Colleen Anderson's Blog, page 68

Canadian SF Giant Dies

Phyllis Gotlieb left the mortal coil on July 14. She is probably not a name known to many in the world of speculative reading yet she was known by many writers. She was a steady writer; though not as prolific like Rob Sawyer or Charles de Lint, she was in her own way a pioneer in the field.

Judith Merril was known as the grandam of science fiction and Phyllis as the mother of Canadian SF. She began writing and publishing when there were fewer writers in the field altogether and very few women. Ca

Cats and Gods

Cats, we all know them. We love them or we hates them. There are those of us who love them, and that's pretty much everyone on my block. My neighbor had a cat that died a year ago. He's just got two new cats. I have one but used to have two. My other neighbor has four, two of which were the children of my cat when she was an unwed, teenage mom (also abandoned on the street). There used to be three of her children but one died. And my neighbor's other two cats were street cats as well.

My landlady

Red-Faced About Rosacea

Just after I returned from my trip to Ireland in the fall of 2007 my eyes started turning pink. Not red, not high grade irritable but a little drier than before and evenly pink. I went to the doctor who gave me drops for allergies. Still pink. I went to the optometrist who saw nothing wrong. I went to the naturopathic clinic where they gave me different drops. Still pink. I repeated appointments with each of these people, ending up at the doctor's again. So she sent me to an ophthalmologist.

The

Losing My Religion

My mother would probably have been raised Catholic, had her mother not died when she was four. Being of Italian parentage, it's the default religion. I'm not even sure if my mother went to church regularly. Her stepmother wasn't supportive and kept her and her sister outside till ten at night.

By the time I came along, third in the family with a six-year gap, my mother didn't even bother getting me or my younger brother baptized. I seem to recall a few sessions in some church when I was young but

Facial Types

When I went to Ireland, I began to recognize typical Irish faces. My friend Sam's father was Irish and I didn't know how Irish Sam looked until I was in the airport and saw a guy that could have been his brother.

As I travelled through Ireland I noticed this one face that I would call the quintessential Irish man's face. The men were not really wizened but had broad brows, often creased with a line or two even at a young age. I saw eighteen-year-olds with this look. The eyes not large but big and

What's in a Name, and Changing It

Back around 1000 CE, surnames were not as common or set as they are now. Someone might just be known as John or Mary. If a second Mary showed up then you might be known as Mary of Kent, or Mary the weaver. John the smith or Liam of the potters' field or Elizabeth from Gower got shortened in time to John Smith, Liam Pottersfield and Elizabeth Gower.

The taking of a surname started in the south and slowly spread north as cities and villages grew. The gentry were the first to take surnames and only

The Death of Rock Stars

Untimely deaths in the world of entertainment may not be every day, but they are a little too common, and of course because these people are famous we hear of all the sensational aspects that went along with the death. Looking at three stars of the music world, we have Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Michael Jackson, to name a few but perhaps the most famous deaths.

Elvis made it to 42 and died from complications of obesity and drugs. His life of fame ate at him and like many stars, brought out th

Memories: Firebugs

Everyone makes mistakes in their lives or do things innocently without considering the consequences. We learn sometimes in a trial by fire. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, or smarter or at least thinking, I sure won't do that again.

My first true experience with fire was when I was about eight and my brother six.  We weren't in the habit of burning candles around the house. Still, there were matches to be found because my father smoked. My little brother and I would come home from school

Peachland: A Sweet Place to Be

Peachland is just north of Penticton by about a half hour. Some would call it a bedroom community and I think there are some people that keep "cottages" there for the summer. It is a town that is long but not very wide, averaging two-four streets at the deepest. One side is hemmed in by Okanagan Lake and the other by the highway and the mountain beyond it, though some building and extension of Peachland has gone up the hillside.

In all, the town is probably about two miles long, maybe a bit longe

Penticton and Wayward Travels

I drove up with friends yesterday (this was July 1 but there have been internet issues) to Penticton. This is an extended Canada Day that will go until the weekend. The drive started out fine and one car took the Hope-Princeton route and they other, my car, the Coquihalla route. It's been about four years since I was last out this way, I think, so how much could it change?

I have never wanted to drive through the Interior during the winter, especially on the Coquihalla Highway, which is a top o