pupdate: sad (but not that saddest) news
Our Cookie has a torn ACL and needs surgery. Surgery itself brings worry and concern and inconvenience, and of course, massive expense. But none of that is the worst part.…
laura k
celebrating indigenous people’s day with a beautiful evening in the port hardy library
We always host something special for Indigenous Peoples Day at the Port Hardy Library, and this year was our best program yet. That wasn't because of the numbers of people…
rotd: where freedom is concerned, do not wait for others to present it to you
Revolutionary thought of the day:Mrs Touchet was confused. "All I intended to say was that I feel confident that the arguments I heard today, on the Downs, although at the…
photos are posted
Photos from our recent trip to Tulsa, Kansas City, and St. Louis are now on Flickr. I'll also link each post to its album page.My photos on Flickr are somewhat…
coming up for air: two thoughts on aging from george orwell
I came upon these passages in George Orwell's 1939 novel, Coming Up for Air. They seem very appropriate to me today.* * * *The change in his appearance after twenty…
happy birthday to me: retirement update edition
I have been alive on this planet for 64 years. Didn't I just write my last "happy birthday to me" post, like, a week ago??I looked back at my last…
what i’m reading: two by two favourite authors: part two: zadie smith’s the fraud
In an earlier post, I mentioned that I recently read novels by two of my favourite authors, Roddy Doyle and Zadie Smith. I wrote about The Women Behind the Door…
what i’m watching: a complete unknown: not very profound (or kind) thoughts about this movie
Bobby, Suze, the Village, the JacketSeveral people have asked me to share my thoughts about "A Complete Unknown," James Mangold's fictional biopic about Bob Dylan in the early 1960s.Allan and…
what i’m reading: two by two favourite authors: part one: roddy doyle’s the women behind the door
I took a break from reading nonfiction to read novels by two of my favourite authors: The Women Behind the Door, by Roddy Doyle, and The Fraud, by Zadie Smith.…
things we saw from the road, mostly lies
Billboards seen on the highways between St. Louis, Tulsa, and Kansas City. Lies about pregnancy"Heartbeat heard 18 days after conception"This is the most frequently-seen lie on all the highway signs.…
day 14: kc to st. louis: a drive, a store, and unexpected propaganda — plus an unexpected margarita (part two)
I wrote the previous post in various airports, and am writing this post from home. I just proofread and corrected that post, so if sharp readers caught the typos, they…
day 14: kc to st. louis: a drive, a store, and unexpected propaganda (part one)
the store of storesI forgot a few things that I wanted to capture about our drive from Tulsa to KC. That's what I get for writing at night, rather than…
day 13: kansas city: baseball and barbecue
Last night, after Allan came back from Gardner's, we weren't in the mood for much of anything, but we did need to eat dinner. I looked up restaurants in the…
day 12: tulsa: greenwood rising, plus more street art
This morning we opted not to wake up early to stand in line for baked goods, choosing a slower morning over local colour. We didn't even fulfill our alternate intention…
day 11: tulsa: archives, street festival, and street art
One of Tulsa's most famous murals, of one of its most famous sons.Yesterday was Allan's second day in the Dylan archives. He loved the experience, and was sad that it…
day 10: tulsa: the rest of the centers, and hanging around while allan dives in
our newest fridge magnetBoth the Woody Guthrie and the Bob Dylan Centers house the official archives of both artists. Time in the archive is by application and appointment only. Allan…
day 9: tulsa: a full day with woody and dylan
Both the Woody Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Center are closed Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, which figured in to the complicated planning of this vacation. Now, with the trip…
day 9: tulsa: in which the woody guthrie center moves me to tears
We spent all day in the Woody Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Center, and we are going back tomorrow. It was a profound and intense experience for me. I…
day 8: tulsa: a drive through kansas, a walking tour, and a sudden change of plans
"The Golden Driller" is as tall asthe Statue of Liberty, sans pedestal.Yesterday we got an earlier start, and drove through the state of Kansas to Tulsa. When I was planning…
day 7: kansas city: in which another public library blows me away
Newsflash: Kansas City is a hidden gem. This is actually a really cool city, and I would love to spend more time here. This is totally unexpected!We had a slow…