On Character
Now that I’ve sufficiently survived surgery physically, the psychological stuff is creeping in. Creeping is apropos. People keep telling me I’m so brave or so strong to go through it…
Marie Snyder
Preventing Ovarian Cancer Program Logistics
I went down the road to genetic testing all because of a link I noticed on facebook in early May 2015 – just before my 50th birthday, from the POCP.…
Sorry, but You’ve Been Duped into Denial
In the U.S., about 70% believe climate change is real, 35% believe it’s caused by humans, and 16% are worried about it. The 30-minute film, “The Doubt Machine: Inside the…
Before the Flood
First of all, I love that this Leo DiCaprio film, directed by Fisher Stevens, is free to watch everywhere on the National Geographic Channel. (Or was free – I’m not…
Now I’m Trendy, Dammit
The NY Times published a piece last night:“‘Going flat’ after breast cancer,” about the nascent movement towards openly having a boobless chest. And here I thought I was doing something…
Just a Flesh Wound
This is a figuring kind of post wherein I try to make sense of it all. I have all sorts of thoughts about breasts now. I had to get the…
How to Let Go of the World
I was really looking forward to seeing the latest Josh Fox film on fracking. I liked Gasland, and then Chris Hedges gave this film a nod, which means a lot…
One of the Lucky Few?
I’ve been reading other blogs about mastectomies, and the level of pain described makes me feel like someone’s made a huge mistake, and they’ll take off all the bandages to…
And on Recovery in All its Glory
I walked into the O.R. for a three-hour surgery just yesterday, and I feel fine. I’m taking half the pain meds that I’m allowed to take because the pain is…
On Justified Worry
I’m going to be writing more personally for a bit. I have a lot to get off my chest. Literally. I’m getting a double mastectomy today and an oophorectomy for…
On Dying and Grieving and Judgment
My dad passed away this week. He was older than the hills: 93 and a half years old. I’m not sad about his passing; he lived a long and fulfilling…
Water Wars and the Last Straw
The next world wars won't be about land or oil. They'll be about water. And Canada could be the next Iraq, invaded and decimated for the abundance of our natural…
The Irony of Advocating for A/C in Schools
This was a hot start to the school year. I taught a few classes with sweat dripping off my face as I spoke animatedly and enthusiastically about my courses. It…
Fixing French Immersion
The Agenda with Steve Paikin had a segment on French Immersion in the schools this week. The panel raised some interesting points but neglected a few issues. A Bit of…
Wild Women in Temagami – On Doing the Heavy Lifting
I had a dream early in the summer: I was getting out of a tent on the rocky shore of a lake on a misty morning just cool enough to…
Wild Women in Temagami – On Doing the Heavy Lifting
I had a dream early in the summer: I was getting out of a tent on the rocky shore of a lake on a misty morning just cool enough to…
On Feelings
I was thinking about the fact discussed here that we only started acknowledging feelings as something to be concerned with or a measure of well-being when soldiers returned from WWII,…
On Feelings
I was thinking about the fact discussed here that we only started acknowledging feelings as something to be concerned with or a measure of well-being when soldiers returned from WWII,…
Fractured Lands: How the Arab World Came Apart
Told in a series of personal interviews jumping back and forth between six different people, Scott Anderson's magazine-length article, "Fractured Lands," is the stuff of nightmares, but it's important we…
Fractured Lands: How the Arab World Came Apart
Told in a series of personal interviews jumping back and forth between six different people, Scott Anderson's magazine-length article, "Fractured Lands," is the stuff of nightmares, but it's important we…