As you’ll know if you follow my blog, I sent off the first draft of a fun new book to my agent. He is a dear as well as smart, but not the fastest responder. So while waiting, I had in mind to return to embark (again) on another the
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wmtc: my magic number is 13
Today I begin my last term of grad school. There are thirteen weeks to a term, so as of today I am counting down weeks to the finish line. My courses may be interesting this term: graphic novels and comic books in the library, which I’m excited about, and issues
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Your Country’s Finances Are Exactly Like Yours
Many scoff at the conservative analogy that the American government should manage its finances like a household, but little do they realize the idea doesn’t strengthen conservativism, it weakens it. After a fiscal cliff deal that only increased taxes, many right-leaning politicians are preparing for a fight in order to
Continue readingwmtc: updates: acupuncture, slow cooker, star trek
I decided to try acupuncture again. In October, I saw my nephew and niece-in-law who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine and other holistic healing methods. They encouraged me to use our small insurance benefit on more treatment, even though I can’t afford to continue it past that. I purposely started in
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Writer’s New Year Resolutions
1. Create more, worry less. (h/t Diane Shoemperlen) 2. The market isn’t Stalin. Have fun writing. 3. The market is Stalin. Be subversive. [A]n invisible force was crushing him. He could feel its weight, its hypnotic power; it was forcing him to think as it wanted, to write as it
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Buddha’s Flowers on Christmas
Click to enlarge I saw the day come into the sky this morning and waited for my family to awake. There was peace and there was joy, like the songs, like the face of the cloth bag monk. You can see him on the table to the right with the
Continue readingwmtc: i hate christmas is slightly hateful this year
I’ve noticed a distinct reduction in my annual irritation and disgust at the holiday madness this year.* An unexpected convergence of events has brought on a pleasant state of near-apathy. First, no TV. Watching shows on Netflix or by download is blissfully free of advertising. No salespeople dressed up as
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Hanukah Last Night
click to enlarge Do you see the blue lights? And the evanescent ball hanging out with the plant? Who can say whether they are optical effects or angels? Filed under: Beautiful, Personal Tagged: Hanukah lights
Continue readingwmtc: post your slow-cooker recipes and tips here
I just bought a slow-cooker, the first one I’ve owned. Do you use one? If so, what are your favourite things to make with it? Any tips or suggestions? I know there a zillion slow-cooker recipes online, but I’d like to hear what friends and readers like. Thanks!
Continue readingwmtc: our first video: backyard play
Finally, a video of Tala and Diego! How silly am I? Now that we have video capability, I felt sad that we don’t have video of all our past dogs, the ones who are gone. And because of this, I didn’t want to take videos of these dogs! Very silly.
Continue readingwmtc: i’m back and i’m done
Another semester is behind me! I’ve now completed seven of eight terms, 14 of 16 courses. The expression “can’t wait” doesn’t begin to describe how eager I am to finish my degree next spring.Quitting my oppressive law-firm job continues to pay dividend…
Continue readingTerahertz: Hacked by Hacker
My blog is hosted by HostPapa, which up until now has been a fantastic host. Unfortunately, a few days ago (and I didn’t notice until this evening) this host got hacked and many WordPress sites were replaced with the ingenious slogan “Hacked by Hacker.” Luckily, I was able to quickly
Continue readingwmtc: talk me out of buying a new blackberry (if you can)
I need a new phone. My Blackberry Curve is dying. I had to replace my original Blackberry Curve when the cursor starting jumping around (a known issue), while it was still under warranty. However, the replacement phone doesn’t come with a new warranty!…
Continue readingTerahertz: Support our Light the Night Walk
Grant LaFleche, writing for the St. Catherine’s Standard, wrote a column yesterday calling on atheists to be more charitable. It’s a common trope that atheists and Humanists don’t give as much (or frequently) as the religious. Lacking formal structures and congregations, there’s less of a culture of philanthropy, both in
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Conservatives Can’t Avoid Social Responsibility
There is no stronger conservative principle than personal responsibility, however this Conservative government has shown that when people are only responsible to themselves, social well-being suffers, eventually including the well-being of Conservatives. This apparent contradiction is obvious in that though Conservatives believe in personal responsibility, they also claim the largest
Continue readingwmtc: seen in upstate new york
Something for all your needs, plus excellent alliteration. Down the road in Mohawk territory, in the North Country region of New York State, we saw this: Many generations of Mohawks have been ironworkers. Many of the great New York City skyscrapers were built by Mohawk labour. We didn’t have a
Continue readingwmtc: a few words about burlington vermont
We are in Burlington, Vermont, for a wedding. We drove here on Friday, a nice drive mostly through blue skies and autumn colours. On Saturday, we found a public library so I could do some school work. Saturday night was the wedding. The ceremony was held on a patio overlooking
Continue readingwmtc: in which my roku experience gets even more awesome: how to set up a wireless vpn
You may recall that we switched our internet provider from Rogers to TekSavvy in order to get more bandwidth, then dumped Rogers altogether by switching from cable to streaming. >We bought a Roku streaming device. And I fell in love with it. No more paying for dozens of channels that
Continue readingwmtc: she said let’s discuss abortion. i told her to fuck off.
She said she’d pray for me. I said nothing. She said let’s discuss abortion. I told her to fuck off. * * * * Long ago, I blogged about receiving a holiday card with a proselytizing message underlined in red. Wmtc readers had a good discussion around it, with responses
Continue readingwmtc: now it can be told: why i have hated my job for the last four years
This is a post I’ve been waiting to write for years. I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster for the past few days. While the War Resisters Support Campaign was pulling out all the stops trying to keep Kimberly Rivera and her family in Canada, I was waiting to hear
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