I have what I know will be a very unpopular opinion about a highly volatile subject. I should probably keep it to myself, but I feel compelled to share it. It’s about Tom Flanagan’s remarks about child pornography. The remarks for which he was roundly lambasted, fired as a CBC
Continue readingTag: C. Death, Mayhem, and the Collapse of Civilization
knitnut.net: We know how to have fun
GC got a sliver in his foot from the hardwood floor. He said it felt like a long, skinny sliver. There wasn’t much to see, but he was limping and wincing. Later, when we were getting ready for bed, we saw that his foot was swollen. I insisted we go
Continue readingknitnut.net: Gender Failure
I’ve set up a google alert for ‘transgender’ so I can keep abreast of transgender news and activity on the internet, since my favourite part of my new job is about transgender stuff.
So, on my first day with the new Google alert, I was google-alerted that Ivan Coyote and Rae Spoon were playing a FREE […]
Continue readingknitnut.net: Diagnosis: Too much freedom
We took Simon to see the avian vet yesterday, to consult about his behaviour problems. She thinks he’s got too much freedom and he’s taking advantage of it. He has overthrown the rulers and seized power! I need to rein him back in, start some daily training and convince him – gently – that I’m […]
Continue readingknitnut.net: First week of work, and a psychotic parrot episode
So far at my new job I’ve been immersing myself in reports and files and getting up to speed on the subject matter and my projects. The subject matter is fascinating but the projects are a little intimidating because there are so many, and some of them require skills I’m not sure I have, like […]
Continue readingknitnut.net: Nasty old lady kills swap box
Yesterday I watched a nasty old lady beat my swap box to death with her cane. Rosie and I were out for an afternoon walk in the Enchanted Forest. As we rounded the curve in the path, I saw the tree upon which the swap box lives. And there was
Continue readingknitnut.net: Remembering Elmaks
It was on this day, a year ago, that Ottawa’s favourite street artist hiked into the forest, lay down under a tree, and died. His parents recently sent me a photograph of his headstone, along with an explanation of the symbols, and kindly gave me permission to share it here.
Continue readingknitnut.net: Wanted
I wonder if Coyote knows his mugshot is plastered all over that new coffee roasting place on Anderson Street? The last thing he needs is a bunch of heavily caffeinated bounty hunters on his tail. Speaking of bounty hunters, I was thinking about the ways my sister and I used
Continue readingknitnut.net: New neighbours, old garbage
Remember when you were a little kid, and a new family would move onto your street? You’d stand there watching the moving truck being unloaded, looking for clues about the children, how old they were, and what sex, hoping they’d have one just like you, someone with the potential to
Continue readingknitnut.net: Psychopaths versus turtles
One day last week, while we were making pottery, Chandler mentioned the turtles. Apparently they have turtles in Blakeney, Ontario, and a lot of them get killed crossing the road. So Chandler and her husband make a point of helping turtles across the road whenever they see them inching along.
Continue readingknitnut.net: Motorcycle madness
Have you seen that crazy video of the motorcycle out in BC going 299 kph? Somehow I missed it when it was first making the rounds. Here it is, if you missed it too. It’s nuts. Turns out the motorcycle was driven by a 25 year old with no
Continue readingknitnut.net: A pool of fresh blood
Every morning I go for a long walk along the bike path and I encounter all kinds of other people walking, biking, roller blading, skateboarding, running, and dog-walking. On Sunday I encountered a run-down, rickety sex worker at the intersection of Merivale and the bike path. She was skeletal and
Continue readingknitnut.net: Happy Canada Day, Stephen Harper. Here’s 59 cents.
It’s hard to look at yourself objectively, but rightly or wrongly, I’ve always thought of Canadians as peaceful, fair, decent, thoughtful and compassionate people who respect diversity, care about social justice and try to do the right thing. Oh sure, there are plenty of exceptions, and we’ve had our
Continue readingknitnut.net: I had a grandfather
My grandfather, Opa, would be celebrating his 104th birthday today if he hadn’t been killed by an irrational fear of surgery. He died in a hospital in Hollywood, Florida, as a result of septic poisoning from a blocked gall bladder duct. He was 86. The doctors had warned him about
Continue readingknitnut.net: Next thing I knew, the duck was mine
Yesterday afternoon I walked right into an unfolding crisis on Fisher Avenue. The scene, as I approached, involved a man stopping rush-hour traffic while he retrieved an injured duck from the middle of the road. She and her mate had been paddling in a puddle, when a woman passing by
Continue readingknitnut.net: I got laid off again
I got laid off last week; today’s my first day of unemployment. There were three weeks remaining on my three-month contract, but we started running out of international tax returns a couple of weeks ago. One day the work cart was empty. They sent us all home without pay for
Continue readingknitnut.net: GC reads the Riot Act
I live in a row house. The woman who owns the next house in the row is an investment advisor. She rents the place out to one group of kids after another, each of which generally moves out within a year to make way for yet another group. It’s an
Continue readingknitnut.net: The right place at the right time
First off, I’m happy to report that Cindy Lou was found and captured on Friday afternoon as she was running down the Queensway! It’s a miracle she wasn’t killed. Two police officers were trying to catch her when someone from Genesis Dog Rescue came along and managed to snag her
Continue readingknitnut.net: A long hard week with a happy ending
Thursday was one of those days. I’m still figuring out the buses on my commute to and from work, and I somehow got myself turned around at the Billings Bridge Transitway and ended up taking the 148 in the wrong direction. And then, when I got to work, I realized
Continue readingknitnut.net: The meaning of life
I’m working at home this week and next. I like walking to work, so I go for a walk each morning before I get started. We’re not talking a quick spin around the block, either. No. GC and I recently downloaded the app Walkmeter for our iPhones. We can now
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