The Seated View

Dear Santa, I’m writing to you in the hope that you can help me. For the last six months, I have wanted nothing more than for the mistake that has led to Facebook designating my website as spam to be solved and for my site to be cleared.  After emailing Facebook many times, my Blogger site (this one) was finally cleared in November. As I’m sure you can imagine, this made me very happy, because I can now share my writing on Facebook again. I’m really grateful and thoroughly enjoy being able to have invigorating and supportive discussions with the over 900 people who follow me on Facebook . I know you have an audience of billions, so 900 people might not seem like a lot to you, but I love every one of them. The reason I’m writing to you is that the problem is not fully solved. You see, when my Blogger site was blocked, so was my custom domain The Seated View DOT com. It points to my Blogger site, so it’s not spam either. After blogging here for close to 13 ye...

I spent Friday of last week at the Art Gallery of Ontario for the Living ARTHfully Blogger and Online Influencer Event. Canadian bloggers who write about RA, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis arthritis came together to make connections, learn tips and information, and brainstorm about increasing online conversations about arthritis. Hosted by GCI Group for Janssen (makers of Remicade and Simponi), it was an inspiring and invigorating day. By the time I went home, I was several new friends richer and buzzing with new ideas.  Let me introduce you to the other bloggers: Brian lives in Newfoundland and blogs at Newfoundland Sea Kayaking about arthritis and kayaking among icebergs. For such a calm guy, he’s a bit crazy. You can find him on Twitter at @Newhook79 . Dustin’s from Calgary. Only a few years into his journey with ankylosing spondylitis, he’s already really an important contributor to the online community. You can find him at Journey with AS and @jour...

    When I lived with my parents, dinner was one of my favourite times of the day. Not because my mother is an excellent cook - although there is that - but because dinner was the time where we all sat down together, ate and talked. And it was the talking especially that made this time of day extra special. Because sooner or later a debate would start. My parents taught both my sister and I the debate game and to this day, it remains one of our favorite sports. We can enter into a spirited debate about pretty much anything and frequently do, much to the amusement - and occasional frustration - of other people in the room. Someone will say something and before you know it, we're locked in a lively game of Pass the Word. Because this isn't just about exchanging opinions, it is also about passing the metaphorical talking stick back and forth so quickly that it becomes a bit of a blur. We jump into the conversation when someone else is talking because we learned - a...