RIP Bob Saget.
Head Tale
Yet Another Librarian's Blog
Music Monday – “Thunder Bay must have been a big mess/Night bus to Regina not at my best/I’m trying to fly straight but I come undone”
“The Opening Act” – Blue Rodeo
Secular Sunday – Atheism Among Muslims Spreading Like Wildfire
Although I grew up surrounded by Christians and continue to see Christianity as the most dominant religion where I live, it’s important to remember that there are numerous other religions/spiritualities/cults that have similar fanciful, unrealistic, unscientific underpinnings that are equally harmful to their adherents and to wider society.
Luckily, there are lots of adherents of all faiths who are moving away from their traditions towards a more modern, humanist, secular view of the world.
[Edit: Probably should add a disclaimer – I don’t think religious people are stupid and I (try to) not be openly hostile to them. I tend to think of it as religious people having a gigantic blindspot – often almost impossible to overcome due to being indoctrinated from an early age and much of their social circle/value coming from belonging to a certain religious group. I know I have similar blindspots that are potentially doing me more harm than good which I refuse to acknowledge – drinking booze which can cause cancer, eating unhealthy foods, even enjoying campfires which is a famous analogy by atheist Sam Harris points out is a huge blindspot for atheists.]
Saturday Snap – Why Does Our Fence Lean Inward?
When we bought our house a couple years ago, we noticed a slight inward lean to the fence.
I didn’t think anything of it but after a couple winters, I realise it’s probably because *all the snow* from the green space behind our house (note the grass showing in patches further out!) likes to blow against the fence, especially when we have north winds (eg. all winter!)
I’ve also realised I probably shouldn’t hang outdoor lights on that fence in winter, no matter how much I like how they look, because the weight of the snow stretches them and I end up replacing them every year too! 🙁
Friday Fun Link – Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Championships 2021
I can’t think of an event that defines America better – the introductions, the crowds, the focus on competition and over consumption (but I’m still going to tag this as “Sports”) 😉
Throwback Thursday – #tbt – MuchMusic in the 1980’s/1990’s
Saw an article that influential music and pop culture Canadian station, MuchMusic (later rebranded as “Much”) is moving on to TikTok and YouTube.
I’m not sure young people today can appreciate how influential MuchMusic the station was with its VJ’s, dance parties at schools, Speaker’s Corner, special features (Snow Job!), the compilation albums (especially Big Shiny Tunes) at the time.
I’ve Heard of Different Bra Sizes But N95 is Ridiculous!
My co-worker observed that the two masks laying on my desk at work looked like a bra and she wasn’t wrong. 😉
Half of N95 Style Masks Fail To Meet Minimum Standards of Protection in CBC Test
It’s such a tough time to be alive.
Something that seems like it should be straight forward – buying N95-style masks because you want better protection against Omicron – could have all sorts of issues with sub-standard quality, even if purchased from legitimate retailers.
Or the conflicting information that’s out there – for example, if N95 masks with valves protect yourself and others against Covid or not (especially in comparison to a straight cloth mask which was the most common style of mask for much of the pandemic but is now seen as much less effective, especially with the rise of Omicron.)
Or the continued focus on sanitizing/cleaning to reduce surface transmission even though it’s been known since quite early in the pandemic that surface transmission is a very unlikely source of infection.
Music Monday – “And so the days float through my eyes/But still the days seem the same/And these children that you spit on/As they try to change their worlds/Are immune to your consultations/They’re quite aware of what they’re goin’ through”
“Changes” – David Bowie
Five Things I’m Grateful For – 2022 Edition
I’m not much of a New Year’s Resolution guy (“I’m going to lose weight this year!” Pandemic continues. “Shit!”) but always good to take account of the things you’re grateful for at this time of year. Who knows – maybe this could become another annual post tradition?
Anyhow…
1. My Family
So fortunate to have a loving supportive wife and two amazing (and amazingly different!) kids. Also regularly thankful that all four grandparents are still alive, in good health for the most part and supportive in so many ways – from helping to fix stuff around the house to bringing home baked cookies!
2. Living in Saskatchewan
I regularly grouse and grump about our politics but I honestly can’t think of many places better to live – our standard of living is high, our province is a perfect balance of not too big/not too small, and other than a few cold snaps a year, we rarely face some of the evil shit that other parts of the world regularly deal with – hurricanes, tsunamis, poisonous snakes, poisonous insects, killer animals, etc.
3. Current Covid Situation
I’m probably jinxing it but so fortunate to have not really been touched directly by Covid even though Shea’s been going into the General Hospital every day since the pandemic began, I’ve been in a mostly public facing role for much of it and our kids have been in school for a large part of it as well. Feeling a lot better now that we’re all fully vaccinated/boosted (including Sasha) but still would prefer not to get it if possible as it feels like such a role of the dice as to whether it will be like a mild cold or possibly worse, even if you don’t end up in ICU or dead.
4. Technology
So amazing to live at this point in time. My father-in-law was showing us a circa 1920 crack-style record player his family had when he was young today and I used Shazam to identify the name of the song playing on one 78 RPM record with the label worn off then used Deezer to find, not only that song, but various others by the same artist!
5. Craft Beer
What can I say? I enjoy the hell out of that stuff and Saskatchewan is one of the best places in the world to be a fan of it!