A Change is gonna come

Life in the time of Covid-19, a change is gonna come; The world is changing.  Hell, the world has already been marked by quite a few significant shanges!  I started to write this post back in September of 2021. That’s about eight months ago. Things definitely started to change! We had been slapped around by a pandemic, endured a pseudo fascist American President, witnessed violent recognition of systemic racism in North American culture, endured unprecedented forest fires, weathered more hurricanes than most of us have ever seen in a single season, watched floods ravage arable land, and fought through other … Continue reading A Change is gonna come

The Evil Empire didn’t leave

I grew up in an era where our parents openly worried about what the Evil Empire, would do to our hard won freedoms. The Evil Empire manifested itself first as The Third Reich and then as the USSR. Our parents lived with the effects of World War II, both during and after. Imagine their anxiety during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Now we worry that the invasion of the Ukraine puts us and our children back in the same place and mindset. As a grandfather this reality is very distressing. Is the Cold War back? The Cold war left … Continue reading The Evil Empire didn’t leave

Your hand in my pocket

Why do I find someone’s hand in my pocket ? It seems like everyone wants a bit of something; a handout, a contribution, a donation, sponsorship or validation that can only come through monetization, and they’re looking in my pocket. As I browse the web, surfing for information and guidance I find that nothing is free anymore. Everyone wants a contribution either in the form of straight up ‘gimme money’ or in the form of donation and subscription fees. There is no free exchange of information. People are trying to monetize their experience and insights using the vehicle of online … Continue reading Your hand in my pocket

Countdown to the holidays

In the countdown to the holidays there are a number of different markers. To begin with there is the profusion of lights. The winters here are very dark, with the shortest day of the year being in the forefront of the season. Once that marker is past and winter is officially declared the days get lighter as we head into spring, and the time of renewal. What marks your countdown to the holidays? There are festivals, parades, Christmas markets, religious observances and more. We have the end of the school term, which in my case results in more time with … Continue reading Countdown to the holidays

10+ years on

  Here’s the latest panoramic x-ray of my jaw, taken in early May of 2017 by my current dentist.   its not a great illustration of everything that has happened in my mouth, but it works for what he needs at the moment. Highlights; that glow in the centre of the image is part of the x-ray apparatus.  It’s a bit disconcerting on first blush, isn’t it? to the left of the glow is the plate that was used to bolt my lower jaw back together, after they split it. starting on the right side of the image and trailing along … Continue reading 10+ years on

Akabutu’s Mouthwash

One of the most important weapons in my arsenal when it came to finding comfort during the post surgical application of radiation/chemo combo therapy was the use of Akabutu’s mouthwash.  This mouthwash or oral rinse was developed by Dr. John Akabutu while working at the University of Alberta Hospital and the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is my understanding that this isn’t always easy to come by outside of the Alberta cancer community, so for those of you who don’t have easy access, here is one variation on the recipe; From what I’ve been able to discover through … Continue reading Akabutu’s Mouthwash

More on Akabutu’s Mouthwash

An anonymous reader of my blog has provided a few more details on the composition of Akabutu’s Mouthwash: For a 240 ml Bottle: Glycerin Cortef 10 mg (cortesone) Ratio-Nystatin susp 100,00 U/ML (anti fungal) PMS-Lidocaine viscous 2% 100ml Lens Plus 360ml (saline solution) which contains salt 0.9% Notes on preparing the solution. I hope that is helpful to some of you. Please note, however, that I have no real idea of the validity of this recipe and that using it is at your own risk. I also must caution you that I also have no understanding of copyright/patent infringements that … Continue reading More on Akabutu’s Mouthwash