Disability Time
When I go to ultrasound, I have to prepare to lose three hours of my day. The actual appointment is about 20 minutes, but when you involve WheelTrans, the parallel accessible transit system in Toronto, you need extra flexibility. Lately, they seem to have engaged in some sort of internal competition about just how much…
A Change of Pace
“It’s so %*&ing Scandinavian.” I was in the middle of reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and explaining to a friend why I was having such a good time. Aside from the story itself, there was so much about the way it’s written, the interpersonal dynamics, tiny little moments, as well as big ones that…
Depression and Living with RA: an Interview with Merely Me
I did an interesting interview with one of the otehr Community Leaders at MyRACentral this week: “Depression can be a normal part of living with rheumatoid arthritis. Whether it is depression that comes attached to a diagnosis or the worry and sadness that accompanies a flare, chances are you may become acquainted with this state…
Everyday Hero
Thanks to everyone who left a comment in last week’s contest, three quarters of you voting for Wish Upon. Thank you also for giving me this moment of publicly telling a certain someone that I told you so. Which is not to say that I don’t like Christmas Come Again, I do – I like…
Before and After and Before
Two pieces of information before I get going. First, the contest to win one of two 2011 The Seated View calendars is open until 6 PM EST on Sunday. And second, if you live in the Toronto and vicinity area, there’s a really interesting public forum on Thursday, November 25 called The Most Exciting Time…
The Sound of Water
I’ve always wanted one of those serenity fountains. You know the kind – maybe there are two small bamboo chutes to guide trickling water from top to bottom or maybe it’s a pot with a bunch of rocks and water quietly burbling up in the middle. The only thing that’s kept me from getting one…
Old Game, New Name
I’ve been percolating this one for a while, trying to wrap my head around an idea, how to present it in a way it makes sense. Whether I’m quite there yet remains to be seen, but here goes… It all started with a conversation I had a while back with Dave over at Rolling around…
Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Traveling with RA
The holiday theme has started and over on MyRACentral, I write about RA and traveling: “‘Tis the season. The start of holiday celebrations, for gathering with family and friends and that means traveling. Whether you’re driving to the other end of the city, taking the train to the next state or flying across the country,…
I Love the Smell of Progress in the Morning
About six weeks ago, I had a wee rant – well, it wasn’t that wee, actually. As rents go, it was a pretty good one. I’d arrived at my local grocery store to find it significantly altered in the name of theft prevention, alterations which erected a number of barriers to accessibility. There was a…
Remembrance
Today is Mojo’s birthday. Well, to be honest, I don’t know her exact birthday – she was about three months old when she came home with me on February 1, 1997 and given the name I chose for her, Halloween seemed like the perfect birth date. I’ve been thinking of her lately, more so than…
Thank You
Chuffed. Tickled pink. Over the moon. Validated. I feel like Sally Field. I won Best Chronic Illness Blog in the Canadian Blog Awards thanks to you and I want to let you know that it matters, just as it did two years ago. It matters that the CBA had a category for Chronic Illness, it…
Like Snow: 13 New Names for Different Types of Pain
Updated November 21, 2021 Most people have an only occasional experience with pain and as the language of a culture is shaped by the majority experience, our world lacks descriptors of pain beyond the basic – burning, stabbing and not much else. Those of us who live with chronic pain know that it is a multifaceted creature. Legend…