New year, new reads, new intention, a Silver Pigs review. I read way beyond my Goodreads Reading Challenge but didn’t get around to writing any book reviews. I thought how do I make it easier for me to write a review since I’m usually kaput when I finish a book? The 5-minute book review! I…
Category: Writings
Articles, essays, stories, etc.
Medicine Must Collaborate to End the Pandemic
The siloed practice of medicine has lead to a terrible pandemic response. The Swiss Cheese model of preventing COVID-19 transmission demonstrates the power of whole-picture thinking.
How To Launch ShopHERE in Ten Steps
So you’ve gotten approved for the ShopHERE program of Digital Main Street, you’ve submitted the information requested, you’ve seen the initial design they’ve created, you either bought a domain or redirected a page on your website to the shop, you made your logo, and now comes the hard part: working your way to launching an…
Remembering Pastor Duke Vipperman
My Pastor, The Rev. Canon Dr. Walter Bryce (Duke) Vipperman, died on Friday, 3 January 2020 from cancer at the age of 69. This is my eulogy of an ordinary, radical man. The sun shone on the church steps as Duke shook hands with congregants emerging through the ornery wood church doors. I hung back…
Why Do Canadians of Colour Dismiss Trudeau’s Blackface?
Research and awareness may explain why Canadians cannot see overt racism. When I first read about Time magazine revealing on September 18, 2019 an old photo of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in brownface, I thought: someone is muckraking, and what is brownface, anyway? Then I saw the photo. Then I saw the photo and video…
TTC and Novelling with NaNoWriMo
There are times when life provides the perfect story for the NaNoWriMo writer. My last few years riding the decreasingly accessible TTC and complaining to politely deaf ears exploded into an idea: why not write my tenth NaNoWriMo novel set in the world of TTC management, specifically a department called, “Customer Convenience Team Vision”? Suddenly,…
Mind Notes: The Blind Spot
When you have a lot of trouble reading books, that is, seeing the big picture, absorbing details, able to build up the narrative in your memory, learn and retain the learning, etc., etc., studying philosophy of mind gets a little discouraging. Unbelievably exhausting too. Enter videos. When you can’t read, watch! Video courses may have…
Fish — A Graphic Novel Review
Fish! With legs!! Fish by Peter Kielland My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was given Fish as the next step up in my using graphic novels as part of my reading rehab. A traumatic brain injury — a concussion type — had stolen my ability to read books. I remained literate, just couldn’t read.…
Brain Storm — A Review
Brain Storm. Poetical. Physical. Brain injury brought into movement. So vivid that from the first scene, it triggers before capturing you into the story of a young woman, Kate, who suffered a stroke, underwent a life-saving operation, and is left with a brain injury. A simple set on the stark black stage greets us: chairs,…