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What you say and how you say it matters
Language shapes perception. The words we choose do more than describe reality – they construct it. When speaking about disabled people, language can either reinforce stigma and exclusion or foster dignity, accuracy, and respect. Sensitivity in language usage is not about policing speech for its own sake; it is not an unthinking, cynical, and rote…
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Thirteen
This post has thirteen paragraphs; the thirteenth word of every paragraph is 13. I undertook this task partly because today is Friday the 13th, and partly because for all my education (in Philosophy, logic, and rhetoric no less) I am still afraid of the number 13. I have written about this before (here), and triumphantly…
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There’s a Seinfeld for that
Philosophy, my field of study as an undergraduate, has fallen on hard times of late, and I don’t understand why, given that it is the foundation of every academic discipline; it is the ‘Ph’ in PhD (which stands for “doctor of philosophy”). So your professor with a doctorate in Chemistry actually is a “doctor of…
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Leave the trumpet-blowing to the musicians
I am actually a very shy person. If you find that easy to believe, good; I’ve done what I’m supposed to do. I may be outwardly shy and non-confrontational but sometimes, inside, I well up with megalomaniacal self-belief. In my head I act out little vignettes where I not only get my point across but…
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I outwitted AI using Phil Collins!
Okay, let’s just get this out of the way right at the start. I am a Phil Collins fan. And I’m not going to justify it by claiming it’s because he’s such a talented drummer and invented the technique of gated reverb which revolutionized how drums are recorded and defined the sound of rock and…
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I’ve turned to crime
Contemporary television viewing is decidedly different than in years gone by due to “on demand” streaming services and the modern practice of binging, wherein the viewer watches several “episodes” of a show in one sitting, sometimes without bathing or eating (Doritos, Slim Jim’s, or a big bowl of popcorn don’t count). This means the tales…
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An abomination
Does two years in a row make for a tradition? Let’s say it does. My first post of 2025, on New Year’s Day, was about whether you should put pineapple on pizza (of course you should, it’s delicious!), so I thought I’d continue the tradition and write about food today. I am not one to…
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Sound off
I am, by nature, an introvert. I am not shy – nobody would accuse me of that! And I can hold my own at a party or in a crowded room. But when it comes right down to it, I’d rather be alone. And that, I am told, is the indicator. The test. Is ‘alone’…
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A brief history of pink
We have a gentleman (ahem!, and I use the term loosely) that works here at my residence who is very enamored with the color pink. I often taunt him about it. And he retaliates by assaulting me with the color any chance he gets. One December, I awoke to find that overnight he had filled…
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Swearing
WARNING: This post contains strong language. Reader discretion is advised. Yesterday, I underwent an outpatient medical procedure meant to diagnose some issues I am having with my bladder. As it involved the doctor looking inside my bladder with a tiny camera attached to a scope, and as there is really only one way to accomplish that…
Your mileage may vary.