Update

I absolutely promise a real update on my life, soon. I hope within the next 48 hours or so. :) It'll be worth it!

People just don't square dance like they used to...

...or at least not at a downtown drugstore in Kingston. Which was why I was really pretty surprised to see a middle-aged woman duded up in what was presumably her best square dance duds at 5:45 pm on a Thursday. Not one of those pretty frilly, lacy, satiny ones, that I admit I used to covet, ca 1979 or so, watching old reruns of Grand Ole Opry on PBS on Saturday nights. This was a long-sleeved button-up blouse with a country-and-western theme print on it and a matching skirt with a HUGEASS crinoline under it. With a 'kerchief at the neck. And of course, cowgirl boots.

Some outfits just don't translate into the outside world.

You don't have to have a lump to have breast cancer

Several weeks ago, “WhyMommy” from Toddler Planet was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare type of cancer (without a lump) that is often misdiagnosed as mastitis. WhyMommy is now using her blog to spread the word about this disease and is asking for our help in posting her story and information about inflammatory breast cancer. She was a nursing mama (she had to wean because of the cancer treatment) who noticed something “funny” about her breast, so she had it checked out. She never expected it to be cancerous.

The follow is a repost from WhyMommy’s blog. If you are a woman, or you know and love a woman, please read this information and pass it on. I feel that this information is ESPECIALLY important for all of the breastfeeding mamas out there, since this could have happened to any of us. It could save your life or the life of someone you care about. Thank you.

We hear a lot about breast cancer these days. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, and there are millions living with it in the U.S. today alone. But did you know that there is more than one type of breast cancer?

I didn’t. I thought that breast cancer was all the same. I figured that if I did my monthly breast self-exams, and found no lump, I’d be fine.

Oops. It turns out that you don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer. Six weeks ago, I went to my OB/GYN because my breast felt funny. It was red, hot, inflamed, and the skin looked…funny. But there was no lump, so I wasn’t worried. I should have been. After a round of antibiotics didn’t clear up the inflammation, my doctor sent me to a breast specialist and did a skin punch biopsy. That test showed that I have inflammatory breast cancer, a very aggressive cancer that can be deadly.

Inflammatory breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as mastitis because many doctors have never seen it before and consider it rare. “Rare” or not, there are over 100,000 women in the U.S. with this cancer right now; only half will survive five years. Please call your OB/GYN if you experience several of the following symptoms in your breast, or any unusual changes: redness, rapid increase in size of one breast, persistent itching of breast or nipple, thickening of breast tissue, stabbing pain, soreness, swelling under the arm, dimpling or ridging (for example, when you take your bra off, the bra marks stay – for a while), flattening or retracting of the nipple, or a texture that looks or feels like an orange (called peau d’orange). Ask if your GYN is familiar with inflammatory breast cancer, and tell her that you’re concerned and want to come in to rule it out.

There is more than one kind of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is the most aggressive form of breast cancer out there, and early detection is critical. It’s not usually detected by mammogram. It does not usually present with a lump. It may be overlooked with all of the changes that our breasts undergo during the years when we’re pregnant and/or nursing our little ones. It’s important not to miss this one.

Inflammatory breast cancer is detected by women and their doctors who notice a change in one of their breasts. If you notice a change, call your doctor today. Tell her about it. Tell her that you have a friend with this disease, and it’s trying to kill her. Now you know what I wish I had known before six weeks ago.

You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer.

P.S. Feel free to steal this post too. I’d be happy for anyone in the blogosphere to take it and put it on their site, no questions asked. Dress it up, dress it down, let it run around the place barefoot. I don’t care. But I want the word to get out. I don’t want another young mom — or old man — or anyone in between — to have to stare at this thing on their chest and wonder, is it mastitis? Is it a rash? Am I overreacting? This cancer moves FAST, and early detection and treatment is critical for survival.

Thank you.

Conversations with kids

First, with 7-year-old son, J:

Me: [talking back at CBC radio in the car, following a report on George W. Bush]

J: What's wrong, Mom?

Me: Oh, nothing, J, just yelling at the radio.

J: Did they say something wrong?

Me: Just a story about George Bush, he is such an ass.

J: What's wrong with him?

Me: Oh, where to start? But this story in particular just shows how completely out of touch with reality he is.

J: He must really suck.

Me: Yep, sucks hard.

J: Sucks worse than your music?

Me: Uh...

***

Conversation with three-year-old C:

Me: It looks nice out this morning. I hope it doesn't rain again today.

C: It's a blue sky. There are no clouds. And there's a sunshine on it.

Summer addiction

I am stubborn. I really hate being told I have to do something. I balk at following trends just because everyone else is doing it - the simple reason that everyone else is doing it, is enough to make me not want to. This especially applies to books, movies and TV shows. Best seller list? Couldn't care less. Huge fan base? Pfffft. If it looks interesting, I'll check it out; otherwise, mass hysteria over a book or show just sends me running in the opposite direction.

I really am a freak. I know it.

So it was with trepidation that I decided to download the first season of Grey's Anatomy. I know a large number of people who are addicted; I've listened to the conversations about the characters and plots; and thought it was probably an insipid soap opera with no real depth of character. But when I heard that Paul Adelstein (Paul Kellerman, Prison Break) would be joining the spinoff, Private Practice, I thought I might want to watch that show. I am a huge fan of Paul Adelstein; he is an amazing actor, unbelievably talented and so versatile. Highly underrated as an actor. So I thought perhaps I'd check out Grey's, get some context around the characters so I'd know what was going on with the spinoff. The first season of Grey's was only nine episodes; not a major commitment (or a huge bandwith usage).

Well.

I am HOOKED. I am now halfway through season two (which I finally found in English after having downloaded first French, then Italian, episodes!!) and I absolutely love the show. The writing is awesome, love the characters. I'm a MerDer shipper. I am so the fan of the star-crossed lovers theme. I've tried desperately to hate Addison, but she's such a good doctor; just can't do it. And can I add, TV shows on DVD are totally the way to go; I might as well not ever watch regular-season TV again. No commercials, and I go from one episode into the next with no break in between. Five eppies a night? Love it.

You HAVE TO watch it.

1-888-2-DONATE...

...but not if you're a gay or bisexual male k thx.

I support Canadian Blood Services. I am a regular blood donor (well, whenever I'm not deferred due to low iron - often works out to about two donations a year), for a couple of reasons: my grand-dad died in 1998 due to aplastic anemia, and blood transfusions extended his life, not to mention his quality of life, by about three years beyond what he would otherwise have had. Another reason: I was raised in a religion of people (Jehovah's Witnesses) who allow their children to die rather than receive a blood transfusion, and then put their faces on magazine covers as martyrs for their faith. I left the religion when I was 18 due to fundamental differences* in belief; donating blood is another way to take an active stance against their practices.

However, here's where I have to diverge from Canadian Blood Services. From their website:

Why do you not allow gay men the right to donate blood?

Canadian Blood Services’ policy indefinitely defers any man who has sex with another man, even once, since 1977. The policy in question does not apply specifically to gay men. This is one of numerous screening procedures which allow us to identify a variety of behaviours and activities known to increase risk to the safety of the blood supply.

The basic premise for our policy pertaining to men who have had sex with men is that the prevalence and incidence of HIV is much higher in males who have had sex with other males than it is in individuals having exclusively heterosexual sex. Statistics released by the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2005 indicate that men who have sex with men represented 58 per cent of the HIV/AIDS cases in Canada. This number is up from 2002, when they represented 40 per cent; and in 1996, when they represented 30 per cent of new cases of HIV/AIDS in Canada.

While we do test all units of blood and testing is sophisticated, there still exists a brief period after the onset of a viral infection during which early signs of a virus cannot be detected. This period of time is known as the "window period". However, the system is as safe as current testing and technology allows, combined with Canadian Blood Services' stringent screening processes (e.g., donor questionnaire, deferral policies).

We continually review our policies and procedures in the face of changing science and technology and as such we are conducting a risk assessment of this issue. Any change in donor criteria would have to be considered safe from a scientific perspective and be approved by our regulator, Health Canada.

I call bullshit.

Now, hey: I'm not going to argue with Health Canada's stats. Dammit, Jim, I'm an insurance broker, not a statistician! I'll assume that the percentages accurately reflect the landscape of HIV/AIDS in the years quoted. But since we know that studies and statistics can be manipulated to say anything the author wants them to say, I have to take issue with how CBS seems to represent the progression in these figures:

Statistics released by the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2005 indicate that men who have sex with men represented 58 per cent of the HIV/AIDS cases in Canada. This number is up from 2002, when they represented 40 per cent;

Ooooh, scary; unfortunately, it doesn't mean a damn thing! This doesn't say new cases. I would suggest that gay and bisexual men at least as likely as heterosexuals (if not more so) to get tested on a regular basis and be more proactive of their status; and therefore, if they receive a positive diagnosis, would seek treatment sooner and have a better overall prognosis (and the ones who aren't responsible about their own health probably aren't thinking about saving the lives of others by donating blood). Could we not theorize, then, that that more of the heterosexual individuals and lesbians who had HIV/AIDS in 2002, had passed away before 2005, decreasing the overall number of cases and thereby artificially inflating the percentage of gay and bisexual male carriers?

Also, the statement which immediately follows the above point:

and in 1996, when they represented 30 per cent of new cases of HIV/AIDS in Canada.

Ah, now we see the word "new", which was lacking in the previous statement. So the progression of percentages - 30% in 1996, 40% in 2002, and 58% in 2005 - means absolutely dick (pun intended), since comparing percentages is only effective when the percentages refer to the same damn thing. If we divided sexually active adults into only three categories - individuals who only have hetero sex with others who only have hetero sex, lesbian women, and men whose sexual partners include men - the 30% is actually below an even third of those. So who's taking more than their "share" of the percentage here? And could we perhaps see some figures on new cases, that aren't eleven years old?

Of course, this entire discourse operates on the conjecture that all gay and bi men are promiscuous; and that all heterosexuals are, by contrast, chaste and virtuous. I could list any number of hypothetical situations involving monogamous and responsibly non-monogamous gay and bi male partners; and just as many examples of reckless promiscuity by people in, well, every other group. By accepting heterosexual and lesbian donors, but deferring gay and bi men, Canadian Blood Services continues to perpetuate these stereotypes.

How much longer will we ignore this sanctioned discrimination against gay/bi men? What steps are we willing to take to protest it? What would be an effective form of protest?

I welcome your comments and suggestions.

* A subject for another post

Summertime, and the living is...

With no disrespect to Gershwin, summertime does not equal easy living. Maybe it's easier not to have to bundle up with several layers of innerwear, outerwear, footwear and the like; but I fidn myself constantly dashing out the door to work, soccer games, board meetings, interviews, daycare drop-offs, day camps, summer school...there's nothing easy about it.

Updates: Hubby got a job. Woot! He'll be baking; but he starts at 4 am. Before the buses run. Yeah, nothing easy there.

J is doing awesome with soccer. He's had about six games so far; and this past week, he was the goalkeep for the first time. Despite the rain and wind (we were soaked to the skin) he did an amazing job! There were probably about 25 shots on net (the other team had a couple of kickass forwards - this is U7, remember!) and he only let in four goals! The overall score was 4-3. He was proud of himself and I was proud too!

C is...well, when it comes to terrorism, she could give any Islamic fundamentalist a run for his/her money. She is my beautiful girl; but, being 3, she's quite convinced that her way is best, and seems to have boundless energy to expend in defense of her position.

The thing about our kids is that they got a good dose of stubborn from each of their parents. :) It will definitely serve them well in their adult lives, but right now, it certainly requires us to parent creatively! I say this with all love and good humour.

Board meetings & interviews: I was honoured earlier this spring to be invited to join the board at Sexual Assault Centre Kingston, where I have volunteered for a couple of years. I attended board member training just last night; and I am feeling energized and enthusiastic about the group of women I'll be serving on the board with. Also, SACK is hiring a new volunteer coordinator, and I am on the hiring committee; so will be helping conduct interviews with candidates. This is a pretty exciting time for the organization, bringing in new energy and a fresh perspective on the group! It's all good!

J will be going to a summer school-type daycamp later this summer, put on by the school board. He did an AMAZING job this year of bringing up his marks. We were absolutely thrilled with his final report card - almost every single mark was brought up; where he had a B- last term, he had a B this term, and so forth. I don't want him to regress over the summer, particularly with his reading and writing which were his biggest challenges. So he'll be going for two weeks and hopefully that will help prevent slipping.

Coming up: Hubby's sister and her husband will be celebrating their 10th anniversary next month with a party at Korner Stone Kastle, a beautiful B&B in Verona owned by our friend Steven Johnston. I am helping her plan and organize the event; and hubby is catering. Check out Steven's website here. If you're looking to stay in a B&B in the area, the Kastle is a gorgeous early 20th-century home with two wrap-around porches, a beautiful, relaxing garden, and nicely-decorated, comfy rooms. (Steven's not paying me to say this, honest! :P )

So - sorry, George; but I respectfully disagree with your assessment of summer living. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. :)

Cat Hilarity

Okay, this is too damn funny. I have embedded it at the bottom of my page as well; but omg. Someone had fun. :)



I particularly like the phoenetic spelling in the "kapshuns", which I must assume is intentional. Click on the pic, and you can scroll through one hilarious pic after another. Not easy to do surreptitiously at your desk, if you're at work. :)

Freddie's doppelganger

Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto is well-known for his innovative filmmaking. He has worked on pictures such as Brokeback Mountain, Babel, Alexander, Frida, and 21 Grams. If you have really sharp eyes, you'll have recognized him as the Mexican prostitute Jack picks up in El Paso, in the movie Brokeback Mountain. But what made me do a double-take is this:

Am I nuts, or does he look for all the world like Freddie Mercury?

Cuz I Yam What I Yam

Ever hear a song that just hits you at the right place, at the right time of your life, and becomes "your" song for a while? Not one you share with your partner; but your own personal mantra.

I have one. I don't know how I managed not to know this one till now (well, actually, I do; I don't listen to commercial radio much and *never* listen to Top 40 stations, so I'm always behind on the new music) because it's from 2002. It became my song this spring when I was going through some difficult times; at times I wondered whether I was being unreasonable, or expecting too much from others; sometimes I wondered whether I was completely crazy. Hearing this song, and reading the lyrics, reminded me that I can only be who I am, and unapologetically so. The lyrics honestly proved to be a catalyst during that hell; the "coincidence" of which reminds me of my husband's belief that there are no real coincidences. In any case, here it is:

Don't Ask Me Why - Seven and the Sun

Don't ask me why
Don't ask me to explain I will not try
I'm who I am
That's all you need to know
So let it go

I will not change for you or anyone at all
I'm who I am I'm all I ever need to know
And you know I'll never be afraid

Don't ask me why
Don't ask me to pretend I will not try
There's more to me
Then you will ever know or ever see

I will not change, no I will never compromise
I'm who I am I'm all I ever need to be
So let go or turn and walk away

What we are
What we are
We're deeper than the sea
Higher than the stars
The gods we long to be

What we are
What we are
We're beautiful you see
Brighter then the sun
We're all we need to be

PRIDE

How the mighty temperatures have fallen - brrr! Three days ago, it was 27 degrees and humid; today it's 11 degrees out! I'm all for a high-pressure system, but this is a bit ridiculous. Oh well - it won't last long and it makes for good sleep at night, I guess.

What's going on in my life now - I am a parade marshall for the Kingston Pride parade this coming Saturday! Whoop! I'm really excited - it's my first Pride event ever. Well, I've volunteered at the women's dances put on by SACK, but they aren't strictly Pride events, despite the fact that 99% of attendees are lesbian women.

As a straight supporter of LGBT rights, I recognize that I hold heterosexual privilege. As the saying goes, with privilege comes resonsibility. I feel a responsibility to contribute to providing a safe space for the lesbian, gay, bisexual ans transgendered individuals in the Kingston community to express their pride, their sexuality, their love, their joy, their defiance to the dominant paradigm; and I want to show my support publicly.

I feel it's worth posting a couple of links to relevant local resources; one is Out in Kingston, which has a long list of queer-positive spaces and organizations/meetings/meetups for the LGBT community. Another is Kingston Pride, which has information on this year's Pride celebration in our city.

I am proud to be able to make this small contribution to the Pride events this year. If you're in the area, please come out and support the parade; or the Pride parade in your area.

Report from the jungle

It is hot. And humid. While I'm not enthralled with it, my plants sure seem to be. They have jumped up several inches just in the last couple of days while it's been rainforest-like here. Hooray! My little back garden has tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and sugar snap peas. I have 3 front gardens; one has larkspur, portulaca, cosmos and sweet peas. One has foxglove, lavender, portulaca and something else I planted and can't remember the name of - it's a tall slim stem, with a purple spiky flower at the top, sort of like a clover but a bit more sparse. And the other has foxglove and portulaca. Along my back fence, I have planted some morning glories for privacy, as our property backs onto a alley which runs behind the university stadium. There is quite a bit of foot traffic through the alley - people out for exercise, people cutting through to reach their destination more quickly, kids loitering. I also have some sunflowers planted out there as well. Yay! Within a month or so things will be really jumping. :)

Life has been a little harried here lately; DH took a job in Westport as a head chef, but yikes. It wasn't for him, for many reasons; not the least of which is that it was an hour commute one way. He didn't stay. Today, however, he has his first "real" job through his personal chef business, booked through his website by someone who found him on Google! Yay!

Money has been tight and it's been a bit scary with B not having a steady job. Somehow I'm not that worried. I don't know why - I should be. I mean, yeah, it's there in the back of my mind, but I'm not freaking out. Maybe I've become desensitized to it; it's pretty much been the story of our lives for a good 18 months or so.

Kids are great; C is a little pissy with the humidity (like me) but that could also be because she's 3. J only has a few weeks left of school and then he'll be off for the summer. He's really looking forward to his time off. I don't think B is sharing his enthusiasm, though. :P

And as for me, I'm doing okay. I have just completed a week of holidays, which were really nice. Spent lots of time with B and the kids, and just relaxed. Slept in late a few days and enjoyed the week. I have been invited to join the board at the non-profit organization where I volunteer, as well as joining the Human Resources committee (hiring new staff, dealing with current staff), and that's quite an honour. :)

Emerging

I've had a rough time of things this spring. I have troubles with anxiety and depression, and though for the most part I keep it under control, this late winter and spring have been really difficult.

I'm so glad the warm weather is here. Mother's Day is the day after tomorrow and that is my traditional "gardening kick-off" each year, although this year I had some bulbs come up, since I actually got my butt in gear last fall to get some tulips, crocuses and grape hyacinths planted! The tulips are beautiful orange, and the grape hyacinths are, of course, purple. They look absolutely gorgeous! The tulips have just come into bloom and the others have just started poking their little purple bunches out. The crocuses were white and yellow and I have to admit, they were a bit of a disappointment. They were really tiny. I hope they do a bit better next year, being more "established" than this year.

I have several hundred kilgrams of dirt and shit in the back of my car. Literally. Six 30 litre bags of black earth, 3 20kg bags of sheep manure and 2 30 litre bags of organic compost. I am building a raised vegetable bed for the back yard. Well, more accurately, Brandon is building it and I will maintain it. It's going to have latticework up the back so that I have (a) some privacy from the neighbours, and (b) a place to grow sugar snap peas! I have six tomato plants which will be ready to be hardened off and transplanted within a week or two. I have a bunch of beautiful little lavender plants started; fox glove plants; and one of my favourites, larkspur. They're so tall and showy; and prettier than delphinium.

I never could have imagined, when I was younger, that I would enjoy gardening so much as an adult! My parents always had a HUGE vegetable garden and I would have to weed the long rows of onions, carrots, tomatoes, etc. and I hated doing it. Now that the gardens are mine, even weeding is enjoyable. I just love to putter around. Granted, my gardens are probably 1% the size of what my parents have, but I'm still a newbie. With a tiny yard, no less. I am making use of what little space I have. I love the work involved in helping beauty flourish.

Life has the potential to be so drab, if we let it. Spring, summer and fall colours do so much to brighten our lives, and knowing that it happened at my hands, makes my enjoyment increase almost immeasurably.

Report from the "No shit, Sherlock" files...

What? Abstinence-only sex ed doesn't prevent kids from having sex? That is shocking.

From here:

Federal Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs Not Proven Effective in Delaying Sexual Activity Among Young People
Final Report on Federally Funded Programs Released Today
NEW YORK, NY— After years of delay in its release, a federally supported evaluation of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs funded under the 1996 federal welfare reform law has proven the programs ineffective in changing teens’ sexual behavior. The report, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found no evidence that abstinence-only programs increased rates of sexual abstinence. Also, students in the abstinence-only programs had a similar number of sexual partners as their peers not in the programs, as well as a similar age of first sex.

“This report should serve as the final verdict on the failure of the abstinence-only industry in this country,” said William Smith, vice president for public policy of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS). “It shows, once again, that these programs fail miserably in actually helping young people behave more responsibly when it comes to their sexuality,” Smith continued.

In 1996, the federal government attached a provision to the welfare reform law establishing a federal program for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. This program, Section 510(b) of Title V of the Social Security Act, dedicated $50 million per year to be distributed among states that choose to participate. States accepting the funds are required to match every four federal dollars with three state-raised dollars (for a total of $87.5 million annually, and $787.5 million for the eight years from fiscal year 1998 through 2006). Programs that receive the Title V funding are prohibited from discussing methods of contraception, including condoms, except in the context of failure rates.

On a call yesterday organized by the Abstinence Clearinghouse, abstinence-only proponents were clearly rocked by the potentially ruinous news in the report. High profile abstinence-only advocate, Robert Rector, led the preemptive damage-control planning. He outlined several strategies the abstinence-only movement could use to rationalize the findings in the report saying, “The other spin I think is very important is not [program] effectiveness, but rather the values that are being taught,” Rector said. Whether or not these programs work is a “bogus issue,” Rector continued.

“Whether or not these programs are effective is the single most important issue. Existing research has already shown that comprehensive programs that include messages about both condoms and abstinence have been proven effective, and yet, federal and state governments continue to dump millions of dollars into abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that are not effective, and, in fact, have been shown to cause harm,” continued Smith.

Eight states have already made the decision to refuse Title V money. The overwhelming feeling in these states has been that the money came with too many strings attached, was ineffective in achieving its goals, and promoted extremist policies. Even with increasing numbers of states recognizing the waste and futility of the Title V spending, a federal legislative solution is still needed to ensure that proven, comprehensive sexuality education gets the funding it needs.

“This Congress has a momentous opportunity to end the charade and use these federal funds to support programs that actually work,” said Smith. “We fully expect this Congress to look at the government’s own commissioned evidence set forth in this report and end funding for these failed and ideologically driven programs,” Smith continued.

The program under scrutiny in the report is set to expire on June 30, 2007 unless Congress takes some action to extend it.

I have nervous tulips

Okay. What is with the weather? It's April 12 - and we've had more days with snow this month, than days without snow. Last fall I actually got my arse in gear to plant some bulbs (tulips, crocuses; I think maybe some hyacinths? I guess I'll find out), and they have poked their heads up, but every time they start to stretch up a bit, they get snowed on. They're scared to grow; and, frankly, I don't blame them!

Last weekend I put up a little green wire fence around my bulb bed, as I noticed people walking through it. My attempt was half-arsed at best and the fence had fallen over within a few hours. My neighbour, with whom I share a walkway and the flower bed, has been good enough to put up a nice little white plastic one to keep people out. Thanks, Brad & Jenn! (Yeah, not that Brad and Jenn, obviously)

Hubby and I have a date night tomorrow night. Woot! We desperately need it. I think we're going to go see Blades of Glory and then hit a restaurant.

Qui est Amadou et Mariam?

From Wikipedia:

Amadou and Mariam are a musical duo from Mali, composed of the couple Mariam Doumbia (vocals) (born in Mali's capital Bamako 15 April 1958) and Amadou Bagayoko (guitar and vocals) (born in Bamako 24 October 1954). The pair, known as "the blind couple from Mali" met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, and found they shared an interest in music...The duo produces music that mixes traditional Mali sound with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Colombian trombones, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion. All these elements put together have been referred to as "Afro-blues".

(I had to look up where Mali is; it's in West Africa, bordered by Senegal, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Niger, among others)

Recently discovered this couple, courtesy of Launchcast. Their album Dimanche a Bamako (Sunday in Bamako) is fantastic. My favourite right now: Politic Amagni.

Their official website can be found at Amadou-Mariam.com; it defaults to French but can be displayed in English as well.

Rain, rain...stay as long as you like

It's pissing rain out. It's grey and miserable and I love it. Thank goodness spring has turned the corner.

I'm chatting online with my friend Cat who lives in Vancouver and is currently trekking in Europe. Right now she's working at a place north of London. Weather over there is apparently pretty sucky too; but with high winds. I prefer the rain. :)

The Sloganizer

Tired.

I am having trouble sleeping. I don't know why. It's unusual for me to have trouble getting to sleep, but the last four or five nights have been brutal. Last night it was after 1:30 before I finally got to sleep. It's brutal.

My celebrity lookalikes

Interesting! What's funny is that I've always thought Alicia Silverstone looks like my cousin Emily; and that Julia Stiles looks like my sister Julie; and that Lynda Carter looks like my aunt Neva. Cool!