25 most recent entries:
A Cynical Attack on Democracy (Nov 27 2008 04:33 GMT)
I had not been an ardent defender of Jean Chretien’s move to hand $1.50 per vote (now $1.90) of taxpayers’ money to the various political parties, based on how many votes each party received in the previous general election.
The Trilogy Completes: The Young City Arrives (Nov 26 2008 04:00 GMT)
I should be getting to be an old hand at opening a box containing the first copies of my new book, but I’m not. When I heard from Dundurn’s twitter that copies of The Young City had arrived from the printer, I eagerly awaited the arrival of the delivery truck and, sure enough, I wasn’t disappointed.
News from the House of Plague (Nov 25 2008 04:41 GMT)
This appears to be the flu that keeps on giving. It won’t win any records for its deadliness, but it certainly is virulent, and at three weeks to a month on, it still has us in its grip. The latest development: a viral infection of Erin’
Terry Pratchett's Nation Reviewed (Nov 21 2008 14:55 GMT)
In an alternate Earth, around the time of the early part of the 19th century, a boy named Mau is left on a small island in the Great Pelagic Ocean (sort of the south Pacific) to become a man. His task is to live alone for a week, build a boat out of nothing more than the materials found on the island, and row himself home. Once he arrives home, he will become a man. It’s a task that he nervously awaits.
Updates and Thank Yous (Nov 20 2008 18:20 GMT)
The photograph above is entitled Toronto Subway 1 and is by Ryan at Metrix X. It is used in accordance with his Creative Commons license. This virus simply refuses to go away. Today, every last one of us is sick in some way. I feel okay, although not up for strenuous stuff, but I still have a sore throat and a hacking cough.
The Importance of Beta Readers (Nov 17 2008 15:30 GMT)
The picture on the right is entitled Our Dutch Waitress and is by MD Winkler. It is used in accordance to his Creative Commons license. When writing your next masterpiece, nothing is more important than getting that story read by early readers — sometimes called Beta readers. And I don’
A Proposed Liberal Party Manifesto (Nov 15 2008 04:55 GMT)
I am giving some serious thought to joining the Liberal party of Canada. No I haven’t lost my mind. Maybe. From 1997 on, I maintained an eleven year streak of pointedly not voting for the Liberal Party.
WAHOO!!! (Nov 12 2008 04:50 GMT)
The cold that has kept me from blogging regularly is pretty obviously a flu, or something bronchial that has lasted for about a week, now, and has me coughing some interesting stuff in the sink late at night. :Erin: and I are both going to pay a visit to the doctor tomorrow morning. Nora is under the weather, but Vivian seems to be doing okay.
Multiculturalism is More than the Sum of its Parts (Nov 10 2008 03:49 GMT)
The whole household has been pretty sick this weekend, with some serious chest and nasal congestion. I collapsed into bed and slept for about six hours yesterday afternoon. Erin lost her voice and two days of work earlier this week. So far, the only person unaffected is Vivian, and that isn’t always a good thing.
The Young City Launch Events Set for Ottawa, Toronto, and Waterloo Region (Nov 07 2008 20:55 GMT)
I am pleased to announce that the launch parties celebrating the release of my upcoming book, The Young City, have all been set. These events will offer you all an excuse to visit a local bookstore and hear some readings while sharing a snack, a chance to meet other fans of fantasy, and later to retire to a nearby restaurant to share a meal. As usual, I’ll be reading at bookstores (and a library) in Waterloo, Toronto and Ottawa — where I have plenty of friends and family to assure a decent turnout.
Vivian's third birthday and Halloween (Nov 04 2008 14:00 GMT)
Because a blog is a perfect place to display family photographs, I give you photographs of Vivian’s third Halloween and Nora’s first. Also, here are some pictures of Vivian’s third birthday.
I Hate Standard Time! (Nov 03 2008 04:35 GMT)
Now that I have a three-year-old, I’ve really been noticing the loss of light this year. Vivian used to be able to burn off a lot of energy before bedtime by running around the neighbourhood with her friends after supper. And, of course, the amount of running around time before sunset has been getting progressively shorter. And now, with our clocks going back one hour, there will be very little light available to us after eating.
What I'm working on... (Nov 02 2008 04:55 GMT)
It’s been a busy and exciting week, as Vivian deals with Halloween and, tomorrow, her third birthday. Hmm… Vivian and sugar. She’
Why Does Improving a Story So Often Involve Grievious Bodily Harm to the Characters? (Oct 30 2008 15:40 GMT)
That’s a question that Rosemary would herself have asked, but I’m confronted with this as I finish the rewrite to The Dream King’s Daughter. The story has been going well, but I’
Canadians Pay Lower Income Taxes Than Americans (Oct 28 2008 04:20 GMT)
I used to say that, while Canadians pay higher taxes, studies indicated that the difference was more than made up for in terms of the costs Americans had to take on in order to purchase decent health insurance. Now? I’m just going to point people to this article and say, once and for all, that the narrative of Canadians being drastically overtaxed compared to their American cousins is, just that, a narrative to try and hold Americans down, and keep them from fighting for the good life that Canadians enjoy. Hat tip Colleen.
The Real Tenth Anniversary (Oct 26 2008 03:30 GMT)
Ten years ago yesterday, :Erin: and I stood in a church in Omaha, surrounded by our family and friends, and vowed to pledge ourselves to each other, to death do us part. So far, so good! It’
Breaking the Sky (Starclimber Reviewed) (Oct 23 2008 05:36 GMT)
Please note that here there be spoilers. Do not read on if you don’t want to be spoiled. I have had the great privilege of following Canadian author Kenneth Oppel’s career ever since he won the Governor General’
I'd Run a Deficit (Oct 21 2008 03:35 GMT)
As we look ahead to some potentially troubled economic waters, our political leaders seem adamant about one thing: they will not, ever, run a deficit. Which is unfortunate. Because, as we saw with the rather anaemic platform released by the Conservatives this election, the fact is that with our financial situation pretty tight, and with the economy on shaky ground, the options for changing the economic picture without going into deficit seem slim indeed. Indeed, Harper has to leave open the possibility of running a deficit if his planned tax cuts don’
"From Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme." (Oct 18 2008 17:28 GMT)
The Internet meme photo on my right is courtesy Rocket Boom. Yesterday, over 3,000 people visited my website. Unfortunately, they weren’t here to see the sample of The Dream King’s Daughter that I’
Suspended in Gaffa (Oct 17 2008 05:14 GMT)
The picture on the right is entitled Long Goodbye leads to the Doorway to Heaven, by Road Fun. It is used in accordance with his Creative Commons license. There’s a lot on my plate, and not as much time as I’d like to write on this blog, so I thought I’
The Third Bow. James Bow Election Pool - RESULTS! (Oct 16 2008 04:55 GMT)
Right, as of 2:00 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, October 15, Elections Canada has the results as follows: Conservatives:
Monarch Canopy (Oct 14 2008 14:55 GMT)
(Edited to Add: Well, I did my duty and I feel fairly pleased about it. I voted around 7:30, and there actually a steady stream of people showing up, clutching cards in their hand. It was a good atmosphere.
Waterloo Votes 2008: Part 4: Cambridge (Oct 11 2008 06:20 GMT)
Crossposted to DemocraticSpace’s Campaign 2008 website. Last but not least in my riding-by-riding profile of Waterloo Region is Cambridge. The riding of Cambridge takes in the city of Cambridge and the rural township of North Dumfries. Cambridge has always been a world apart from Waterloo Region.
Quick Hits -- October 8 (Oct 09 2008 04:55 GMT)
Odd little headline from the CBC: Fall from chopper killed moose: DNR Hmm… It’s amazing how often falls from helicopters tend to be fatal.
The Parliament of No Mandate (Oct 07 2008 14:50 GMT)
Conservative Sandy Crux worries about the future: The notion that a minority is the best thing for this country is a fallacy. Just listen to the hysteria and bombast coming out of the mouths of the opposition leaders now? Do Canadians want that indefinitely? Thing is, Sandy:
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