Taking It On the Chin
Just before Christmas, I wrote about how excited I was in to find an online community of people with disabilities that reflected the spectrum of what real people are like. I also talked about how I was going to be reading and catching up with what was going on out there and how much I…
Fearless
One of my favorite things about the holidays is celebrating by getting together with people I love, especially the people of the younger persuasion. This week, I have had meals with three outstanding members of my chosen family who, despite being of different ages and having different life experiences, have one startlingly brilliant quality in…
In Defense of Romance Novels
Between ages of 11 and 16, I was hospitalized more often than I was home and although I did read many, many books, in the later years of my “sentence”, I devoured romance novels. If you’ve ever been in the hospital, you know why: it’s impossible to concentrate in such a place and what little…
Jag
Twelve years ago, I went with Janne to pick up her new baby, a tiny tabby kitten. The kitten was named Jag and grew into a gorgeous cat, with long striped fur and sooty back legs. Jag has been my sister’s faithful companion through the past 12 years, a constant presence when life upended and…
A Tink Christmas
It appears that after merely a few days of puttering about doiung whatever I wanted has resulted in me going feral, as Stephanie calls it. It occurred to me this morning that it was Thursday – don’t laugh; awareness of what day it is was a huge step towards civilization – and that I have…
Countdown
Every December, I’m reminded more so than usual of my roots. We may celebrate the same holiday on both sides of the pond, but we do so in very different ways and several times each December, someone will ask me to tell them about Christmas in Denmark. And so, I tell stories of waking up…
A Whole New World
When I did my undergraduate degree, I had a bit of a reputation for being radical (so I discovered later). There were a bunch of political stickers on the back of my wheelchair and I possessed some fairly left-leaning opinions (I know – big surprise). The radical bit surprised me – when I lived in…
How Sweet It Is
I never liked sweets much. Let me rephrase that, as it sounds as if I didn’t like candy. As a child (and still), I did/do like candy, but not the sweet kind. I went for the sour, the salty, the licorice that rips off the top layer of skin in your mouth (yum) and growing…
Movie Memory Lane
I like watching movies more than once. Mind you, not all movies are worthy of repeatedly spending a few hours in their company, but there are some that I usually end up buying and watching once a year or so. While ‘on vacation’ at mor’s, we watched a couple of older favorites that both sent…
In Mulder’s Footsteps
I have a theory. I’m not sure if it actually qualifies as a conspiracy theory worthy of investigation by the X-Files, but let’s pretend, shall we? This particular theory requires an excursion into both politics and religion and I gotta admit, there’s part of me that’s a little nervous about that, as these topics can…
The Tinks Are 1!
Today, my lovies have their first birthday. Who’d have thunk that a year could go so fast? And that it could feel as if they’re brand new and have always been here at the same time? Remember the start of the Tink Freaks club? Now those little beauties are healthy, happy and highly mobile. Happy…
Public Service Announcement
Once, a long time ago – I was about 12 years old – someone asked me what arthritis pain felt like. After great deal of thought, the best I could come up with was said it felt like being inside a ball of used cotton, greasy and gray and containing a great deal of slightly…