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September 28 is International Safe Abortion Day , a day to reflect on how many women around the world do not have control over their reproduction -- that is, do not have control over their lives.  Abortion is the sine qua non  of women's liberation. Without the ability to choose whether and when to have children, women are slaves to their reproductive organs, and to the governments that control them.  We would all prefer contraception to abortion. But, like abortion, contraception is not universally available. And more importantly, contraception fails. Sometimes that results in happy accidents. Sometimes it results in unwanted pregnancies that would be disastrous for the pregnant person's life.  There is no reason for an unwanted pregnancy to ruin a woman's life. Abortion is a safe and harmless procedure. But thanks to governments that allow themselves to be controlled by religious zealots, millions of women don't have access to this option. Not about RBG, not about Roe

Love , the latest novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle, is a miniature tour de force . It's a story where seemingly nothing happens, nothing that you could really call a plot. Two men who have known each other a very long time, but haven't seen each other in many years, are having a pint at a pub.  It's familiar Doyle territory. Roger Rosenblatt, reviewing Love  in the New York Times , writes: When I tell you that Roddy Doyle's new novel , "Love," is about two 50-ish men talking well-oiled talk in a pub, you'll say you've heard that one before. You haven't. When I tell you that the novel isn't so much about what happens, or happened once upon a time, as it is about the mystically inaccurate nature of language, you'll say you learned that lesson long ago. You didn't, at least not the way Doyle spins it. When I tell you that in spite of these familiarities, you'll wind up caring about a bond that seems to rely mainly on words, you'll

I've been stashing these in a folder, but it's been years since I've posted any! I don't know about you, but I could sure use a break.

  These highlights of Ginsburg's decisions and dissents on the SCOTUS are a joy to read. I used two sources, and decided to keep the overlap. Many highlight the reason she was affectionately known as the Notorious RBG. United States v. Virginia , 1996 In United States v. Virginia,   Ginsburg  wrote the majority opinion that would serve as a milestone moment for women’s rights and university admission policies. The case challenged a policy by the Virginia Military Institute that barred women from being admitted to the institution. Although the state of Virginia said it would create a separate educational program for women for the military institute, Ginsburg questioned its merits, writing that “Women seeking and fit for a VMI-quality education cannot be offered anything less, under the Commonwealth’s obligation to afford them genuinely equal protection.” “Neither federal nor state government acts compatibly with equal protection when a law or official policy denies to women, simply

I am so  grateful to be home, and to have several more days off before returning to work. All four of us are happy to be back. What a joy and a privilege to have a home that I love!  Seeing the dermatologist in Campbell River on the day we were driving through town was an even bigger stroke of luck than we knew:  it was the last day before the doctor's vacation!  I would have had to wait another two weeks, in addition to another six hours of driving. Dermatologist: 1. Ordered a whole whack of blood tests to make sure there's no underlying issue causing the urticaria. It's likely the hives are idiopathic -- " CIU " -- but I'm glad he's checking. 2. Prescribed a new-generation antihistamine in three or four times the normal dosage to try to bring the reaction under control. I had it filled immediately. 3. Said if the antihistamines don't work, we'll do a course of oral steroids. I have no problem with that, but I'm also glad he's not starting

I've spent the last two days reading, blogging, scratching, and occasionally eating and sleeping. There were other things to do on Salt Spring Island, but I was too uncomfortable to do anything. It was very nice to have uninterrupted time to read and write. Tomorrow we'll take an early ferry to Crofton, drive up to Campbell River, take care of our appointments, then head back home.  * * * * I've had a long running argument by email with the host of this cottage. I'd like to leave a negative review, but I've read that bad reviews can seriously damage a host's standing with Airbnb. Also, I don't have many reviews on Airbnb and I don't want to be reviewed as a bad guest. I wish the cottage was listed on TripAdvisor, as I have a more substantial body of reviews there. I've also read that a guest's review is not published until the host reviews the guest -- so if the host wants to suppress a negative review, they can simply decline to leave

  I've said it before and I'll say it again: Donald Trump is the single greatest gift the Democratic Party could ever hope to receive.  The Democrats have finally achieved their most sought-after position: every thinking person must now vote Democrat, no matter what. They can now run whoever they want with whatever consequences that will have, because the alternative is an existential threat to the country itself. Both parties, of course, have always been an existential threat to other countries, but this time every person living in the Empire is up against it. And this will be the gift that keeps on giving for as long as the party exists. All hope of organizing and building an alternative has ended, certainly for as long as can be forecast.  All the Democrats have to do is overcome the vote suppression, election fraud, threats of violence, actual violence, and the Electoral College , and they're safe from democracy and progressive thought forever. It's no small task,

Today's big news is that the GP Dermatologist in Campbell River will see me on the day we are driving through that town, on our way home. Which is two days from now! I'm so relieved I could cry. I called and pleaded my case -- to be honest, just a simple explanation, I didn't need to exaggerate! -- and also explained we would be passing through town in a couple of days. The scary part was waiting to see if they actually had the referral. I suppose if they hadn't, I could have corrected that with more phone calls.  The best thing is once the doctor sees me, I'll be able to follow up by phone, without a huge amount of waiting. * * * * There was also some conditional good news from Oregon, as my brother and sister-in-law, nephew, grand-niece, etc., are back in their homes, and have power for the first time in nearly a week. They live on a hillside; those in the valley below have lost everything. Last we spoke, SIL was looking into how they could volunteer and/or donate

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times? Perhaps not as dramatic as all that, but yesterday was a tale of two days, for sure. We had a leisurely morning -- well, when you barely sleep, all mornings seem long -- and drove the dogs over to Salty Dog , the local daycare and boarding spot. When I made the arrangements, Jaime was the opposite of every doggie daycare place I've spoken with in any city. She was so totally laid back. Whatever day, whatever hour, just come on by. She didn't ask for vaccination certificates or do an aggression test. She does boarding as needed, grooming if you want it, she raises Husky puppies, and she's open 24/7 to accept rescues, which she tries to rehome, but will keep if need be.  We followed signs up a rutted mountain road -- perhaps this is why she does pick-up and drop-off? -- until the sound of barking told us we were in the right place. There was a large collection of outdoor kennels -- clearly homemade, irregularly shaped, some

I am having the surreal experience of looking through photographs of the wildfire devastation in Washington State, Oregon, and California, and seeing the names of towns where much of my family live. They are all personally safe, and as of right now their homes are intact. It's very scary, both in the immediate and the larger pictures. My own personal surreality continues, my skin covered in red welts, scabs, and bruises. (Bruises from scratching; my skin bruises easily.) I've learned that chronic hives are a roller coaster. Two or three times a day they appear to be clearing up, only to come back with a vengeance. I am worn down from the trifecta of not sleeping, not taking any of my medications, and not getting any exercise (activity inflames the damn stuff). It's warm here, but I won't wear shorts out of the house -- which is ridiculous, really, but the skin on my legs is wrecked. OK, enough complaining! Something I forgot to mention yesterday, on our last night in Vi

I slept more last night than I have since the hives started, and this morning felt halfway human for the first time in months.  I took Cookie and Kai for an early-morning walk on the harbour. There are few things I love more than a paved, accessible, waterfront walk. (On our first trip to Vancouver Island in April 2018 , I was in love with a very special such walkway in Sidney, not far from here, that is also studded with public art.)  The Victoria harbour is beautiful, and/but full of expensive-looking marinas, hotels, and condos, plus party-coloured float houses . (Some or maybe most must be vacation rental properties). It would all be an exclusive private manse if not for the beautiful public, accessible, walkpath. And since it's Victoria, it's ringed with well-tended plantings and gardens. A lovely way to start the day. In the late-ish morning we dropped the dogs off at Whisker's Urban Ranch, and headed to Jam Cafe for breakfast. Besides having removed many tables, thi

We had another good breakfast at Popsey's, then hit the road to Victoria. Campbell River is halfway between Port Hardy, the northernmost town on the Island, and Victoria, at the southern tip. We really felt the change in climate, from the north and west coast cool, temperate barely-summer weather, to the rest of the island's hot dry summer. We had a good drive down, and went straight to the doggie daycare place where the pups will be tomorrow, for their "meet and greet". Cookie and Kai have never been anywhere like this! Diego (and for a time, Tala) were old pros at daycare. Diego especially loved it. These pups, though, are with us constantly! The few times we've been away, a teenage dogsitter hung out with them. So this is an entirely new experience, and I think it's good for them. Whisker's Urban Ranch is a small, mom-and-pop operation. There were lots of dogs in an indoor playroom, and staff takes them for on-leash walks at intervals. The owner introd

This is the time when wmtc turns into a travel journal, which I write almost entirely for myself, for a record of my travels. First of all, we were supposed to travel in April, an ultimate road trip that would take in everything I could want in a vacation, from beloved friends and family -- many of whom we had not seen in many years, and who I really miss -- to gorgeous scenic drives, and, of course, baseball. And with our dogs, too! That is truly my little heaven.  Even before the lockdown, we realized we had to cancel. When the border closed, at least it confirmed our decision. So yeah, that's all behind us, and when so many people have died, and so many others are near starvation, it seems the height of privilege to complain about cancelling a vacation. But I miss my family, and I don't know when I'll see any of them again, including my 89-year-old mother. Perspective or not, it still hurts. Back in the present moment, I am struggling with uncontrolled, chronic urticaria

I thought about choosing a few memorable heroes of the labour movement throughout history, writing some short profiles. There's no shortage of fascinating information about the likes of Eugene V. Debs, A. Philip Randolph, Dolores Huerta, Mary Harris Jones, Joe Hill... and so on. My own experience has shown me that the heroes of any movement are people whose names are known only to those around them. The people who are the labour movement on its most granular level. The real labour behind the movement. The shop steward who listens patiently, and says, If you decide to go forward with this, your union will support you. I am here for you. The colleague who raises their hand at a staff meeting, and says, I'm concerned that we are all very stressed by the volume of work we're dealing with. The worker who knocks on their supervisor's door to discuss an ongoing harassment issue she has witnessed. The mom who brings her kids to a local picket line, saying, "These people a

It's been a very long time since I've posted a musical obsession.  I'm watching The Blacklist and I cannot tear myself away from this song. frame>

Kids BOGO At the Library September is Literacy Month in BC, and your library will be celebrating in a big way. During the month of September, we are offering "Kids BOGO". BOGO usually means "Buy One, Get [Another] One", but this BOGO is "Borrow One, Get One". When you borrow a children's book, your child will receive another book – to keep. Both books are free! The Vancouver Island Regional Library, the Mt. Waddington Family Literacy Society, and The Book Nook, Port Hardy's bookstore, have teamed up to offer this special, month-long event. Kids BOGO will take place at your libraries in Port Alice, Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Sointula, and Woss. We have a nice stack of shiny new books to give away, including some hot titles that kids always ask for. We want as many children as possible to receive books, so there is a limit of one free book per child. Supplies are limited, so come to your library branch as soon as you can to claim your child's free

  In honour of National Read A Book Day, grab the book you are currently reading or the last book you read.  Open to page 56, and find the sixth sentence on the page.  Type the line in comments, plus the title and author of the book. I'll start: -- What? Roddy Doyle, Love  (2020) When we last played this game on wmtc in 2008, we had one of the longest threads ever on this blog... now wiped out. I continue to hope. Perhaps foolishly , but I can't live with the thought of thousands of comments being lost.

As I've mentioned many times, I keep a running List of books. The List dates back to the mid-1980s.  It's not a complete list of books I've read. I wish I kept track of every book I read, but because I didn't start this at the Beginning of Time, I can never start it.  The List is also not a to-read list. If it were, I would be too overwhelmed to read a single word.  The List is all the books I hear of or read about that sound interesting and attractive to me. The List is the universe of books that I turn to when looking for what to read next.  Books from the List comprise about half my reading -- meaning, I read many books that aren't on the List. This bothers me in ways I cannot begin to explain. I work hard to free myself from All Or Nothing thinking, but it pops up in all areas of my life.  [Strangely, for someone whose default setting is All Or Nothing, I don't care about reading series. I often read the first book in a series, and then, whether I liked it o

As my Facebook friends know all too well, I have been struggling with severe urticaria -- hives -- for two months. I have been going out of my mind with unrelenting itching. My skin is on fire. For six weeks, I had no idea what had caused the urticaria, and nothing known to me relieved the itching. At the end of a day of itching and burning,  Aveeno soothing baths and a thick eczema balm help calm things down.* Ice packs offer some relief.  Antihistamines do nothing, although I continue to take them, fearing it will be worse if I don't. I've seen a doctor twice, which was almost useless, although he did refer me to a dermatologist. There can sometimes be very long wait-times for specialists, and apparently dermatology is one of those. I don't expect to see a specialist for months. I've heard allergists are even worse. A friend recommended a naturopath who practices in a few different towns, including ours, and I thought, why not. I had a very thorough consultation; sh

I've decided to have bariatric surgery. I made the decision towards the end of last year, and I started a separate blog so I could write about it. Initially I wanted to keep this very private. I just wasn't ready to share it. But there's a lot of stigma around weight-loss surgery, and I like to poke holes in stigma whenever I can.  I'm taking steps to improve my health. There should be no shame in that. If some people are judgmental or feel superior, that's not my problem. If you want to come along, I'll be writing about this at 85 percent thinking .