Rae Roy

Album art by greyschale Twitch streamer and Ottawa-based international singer-songwriter, Danielle Allard, just dropped her new album Invader . In July, I was fortunate enough that I got to participate in the filming for one of the companion music videos. I had to drink and have a good time at a bar for that. Not just any bar, but one that has been a home to many local musicians: Live on Elgin. Below are my thoughts on the major album tracks. I strongly recommend listening to any music with a good set of headphones because speakers miss many of the subtleties that bring a richness and depth to the listener end. They don't even have to be the highest end headphones to transform your listening experience. I have some Sennheiser HD201s that I think I bought for around $69 about a decade ago that completely rock my world and have an added benefit of weighing only about 165g, which is important when you've had the kind of neck injury that I have had. Please note, as part of her comm...

Saturday was packed full of panels and visits to the Dealer's Room to buy books and see friends who had tables. After attending Can-Con , I feel like there is so much I want and need to fix with my novel before it goes out. But now I have a good idea what's wrong and what I want to do to fix it. I'm so thankful we could have Can-Con this year!  Here is a list of all of the panels I attended throughout the convention and the panelists who spoke: Friday, October 14th 1. Making the Most Out of Short-Term Travel - Christian Baines - Kofi Oduro - Melissa Yuan-Innes - Kelly Robson 2. Jumping Into Volcanoes and Other Insane Ways to Write What You Know - Mark Robinson 3. Writing What Scares You - Christian Baines - Megan M. Davies-Ostrom - Matt Moore - Nina Nesseth Saturday, October 15th 1. What Are We Writing For? - Brandon Crilly - Suzan Palumbo - Arley Sorg - Sienna Tristen 2. Life Beyond Us: Exploring Astrobiology with Science Fiction - Julie E. Czernada - Eric Choi - Rich Lars...

I had a different post planned, but then I got Covid and got preoccupied dealing with all that brought. Sorry for disappearing. The scariest thing about having Covid was that it's new. It doesn't progress the way other illnesses have for me. Usually they gradually get worse until they peak and then they gradually get better. I had days that felt like no change happened and ones where I would get a new symptom like a severe headache that felt just like the neck pain I occasionally get ever since I hurt myself playing roller derby. And a problematic thing for someone with Sjogren's Syndrome is that it can be hard to tell if I'm actually fevered or my body is just having a moment where it thinks it is. I can usually figure it out if I'm having the other fever symptoms like the chapped lips at least. Luckily, I recovered just in time to attend Can-Con 2022. But Covid is one hell of a thing and I have some lingering symptoms like a dry cough and erratic energy levels. My...

I keep running into queer people who worry about how the queer community will look at them. They worry they aren't queer enough and I think they need to stop doing that to themselves. It doesn't matter if you're currently in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex. If you are attracted to the same sex or those who fall in between, you're queer. If you're non binary and bisexual, you're queer. Yes, even if you look like a straight, white, male. If you're trans and in a hetero presenting relationship, you're queer. Sexual orientation is about sexual attraction. You can absolutely love someone who doesn't match your orientation. You might even enjoy sex with them. Yeah, you may get less hostility in a straight-passing relationship, but you'll trade that for different relationship challenges. Pride is about love. There isn't someone running around with a clipboard, a measuring device, or checking your naughty bits to determine your level ...

Now that I'm more removed from it, I can talk a little more about the phenomena that is losing a parent. It's an odd experience that hits in many ways and it affects those around you in various ways as well. Friends who had been through it were either giving me a knowing look, a hug, or offering to be there if I needed anything. Some people were rather intrigued in a way because they couldn't conceptualize what it would be like. Some were so close with their own mothers that they couldn't be around me too much because they didn't want to think about the possibility of it happening to them. And some were going through it soon after, so we could attempt to help each other through some of the tough moments. Some of my friends reached out to reconnect with their own mothers after I lost mine. Even if they had horrendous upbringings involving things like drug addiction or alcoholism. Losing a parent is hard. Some people accept it more easily than others. I know someone w...