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  

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!   HOW CAN YOU KILL THAT MANY KEY CHARACTERS IN A SINGLE EPISODE ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS THERE HAD BETTER BE SOME SERIOUS RESURRECTIONS COMING IN THE PREMIER OF SEASON 13 OR THERE WILL BE RAAAAAAAAGE!!! ... Read More  

Muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), cancer... they all have one thing in common. They are genetic diseases, ultimately caused by missing or malfunctioning genes in the patient's DNA. Until recently, we could treat the symptoms of many ... Read More  

So I live in Ontario now. It’s not a whole lot different yet, probably because I spend 90% of my time in the house and when I leave, it’s for Home Depot or groceries. Because new houses need curtain ... Read More  

*looks around* *blows cyber dust off the blog* *tries to remember how to write a post* It’s been a year. In some ways a wonderful year, in some ways a really rough one. Most of all, a very full ... Read More  

The stuff, how it does accumulate. Thanks to cupboards and closets and storage spaces, we don’t even realize how much… until we have to move it. The last time Tech Support and I moved, we had five days between ... Read More  

My grandparents lived in Texas for a long time, so I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years. Even though I’m thousands of miles away, Hurricane Harvey feels personal to me. I can’t even image how it ... Read More  

Me: *stumbles downstairs in the morning to find kitchen a hive of activity* Tech Support: Morning! I did the thing and the stuff and that other thing, and all that jazz. Me: *channeling Catherine Zeta Jones* Come with me, ... Read More