Gettin' Out 2019

Had my first day downtown of 2019 this afternoon, and it was a great one! A nice Spring day before Winter 3.0 hits us with more snow and freezing rain over the weekend.

Got a haircut, went and bought a couple months-worth of comics to catch up on, then went for lunch and a latte.

Not doing TCAF this year because of cost and other trips to save for, so I think I'm going to plan to do lots in and around the city instead.

Ottawa holds a Writers Fest each year and just released their newest lineup. Some pretty good-looking books and authors being showcased, so I might try and get to a couple of those. Also, I just found out that the city has a Grilled Cheese Fest, so definitely will be going to that!

I've come to realize how much I've valued TCAF as a way to do something totally on my own, so I'm thinking of taking one day a month for the Spring and Summer as a "me day", doing some of the things I just wrote about, browsing around a book store, going to a movie (though that'll probably be with others), or even just getting a cab downtown after work if it's nice.

Lots of ideas, so I really hope Mother Nature is listening and chooses to be kind.

Cheers!

Unsilence SBSK

Back in October, I wrote about Special Books by Special Kids, a YouTube channel and broader platform, that shares interviews with people, young and old, living with various diagnoses and disabilities.

Recently, the comments sections of their YouTube videos have been disabled, and they're trying to get that undone.

The reason for this is because YouTube has started to shut off the comments sections of videos involving children, in an effort to combat bullying and predatory behaviour. I'm all for that, but the website is doing it at random, hence SBSK's issue.

As someone who has commented on more than a few videos, SBSK's comments sections are always positive, respectful, and create a great dialogue within and about the disability community. It would really be a shame if that stopped.

There's a petition that SBSK has created, which can be signed here. They've also uploaded a couple new videos to their YouTube channel and Facebook page. Please take a couple moments if you feel so inclined.

Normally, I wouldn't post this kind of thing, but I'm a fan and I think it's an initiative that creates a lot of good conversation.

Thanks and Cheers!

Pick Your Battles

When it comes to advocacy, or anything else, I guess, I've learnt that it's important to choose your battles carefully.

For example, several months ago I had planned to write a letter to the editor for the local paper in response to negative comments made towards people on assistance by a couple politicians. First, I wrote the letter as a blog post then, so my bases were covered, I passed it along to my manager at work, who suggested I also speak about it with the department's media rep. Both recommended not including direct reference to any of the politicians involved.

So, I sat on the letter for a few days and ultimately decided not to send it in. I had more than enough reasons to submit the letter and get my opinion out there but, in the end I felt like actually having a job and doing well at it was setting a better example than trashing a couple politicians ever would have.

I think I made the right decision. It saved me a lot of time and probable trouble, and taught me that there are just times when it's better to keep my mouth shut (or fingers off the keyboard maybe?) and choose the path of least resistance.

Cheers