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Rx: Fun -- Entertainment with No Educational Value -- Plus a Healthy Dose of Moral Outrage

Monday, July 28, 2008
The podcasts area of iTunes is a very dangerous place to hang out if you're an information junkie, a short films junkie, or both -- in other words, if you're someone like me. My iPod tells me I have 700+ hours of material waiting to be viewed in my spare time. Good thing it doesn't tell me how many hours I've already spent tuning into video and audio podcasts since I first got addicted to CBC-everything, misc iTunes University, and a smorgasbord of short films (both free and pay-by-the-hit).

If you're looking for something fun and entertaining to download which has no educational value whatsoever, I highly recommend either of the following series of video shorts. (You can download them from iTunes or watch them online via the following links.)

Erik the Librarian (about an unusual librarian named Erik who becomes obsessed with a library patron, who finds him totally freaky, to say the least). For the slightly twisted mind.

The Retributioners (a mockumentary about a revenge-obsessed anti-heroine named Stephanie: language may offend). For the totally twisted mind. Quality varies from episode to episode. I highly recommend the show intro, episode 1 (revenge on ex-boyfriend), and episode 6 (revenge on person who stole taxi).

If you want to tap into my more serious side, you'll find it over at ParentCentral.ca and at Yahoo! Canada.

And if you want to feel healthy outrage about something in addition to things I've been blogging about recently over there, get mad about the fact that the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (which opened up last month) is actually considering substituting showers for the bathtubs which were supposed to be part of the brand new maternity ward. (I was out of town when this hit the papers last week, so my daughter just brought me up to speed. Can you believe it? Maybe I should let Stephanie of The Retributioners know about this!)

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| posted by Ann D @ 2:09 PM

Parenting, writing, and coffee

Sunday, July 20, 2008
I know a lot of my regular readers are writers, so I thought I'd draw your attention to my most recent blog post @ ParentCentral.ca. It's about parents who love to write.

Parenting and writing: my two loves. I even managed to toss in a mention of coffee. Am I hot today or what?

PS
I now have two friends who have their own free trade organic coffee companies (and both roast on the premises). One is based in Peterborough (Canada) and one is in the U.S. Suspicious minds might think I cultivate friendships on the basis of access to coffee, but that is not the case. Nonetheless, it's great to be able to buy from friends and do the right thing, coffee-wise.

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| posted by Ann D @ 12:53 PM

One Thousand

Thursday, July 03, 2008
This is my 1000th post. It kind of snuck up on me, I have to confess, so I don't have a big speech planned or anything like that. (As if.) I do, however, want to take a moment to thank the patron saint of blogging, if there is such a being, for the many gifts that have come my way as a result of blogging:

- fabulous friendships that went offline a long time ago
- the freedom to experiment with new types of writing, which has led me down some exciting new paths as a writer
- the opportunity to forge new ground creatively, politically, and personally.

Thank you to anyone who has shared even a small piece of this blogging journey with me.

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| posted by Ann D @ 9:11 PM

Happy Canada Day

Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Here is a link to a YouTube video montage of Canadian images set to Gordon Lightfoot's timeless Canadian Railroad Trilogy [ Note: This was originally embedded in the page but it seems to be having trouble loading -- no doubt due to high traffic on the video -- so I'm substituting a link. If you enjoyed this, you may want to subscribe to other Gordon Lightfoot tribute videos created by the same artist, jthomas.]

More about the Canadian Railroad Trilogy:
Wikipedia: Canadian Railroad Trilogy

| posted by Ann D @ 7:15 PM

I Can Stop Talking to Myself (At Least in Theory)

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

There's nothing more annoying than a one-sided conversation. (Or at least that's the case if you're someone like me who likes to hear all kinds of perspectives on the issue of the day.) So you can imagine how pleased I am that it will now be possible for people to comment on my posts over at ParentCentral.ca. I no longer have to carry on a conversation with myself. Well, at least during my blogging time.

So click on through and let me know what you have to say about education (more specifically homeschooling and special needs) and play (old-fashioned play vs. modern play: whether our obsession with safety and educational value and all good things has taken a lot of the fun out of being a kid).

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| posted by Ann D @ 5:12 PM

Canadian Mom Laid Off From Restaurant Job After Shaving Head for Cops for Cancer Fundraiser

Thursday, June 05, 2008
You wouldn't think that shaving your head to raise money for a Cops for Cancer fundraiser could end up costing you your job, would you?

Neither did Owen Sound mom Stacy Fearnill.

But she now finds herself "laid off for a few months" -- presumably until her hair grows back.

Stacy's husband John has written this lovely post in support of Stacy, which also includes an update on the human rights advice the family has received to date.

It's unbelievable that such a good deed could end up going so terribly wrong.

Let's hope that this wrong ends up being righted soon.

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| posted by Ann D @ 10:38 AM

How Drivers Really Feel About Your Kids

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I think I started a war over at Yahoo! Canada.

The issue?

Cars vs. children.

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| posted by Ann D @ 11:48 AM

This Way to Bliss

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Well, Bliss Notes. Jen Lawrence has just launched this fabulous -- and free -- newsletter, Bliss Notes. Make sure you're on the list to receive it. Anything Jen does is quality, quality stuff. (Yes, I'm her friend, but I'm also her fan, so my conflict of interest gets canceled out. At least that's the way I see it.)

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| posted by Ann D @ 11:57 AM

Three Months of Blogging Silence from Me? Impossible!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Is it actually possible that I've gone almost three months without blogging?

A year or two ago, that would have been almost unthinkable. There were times when I was into an every day or every-other-day blogging groove.

But then I started blogging less and less frequently and spending more time doing other fun and creative things -- like experimenting with new types of writing, trying my hand at a motley assortment of crafts, and drinking in the world around me in a different way. Instead of rushing to my keyboard to blog life as it happened, I've been spending more time jotting down notes and thinking about how I want to work certain incidents and observations into writing projects down the road.

I feel like I'm at a crossroads again, but this time all the roads are leading to places I wouldn't mind being (as opposed to times when I've found myself at a crossroads in the past, when the choices seemed so high-stakes and so final: happiness vs unhappiness forevermore). Maybe this is what it feels like to be on the other side of a mid-life crisis -- calm, serene, and full of hope and anticipation. If that's where I am, then everything that came before was worth it because it brought me to where I am right now.

- Ann

P.S.
Just in case I go undercover again (not in my plans, but you never know!), you can always catch up with me at Yahoo! Canada and The Toronto Star's ParentCentral.ca.

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| posted by Ann D @ 2:59 PM

Publicity: The Bear Facts

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

I have finally discovered the secret to achieving massive fame in your own hometown.

I'm talking above-the-fold, front page coverage in the local newspaper, complete with color photo.

Put on a bear costume.

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| posted by Ann D @ 11:41 AM

Sisterfest and Semi-Formals

Monday, January 21, 2008

This past weekend was Sisterfest, my annual * get together with my three sisters. We decided to meet up in Cobourg, since its fairly central for all of us. We stayed in a lovely B & B that the sister with the luxury tastes had scouted out for us. Fortunately, she's on a budget this year, so the accommodations, while luxurious, were also extremely budget friendly. We indulged in some on-site spa treatments. I have very hands and feet today, thanks to an esthetician named Nay. I warned her that her lovely manicure will be destroyed within a matter of days, as a result of the abuse my fingers are subjected to on any given day. I think she had a sense of what she was dealing with when she had a hard time finding fingernails to manicure. Typing can be hell on the hands.

We walked downtown to enjoy dinner out at a local wine bar and grill that was recommended by our hosts. We passed the local high school and a cluster of teenagers, dolled up for semi-formal night. You would have thought it was a spring formal: no one wanted to ruin their outfits by wearing a coat.

On our way home, we spotted smashed beer bottles and a guy trash-talking his girlfriend in a phone booth: the stuff that reminds you that no one could pay you enough to go back to being a teenager again.



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* We missed last year -- the first time we'd missed a year since we started this very important celebration of sisterhood about seven or eight years ago -- so we were more determined than ever to make Sisterfest happen this year.

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| posted by Ann D @ 1:03 PM

Resurfacing

Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The online world does a great job of keeping tabs on you. Have you noticed? When I resurfaced today, Flickr told me I'd been AWOL since October 21. Facebook announced I'd been absent since November 24. And Blogger said I'd been incommunicado since November 7.

Don't even get me started about email - my long-term nemesis.

The thing you need to know about unplugging from the online world in a serious way is this: you may not be in any major rush to plug back in. And you'll find you're more selective about what you plug back into.

So why did I unplug in the first place?

Two reasons.

1. I thought I could use a break from being plugged into the online world pretty much non-stop since 1995. (I did. And it felt great.)

2. I needed to clear my head of all but the essentials for a while. We've had a few curve balls to deal with on the family front recently -- a major health crisis involving an elderly relative; and issues involving two of our kids (one of my older kids has been been going through a hard time and my ten year old was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in November). I needed time to regain my parenting equilibrium and to sprout new parenting buds in the wake of these latest parenting challenges.

The past few months have been a period of quiet reflection. Friends can tell you I have been very quiet. Silent at times. In fact, I owe some of my nearest and dearest friends a note to say I'm still alive. [ i'm still alive! ]

I have been doing some fun new things -- and more of the types of things that I have always enjoyed -- while my brain has been busy processing all this newness. It's been a stage of much transition and personal growth. Just as there are times to talk and times to listen, there are times for writing and times for quiet reflection. These have been those kind of times.

Ann

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| posted by Ann D @ 10:13 AM

Click-and-Go Confessions

Thursday, November 08, 2007


Why do moms go online to visit online confessionals like TrueMomConfessions.com and Her Bad Mother's Basement?

That's the question I'm asking in my parenting blog @ Yahoo! Canada this week.

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| posted by Ann D @ 11:02 AM

November Workshops by Ann Douglas: Toronto and Calgary

Tuesday, November 06, 2007
I'll be talking about everything from stress to parenting to juggling parenting and writing to preparing for a newborns to women and self-esteem over the next few weeks. (Did I happen to mention stress? )

November 9, 10, 11 in Toronto -- The Baby and Toddler Show: see the show schedule for the exact dates and times for my presentations entitled "This is Your Soon-to-Be Life (A Sneak Peek at Life After Baby for Parents-to-Be)" and "A Newborn and a Notebook: For Parents with the Write Stuff".

Note: I'll also be signing books and chatting with parents at the John Wiley and Sons Canada booth (406). More info about the show.

November 13 in Uxbridge: "The Parent Survival Guide." A fundraiser on behalf of North House transitional housing. Brochure. (.pdf)

November 20 in Uxbridge: "What Moms and Daughters Need to Know About Self-Esteem." A fundraiser on behalf of North House transitional housing. Brochure. (.pdf)

November 18 in Calgary: "This is Your Stressed-Out Life." Brochure. (.pdf) Presented by the Calgary Health Region.

Please see calendar at bottom of blog for full details about these and other events.

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| posted by Ann D @ 2:55 PM