2018 In Review

Wow, so much stuff happened this year! And so many new opportunities.

The year started right off on a positive note, with me becoming the Communications Coordinator for the National Capital Able Sail Association, doing up and sending off their newsletters and other things, then joining a pretty good sci-fi and fantasy book club later in the month.

February saw me attend the first of several disability and advocacy-related events throughout the year. First to a very interesting event at Carleton University focused on accessibility and innovation. Later on in 2018, I attended the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorder's (CORD) two-day conference here in Ottawa as a representative for the Joubert Foundation.

In October, I attended Genomics on The Hill as a guest of my geneticist Dr. Kym Boycott. There, I was able to speak to policy makers, research scientists and others, and represent not only the JS Foundation but also CHEO's Genetics department.

I wrote a lot this past year, not only creating several good blog posts, but getting a story published by The Mighty, first time in quite a few years!

2018 was the year I finally decided to suck it up and get some home care for myself. After talking with my parents, then meeting with a representative for a local health organization, home care was set up for someone to come in for about an hour, a couple times a week, and help me with some personal grooming. So far it's going pretty well.

It would turn out that I would really need that home care because 2018 was the year I finally got a paid, on-site job!!

Through LiveWorkPlay, I was finally able to get a part-time job within the Canadian government! It's data entry, with a little filing and communications, three days a week. Originally for just six months, I recently got my contract renewed, so now I'll be there until July, 2019!

And of course, I did some travelling this year. Another expensive, but incredibly fun and relaxing solo weekend in Toronto for the Toronto Comics Art Fest. Not sure about 2019 yet, but maybe if I can squeeze it in.

September marked my first "business" trip and time in Dallas, Texas for the Joubert Foundation's board retreat.

Nice flights, great people, and some good work done!

And that's pretty much it. Another great year, and looking forward to much of the same in 2019.

Cheers and Happy New Year, Blogverse!

Merry Christmas

Cookies made? Check!
Mickey's Christmas Carol and ALF's Christmas watched? Check!
Presents wrapped? Check!

Then I guess the only thing left to do before the big morning is to write the annual Christmas post.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Cheers

Rudolph, Bullying, and the "War on Christmas"

I generally try to avoid the whole "war on Christmas." Just a big waste of time and energy during a holiday that can already be kind of nuts without it.

Today though, I heard about people going on about Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and issues related to bullying. Since Rudolph is one of my all-time favourite Christmas movies, and bullying seems to be a recurring topic on this blog, I thought that, just this once, I'd throw in my opinion.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is being accused by some of depicting bullying. Donner wanting to hide his son's red nose, Hermey the Elf being picked on for wanting to be a dentist, even the idea of misfit toys! These are all points of contention.

I'm sure some of this is being said in a tongue-in-cheek manner as a response to the controversy with the song "Baby It's Cold Outside", but I'll bet it's more serious than not.

To anyone accusing this movie of depicting bullying, all I can say is "DUH!!".

That's the whole point of the story! How these characters overcome bullying and their feelings of being outcasts and misfits to finally fitting in and contributing to Christmas and life at The North Pole. You can't show characters overcoming bullying without first showing it. And, if these people actually watched the movie until the end they'd see that Donner, the head elf, and even Santa himself admit to acting like major dicks and apologize to those they've hurt or neglected.

All these movies and carols and songs are old now, and pretty dated. It can be tough experiencing them through a modern lens. But, in the case of Rudolph, the message of someone being bullied for being different, then being accepted after finding a good use for his differences is one that should be more important now than ever before.

Also, it's a movie with talking animals, a maimed yeti, and a cowboy riding an ostrich. Are we really going to create a debate over that?

Cheers!