Category: FreeForm

  • Gender Inclusive Language

    This falls into the “tidbits from my notebook” category: “Our most important stories are silent, woven into the fabric of our language. (This is not a novel idea. There are no novel ideas, but paradoxically, each particular combination is unique.) “Everybody knows that ‘he’ includes women,” is only even available as a thought because somebody…

  • Electoral Reform – Why?

    (Quick primer appears at the bottom for my American friends who want to follow along. Might title that one: The Vote is Stacked Against Electoral Reform) So. It happened. Again. “Split the left.” “Need to unite the left.” “First past the post gives us a majority with a minority of voters.” This is not new.…

  • Faster Food

    Feeling contrary and sick, I don’t want to talk about the election or Osama bin Laden today, so I’m going to talk about food instead. Here is my strategy for using convenience foods that don’t have extra ingredients to put dinner on the table in under half an hour. These are not gourmet meals, but…

  • Beltane Festivities

    It rained. I was sick. I stayed in bed until after lunch, and my partner eventually found me sitting at the desk listlessly clicking through twitter-generated tabs. “Are you coming to plant the May pole in the compost heap? New pile of poo!” (Oh, you know how to talk dirty to a semi-pagan nascent farm…

  • In The Garden

    This week in the garden: 1. Coltsfoot. This is also called son-before-the-father, because the flowers come out before the leaves. It is considered a weed by the powers-that-be, but is considered a food by the honeybees, and comes out about 2 weeks before the dandelions. It is therefore welcome, and one of the early signs…

  • What the Internet is Really For

    Everybody keeps telling me that it’s all about the cats. [slideshow] Feel free to generate LOL captions.

  • Analyze This: On Not Giving Stuff Up

    This post comes with a caveat: It is an exploration of systems, the limits of agency, and the social constructs that  preclude giving up my car… yet. I am not looking for sympathy, nor am I beating myself up over my limitations in the face of the myths of Western civilization. I recognize that I…

  • Greenwashing of the Week

    I am hereby bestowing my illustrious “Greenwashing” award, which will be noted by at least 50 people, to the company Future Shop, for their not-quite-stated Earth Day flyer. It is hard for me to write this, because they have pulled off the most creative and effective form of greenwashing, namely, making a significant financial contribution…

  • The Living Earth

    Welcome to the Earth Day Blog Carnival This post is part of the Earth Day Blog Carnival hosted by Child of the Nature Isle and Monkey Butt Junction. Each participant has shared their practices and insights of earth friendly, environmentally conscious, eco-living. This carnival is our way to share positive information and inspiration that can…

  • One thing too many

    I have a recurring problem in my life, and it manifests everywhere. I happen to know that it is a common problem. I call it “one thing too many”. It works like this. I prune the contents of a room – any room, but lets assume my “office” since that was my most recent target.…

  • Weekly Photo Challenge: Lines

    In which I totally cheat, reuse an existing photo, and go so far as to backdate my entry. Oh, the shame of it all!

  • The Mythic They

    You probably wouldn’t guess it if you are newcomer to my world, but I am, by nature, a rules follower. I was that girl in school – didn’t cut class, got straight A’s, studied all the time, did the readings, followed all the rules. Let’s put it this way: I was the one that the…