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What it takes to be an effective activist: 1. Hopefulness 2. Persistence, perseverance 3. Reliability 4. Enjoyment of teamwork 5. Willingness to take direction from others 6. Willingness to make space and time in your life for your cause 7. Good listening skills 8. A long view 9. Boundaries 10. Passion for your cause

From the I Have Too Much Going On, Systems Are Breaking Down department, this year's  we move to canada awards omitted a big chunk of viewing. I was very surprised -- and a bit disturbed -- to discover this! Leaving aside questions about my mental competence, I'm reviewing the omitted films and series here, and I'll also update the main post. I'm also using this as an opportunity to move some of my binge watching to the main categories. In the  Muhammad Ali  category: The Duke of Burgundy -- This darkly erotic love story is kind of the anti- Blue Is the Warmest Colour: crackling with sexual tension, and not a bit of skin exposed. A tender love story about love that is not tender. In the David Bowie  category: Angel -- I was skeptical about this Buffy spinoff, but ended up liking it more than Buffy -- the characters are more varied, the interplay and overlap of good and evil is even more complex. It's also funnier. Great stuff, with huge thanks to my Facebook friend

A few weeks ago,  I blogged about  watching "How I Met Your Mother," a show that has been a huge surprise to me. At the time, I thought the show was slipping in quality. I had started the eighth season, and the whole thing was off. The characters were too shrill, the situations too zany and over-the-top. Having come that far, I was determined to soldier on. To my surprise, I was rewarded. (I should call this syndrome The Springsteen.) After three or four subpar episodes, the show found its voice again. Overall, Season 8 turned out to be one of the funniest, saddest, and most genuine so far. The final two episodes were downright beautiful, some of the best romantic comedy I've ever seen. So Season 8 ends with the first glimpse of Ted's future soulmate, The Mother. And now, according to so many people, Season 9 will completely tank. I think I'll re-watch some of Season 8 before I move on.

Now here's an interesting calendar of events. June 27-29: The Negotiating Committee for CUPE Local 1989, Mississauga Library Workers Union, returns to the bargaining table for three days. June 30: The Negotiating Committee presents membership with a settlement offer. If the bargaining team recommends ratification, there is a ratification vote. If we do not recommend ratification, there is a strike vote. July 2: Summer programming begins at all our libraries. Free programs for children and youth attract a huge number of customers. July 4: The City of Mississauga and CUPE Local 1989 are in a legal or lockout position. July 7-8: The director of our library system hosts an annual conference of the Ontario Library Association. We played a long game of cat-and-mouse to make this timeline happen. It took a lot of resolve and a fair bit of luck. Now that we're here, perhaps our employer will be very motivated to avoid a strike. * * * * Brampton is a neighbouring city. Mississauga, Bram

I'm posting my annual movie awards later and later every year. I'm also watching fewer movies, because I'm watching more TV shows. When I come home on Friday or Saturday, exhausted and needing total downtime, sometimes even a movie is too much mental effort; binge-watching a series is somehow easier. So I end up with a ton of movies on the List, unwatched, year after year. But no matter. Here's what I did watch, and what I thought. First, the annual recap. - Canadian musicians and comedians (2006-07 and 2007-08) - my beverage of choice (2008-09) - famous people who died during the past year (2009-10) - where I'd like to be (2010-11) - vegetables (2011-12) (I was out of ideas!) - Big Life Events in a year full of Big Life Changes (2012-13) - cheese (I'm getting desperate!) (2013-14) - and last year (2014-15) types of travels . This year I've recycling a theme from a few years back. It was a bad year for the deaths of famous people, and it's only go

Apparently I have been alive on this planet for 55 years. That seems completely impossible. Yet there it is. As always on my birthday, I feel incredibly fortunate to be alive and living such a good life. Thanks for still reading my (now occasional) blather.

Tala's stitches were removed last week, and we got the full biopsy results: clean margins all around. The surgeon says she does not expect to ever see us again. A week later, I'm still feeling waves of joy and relief. Allan takes the good news in stride, by not letting himself fully contemplate the bad news to begin with. Watching Tala's crazy-thick fur grow in is interesting! A soft undercoat has already grown in. We're told the thick guard hairs take a long time.  Diego's progress continues to amaze me on a daily basis. We still bring Rollover on all walks, but in most situations, he is calm, or if he's agitated, he immediately turns to his person for a treat. Quick, quick, treat me before I explode!  And we do. The only scenario where he still consistently reacts is when we encounter other dogs in the small space of the elevator area on the main floor. Even then, he lets me lead him away, and as soon as the other dog is out of sight, Diego stops barking and r

Revolutionary thought of the day, from a revolutionary American. Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? No, I am not going ten thousand miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over. This is the day when such evils must come to an end. I have been warned that to take such a stand would put my prestige in jeopardy and could cause me to lose millions of dollars which should accrue to me as the champion. But I have said it once and I will say it again. The real enemy of my people is right here. I will not disgrace my religion, my people or myself by becoming a tool to enslave those who are fighting for their own justice, freedom and equality… If I thought the war was going to bring freedom and eq