Posts in Life, the Universe, and Everything

Earl Bakken passed away last week at the age of 94. Not many people have heard of Bakken, but he saved millions of lives all around the world. In 1949, Bakken founded Medtronic, a garage-based medical equipment repair shop ... Read More  

The phrase “witch hunt” has been tossed around pretty casually lately, but here’s a case where it might actually apply: an Ontario psychic has just been charged with practicing witchcraft. Or, more accurately, with pretending to practice witchcraft. Fun ... Read More  

So far this week: Found a $5 bill blowing down the sidewalk in Ottawa; found a $20 bill in the laundry two days later. Let’s hope this is the start of a trend. Took a tour of Parliament. May ... Read More  

Here’s a way to confuse yourself on a Saturday. Cross-stitch while playing Gilmore Girls in the background, then do tai chi while watching the latest season of Supernatural. Attempting to reconcile Rory’s boyfriend Dean with Sam Winchester is a ... Read More  

I’d like to welcome Jackie Carmichael to the blog today! In addition to being my not-so-evil-stepmother, Jackie is a journalist and a poet and is celebrating the release of her first book. Tweets from the Trenches was inspired by ... Read More  

When I was in high school, there was a commercial – for Olay, I think – in which the actress complained about having acne and wrinkles at the same time. I remember watching it with one of my Sisters ... Read More  

I love that word, “process.” Makes it sound like writers know what they are doing, when we’re actually just faking it and hoping no one will notice. Now that I’m working on a fantasy novel, though, I have noticed ... Read More  

I’d like you all to meet Fox Cousteau: Fox Cousteau was a gift from one of my Sisters of the Travelling Chocolate.* The same Sister who has told me, on more than one occasion, that I do not have ... Read More  

Happy Thanksgiving, fellow Canadians! You know that thing on sitcoms where everyone sits in a circle and awkwardly says what they are thankful for? Let’s do that thing. Today I am thankful for science: for Banting and Best, Canadian ... Read More  

After a very, very long hiatus, last week was supposed to be my (triumphant) return to blogging. Instead, I decided to curl up around a bottle of Bailey’s* and weep. It was partly my own fault. My recreational reading ... Read More  

I adore musicals. Tech Support is more skeptical of the genre, despite having a deep love of Fiddler on the Roof and Paint Your Wagon. But since he’s a good husband, he took me to Les Mis for Valentine’s Day. ... Read More  

First things first: If you’re a member of the kid lit community and have been harassed or assaulted by other members of the community: I believe you, and I stand with you. If you’re a member of the kid ... Read More  

There has been a ton of debate online in the wake of the latest shootings in the States. One thing no one argues about is whether or not the shooters intended to commit murder, because of course they did. ... Read More  

Confession: I’ve been hoarding Terry Pratchett novels ever since he first announced he had Alzheimer’s disease. I’ve been doling them out to myself as rare and hard-to-earn rewards because I knew there would come a day that he wouldn’t ... Read More  

Tech Support is cranky. When we decided to move to Ontario, our primary concerns were: Being close enough to Toronto to get there if we wanted, but far enough away that the hordes of people wouldn’t make me too ... Read More  

  *emerges from hiding* *checks to see whether anyone is still here* *pulls out bullhorn and confetti cannon* I’M WRITING A BOOK FOR KIDS CAN PRESS. KIDS CAN PRESS, PEOPLE.   Unless you’re in the biz, you may not ... Read More  

Today, we're talking about the second major challenge with gene therapy - getting replacement DNA into EVERY affected cell in a patient's body - and why that problem leads to the central ethical debate in this field. Read More  

Gene therapy involves repairing or replacing a faulty gene that has led to disease. In order to do that, one major hurdle must be overcome: getting new DNA into the patient's cells. Cells, however, are designed to keep things ... Read More