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[melledotca]

The dying season

A number of years ago my elderly cat was doing poorly, so I took him to the vet. It was early December. (He was basically diagnosed with oldness, though his liver failure eventually revealed itself.)

For the rest of my days I will not forget what the vet and tech told me at that visit, about pets and the dying season.

Basically, it's like a switch is flipped on December 1st, and pets start dying. On their own, of issues that come up suddenly, or helped along by euthanasia. It is relentless until March 31st, at which point, upon the arrival of April, the switch is turned off for the spring. (When my cat died, it was early March.) As long as I have pets, especially older pets, I will never be entirely comfortable through the winter with this knowledge.

I remember the vet saying he'd already performed two euthanasias that week, and three more were booked that week. It was Wednesday morning. And, like I said, it was only early December.

Then we talked a bit about what that being your job and your business does to you psychologically over time, because that was one of the big reasons I decided not to go to vet school.

The amount of death I saw and assisted in just as a student worker scoured a lot of humanity out of me. Over the course of a few months the deaths of animals stopped affecting me. At all. I no longer felt anything. I realize it was protective, but I can only imagine what I would have become had I dedicated myself and my career to it.

[melledotca]

[melledotca]

Death, taxes, and hormones

I went to the pet store for dog food the other evening, and had to wait for someone in front of me to get checked out. (You'll appreciate my clever double entendre in a moment...)

Ahead of me was a Cute Boy. I gather his dog was not feeling well, and the staff was advising and helping him buy special food and some pouches of pureed pumpkin to help the critter feel better.

Three girls were working (teenagers, I think, but anyone under 40 looks like a yoot to me…) and it took all of them behind the counter assisting him. There was so much giggling. So much.

It was fucking adorable.

After he left I paid for my bag of dog food. Somehow it only took one cashier to assist me. There was no giggling. I did learn that despite the umpteen times the dog and I have gone there, all this time they'd thought her name was Lucy.

Watching them all was just so sweet and for a moment the world felt very normal and hopeful. The kids are all right and all that. As long as the sun rises in the east and cute boys need to stop in at the pet store.

[melledotca]

Strawberry Pie

Do you see this pie? It was very easy to make. It was also very delicious. You can make this pie. Yes, you. Even the crust (it'll take like a minute). Do iiiiiitttt!!!

Pie Crust Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp white or cane sugar

1 1/2 sticks cold butter (6oz or 12 tablespoons), cut into slices or small pieces

1/4 cup ice water

Pie Filling Ingredients

2lbs fresh strawberries

1/2 cup white or cane sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

5 tbsp tapioca flour or 4 tbsp cornstarch

splash of vanilla extract

Pie Crust Instructions

This works best if you have a food processor. It will work if you mix it by hand with a pastry blender or a fork, but will be more work.

Place the flour and sugar in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse to blend. Add about half the butter. Pulse briefly to break it up. Add the rest of the butter. Pulse until the mixture looks like there are small pea-sized bits of butter (least mixed), or it looks like course meal (most mixed). Through the feeder in the lid, slowly pour in the water and pulse until the dough smooths out and starts to clump into a ball. This should only take a few seconds. If it's not clumped yet once all the water is added, add a few extra drops until it does. You don't want the dough ball to be wet, just solidified.

Sprinkle flour on the counter and roll or flatten the dough ball into a disc. You don't have to fully roll it out and you don't want it so thin and floppy you can't move it.

Spread a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and sprinkle it with flour. Place the dough on it. You can either loosely roll the dough into the plastic wrap, or leave it flat and put another piece of plastic over top and close up the edges. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour. It will stiffen up, but shouldn't be completely hard.

Grease or spray a regular size pie plate (9 or 9.5 inches). Sprinkle the counter with flour, get your dough out of the fridge, and unwrap it. Roll it out to a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Set the dough in the pie pan so it overhangs all the way around. If it's hard to pick up, fold it loosely in half, then in half again, so it's quartered, then place that in the pie pan and unfold it.

Smooth out the dough so it's evenly moulded around the pie pan. Use a small knife to cut off the overhanging dough at the outside edge of the pie pan. If you want to make it look nice, use your fingers to crimp the edge. Take a regular fork and pierce holes in the dough. I like to do them about every 1.5-2 inches apart around the bottom and along the sides.

Now you don't have to parbake, but I recommended it. To do that, preheat your oven to 400F (200C). You also need to weight the crust. I put a sheet of parchment onto the raw crust, though aluminum foil shiny side up would work. Then I add my weights on top of that liner. You want enough to fully cover the bottom and maybe two-three deep. You can use fancy ceramic pie weights if you have them. Dry beans work, too. You don't have to get spendy, but nothing flammable. The pie crust with the weights goes into the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and remove the weights and the parchment or foil. Put the pie back in the oven for another 10 minutes at the same temperature. If you see any large bubbles in the crust, poke 'em with the fork so it bakes flat. Leave the oven on at 400F after you take out the crust.

While it's baking, assemble the filling!

Pie Filling Instructions

Wash and drain the strawberries, then hull and slice them. Add the other ingredients to the berries and mix gently but well. If you have time let the filling sit for a few minutes so extra juice can drain to the bottom.

Once the crust finishes baking, spoon the filling evenly into the crust. If the filling seems pretty juicy, don't add any remaining juice in the bowl. If it seems to just be berries pretty much, add the juice. The cornstarch or flour will help it set somewhat.

Optional!

If you would like a strawberry crumble pie, mix these ingredients together in another bowl until an even coarse meal, then spoon evenly over the top of the strawberry filling.

3/4 cup flour

3 tbsp white sugar

3 tbsp brown sugar

6 tbsp butter (3/4 of a stick or 3oz)

Could add a pinch of cinnamon if you like, too.

Put the pie in the oven, ideally sitting on a cookie sheet to catch any drips, and bake at 400F (200C) for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 375F (190C), and bake for another 40 minutes. Let cool fully on a rack before serving (mostly so the filling can set and won't run everywhere when you cut it). Delicious with ice cream or whipped cream.

[melledotca]

This is not a vacation

It took me until well into June to really process the state of the world. Lockdown didn’t change my world that much. I already worked from home, wasn’t super social, and still had to go outside to walk the dog. Which was kind of nice since there were few people around. Like dog walking in the winter, except with nicer weather.

It was a bit like a vacation or girls’ weekend. I bought and consumed more booze and more snacks than usual. I saw friends via Zoom who I didn’t see in person very often. That part was good.

But it’s really easy for those “special occasions” to become habitual. And with not running in the evenings anymore (not related to the pandemic) and with drinking nightly and those snacks, so long to fitness gains from the winter, even with longer hours of dog walking at hand.

But after summer Solstice, and as things gradually started to re-open in ways I wasn’t inclined to participate in, it became more obvious that this was just how things were now. I wasn’t making little indulgences to make lockdown easier. This was my lifestyle; these were my habits now.

There was no reason to drink every night, and its attendant effects on the elevation of my blood pressure. There was no reason to eat all those chips or bake all those cookies, and its attendant effects on my belly fat. Though it has become okay to give baking to others again, which I appreciate. 

So while I may decline to go eat in a restaurant to see a movie at a theatre, it’s time for other things to go back to pre-pandemic normal, just with masks on. 

This is not a vacation, and we are not going to be “safe” any time soon. There’s more reason, not less, to take care of ourselves from here on out. And, just importantly, each other.

[melledotca]

What Will Your Body Do

In Krav Maga they tell you Over and over You will fight how you train Because In times of stress We lose our finer and fancier abilities Of brain and body Decisions Not so good Fear Can’t plan When afraid Hurt We regress To what our bodies have learned From evolution It’s a survival mechanism My survival, not yours And so, once more into the breach When it’s safe In a training room Over and over and over Sweat instead of blood Ideally But in this world I cannot solve everything With well-executed punches How much simpler that would be I’m good at punches But I need to feel In my brain, heart, gut That gross twisting When the racist relatives pontificate When the coworker makes “jokes” When the woman who just wants To get her shopping done Is not allowed To get her shopping done Because she doesn’t look or dress Like me I need to get intimate with that feeling Realizing that everyone Everyone Who doesn’t look or dress like me Who embodies An ‘ism” Or several “isms” That we do not deem fair Or fairest These human beings Learn it down to their DNA When they are small children That what I struggle with in middle age Followed hard upon weaning for them I will never know, in this fair skin Where we have forced them to reside Every moment since Which is why Train how we’ll fight Step One: Be aware of your surroundings What, where, whom Be particularly vigilant For white men In or out of uniform Apex predators Not all men, hmm Not enough men Step Two: How to react Among many other life skills Which would be more useful Than Victorian-flavoured History and Algebra In school they do not teach us What we really need Automotive maintenance Personal finance Bystander Intervention When those fancy brain functions Shut down Only the fairest of us all Have the luxury of fight, flight, or freeze And since we fairest created this danger Flight or freeze is failure You will fight how you train Step Three: Get away safely Where are the exits How many threats How many victims What are the weapons of opportunity Who must escape with you To go shopping another day You are training now You have been training for decades But what we learned in decades past Is no longer okay Like it ever was “okay” If you think being present For an inappropriate joke Is just uncomfortable For the pot to remain Unstirred Imagine how “uncomfortable” it is To have a knee crushing your neck Your breath Your life Repostings and apologies Will not fix it This has been Exhaustively peer reviewed We will fight how we train This body of mine Doesn’t throw the hardest punches anymore But becoming a Crone Has benefits Like giving Zero Fucks And still Wrinkles do not change Being the fairest of them all So maybe Just making a barrier Of this body Is a start I can hop off this pedestal Of white womanhood And you will have to go through me First Can you stand Being on camera While committing to that? There are people I love Who do not look or dress like me We will fight how we train And so many have been trained To revere and hate this pedestal That it may buy us time Enough time Pray for enough time And if those prayers go unanswered Then fuck it Bloody knuckles it is But you fight how you train Whether or not knuckles are involved And so We must know that feeling That twist in the gut That fear of that man That grossness of that joke That threat to our friends Our family Who do not look or dress like us But that is not enough Friends, family make it easier We must be willing Always willing A stranger must be a friend, family We must train to fight for them We must train At 10 At 20 At 30 At 40 At 50 And beyond So that we know how to fight At 10 At 20 At 30 At 40 At 50 And beyond When it’s needed When it counts Without time to craft a response Staring down nothing more dangerous Than a screen Not on Facebook Not on Instagram Not on Twitter Or not just there But where one fair body Has to stand before another fair body No matter how angry No matter how dangerous No matter how wrong But, our brains shriek So scary! So scary No shit Says everyone Who does not look or dress like us So. Fucking. Scary. Every Fucking Day Every Fucking Breath It is long past time To carry what is ours To dismantle what we built The fight Will take many forms Words And deeds And amplification And seeking And spending To benefit those Who do not look or dress like me Today Tomorrow At 50 It is time to train It is time to train It is time to fight And fight It was always time to fight I had so much to do, and didn’t I have so much to do I have so much to do better We will fight how we train Remember That Krav Maga Means “close combat” We cannot do this At a distance.

[melledotca]

This is the version I carry

As a writer, I’ve always struggled with which side of the fence I’m on with regards to “truth”. Obviously, with fiction, you can write whatever you want, and are not beholden to any generally accepted facts. Making things up and writing them down, as Neil Gaiman has said.

But with other forms, more veracity is expected, adherence to known facts, telling What Actually Happened. If you write something stamped “memoir”, you’d better be able to back it up, and woe be unto you if someone digs up a record of events that doesn’t match up.

And yet, what is the truth? Two people could be present at the same event, and even if both had photographic memories and recorded their experiences immediately afterward, there’s a very good chance you’d end up with wildly different versions of the story. Add dilutions like time, trauma, or people who just don’t want to talk about it, and good luck finding “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”.

Of course, then there are groups – renowned for their storytelling prowess and its centricity to their culture, in fact – who thinks such concerns are nonsense. Why let the truth get in the way of a good yarn? If it keeps people entertained, makes them laugh or shed a tear, that’s what’s important. That’s the truth of human experience.

Who cares if the door was red or blue, the pipes froze in the winter of 1942 instead of ‘43, or you blended several nurses into one character in your narrative. And perhaps a man gets a little taller in the telling, the bull gets a little more irascible, or the prison warden’s accent wasn’t quite so syrupy and impenetrable.

Perhaps it’s the curse of being stereotypically German and a creative. One side of my brain demands just the facts, ma’am, and uses them to craft the scene in my head. But there’s also the other side of my brain. Fulfilled by the storytelling and the craft of writing. That decided to go to theatre school. That loves to make people laugh. That side absolutely embraces the other philosophy.

I made a measure of peace with this tug of war recently. Thanks to Flea, bassist of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, of all people. He joined Malcolm Gladwell in conversation, which was recorded for an episode of the Broken Record podcast. They talked about his memoir, Acid for the Children, and they touched on that idea of “truth”.

There are things Flea writes in the book that occurred decades ago, yet he recalls them in rich and wrenching detail. And there are things that he writes as he knows them to have happened, though others may have a different version.

He admits, too, that when he tells certain stories, some of the details may have gotten a bit fuzzy, but the heart of it was how he felt then, how those events have burrowed into him, and how those experiences have shaped him to this day.

In the interview, referencing those instances where the exact details of the events may not be exactly What Happened, he notes that what and how he has remembered them is what’s important. Because it’s how he experienced them and how they have carved themselves into him. And he says the line that’s the subject of this post: This is the version I carry.

So... sure, some fact checker may bring the receipts, as the kids say. So what.

This really resonated. Who gives a shit if the door was red or blue when that breakup when you were 26 affected every relationship you had for the next 20 years. Or when the pipes froze if it was that drunken incident with your father when you were 12 affected how you raise your own children.

A story, memoir or otherwise, is not just a collection of factual details. It’s life, broadly, or a life. Part of one, anyway. And a collection of facts is not a story; that’s an inventory. Inventories? Not that interesting.

Real stories, good stories, true stories are the ones that communicate, to the best of their abilities, the experiences that the author carries.

[melledotca]

Ginger Molasses Cookies

This is adapted from a recipe that purported to be the same as Starbucks uses. The cookie size was certainly cafe-sized enormous, which I don’t really do.

2 C all purpose flour 2 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 ½ tsp ground ginger ¾ C (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 C dark brown sugar, lightly packed 1 large or x-large egg ⅓ C regular molasses (fancy, not blackstrap) Turbinado sugar (for topping cookies - granulated sugar crystals aren't big enough - the Bulk Barn has it)

Heat oven to 375F (190C), with the rack in the centre. Line baking sheets with parchment, Silpats, etc. and set aside.

Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger together in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined. Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl with mixer on high speed, until light and fluffy, about one minute. Turn mixer down to medium speed and beat in the egg and molasses, then increase the speed again to high and beat for another minute until the mixture looks smooth and no longer curdled. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula intermittently.

Turn the mixer down to low and mix in the flour mixture gradually. The resulting dough will be fairly stiff. Pour some Turbinado sugar onto a small plate. Roll some dough into a ball in your hands, about 1-1½ inches in diameter for medium-sized cookies). Push one side of the dough ball into the sugar to partially flatten the cookie and coat that side with sugar.

Transfer the cookie dough to the cookie sheet, sugared side up, flattening the bottom side enough that the cookie can’t tip over or roll around. The cookies will spread while baking so don’t have to be 100 percent flattened. Repeat until the cookie sheet is full, but give them plenty of space. I don’t put more than about nine on a sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven (test baking a couple cookies is recommended), until the cookies have spread and cracks have started to form in the tops. You want them to stay chewy so you don't want them to look too well baked or to start looking browned. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet until you can pick them up, then transfer to a baking rack to finish cooling if you have one.

The recipe makes about two dozen medium-sized cookies. The dough can be frozen for up to six months is well sealed. (You can roll the dough into a 1 1/2-inch log then just slice off the cookies.) Making at least a double batch is recommended.

[melledotca]

Hearth Sourdough

Makes one loaf

Starter ingredients:

1 Tbsp / 15g sourdough starter

½ C / 120g cool water (~15C)

¾ C / 105g wheat flour

You will need to have an active and healthy starter already. You can vary the qualities, like tanginess, over time depending on how you feed it, e.g. white vs. whole wheat vs. rye flour.

To get started, you’re going to feed the starter and bulk it up. Mix up the starter, water, and flour well (measurements above), cover the bowl (plastic bowl with a lid works well), then leave it somewhere cool (13-18C) for ~12 hours.

When you’re ready to mix the dough, take the lid off your starter and smell it. Ideally it should have a bit of a bready/alcohol/yeasty smell, probably have some bubbles on top. If not, your starter might be dead. 

Dough ingredients:

1 C / 240g lukewarm water (27C)

2 ½ C / 375g bread flour

2 tsp / 12g fine sea salt

Mix the starter with the water, flour, and salt well, for at least 30 seconds. Then cover the bowl and let it sit for 30-60 minutes.

After the dough has rested, it’s time to knead it. Take the lid off the bowl, wet your fingers, and reach into the bowl and grab the side of the dough. Pull a little bit of it up and then push it down onto the top of the dough ball. Rotate the bowl a bit and repeat. Be firm yet gentle and take your time. Do this for all of the dough. Will probably take about 10 folds.

Cover the dough again and let sit for 30 minutes.

Knead the dough a few more times. After it sits for 30 minutes, repeat the process. Then let it sit for another 30 minutes and then do it again. Knead the dough 4 times total. The texture of the dough will change significantly. It will become smoother and firmer. Then cover the dough and let it sit for its bulk rise.

Let the dough sit for 3-4 hours until it increases in size by about half. The dough will soften again.

Once the dough has completed its bulk rise, flour your counter and dump out the dough. Shape it into a loaf and leave it on the counter, seam side down. Prepare your proofing basket if you have one. If you don’t, a plastic bowl with lid, generously dusted with flour, works fine. Dust it with rice flour and use a spatula or bench knife to pick up the dough and plop it into the basket, seam side up. 

Let the loaf rise again. You want the dough to be about 150% of its original size, but it really depends on your preference and how much time you have. You don’t want to leave it too long or the starter will exhaust itself and the dough may start deflate or dry out, then it will fall and be tough.

If you want to bake the loaf within 3-4 hours, leave it out somewhere warm, like in the kitchen. If you want to bake it later, anywhere from 6-24 hours, put the lid on the bowl/cover the basket and put it in the fridge.

When you’re ready to bake, put your Dutch oven or baking stone in the oven and preheat to 475F/250C. If the loaf is on the counter, put it in the fridge during this time. If it’s already in the fridge, leave it there. Moving loaves is easier when the dough is cold.

Sprinkle the loaf with cornmeal or cover it with parchment paper (parchment makes it easy to remove at the end of baking). If you are not using parchment, sprinkle cornmeal in the bottom of the Dutch oven as well. Flip the loaf over (parchment on the bottom) into the preheated Dutch oven or onto the pizza stone. 

Slash the top of the load with a razor or sharp knife and cover it with a pot, bowl, or the Dutch oven lid. Bake for 20 minutes, then uncover it and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Check the bread to see how brown it is, and bake a few minutes longer until it’s as dark as you like.

Remove the loaf from the oven and turn the oven off. Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven or pizza stone. Let it cool for 30-40 minutes on a rack before cutting. Enjoy!

[melledotca]

Regarding Consumption Treatment Services and site selection

Dear Council and Mayor Vrbanovic,

We already knew that Mayor Vrbanovic doesn't want a CTS facility near city hall. Those of us who support and work toward getting a site up and running weren't surprised by that.

However, Mayor Berry saying in the April 9th Regional council meeting that all Kitchener councillors unanimously supported the 105 Victoria St. N. site was surprising and somewhat confusing to some, and enraging and terrifying to others. (This is rather further along than a "preferred" option.) This information was so upsetting because this stance defies the research, recommendations, and logic. Voting for it would result in no site, no treatment, and many, many more deaths.

The facts regarding why this is...

105 Victoria St. N. is a "site" in only the most basic terms. It is an empty lot. A very small one. We have bigger flowerbeds in this city.

It is not a big enough space to build or establish any facility (permanent or temporary) of sufficient size for even just safe consumption, let alone the wraparound services that are desperately needed: counselling, primary healthcare, opioid replacement therapy, etc. to help the people it's meant to help.

People don't want drug users using or loitering... pretty much anywhere. We get it. It's one of Mayor Vrbanovic's big concerns. However, that's exactly what would happen at 105 Victoria St. N. around whatever could be constructed there. There would be space for very few people at any given time, whether drug users, staff, or volunteers. People would be forced to remain outside. Which, given this is a country with winter, is neither safe nor compassionate.

The emergency services building right next door was brought up. There is one, yes. But much of the time it is not staffed. No matter how much medical equipment is in a building, it can't help or save anyone if it's empty and locked.

People are already using drugs at city hall and loitering in the area afterward. This isn't a secret. There are sharps containers in the washrooms. And yes, many don't like it, understandably. But without a facility that meets the community's needs you'll need more than sharps containers. You'd need to supply staff with Naloxone kits, frankly.

The site at 150 Duke St. W. has an existing and suitable building, which can be rented, thus limiting upfront costs and providing flexibility for future needs and options. It has enough space for safe consumption, the additional aforementioned wraparound services, and for people to spend time pre- and post-consumption. No one needs to go to city hall. Why would they, when they would have a community space where they're welcome and safe?

Beyond matters of buildings and funding, this idea is also core to the concept of social infrastructure. Commitment to social infrastructure is essential for safe and vibrant communities, and applies as much to a CTS site as to parks and libraries. (Where people also currently end up using drugs in this community.)

At the Regional council meeting it was discussed that there are daycare facilities across the street from the proposed 150 Duke St. W. location. Aside from the fact that drug users have no interest in the daycares or their charges, those who run the facilities have been consulted and have expressed no issues or concerns. They just fairly asked to be kept in the loop on the process. So no "Think of the children!" hand-wringing is needed. We have.

A local developer also tried to spin the situation at the Regional council meeting. I won't validate his ignorance and arrogance by detailing it here, but I will simply note that it was very clear he had one agenda, and the only thing written on it was dollar signs. And I think we all get that a CTS does not generate revenue for developers.

Fortunately, Regional council saw through his performance quite handily, and Councillor Lorentz wisely noted that while development is important in the city and developers have done very well for themselves, especially in conjunction with the LRT project, we can't let them make all the development and community decisions. This is important to remember over time in downtown Kitchener, uptown Waterloo, and everywhere else in the Region.

If we did let developers drive the bus, so to speak, I believe Kitchener-Waterloo would start to look like San Francisco and Silicon Valley very quickly. A tech mecca, sure, but one where only those who can pay for the lifestyle seem to be welcome. I've spent time there, and it's deeply disturbing.

Speaking of tech, Chair Redman pointed out at the Regional council meeting that a CTA site at 105 Victoria St. N. would be the first thing people (commuters, mainly tech workers, etc.) would see after exiting their trains. Which is perhaps not ideal optics for a city and Region trying trying to establish a big, new transit hub and all-day, two-way train service.

Getting down to money, as things always do: if Kitchener council insists on the 105 Victoria St. N. site, we won't get any. Not from the PC provincial government, which is already hostile to these initiatives. The provincial government has ZERO policy or precedent for funding new build sites for such facilities, whether temporary or permanent.

Let me reiterate: they have NEVER FUNDED what we'd be asking for. There is no reason to believe that we're so special that that would change. Already there are very few additional licences available, so the odds of getting one when the "ask" doesn't comply with the standards and what other cities propose are non-existent.

Which means that our municipality would have to fund everything, or else there will be no CTS facility and no services and treatment for members of our community who use drugs. 20 more of whom have already died in 2019 so far. At this rate we are on track to surpass the overdose death toll from all of 2018 by mid-summer.

I have a good friend, Violet Umanetz, who works for Sanguen. She's been on the front lines of this crisis for years now, and seeing what it has done to her is brutal. I work in tech, so I do not wake up every morning and wonder who, among my community and those I care about, may have died since yesterday. I'm pretty sure none of you have that professional burden, either. But Violet does, as do many others.

One of the people she worries about is Ralph Schmidt, who incredibly bravely and eloquently spoke at the April 9th Regional council meeting. His allotted five minutes contained the full scope of the reality of this crisis. He is a survivor of incredible trauma and loss, dozens of overdoses, and has been failed over and over.

And yet he is alive, he continues to work on his own health and well-being, and he gives back to his community. I've cued the recording of him for you, since it will tell you far more than any report: https://youtu.be/6Qji5soAtnA?t=14953

Voting for any option other than to approve the 150 Duke St. W. site for our CTS facility will be to fail Ralph and all those like him yet again. Many people will die needlessly.

Mayor Vrbanovic, speaking for you all, doesn't want people using drugs around city hall or loitering there. I get that, we all do. But trying to offload the issue to a small empty lot won't fix or address anything. It might seem counterintuitive that a site so close to city hall would make the biggest difference and help the most, but it's true.

The reports will tell you the same thing re. the 150 Duke St. W. location. Regional council has voted their approval. The people working on the front lines will tell you, and the people in our community who use drugs will tell you.

I think everyone involved wants this crisis to get better. I think everyone involved understands that it is complex, and that council also has to answer to those who object. And council regularly has many, many issues, proposals, and decisions to process.

But beyond funding and zoning and building and whatnot, this is more inextricably linked with the lives of community members than most. Among our community's most vulnerable lives, which need all the supports that we can provide to keep them alive until they're ready and able for next steps.

There's not much support to be found in an empty lot.

Thank you,

Melanie Baker

[melledotca]

Where’s Linnaeus when you need him?

All gods are supernatural beings. I think that’s a reasonable claim. But are all supernatural beings gods?

This has been stuck in my brain because in episode two of season two of American Gods, Jinn is trying to get rid of Salim (since he was only supposed to be a one-night stand), and Salim won’t leave him. And Salim makes a comment about how he believes in Jinn, and Jinn needs that.

The general premise of the overarching story (not exclusive to Gaiman), aside from the war between the old gods and new, is that any gods need belief/worship for strength and vitality. 

But Jinn is a djinn (”genie”). So, yes, a supernatural being, but djinns aren’t typically classified as gods, are they? Have I managed to miss that... everywhere?

So perhaps it’s that any supernatural being requires belief to exist, function, meddle, etc.?

[melledotca]

Podcasts

I ported Parts 1-5 over from my old WordPress blog, and have updated those since. From then on has been added anew as I’ve started listening to new stuff. First post was back in 2010, so some of these I stopped listening to (or they ended) years ago. YMMV.

Part 1

A History of the World in 100 Objects

Andrew turned me on to this one, which comes to us from the BBC. If you've ever watched a show like Britain's Secret Treasures, this is quite similar, and one of the objects featured so far is one that was also on the show.

Each podcast they feature an item from world history and talk about what it is, when and where it came from, what it was for, and other socio-cultural contexts, often with interviews with really interesting folks. And there is some Attenborough. :)

Answer Me This!

Two British people get questions in from all over the world, though mostly from other British people, about anything and everything, and then they endeavour to answer them. Some of them relate to trivia, some actually require a bit of research about origins and such, and some of them are filthy and funny. Cuz, y'know, it's the internets. Host Olly really, really loves his cat, Coco, and Helen hates cats.

How Stuff Works

These were some of the first podcasts I started listening to. Stuff You Should Know has been going for a decade now, and while I listened to hundreds of episodes, I stopped listening some time ago. The landscape just filled up with too much more interesting stuff. I still listen to Stuff You Missed in History Class and Stuff Mom Never Told You, though I moved on from BrainStuff, TechStuff, and Stuff to Blow Your Mind, etc. some time ago. There have also been some video ones that I would catch up on while painting, doing dishes, etc.: Stuff They Don't Want You to Know, Stuff of Genius, Stuff From the Future. With various partnerships, etc., How Stuff works has a bunch more podcasts now, but I am kind of overflowing, so haven’t spent much time looking into them.

Fw:Thinking

This was a How Stuff Works/Discovery show (from when Discovery had acquired them, which has since been un-done). The two hosts from TechStuff and another guy hosted this one. Longer format, and tech topics that cover a potentially broader range – e.g. science that's not necessarily tech, as well as social implications and things like that. Lasted a few months on this one.

The Memory Palace

Publishing is a bit inconsistent, but I’ve had this one on the list for years, and it will stay. Interesting little vignettes from history. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, often presented from a really unique and brain-twisting angle. And Nate diMeo rivals Roman Mars for Most Soothing Voice. 

Savage Lovecast

Dan Savage's advice show, which goes along with his column, wherein people call in and leave questions, comments, rants, etc. It's human sexuality-centric, though there are cultural aspects as well, particularly those relating to non-vanilla, monogamous, heterosexual relationships and interactions. I didn't listen to this one regularly, but would binge listen for a week or two until I was tired of the weird problems of the young/old/gay/straight/bi/trans/kinky/etc. I don't always agree with Savage's perspectives or advice, but I learned a fair bit, too, which is even better than just being entertained. Gave up on it some time back.

Sawbones

The husband, Justin, plays the dumb everyman to his wife, Sydnee, who is a doctor. They (mostly she) present a medical condition, phenomenon, etc. and discuss how it was perceived and treated throughout history. As you can imagine, many of them are rather horrifying from a modern perspective, but can also be kinda funny, hence the tagline, "A marital tour of misguided medicine". Everything from headaches to fertility issues shows up, and if you're the kind of person who makes it a point of visiting 19th century surgical museums while on vacation (yup), you'll dig this. That said, eventually it started to annoy me (him, particularly), so I gave up on it.

Welcome to Night Vale

This is weird. That cannot be overstated. Ostensibly it's a community updates radio broadcast from a desert town in the US. Except there are angels and aliens and wild dogs and homicidal wheat and wheat byproducts. There's not just a local constabulary, but a Sheriff's Secret Police. There's a long and expensive boardwalk, except there is no water anywhere near the town. There's an eccentric old woman and a dreamy scientist, and random shadowy characters who come and go. Occasionally people get vaporized. Or there's a bake sale. Anything could happen. That was just the first season. Like I said, weird. But with fun music and compelling overall. I never got around to following up on succeeding seasons, but I know some people remain big fans.

The Moth

The Moth is a series of storytelling events that go on around the US, and are semi-professional. A lot of the speakers present more than once, there are awards and a championship and such. A lot of the speakers are also professional writers, and I gather you call a hot line to pitch your story idea and they work with you to polish it up and get it ready for prime time. The podcast is a distillation of these stories (which are also played on the radio in the US, I gather), and rarely disappoint. In fact there've been a couple of times when I probably shouldn't have been driving while listening, they're that engrossing. There's a book, too, of hand-picked stories. Highly recommended, but eventually I just kinda lost interest, like with TED Talks, etc.

This American Life

Was the number one podcast in the US for a long time. Don’t know if it still is. I am not a fan of the host, Ira Glass', voice, but you get used to it. It's a bit like The Moth, in that it contains in-depth stories about lives often very unlike your own. But it's also journalism, too, to get these stories, with a fair bit more socio-political commentary, whether it's about a Chicago school with a lot of gun deaths, or just how dangerous acetaminophen is. The topics cover an amazing wide range, and some shows are a lot more heart- or gut-wrenching than others, which is cool. The amount of work that must go into making these shows is staggering. All that said, I didn’t stick around very long.

Quirks and Quarks

From the CBC, podcast version of the radio show. All manner of science, and plenty of dinosaurs – everyone likes dinosaurs! I've also noticed that there tends to be a lot of women among the scientists they interview, which I appreciate. Eventually moved on from this, too. 

Ontario Brewer

A great way to get to know the breweries and beers of Ontario, and the people who make them. (Craft brewing folks tend to be a lot of fun.) I find Mirella Amato, the host, to be fairly pretentious, but it's not really about her. I also tend to only listen to every other podcast. They do two per brewer, first picking a couple of their beers and talking about them, as well as the brewery history and whatnot. Then in the second one they pair the beers with cheese, chocolate, etc. A podcast about people talking about tasting things strikes me as a bit dumb. Not sure if they still make this one.

99% Invisible

Originally recommended by two very different friends, which is a good sign, and remains a staple. They had a clothing mini-series called “Articles of Interest” that was super interesting not long ago. It's about design in the world, architectural and otherwise. It looks at things you may never have seen, and things you look at every day. They could cover a specific iconic building, or a chair design that’s been ripped off a million times, or the history of pockets. A good way of shifting your perspective a bit. And Roman Mars rivals Nate DiMeo for Most Soothing Voice.

The Nerdist

I find Chris Hardwick a little annoying sometimes, and things can get pretty in-joke-y when Matt and/or Jonah are there. However, they also interview really cool people, so those are fun. I don't listen to all of them, and skip the ones where it's only Chris and co. talking, or when the guest is someone I don't know or care about. Plenty of great geek culture, though. Gave up on this one a long time ago, and turns out Hardwick IS a dick, so done with that genre.

StarTalk Radio

Neil DeGrasse Tyson's space-y show/podcast. He gets some really cool guests, but the musical bits are really annoying. Includes both Tyson talking science, and discussing with the guests. The cool part is that they're not all boffins. Could be Dan Aykroyd or Tony Bourdain or Joe Rogan. Didn’t last very long with this one. Just didn’t click.

Crash Course World History

Video series. John Green delivers the history of the world in 10-ish minute chunks. He explains the what, where, when, etc., as well as how those things affect the world now. He also has mad love for the Mongols, which never stops being funny. Aside from learning a more inclusive, less west'n'white version of history, you'll also get fun tidbits, like how the Silk Road (which wasn't just one route) helped bring the plague (Black Death, anyone?) to Europe from Asia.

Thug Notes

Big props to Dave for turning me on to this one. Sparky Sweets, PhD (alias), delivers book/play summaries and analysis on classic works of literature, from Austen to Shakespeare, in 5-ish minute increments, accompanied by entertaining animations and charmingly colloquial language. Frankly, his summaries and analysis are better than a lot of the formal education in lit that I've received. And way funnier. I don’t think many of these get made anymore as they got acquired and he’s been doing other projects.

Part 2

CANADALAND

News, media, and criticism about Canada. Jesse Brown is the guy who broke the Ghomeshi scandal. It's opened my eyes to how little I knew about what's going on, news-wise, in the country, and who's making the news (and what their agendas are).

Caustic Soda

Violence! Disaster! Weirdness! Big time geeky, lots of science, lots of grossness, sometimes really interesting guests. Plus the Muppet Show cover theme song for when they have guests always makes me grin. Has been over for a while, but the archive is worth a listen.

Criminal

In keeping with the true crime vein, stories recounting actual crimes with interesting details, weird twists, or lingering mysteries. Fits in well for folks who like Serial and such.

The Truth

Short radio plays/vignettes that are odd, affecting, and strangely engaging. It's really hard to describe, but hooks you quickly. I tend to go a while not listening to it, and then I’ll catch up and an episode will totally grab me.

Part 3

CANADALAND: COMMONS

COMMONS is the second podcast CANADALAND started producing, covering Canadian politics and related topics. It initially drew me because it was sort of a “politics for people who aren’t into politics” twist. In addition to covering news and issues, they would get into things like what the Senate is and how it’s for, or dig into terms like populism or what a fiscal conservative is, which is handy. The podcast has cycled through several sets of hosts and with each iteration has had a very different focus and flavour. The second group focused a lot more on social justice issues. They have mostly had hosts who are relatively young and people of colour, which I think helps expand the perspectives. With the most recent iteration the host is a journalist who has been exploring corruption in Canada.

Freakonomics Radio

Same schtick as the books, etc., and one I'd listened to some time ago, but then it seemed to disappear. Back now and enjoying it. Economics isn't really my thing, either, so it's interesting to see it approached from angles that do interest me, or have a certain "WTF?" aspect, like an episode on the economics of being a sex offender (it's a really bad idea - aside from being punished for the crime, you're going to be punished socially and financially pretty much forever). Stephen Dubner has since gone out kind of on his own, and I think has plans to take the production in new directions, so we’ll see what they get up to.

All the Books

This one’s great because it’s about books and I get lots of recommendations and I like the hosts. It used to be frustrating because it was expanding my TBR list too quickly, but I learned after a while that the hosts and I don’t love the same things, so most of what they love/recommend isn’t going to be a huge priority for me. There’s a backlist show/episode interspersed with new releases, too, which I don’t really follow, but it’s an interesting rabbit hole. They get a nice variety of genres, author types, etc. as well.

Gastropod

This one is one of my favourites. It’s about food, but explored via science and history. And of course there’s the odd weird taste test, because food and entertainment. There's some cute "friction" between the hosts sometimes, as Nicola is British by birth, and so has very across-the-pond opinions on many things related to cuisine, manners, etc. Whereas Cynthia is American and Jewish and her east coast experiences reflect that, too. The ladies are both writers and journalists and have gone on some amazing adventures. And hey, what better way to learn all about a gazillion varieties of potato than to go to Peru and attend a festival for them. WILL make you want to eat and drink all the things.

Invisibilia

This one's about unseen factors that shape our world, though that sounds pretty vague, and if you just start listening to episodes things can seem kind of random. They will cover huge topics, like how humans' tendencies to assign (or chafe against) categorization shapes our world, or how our expectations of "disability" may be off base. Sometimes the approach is a bit more sideways/quirkier, though. I really like the combination of stories and anecdotes focused on the topics, but also how they blend that with science and studies and all that other rigorous stuff. They’re longer episodes, and seasons are spread out pretty far (I think the hosts have a lot of other projects), but good for a long walk and a think.

Mystery Show

Defunct now, but was super quirky and charming. The premise is that the host and chief investigator takes on a mystery for each episode. Something that's been bothering someone for some time (could be weeks, could be decades), and solves it. That could mean finding out something, returning something to its owner, etc. It can't just be something solvable by using the Internet, as we're so prone to doing these days. (I will note that my perception of the host based on her voice was SO completely off base when I finally saw a picture of her.) It’s one of those story-centric podcasts where the premise seems frivolous, but  totally isn’t in the fullness of time, as it were. One of the earliest episodes I listened to was about returning a unique belt buckle to a chef. Turned out to be an amazing chase and surprisingly poignant. Certainly unique, and really gets you pondering unknown or unsolved things in your own life and how one would go about solving them (especially without the internet).

White Coat, Black Art

This one’s from the CBC, and the host is Dr. Brian Goldman, who’s a long-time ER physician in Toronto. The premise is looking at healthcare from “all sides of the gurney”. It goes well beyond emergency medicine, though, and tackles issues like wait times, marginalized or ageing populations, managing disabilities, the opioid epidemic, and broader ties to history, politics, and society. In a country where we have a huge Baby Boomer cohort getting ever older, and the challenges that brings, there's a lot to talk about. He also has some fantastic and intriguing guests, and some fascinating glimpses into how healthcare gets handled elsewhere (like the US and Europe), for better or worse.

Part 4

The Allusionist

Helen Zaltzman from Answer Me This talks about the English language. Quirks of words and phrases, where sayings came from, invented languages, colloquialisms and slang, history and evolution, you name it. She has some great guests from other relevant podcasts, too, which make for some fun times. Good stuff for word nerds.

Another Round

Another now defunct Buzzfeed podcast, but was really excellent. American, and largely focused on Black culture. (Both hosts are Black women.) Highly irreverent, and regularly makes fun of white people and mainstream culture - moments in white history are some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever heard. It's not all goofing off, though. There's a lot of discussion of race and related issues, gender, socioeconomics, straight up pop culture (it is from Buzzfeed...) and some really great interviews from people like Hilary Clinton, Valerie Jarrett, Anil Dash, and Hannibal Burress. You never quite know what you're going to get, which makes it more fun. Archive recommended.

The Black Tapes

I started listening to this one because Paul Bae of You Suck, Sir is one of the producers. I gave up after the first season. It was just trying too hard and dragging out waaaay too much. It’s a radio drama about investigations of the paranormal, a bit X-Files-y. The idea being a serialized investigation of an unsolved case each episode, but they got away from that pretty quickly. The dialogue is also a bit rough sometimes, and they go way over the top with the soundscaping for suspense and drama, which I found really distracting.

Death, Sex & Money

Does what it says on the tin, though depending on the interview, focus, and stories, might get more or less of any one of those foci. Mostly interviews and discussions with really interesting (sometimes famous) people about the stuff we don’t talk much about openly. And of course there’s plenty of, “I can’t believe I said that!” The one with Jane Fonda was excellent.

Lore

History, folklore, and stories woven together. This was Aaron Mahnke’s first podcast, and it has since spun out into a media empire with books, a TV show, and more podcasts, etc. Mahnke’s delivery style has smoothed out over time. He was a bit... Shatneresque for a while there. The stories are true, with a hint of mystery and plenty of the unexplained. But Mahnke does a good job of weaving in myth, folklore, the supernatural, and other relevant things to give richness and context to the stories. And they never entirely wrap up tidily. His Cabinet of Curiosities is a good, shorter sister accompaniment to this.

Planet Money

A bit similar to Freakonomics... but not really. All manner of finance-related topics covered from a variety of angles, though US-centric, unsurprisingly. Sometimes more finance-centric, but other times gets way more into psychology, anthropology, etc. There was an episode on the anatomy of a scam was fascinating and heartbreaking. Great investigative work. But then there are others like the one about "delicious cake futures" that're just irreverent and hilarious. 

Reply All

"A show about the Internet". Which it is, but... that doesn’t really tell you anything. This one is often SO much fun, and they go down some incredible rabbit holes, whether they’re explaining internet culture to their boss by unravelling a tweet (”Yes, Yes, No”) or exploring a weird tech mystery, like a phishing incident. You will definitely learn things you had no idea about, become fascinated by fraud, and realize you barely know anything about the breadth and depth of internet culture.

Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project

Another round of serious geekery. Mythbusters' Adam Savage and friends just... talk about stuff. Projects they're working on, particularly Adam's, geeking out over... things. Things they like, things they've made, things other people made that they wish they had... There's a definite maker bent and a geek pop culture bent. Like The Martian has gotten a lot of love over the past while. But they talk about everything from billiards to camping, and it goes along with the Tested show as well. For science! I didn’t end up keeping up with this one for long, since I’m not that kind of maker and the shows were fairly long.

Stuff Mom Never Told You

This one I've been listening to for years, through several iterations of hosts. The focus was a bit more political and career-centric with the last hosts, and a bit more cultural with the current ones. All things feminism and gender, and the related issues where those things are concerned. It’s US-centric, so some of the content isn’t always entirely relevant outside the country (like healthcare and reproductive rights), but good to be reminded that Gilead isn’t entirely fictional...

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Like the above, have been listening for years, so time to give it its due. It is an American podcast, so there's plenty of US history on offer, but they do cover plenty of other countries, time periods, and types of history. Everything from fashion, to art, to great dynasties, to titillating scandals, to amazing characters, to disasters (both ancient and modern-ish). They try to include plenty of history that’s not just white and male-centric (though they get plenty of complaints about “too many women”, because people are assholes. They also have really interesting interviews, often with authors. This Day in History Class is their little sister podcast, which is a 5-minute daily on what happened that day historically.

Part 5

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

Coming to us from the BBC World Service, this one reminds me somewhat of my much-loved A History of the World in 100 Objects. It considers a wide range of products and services, from barcodes to insurance to paper. They explain where these things came from, why they were revolutionary, their broader influence and importance, and their ongoing value and evolution in today's world. Episodes are fairly short, so good for a quick hit thought provocation, or you can save them up for a fascinating topical binge (and see how some threads of history, business, tech, etc. fit together).

Crimetown

Exposes the seedy underbelly of various places and people. Season one was Providence, Rhode Island (including infamous mayor Buddy Cianci and New England crime boss Raymond Patriarcha). Season two will focus on Detroit. The first season had characters and stories that were straight out of the movies, including the wise guy accents. Classic mobsters and mayhem. Great for true crime fans, but with a bit of a twist.

The Infinite Monkey Cage

The longer format of the weekly BBC Radio 4 show, with Robin Ince as the straight man, and British science's favourite media son, Prof. Brian Cox. Each episode irreverently tackles a science topic, from sleep to gambling to climate change, assisted by a panel of scientists, academics, writers, and comedians. The schtick wore a bit thin for me after a while, though one Christmas episode on ghosts was a particular highlight.

Longform

As advertised, these are long interviews (typically an hour or a bit more) with a variety of interesting folks, the key connecting thread being that they're all writers or editors (or both). That's a pretty broad category, though, as interviewees range from Ta-Nehisi Coates to Nate Silver to Malcolm Gladwell. I don't listen to every one, but when you get a good one, man, is it interesting stuff. Problem is you don’t know before you listen what ones will be gold, and it’s a lot of time to commit.

Note to Self

Defunct now, this one styles itself as "the tech show about being human", which is true, though it leans heavily at times on lifehacking and projects - things like making ourselves more efficient, establishing good habits, etc. None of that was really my thing and I tended to skip those episodes. It also learned a lot toward issues and lifestyles of the modern family, which can either be interesting from a peripheral perspective (since I don’t have kids) or more blablah I don’t care about. Stuff about digital privacy, racism online, etc. were pretty universally interesting and useful topics, though.

Only Human

This one wraps science and humanity around politics and currently events (US-centric). Like US "bathroom laws" and how they tie into real families with trans kids, and the clinics and medical staff that work with and treat those kids. Or medical care on Native reservations accompanied by centuries old well-earned mistrust of the establishment. Or accompanying a doctor whose mission it is to provide safe abortions in the south, and how increasingly difficult that's become. I thought this one was defunct, but looks like I just stopped listening after a while. (I know they went through a pretty intense self-improvement project phase, which was of zero interest.)

Revisionist History

Malcolm Gladwell’s first dive into podcastland, and definitely one of my favourites. After the 2016 US election, this show and Tony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown kept me sane. In each episode, Gladwell takes a historical event, recounts it, then deconstructs it and re-recounts it from other angles, shedding new light and context on it. In certain ways it’s classic Gladwell. It tackles racism, sexism, homophobia, and all the other big -isms. It gives names to issues and societal quirks you’ve always been aware of but never had definitions for. Some stuff is broadly culturally or historically fascinating, but I guarantee something will hit you way closer to home than you ever expected. So far this one’s three seasons in, and he’s how started a network, Pushkin Industries, which also now includes the Broken Record music podcast.

See Something Say Something

Buzzfeed used to have some fantastic content by great diverse voices. I’m not sure how much of it is left now that this, Another Round, and probably others have ended. This one is about being Muslim in America, and is an instance where I have no issues with stories, perspectives, and content from Millennials and those younger. Mixes pop culture with religion, intellectual discourse with goofy irreverence, and you’ll definitely learn stuff every episode. The number of smart, successful female guests was also always a highlight.

Weekly Infusion

Didn’t last long with this one, but checked it out since Nicole Angemi, who I follow on Instagram, was a guest. It ended up a bit slick and overproduced for my taste, though it did dig into medical issues, pathology, etc., which is up my alley. They did make things really accessible, perhaps almost too much so. And they had celeb guests or other notables who either have a stake in the medical issues being discussed, or are experts in that field. I listened to episodes about anaphylaxis to epilepsy to synesthesia, so something for everyone if the format is cool with you.

You Must Remember This

The first couple seasons were a great binge for me, covering all the fascinating stories, scandals, juicy trivia, and big characters in the first century of Hollywood. There were some fantastic series, like Charles Manson's Hollywood, the Blacklist/McCarthy Communist witch hunts, Hollywood during WWII, or “Six Degrees of Joan Crawford”. But since then it’s gotten more meh. Just topics or series that don’t interest me or that feel like they’re getting a bit too peripheral. May still be fascinating to super hardcore movie history buffs, though. The most recent series was really side content to go along with the book she has coming out, so we’ll see if future seasons are any more like the older stuff or not.

Part 6

Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities

This is the same guy who does Lore and Unobscured. These episodes are shorter, each with a couple of stories about a wide variety of people, places, things, events, etc. that are unique, odd, or generally unexplained. Because they don’t have to fill out a longer episode, you’re more likely to hear about things that weren’t covered in a bunch of other podcasts.

Broken Record

Malcolm Gladwell’s second podcast outing, in addition to my beloved Revisionist History. It’s only a few of episodes in so far, and music podcasts haven’t really been my thing, but the first episodes have been super interesting. I did skip the third one since I don’t like Rufus Wainwright. Definitely willing to give this one a few more episodes to see how it plays out. The guests are the folks who’ve been there and done that and have all the stories.

Committed

This one’s a season in, and it’s about relationships, but it’s wide and deep. Getting pregnant at 14, infertility, a terminal brain tumour, lost at sea, second marriage, life sentences in prison... these are not your average suburbanites. Or they are, but it’s parts of their lives you’ve never known. Elevated snotbomb risk from time to time, but really well done and there’s something relatable in every episode.

Bodies

Also one season in. By women, for women, about women (though anyone else listening in will learn A LOT). Stories of health and issues and the struggles of getting correct diagnoses and treatment and how life and bodies change. I suspect most women would relate to something in every episode, even if it’s not specifically about an issue you’ve dealt with. Men would probably have a lot of holy shit moments listening in.

No Such Thing As A Fish

The researchers for the UK quiz show QI sit around and riff on their four favourite facts of each week, along with supplementary facts and random anecdotes, bad puns, dumb jokes, and taking the piss out of each other. It’s very nerdy and a lot of fun and will fill your brain with excellent trivia. They do a lot of live shows as well, so many of those are a bit themed to wherever they are on that week.

OPPO

Another CANADALAND podcast, which I have recently gotten rid of due to overload. Jen Gerson and Justin Ling basically spend each episode kvetching at and interrupting each other regarding politics and issues of the day. Not sure how well they actually represent particularly opposing political views, but she’s a woman and lives in Calgary and he’s a gay dude in Toronto, so, okay? I do find out about issues I hadn’t heard much about, so that’s good. I think it’s more just YMMV re. the hosts. 

The Secret Life of Canada

This one was picked up by the CBC and I am still kind of bitter that I missed the ladies at the Kitchener Library a while back (I wasn’t listening to the podcast yet, but still). Basically, stuff you never learned in school about our country’s history, and which, frankly, should pretty much just replace our still very white, patriarchal, colonial history teachings. 

Sidedoor

From the Smithsonian, the podcast covers all kinds of stories, people, events, and things from the museum. A bit hard to pin down, but super interesting, and talks about everything from a famous skeleton in their collection (the guy used to work for the Smithsonian!) to Gullah cuisine. Very American-centric, unsurprisingly, but enjoyable for history/anthropology nerds.

Small Town Dicks

True crime stories, but the twist is that the detectives who investigated them are the ones talking about them. The hosts are Yeardley Smith (best known as the voice of Lisa Simpson) and Zibby Allen, who I wasn’t familiar with. Then they usually have one or both of Detectives Dan and Dave, who are twins and cops (though one’s retired now and the other’s been promoted to Sergeant), as well as frequently guests who are other cops talking about the specific case of the week. I’ve found the handling of the subject matter both really in-depth (and sometimes pretty horrific or even comical) but also respectfully done, which is more than I can say for some other true crime podcasts I’ve tried.

Sold in America

A fairly new 8-part series about sex work in the US with a focus on trafficking and the many issues directly entwined with it — previous trauma, poverty, unemployment, addiction, etc. I’m almost to the end, and it’s been excellent, and often quite uncomfortable. It is US-focused, but the issues there are no different from here or anywhere else. The host Noor and her team travel a lot of talk to a lot of people whose lives this is or has affected, so these aren’t third-hand stories; this is lived experience, from women at the Bunny Ranch in Nevada to trans youth trying to overcome homelessness.

This Day in History Class

The little sister of Stuff You Missed in History Class, a daily, five-minute quickie of what happened on that date historically. Good snack for history nerds. Sometimes ties into longer episodes on the same or related topic that SYMIHC will be covering as well.

Unladylike

The two former co-hosts of Stuff Mom Never Told You went out on their own and are working on a feminist media empire (their book came out last month). Same topics re. feminism, gender, politics, sexism, diversity, culture, etc. Sometimes lighter, sometimes super heavy, but really interesting and they have some fantastic guests. And they can swear now. In addition to all the doom and gloom out there, they do also try to bring the good news (and diversity), too.

Black Tea

Former CANADALAND: COMMONS co-host (and current Melle coworker) Andray Domise and his friend (lawyer and activist) Melayna Williams get into culture, issues, and current events, particularly relating to Black communities in Canada (and somewhat the US as well). A lot of it goes over my head (big reveal: I am not Black, and I am old), but it’s cool to learn about stuff I know nothing about, and a common complaint I have is that too much of the media I consume, especially podcasts, is US-made/centric, so the CanCon is refreshing. Also at times very funny, though when there is a rant to be ranted, they don’t hold back.

The Butterfly Effect

Author/journalist/film maker Jon Ronson did this one-off series investigating the effects of the explosion of the online porn industry on the legacy porn industry. He was fascinating by the idea that online porn as we now know it is basically attributable to one guy in Belgium (and one company), and wanted to know what the far-reaching effects of that have been. It’s fascinating, and weird when you end up having moments almost feeling sorry for people and producers in a business that is, to put it mildly, problematic and exploitative. However, at the same time, it is a fascinating dive into human psychology.

Death in the Afternoon

New podcast by the ladies behind The Order of the Good Death, including Caitlin Doughty, its founder, who has written two books and has a popular death-positive YouTube series; Sarah Chavez, who you have very likely come across online as she’s widely involved in death education, culture, etc.; and Louise Hung, their coworker, who has also written broadly and extensively online. Typically they start off digging into some story/urban myth about death (or a sensational death) and breaking down the truths and fallacies and intricacies of the story. Then Sarah will tell a longer story of death relating to the issue at hand, which often involves mystery, folklore, etc.

Dirty John

This was originally an LA Times series, which was turned into a podcast, and is now being made into a TV series. True crime story centring around a truly horrific dumpster fire of a human being and the family he terrorized. Sensational, certainly, but also mind-blowing that it actually happened, and a lot of psychological explorations. Big time potential triggers for mental and physical abuse, drug addiction, violence, and other issues.

Ear Hustle

All about life inside San Quentin prison in California, and hosted by Nigel Poor, who volunteers there, and Earlonne Woods, who has been incarcerated there, but whose sentence was commuted as of US Thanksgiving 2018, so he’ll be free shortly. One imagines things will change somewhat with him shortly being on the outside, though he’ll remain a producer on the show and will report on post-prison life. The show does a good job of fleshing out and humanizing the inmates and stories, though doesn’t sugar-coat that some of these men are in for really bad stuff. It also sheds light on broader issues like the prison pipeline, over-representation of people of colour, and challenges of life after prison. 

My Dad Wrote A Porno

There are three hosts, all friends, and host/story reader Jamie’s dad “Rocky Flintstone” is the writer dad in question. Apparently a while back he learned of and/or read 50 Shades of Grey and figured he could do that. (Given how terrible it is, who couldn’t?) So he took himself to the garden shed and wrote... Belinda Blinked. The resulting podcast is Jamie, James, and Alice reading the book(s) and talking about it (mocking it savagely). It’s filthy, the writing is terrible (and Mr. Flintstone seems to lack even basic understanding of female anatomy, among other things). The commentary is hilarious and frequently includes education about things like female anatomy (as much for James, who is gay, as anyone). They just finished the fourth book as of November 2018, and will return with the fifth next year. After the annual Christmas special, of course.

Taste Buds

Another offering from the CANADALAND folks. One season so far, and I won’t be tuning in for a future one. The premise of a former restaurant critic sitting down with restauranteurs is potentially interesting, but nothing about the actual execution of it really grabbed me. It’s also all in Toronto, so places I’ve never been and mostly people I’ve never heard of (and don’t care).

Thunder Bay

Also a CANADALAND offering, and the result of hitting their crowdfunding goal last year. A five-part series hosted by former COMMONS host Ryan McMahon (who is an Indigenous person) about the city, people, politics, and culture of Thunder Bay, ON. Accompanied, unsurprisingly, by the corruption, racism, social issues, and deaths of a number of Indigenous youth over the last few years. It’s a horror show, and not easy to listen to, but the degree of racism, sexism, and corruption shouldn’t really surprise anyone with their ears generally open. Or if it is surprising, then listen to it twice. Also a good thing to send to anyone who tries to argue that Canada doesn’t have the same kinds or level of issues as the US.

Unobscured

Aaron Mahnke’s latest podcast, and a historical deep dive. (Kind of like the historical flip side to the cultural side that is Revisionist History). For the first season he’s digging into the Salem Witch Trials. It’s a degree of background and detail that very few people are likely to be familiar with, and it had way more to do with politics, power struggles, religion gone awry, misogyny, and other familiar social ills than with ergot poisoning, religious fervour run amok, the devil among us, or whatever else has become the pat stories in the succeeding few hundred years. As I understand it each season will be regarding one event and take a similarly deep approach. It’s at times a bit more detail than I care about, but I’m still curious about how it’ll wrap up and what next season will bring.

Part 7

Code Switch

One of the NPR family. Had to pick and choose of the backlist, since it’s been on the air for several years and there’s NO WAY I’d be able to listen to them all. However, it is really interesting to hear their discussions/insights of major events months or years later. The hosts are people of colour, as are the guests, so the focus is on race identities and issues. Being NPR, it’s pretty American-centric, but like most other things, that still affects the world beyond their borders. Sometimes hard to listen to, but I absolutely always learn something.

Dressed

This is one of those where, on the surface, it’s not my thing, but then I end up getting really engaged and learning tonnes. This one is from the How Stuff Works/I Heart Radio network, and is about the history of fashion. Now, fashion itself isn’t really my thing, but fashion is very much tied to history, politics, gender issues, the environment, global trade, race relations, and a million other things. I don’t listen to every episode, but I always learn stuff. The two-parter on the history of Black Dandyism is an excellent example of a topic that ties in all the subjects I mentioned and more, and was just super interesting.

Ologies with Alie Ward

Definitely a new favourite, though I’m still about a year behind in the backlog, and episodes tend to be 1-2 hours long. Host Alie Ward refers to it as a “science adjacent” podcast, though it is scientific and in the top 10 on Apple’s Science podcast rankings. Basically, Alie interviews an “ologist” in each episode, an expert on a given topic, anywhere from squids to crime to postcards. The personalities of the ologists really come through, which make it funny and quirky and sometimes things go down the strangest and most charming rabbit holes. A big bonus is that few of the ologists are old bearded white dudes. (Though the bearded old white dudes are delightful, too – mushrooms!) Alie’s asides and inputs take a bit of getting used to, but I enjoy them now. Sometimes they’re additional educational tidbits she researched, sometimes they’re just dorky moments. It’s one of those shows where, even if the topic doesn’t seem up my alley, I listen anyway, because I already learn and enjoy myself. And when there are topics like dogs I’m basically a slavering fangrrl. Also, excellent Instagram recommendations.

Terrible, Thanks for Asking

I was iffy about this one, though the host was a guest on another podcast I listen to and was really interesting, so I gave it a shot. It’s definitely not for bingeing, as it’s basically interviewing people and telling stories about the worst times in their lives. (There’s something of the flavour of Committed as well.) And the host, Nora McInerny, knows what she’s talking about in that realm. (She’s one of those stories that you would think was just too over the top if it was on TV.) Definitely shows you a lot of facets of life, though, and there’s much to learn and empathize with. Just... make sure you have something fun for a palate cleanser. 

30 Animals That Made Us Smarter

Also from the BBC, and I love their series. This one basically takes aspects of nature that we’re researching to benefit the human world and influence new tech. Kingfisher beaks for faster trains, tardigrades and vaccines, etc. Short, fun, fascinating. Around the same time I learned about this one I also learned that 50 Things That Made The Modern Economy is also back with a new season, so that’s back on the list, too. Definitely recommended.

Atlanta Monster / Monster: The Zodiac Killer

I’ll say right up front that I didn’t love either of these, but was in a lull where I needed more content. I’m not a fan of this style where they really try an manipulate episode to episode, where it’s like, “He totally did it!” followed by “They’re totally railroading him!” And so on. Plus, neither series has a conclusive answer, which... is that ever satisfying. But it’s got the expected stuff for the true crime junkies.

Crackdown

This is a really interesting piece of journalism. It’s a series about the drug war, opioid crisis, policy, and the real world of addiction as produced by people who have addictions. The host was a heroin addict for years and has been on Methadone for quite some time as well. They also lost one of their editorial board members to overdose basically between the production of the first and second episodes. It’s real, raw, and often very angry, as it should be. It explores a lot of angles, like the disaster that was replacing Methadone, and Portugal’s decriminalization of drugs, to the dangers of the supply and using these days. Not pretty, but should pretty much be required listening for anyone living somewhere with an opioid crisis... which is pretty much everywhere...

Disgraceland

Self-described as “rock ‘n’ roll true crime”. It’s pretty much pure voyeurism, and absolutely illustrates the worst of humanity, but also doesn’t let us off the hook for our complicity in how celebrities act and why they’re allowed to be (expected to be?) like that. I mean, the first episode was about Jerry Lee Lewis and how he pretty much got away with murdering his fifth wife. (His fourth died under pretty sketchy circumstances, too.) If you like (auto)biographies by 80s/90s metal band members and that sort of thing, you’ll love this one. I tend to really like the behind the scenes stuff of just about anything, including history, and this fits that bill.

The Dropout

Basically, if you would rather listen to the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos instead of reading the book, this is your podcast. Based on what a friend said about it I was expecting it to be a bit different. I didn’t love it, but it does have plenty of twists and turns and sketchiness and intrigue. Unlike my previous gripe, they really also don’t try and make you go back and forth on whether you think they committed fraud or not. Or, at least, if they were trying to, they really failed. This is a standalone series, so is a shortish binge, pretty much.

The End of the World with Josh Clark

They put a lot of resources into this one, but given how long Clark’s mainstay podcast Stuff You Should Know has been one of the top downloads overall, he knows what he’s doing and probably has some sway with a passion project. (And given everything is branded with the “with Josh Clark” bit, his involvement is very intentional.) Basically, this one looks into ways we might wipe ourselves out - rogue AI, biotech, natural disasters, etc. It’s interesting and well done, but I found myself zoning out from time to time. The sound design also gets a bit over the top sometimes, which bugs me. I also think they dragged it out too much. They didn’t really need the end episodes.

Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad

This is newish for me (and they’re only a few episodes in). It’s kind of an evolution in true crime programming. Jensen is a journalist and Holes is a recently retired investigator/profiler/scientist. His recent claim to fame is helping catch the Golden State Killer. (And Jensen helped finish Michelle McNamara’s book on the same subject after she died.) Both of them are specialists in unsolved and cold cases, and have decided to start focusing more on trying to get them solved rather than just reporting on and looking into them themselves. There’s a huge true crime fanbase with amateur sleuths out there, and this endeavours to harness that, along with new tech, social media, etc. Crowdsourced criminology, basically. Interesting idea, and I look forward to seeing how it plays out. Each episode they take a known killer, or known victims, and present what’s known about the victims, crimes, locations, killer, MO, etc. They interview people who were involved or investigated the crimes at the time. And they put the case information up on their website - facts, photos, maps, etc. and let the audience do their thing as well. So this one doesn’t talk about cases til the end of things, but if what they’re trying works, could be some fascinating stuff.

Lagered Tales

This one is put out by Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company out of Vankleek Hill in eastern Ontario. It features a rotating cast of hosts from among the brewery’s staff, and covers a variety of topics, from brewery news, industry events, local stories, deep dives on beer topics, chats with other folks who work at Beau’s, as well as Canadian entertainers and other interesting industry people. It’s folksy and well-produced at the same time, and while it won’t be up everyone’s alley, I find it fun.

This Podcast Will Kill You

LOVE this one. Haven’t been listening long, but totally binged the whole backlist. It’s two disease ecology grad students, both named Erin, and they talk about... diseases! They both have PhDs and one of the Erins is also in medical school, so they know their stuff re. infectious diseases. It’s both solidly scientific and accessible to the average person. They cover pathogens, parasites, etc. in depth, as well as what they do to people, how they spread, their histories, how dangerous they are to humanity overall, etc. They also have signature cocktails for every disease/episode. Perhaps not for the squeamish, but super interesting. Also occasionally dad-level bad jokes, which is just excellent.

Part 8

Everywhere

Fairly new and part of the I Heart Radio family (which bought the How Stuff Works family). Host Daniel is a travel writer, and he is intermittently joined by friends/colleagues (including Holly from Stuff You Missed in History Class). It is about travel, but also not. It’s not about “I went here and this is what it’s like and what I recommend”, though there are bits of that. It’s more about recommendations for how to travel well, both for your own enjoyment and the benefit of the people and places you see. He has an overarching “commandment” theme for each episode, but they’re positive, i.e. “Thou shalt” rather than “Thou shalt not”. Can get very philosophical and poetic, and his voice/manner of speech has taken me some getting used to. Not sure it’ll be a long term addition to my list, but still enjoying it half a dozen episodes in.

Solvable

Another from the Pushkin Industries stable (Malcolm Gladwell and co., so Revisionist History, Broken Record, and others). In this one several hosts take turns talking to experts in various fields working to solve the world’s big problems, from civil war to cervical cancer. It’s smart, deeply informative, and does leave you feeling more informed and, dare I say it, hopeful. Another one where, even if you don’t think the topic is right up your alley, you listen anyway because it’ll suck you in with learning and fascinating perspectives. And then there are some like the interview with former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard that are total “holy shit, YES“ experiences.

Your Undivided Attention

Fairly new, and I’m only abour four episodes in, but really enjoying it. Deep dives on the big platforms and technologies we use, and how they’ve been designed and built to control us, along with the lack of ethics and oversight going into how these companies develop tools and algorithms, because revenue and time on site and data mining is a bigger priority than actually not being evil. It’s hosted by Tristan Harris, who used to be a design ethicist at Google, and Aza Raskin, who has the dubious distinction of having invented infinite scroll. (His dad, Jef, worked at Apple and invented the Mac computer, Magic Mouse, and more, and wrote The Humane Interface.) At various points during their interviews with other industry experts (ranging from former YouTube developers to former CIA operatives) they also have asides where they do deep dives/discussions on various points or ideas that have come up in the interview. Doesn’t get overly technical for a lay audience, and will definitely get you thinking and paying more attention to how you use your devices and online services, and how you are being guided, manipulated, and used by the biggest companies in tech.

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Hosted by author and YouTube educator John Green, he picks two things that are part of the human-centered world (the anthropocene) and reviews them as a... human in the world, basically, and based on his life experience. He ends with giving each a star rating out of five. He has some method to the madness of the two things he picks, and how he feels they relate to each other, but he doesn’t really explain it. Teddy Bears and Penalty Shootouts, the Lascaux Cave Paintings and the Taco Bell Breakfast Menu – really anything is fair game. In his typical style, he relates personal memories and anecdotes, waxes philosophical, and wonders about questions big and small. He also at times goes mildly off-topic to address tougher issues, like depression and anxiety disorder, which he’s dealt with all his life, and which in one way or another relates to one of the topics he’s discussing. It’s strange and quirky and an enjoyable way to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Hit Man

This one just got started, but so far has an interesting premise. The host heard about this small press-published book from years ago, which I’d also heard of, called Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors. It’s literally a murder manual, and has allegedly figured in an assortment of killings. In this case, though, there’s a specific multiple homicide that it gets tied to, and the eight-episode arc dives into that case and the surrounding story. Will probably appeal to true crime fans, but haven’t heard enough yet to determine if it’s a keeper.

Noble Blood

Another from the I Heart family, and it’s both historical and true crime, in a way. It’s also pretty new, so not a lot of episodes so far. Basically it’s about noble/royal and famous people from history who came to a bad end. The host kicked off with one about Marie Antoinette. Pretty sure you know what happened to her. There’s another about King Charles II, and one about an Australian butcher who claimed to be a long lost baronet. I like dirty history, so am looking forward to more of thing one.

Part 9

The Dream

Apparently the host wanted to call this something with “scams” in the title, but there were some legal issues there. But that’s what this podcast is about. Season one was about MLMs. Multi-level marketing, aka direct marketing, networking marketing, or, more closely accurate, pyramid schemes. Not only is it educational about what they are, how they work, and who they target, it explains a lot about who is susceptible (again, targeted) and why they persist, even though like 99% of people who attempt to get rich quick with them fail and lose money. Sometimes a LOT of money. The second season is about the “wellness” industry in all its predatory glory. Unsurprisingly, there’s a fair bit of overlap with MLMs, how women are disproportionately sucked in, etc. It’s pretty US-centric, but then, these scams exist all over the world, and I think we all know someone who’s tried to flog that crap at us, so super relatable.

Gravy

Created by the Southern Foodways Alliance, so pretty much entirely American-centric, but doesn’t lose anything for it, since there’s a tonne about culture, history, immigration, class issues, and other more broadly relatable topics. It’s all about the evolving American south through a food lens. It’s as engaging as it is hunger-inducing, and I guarantee you’ll be surprised at just how non-homogenous the South actually was and is.

mortem

This one’s new from the BBC, and is only a few episodes in so far. The host is Carla Valentine, who has a fair bit of a media presence already via her Instagram and TV work, among other things. It’s a semi-fictional, semi-scientific series, with the stories broken up into several chapters, one per episode. In each story, there’s a murder victim and a mystery about who done it. Could be an elderly woman found dead in her kitchen, or a discorporated jawbone found on the Scottish coast. These actual “murders” are fictional, but the processes and procedures Carla discusses are quite real, as are the medical, law enforcement, and forensic experts she talks to as if they were real investigations. Entomology, forensic odontology, a soil expert, you name it. Fortunately to date they have solved all the cases, so there is that pleasant sense of closure.

Make Me Over

This is a series presented by the maker/host of You Must Remember This, all about image and expectations in Hollywood. Weight, age, plastic surgery, drugs, racism - it’s got it all. It uses the same celebrity and Hollywood history lens as YMRT, and, for reasons that should be obvious, focuses on famous women from various eras, from Esther Williams to Vanessa Williams. Instead of Karina Longworth narrating these stories, she’s recruited a series of writers, journalists, and others to research and explore characters and stories that have interested them. It’s pretty damning, though I can’t imagine the realities of the Hollywood machine would be a surprise to anyone at this point.

27 Club

This one comes from Jake Brennan, host of Disgraceland, and continues the theme of celebrities behaving badly. Though in this case it ends up killing them, as each season will tell stories of one celebrity who died at the age of 27, hence the name. Season one is about Jimi Hendrix, and season two will be Jim Morrison. Presumably Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and others will follow. Unsurprisingly, it’s a lot of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, though depending on your age and musical tastes, I imagine some featured performers’ stories will be more familiar than others. No shortage of crazy stories and self-destructive behaviour, with plenty of rock history in the mix.

Cautionary Tales

Tim Harford hosts this one, among many, many other things he does. (I also follow his 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy.) It’s been on hiatus a while. Or maybe he was only planning one eight-episode season. I don’t recall. Basically, it’s stories of mistakes, from the ancient world to modern times. Who did what, how decisions were bad, what went wrong, and what can we learn from that. There are often stories or parts of them we may know, from history, the arts, and beyond, but these are angles you’ve likely never heard of or considered. There are plenty of whoa moments when you realize how history would have been differently written without these errors.

Decoder Ring

From the website: “In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters.” Which does make it sound drier and more anthropological than it is to the ears. Like I guarantee you had no idea how long the song Baby Shark has been around, how many versions there are, and how many countries and origins can claim it. Or how ice cream trucks became a thing. Or the term “friend of Dorothy” and how it relates to the entirety of modern gay culture. Did you know “cancel culture” was as nasty as it is today back in the 1860s? And, near and dear to my heart... rubber ducks. History, anthropology, technology, economics, it’s amazing how interconnected things are, particularly those we rarely stop to consider.

Disorganized Crime: Smuggler’s Daughter

It may not be the case for everyone, but for me, definitely a glimpse into a world and someone else’s childhood that’s VERY much not like my own. The host and her parents are pseudonymous, but back in the 60s and for several decades, her parents (largely her dad) were fairly big time pot smugglers in California. It weaves together the 60s counterculture and its hippie proponents, the history of California and its regions and the people who’ve inhabited it before it became the sterile, exorbitantly expensive tech wonderland it’s become. And how those hippies built their thriving businesses. It ties in how the world changed over time and the business with it, becoming less of a gentleman’s game and more of a dangerous illegal business. And how the 80s war on drugs blew up everything and ruined a lot of lives. 

Dolly Parton’s America

An absolutely fantastic nine-part series from WNYC Studios, and largely thanks to the fact that Dolly Parton was in a car accident years back and befriended her doctor. (The main host is his son.) A lovely combination of history, tracing Dolly’s life and origins, her career, her business savvy and the empire she’s built. All woven beautifully together with her music, interviews with her and those around her, and related stories from modern history and culture that she influences, like how Dolly became a gay icon. A brilliant, talented, and fascinating woman and some of her stories beautifully captured.

Historic Royal Palaces

Recorded talks by British academics, sometimes on site where the people they’re discussing lived and historical events took place. Eg. talking about the Tudors at Hampton Court Palace. There are people and eras we know a lot about, like the Tudors, Henry VIII’s wives, etc. But also ones looking at medieval queens and their lives, power, and roles, through to Princess Diana and how she was different than anyone before her. Women’s roles, women in power, how being LGBTQ+ was looked upon and lived historically, fashion and its meanings and uses, and other fascinating and very human topics also get explored.

Outliers - Stories from the edge of history

In partnership with Rusty Quill, for each episode a writer or playwright creates basically a one-act play about a character of their choosing. Typically they’ve given a few options and select one whose history, location, and circumstances are interesting. The general idea is that the focus is on some “nobody” who happens to be present for and fictionally shed a light on much bigger people and events. They’re essentially two-parters, with the second piece being an interview with the playwright and getting into the history, what captured their imagination, issues with the process, and other interesting tidbits. Often, the scullery maid, the valet, the prison guard, and others, can have a fascinating “voice”, and a more interesting take on historical events than any scholar.

Part 10

This is Love

From the folks who make Criminal, just, y’know, love-ier. I gave it a try when it was first launched, but it didn’t really grab me, so didn’t continue listening. Several seasons went by. And then to trumpet the arrival of Season 4, they did a crossover pair of episodes with Criminal, about some wolves in Yellowstone, and they got me. Season 4, you see, is all about animals, so I’m a half-dozen episodes in so far and really enjoying it. Because animal love stories! So far they haven’t been sneaky bastards with some “the dog dies at the end” twist, fortunately. Whether I’ll stick around for Season 5, who knows.

The Dose

Sort of a sister podcast in shorter form than CBC’s White Coat, Black Art, with the same host. It’s been COVID-centric since March, for obvious reasons, but did launch slightly before the pandemic, so early episodes were about things like aspirin and heart attacks, BMI and what it means and if it’s relevant, etc. I did some skipping over time when I was overdosed on COVID news, but they are broadening coverage again as time goes on, but keeping the topics very up-to-the-minute relevant, like discussing how racism in the healthcare system can affect people and make COVID treatment and outcomes worse.

Over the Road

By and about long-haul trucking (in the US), which may be a dying way of life, we’ll have to see. Hosted by “Long Haul Paul”, who’s been a trucker for several decades, and who is also a folk singer/songwriter (also intermittently featured). The stories are accompanied by a cast of characters, and truckers and those in their world are pretty much all characters. They cover a broad range of topics, like different kinds of trucking and how they’re perceived in the culture; how technology is affecting trucking and what that means short- and long-term; who chooses a career in trucking and why, and how that affects family and the the rest of life, etc. Since Dad drove truck for a bit, I’ve had a glimpse into that world, but it’s really engaging, whether you know anything about it or not. And it’s work that touches all of us, whether we know it or not.

Cool Mules

A six-part special series from Canadaland about ye olden days of Vice Media (around 2015), when coolness and exploitation were the name of the game, which ended up with cocaine smuggling-related convictions for “Slava P” and a bunch of young kids who made some really bad choices and were manipulated by people who shouldn’t be anyone’s role models. Proof that not all criminal masterminds are evil geniuses.

Home Cooking

Global treasure, chef, cookbook writer, columnist, and Netflix star Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway (aka Hrishi, broadly talented media dude and most familiar to me as the guy behind the Song Exploder podcast), decided to make a podcast series for folks stuck at home during the pandemic, possibly with a limited pantry, and perhaps forced to cook more than they were used to. There’s a running joke about beans... There are delightful guests and it’s a lot of goofy fun. There are terrible puns, and solid cooking advice that anyone can use. Alas, to date it’s only four episodes, but savour them like a fine meal, my friends.

Permission to Speak

I didn’t think I was going to get into this one, but every episode has managed to bring something that held my interest or got me thinking. Host Samara Bay is a voice coach for everyone from Washington to Hollywood, so her work ranges from teaching accents and dialects to helping women in positions of power (or who want positions of power) to speak up, to helping leaders engage their audiences instead of desiccating them or putting them to sleep with dry speeches. Every episode she has a guest, usually women, from a wide variety of professions and backgrounds, and their discussions cover a lot of ground, but there’s are always useful and engaging nuggets of realization, learning, and things anyone can act on.

Part 11

The Last Archive

This one’s newish and from Pushkin Industries, whence comes favourites like Revisionist History and Broken Record. Professor and historian Jill Lepore tells stories, digs into history and artifacts, and endeavours to answer, “Who killed truth?” And yet, none of that really clearly explains the episodes, which remind me a bit of the Decoder Ring podcast as well. Each episode features a story from the past, some historical episode, tied to some tangible thing that draws us into the largely narrative and context. (These things are from the fictional Last Archive.) If you like the kind of history that ties in weird and wonderfully disparate aspects with unexpected threads right through to the present day, this one’s for you.

Tumanbay

A narrative fiction podcast, now three seasons in, and with some book tie-ins to date with other media in the works. While fictional, it ties to the real history of the Mamluks in Egypt, and some of the world’s very real histories, cultures, religions, etc. The intermittent narrator is a key character in all seasons, and very much an anti-hero with an abiding interest in self-preservation. Game of Thrones fans with a bit of a more Middle Eastern interest would likely enjoy it, though there’s definitely a lot about palace intrigues and sabre rattling and invasions and the like. 

My Funeral Home Stories

Grant, the host, is from a family that owns several funeral homes, crematories, and other death-related services. He started working part-time in the family business when he was 13, and while they didn’t immediately throw him into the deep end, he saw and experienced things at an age that would raise a lot of people’s eyebrows, I’d suspect. However, if you’re not squeamish, this is the guy you want to be seated next to at a cocktail party, because he has stories, and some of them are equal parts insane and horrific. Some of his descriptions are really graphic, so it’s definitely not for everyone. He also has sort of a running narrative/stream of consciousness thing going as he recounts what he was thinking during these events, and some of it is funny, dark, and at times weirdly random and unrelated. It tracks as very realistic for the average human in very non-average situations. 

[melledotca]

Bourbon Cherry Cake

Cake

I used this vanilla cake recipe, but feel free to use whatever one you like. (Don’t use a mix, make a cake. It’s not that hard.) 

That recipe makes two 8-inch layers, so if you want a taller cake, maybe make a double batch, bake three layers, and make cupcakes with the rest. 

Soaking the cherries in whiskey

Well before you plan to bake (like at least 4 or 5 days), you’ll need to start soaking some dried cherries. Use a glass jar with a screw-on lid. Dried cherries tend to be expensive, but so tasty.

Dump the dried cherries into the jar (don’t pack them), then fill up the jar with bourbon, enough to just cover the cherries. You can use other whiskey, but I like the flavour best with bourbon. That’s the nice thing with dried cherries - less water means more room for booze!

Seal the lid on the jar and put it somewhere cool and dark for 4 or 5 days. (Really, though, it’ll last pretty much forever.) 

Cherry Filling

1 cup dried cherries (Bulk Barn and Costco both have them)

1 cup bourbon whiskey (more or less as needed to cover the cherries)

1 10oz. jar of Crofter’s Morello Cherry Jam (If you have another kind or prefer another kind, go nuts. I love this one. Zehrs has it in the Organic food breakfast section.)

Drain the whiskey off the cherries, but save it, as you’ll need it. Dump the cherries into your blender or food processor with the jar of cherry jam and pulse a few times, just to blend the jam and the cherries and chop up the whole fruits a bit. Add a little bit of the whiskey if you like to get a more fluid consistency and more booze, but you don’t want it too liquidy.

Cherry Whiskey Buttercream

3½ cups powdered sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp bourbon that the cherries have been soaking in (or a bit more, if you prefer)

That makes enough for a two-layer cake, so you might want to up the quantities if you’re making three layers and/or cupcakes.

In your stand mixer, beat the butter on fairly high speed til creamy and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar gradually and on medium-low speed to prevent a cocaine explosion. Once the sugar is fully incorporated, add the vanilla and the whiskey. Turn the mixer on high and beat for another 2-3 minutes, until the icing is nice and fluffy. (Because of the vanilla and whiskey it will be off-white and maybe slightly pink.)

Time to assemble!

Once you’ve made and cooled the cake, cut the tops off the layers horizontally so the tops are flat and even. Situate the bottom layer of cake on a plate or the base of your cake carrier or whatever. Ice a crumb layer on the bottom layer of cake.

Spread a big glop of the cherry filling onto the bottom layer of the cake and spread out evenly. Divide up the cherry filling evenly depending on how many layers you’re adding. Save a couple tablespoons to decorate the top.

Add the next cake layer and then spread a crumb layer of icing on it. If you’re adding a third layer of cake, next add a layer of cherry mixture. Otherwise, you can start icing the rest of the cake. Don’t forget to do a crumb layer on the sides. That’ll help keep the cherry mixture from leaking out, too.

When the cake is iced, make a little round circle of cherry mixture on the top. If you get the cherry mixture nice and boozy, that will help blast people with alcoholic cherry fumes when you take the lid off your cake dome.

If you’re not serving the cake right away, keep it somewhere cool, since summer is not a friend to buttercream. 

Also, don’t plan to drive anywhere soon after you eat this, depending on how potent you make it. Enjoy!

[melledotca]

Spread out

Ageing is an act of slowly shrinking. Especially for women. 

Metaphorically, over time, if we take society’s “lessons” to heart we will become ever smaller: quieter, sweeter, nicer, taking up less space and not inconveniencing anyone.

Physically, from middle age on, our posture slumps, our vertebrae compress, we lose muscle mass. Live long enough and we become “birdlike”.

In the last few years I’ve become ever more aware that maintaining bodily comfort and functionality is getting harder. More exertions are likely to make me sore, and healing is slower. 

Stiffness causes pain, which causes the body to tighten up even more to prevent pain, which causes more stiffness, and we end up in a nearly immobile knot. 

It’s amazing what a little maintenance does to prevent this, but of course so many of us end up reactive rather than proactive, taking therapeutic action to fix pain, stiffness, and discomfort rather than preventing in the first place.

Certainly, there’s wear and tear on a body over the years. There are injuries and illnesses and things that can happen that cannot be 100% repaired or healed to bring us back to where we were. 

But our own negligence or ignorance plays a role, too. You’re invincible when you’re young and you heal super fast. Mom and her coworkers didn’t really think that much of it standing in 3-inch heels all day at the bank in the 80s. They just knew their feet hurt at the end of the day.

Of course, dress codes like that are part of our socially ingrained “shrinkage”, too. Heels make your legs and butt look good. They’re not comfortable, and you can’t run, but hey, you look more “professional”. Everywhere you look, little things that shrink us over time.

Ageing against the grain is to actively defy being shrunk. Remaining active and strong and flexible to stay healthy as long as possible. To know our own worth and value our experience, skills, and intelligence so no one can cram us into a smaller psychological space.

My back hurts right now. But I don’t care what most people think of how I look or what I think or have to say. My back can and will be fixed. My mind is just going to keep expanding and taking up more space.

With any luck there’ll be plenty of room in that space for other women, too.

[melledotca]

Unconventional Education

When I broke my ankle, there were certain things that made sense that I would learn about — additional workings of the healthcare system, challenges of the disabled, what online services can and can’t do for you when you can’t go out in the world.

Can’t say that getting a better sense of addiction or fetish was on that list, but here we are. (To be clear, I have not developed either.)

However, there were a couple of occasions once I had the walking cast where the soft tissue pain and joint ache after walking the dog in the evening were intense enough that I rapidly availed myself of my only medication (two shots of rye), applied a heat pack, and waited with very little patience for one or both to kick in. 

The pain was enough to be really uncomfortable, but also completely distracting, and very draining. It’s impossible to explain to someone who’s not familiar how pain can just... flatten you. It’s exhausting and you can’t focus on anything else. Plus I suspect it makes it worse that you’re stuck focusing on it.

Those 20 minutes or so before the pain started to abate were as close as I’ve ever gotten to understanding what an addict goes through while waiting for a hit to kick in. (Since addicts don’t do it for the fun; they do it to not be in agony.)

Where fetish is concerned, I’ve never been someone who’s managed to experience runner’s high or “happy hormones” from a hard workout. Just not wired for it, I guess. (In the earlier krav days I was worked hard enough to get close to barfing, so it’s not like I haven’t hit sufficient intensity.)

However, I gave my physio a bit of a “c’mon” challenge this morning, so he dug in (leaned in, actually) on one of the more aggressive stretches to get flexibility back into my ankle. 

That work usually hurts plenty, but this one felt serious. The pain was deeper and more intense, but it was juuuust below my threshold, which is fairly high. And while it continued to hurt (though less) for a few minutes afterward, after I left physio I felt great, and could feel progress achieved. 

My physio admitted that there’s a certain guy reaction to that kind of challenge, even when you’re a professional, of, “Oh yeah? Alright...” So now I know to just tell him to hurt me from the get-go so we get to the real improvement faster. 

Plus, the following hour or two after the session is flexible, pain-free, and pretty pleasant. I’m not developing a pain fetish, by any means, but I can see the allure of that level of relief, even potentially a bit of a high, if done in the right circumstances by the right person.

[melledotca]

The future of Star Wars

Given the complaints that there’s no longer a villain, and that it’s a Disney movie, this should kill the franchise, or at least send the hardcore fans off the deep end. 

Turn it into a YA romance.

First, stoke the connection/chemistry they tried to build between Rey and Kylo in The Last Jedi. They’ll need some alone time for this. Ideally, steal a classic tactic and have them trapped alone together somewhere, particularly with some danger. 

We’re not so regressive as to stoop to “boy saves girl; girl kisses boy”. Have them save each other. No shortage of potential threats: human, animal, mechanical, or meteorological. But regardless, the end result is the same: sharing emotional baggage; finding solace in each other; feeling like finally, someone understands you; long, meaningful looks... bow chicka bow bow.

BUT, it doesn’t end there. No happy ending. Things don’t work out. For whatever reason:

Rey won’t accept the dark side; Kylo won’t accept the light side. 

They can’t agree on a third option to pursue together. Of course at some point one of them proposes running away together and assuming new identities. Probably Rey. Always seems to be the girl thing to do.

Turns out Kylo is surprisingly elitist about Rey’s lack of illustrious lineage, deep down, and struggles with how she nonetheless is as strong as he is. 

Rey thinks Kylo’s psychotically ambitious for wanting to rule the Empire; Kylo thinks the Rebellion is doomed (also: mommy issues). 

Whatever. They part with acrimony, but also sadness, still connected (always), but with their dedication to their respective paths reinforced.

Hell, if you want to really separate them but keep them connected, and cement the dark/light Empire/Rebellion goodness, make it a custody battle. 

Oh yes, consummation! Hell, play on tradition and have Rey produce twins, with Kylo finding out and hunting her to the ends of the galaxy to take them. (Over her dead body, which is another possible outcome...)

And to set up a whole future series, have Kylo end up with one twin, and Rey end up with another. Or have both parents die and each twin is raised separately in some far-flung corner of the universe. With very different politics, of course.

And... scene.