great-grandparents (who were still alive when
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit, part 3
On Saturday, we had a lazy day at the M&M homestead. The big outing of the day was to Harry & David, the specialty food store, where we all spent too much money and bought too much food. That night, our nephew and grand-niece, now 7 years old, joined us
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit 2023, part 2
The lovely little town of Phoenix, Oregon — down the road from M&M’s house — was completely destroyed in a wildfire in September 2020. One business that rebuilt is Puck’s Donuts. While I was getting a mani-pedi — something I always do when traveling now — Allan and Marty picked
Continue readingwmtc: oregon family visit 2023, part 1
Allan and I are in southern Oregon for a family visit. Last year I visited on my own, and Allan stayed home with the pups. Right now we have reliable dog care, but it’s a temporary situation, so I figured we should jump on the opportunity while we could. We
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: # 38
I was covering the desk while staff was on break. A customer asked where he could find books on sex. I asked whether this was for a young person or an adult. He said an adult. I asked if was he looking for anything specific, such as safer sex, sexual
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: # 37
I have an update on R, the customer who was the subject of the previous two TIHATL posts: #35, a customer who refuses to be helped, and #36, a customer who needs so much more than a library can provide. As a friend said on Facebook, librarians, like teachers, are
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: shuggie bain, brilliant and devastating fiction by douglas stuart
Any novel that wins the Booker Prize will be worth reading. Not all literary prizes reflect quality, but the Booker Prize carries a lot of weight. So when a debut novel wins a Booker, that is a singular achievement. Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart, was the recipient of the 2020 Booker
Continue readingwmtc: new email list manager: switching from mailchimp to zoho
Mailchimp recently announced that it is changing its free plan, reducing the number of contacts and sends that can be managed for free. Wmtc will no longer qualify for the free level. This was disappointing, as it required research to figure out next steps. There are many email services, but
Continue readingwmtc: "you guys" revisited: further thoughts on the language police
If you know, you know. In October 2020, I wrote a post about the expression you guys, and whether or not using guys as a gender-neutral term excludes transgender people: “you guys”: change language, do no harm, but can we please leave space for learning and growing? In that post, I
Continue readingwmtc: rip russell banks: a belated tribute
I was very sorry to hear that Russell Banks, one of my favourite contemporary writers, died on January 7 of this year. There’s a very short list of authors that are must-reads for me; I’ll read anything they publish. Banks was on that list. Banks wrote about very ordinary people,
Continue readingwmtc: trying something new: labour book club
Through my union, I’ve started a labour book club. This is something I’ve wanted to do for years, and now it’s gotten off the ground. I’m very pleased! Everything requires persistence, even quitting I first thought of doing this pre-covid, and imagined that I might gather members of my union
Continue readingwmtc: in which i buy eyeglasses online and am super excited about it: zenni optical
I recently bought new eyeglasses: price tag: $165.00. This is 80% less than my previous pair of glasses cost. I can see well and the frames are great. I’m going to buy a second pair — and maybe a third. Buying glasses online: hallelujah! At the end of this post,
Continue readingwmtc: update: strength training without a trainer
I recently blogged about my experience working with a personal trainer. I really enjoyed it, and I was considering how to continue strength training on my own. I’m not new to the concept, but this time, I’m determined to avoid injury and to make it a non-negotiable habit. Trainer-created workouts
Continue readingwmtc: a reading plan for 2023
This year’s reading plan is more open-ended — designed to give me focus but not overwhelm. I’ve created what most people seem to call a reading challenge, but that term doesn’t work for me. So here’s the plan. ** Five current (within 3 years) nonfiction ** Five older nonfiction from
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