Just read: The Sealed Letter

A good novel is a treat; a great novel a delicacy. This past week or so, I've been enthralled with Emma Donoghue's great new novel The Sealed Letter based on "the details of a scandalous divorce case that gripped England in 1864." It's by far one of the best novels I've read this year. Reading The Sealed Letter had me thinking about the genre of historical fiction (of which I read a lot). As with anything, there's great historical fiction, interesting historical fiction and what seems like gratuitous historical fiction. Gratuitous historical fiction is often fun to read and can usually be identified by the recurrence of lines like "The nurse put the baby in the perambulator, a remarkable new device that had been invented just last year." Good historical fiction conveys the time, place, and ideas evocatively, accurately and convincingly and uses historical detail deftly. Sometimes good historical fiction is better history than fiction; sometimes the needs of conveying history seem to override the needs of a well-crafted novel. I'm starting to think that great historical fiction not only recreates a time, place or character evocatively but that it also guides you through the nebulous areas of doubt, contradiction and ambiguity of that time. I think one of the recurrent shortcomings of historical fiction is that it suggests that eras before our own were simpler: that life made more sense, pieces fell into place and everything added up. Donoghue is clearly a gifted fiction writer but she's also a gifted historian. At the end of the novel, we understand that nothing has ever been simple. We are not offered answers but questions. We need to think not only about the events and characters she has brought back to life in this fine novel but also about the very act of telling and conveying history and how we shape and are shaped by history or histories.

Guerilla Gardening

When I was in Bruges last month, I saw a little patch of pansies on the street which struck me as a lovely random act of gardening. Today I've been reading about Guerilla Gardening (read more about it here) which is a great idea. Hmm...

American History and the Cracker Jack Prize

Today I purchased some Cracker Jacks at the ballpark as I root, root rooted for the home team. I was delighted to find this mini biography of George Washington as the prize. It reminds me of a Simpsons episode my pal N, a historian, often cites:
Bart: "Gee, how come you know so much American history?"
Grandpa Simpson: "I pieced it together…mostly from sugar packets."

And the winner is: the Chocolate Digestive

According to a BBC story, "about four out of five UK businesses believe the type of biscuit they serve to potential clients could clinch the deal or make it crumble." The survey of 1000 business types found that "the chocolate digestive was deemed to make the best impression followed by shortbread and Hob Nobs." I would have voted for the HobNob. On the topic of biscuit etiquette more than half of respondents looked down on dunking biscuits in tea or coffee during a meeting. On a related note, a survey of 7000 people last year revealed that the custard cream was the nation's favourite biscuit.

Sir Walter and Amy W

According to a story in the Guardian, "Cambridge University finalists have been asked to demonstrate their three years of intensive study at a world-class institution in an exam question that compared the poetry of Sir Walter Raleigh with the lyrics of the pop singer Amy Winehouse." A spokesman for the university said "the question was not 'usual', but added that it showed the university was firmly rooted in the 21st century." Ah. Yes. This comparison is pretty easy if you compare Winehouse's lyrical musings with Raleigh's very little known poem "Roanoke" : "They wanted me to go to Virginia and I said sure, sure, sure".

Two Photos

My poor cafe. I have been neglecting it. I've been a bit pre-occupied with todayphoto but I think I can get back to doing both. While sorting the candidates for today's today photo, I was struck by a few similarities that I would not have noticed had they not been side by side in iPhoto. One was taken while waiting for my bus on campus and the other while I poked around my garden. I'll let them speak for themselves.

Facebook Haiku: Volume 4

Heidi thinks it's good to know that both the Modern Language Association and the Meat and Livestock of Australia both use the acronym MLA.2:42pm

Heidi is amused by the New Yorker referring to Amy Winehouse as "the Marge Simpson of junkie retro soul".11:36am
Yesterday

Heidi had a fabulous guys' weekend: one can sure watch a lot of Jane Austen movies and try on a lot of shoes without them. AND get the remote.9:08pm
May 25

Heidi spent some time in the Mudville Nine.5:23pm

Heidi is, like the bank commercial says, 'richer than she thinks.' It's true. She just found 2.50 in Canadian Tire Money.9:22am
May 24

Heidi was wrong in thinking dashing out to grab a coffee would motivate her to read her icky book. Talking with Dave and Ron was a lot more fun.3:08pm

Heidi is wondering if she suffers from "techno-romantic idealism" or if she's just reading too much theory.1:58pm

Heidi is continuing her jet-setting by traveling to Chatham on Monday.11:17am

Heidi is participating in Take Your Giant Ferns Home From Work Day. D will join her. But he will mutter curse words. She will not.2:31pm

Heidi is living on the edge and microwaving her lunch!1:13pm

Heidi is not so vain as to think this song is about her.12:30pm

Heidi does not regret staying out til 1 AM on a school night. She might, however, regret it at 6:30 AM.1:01am
May 21

Heidi is not a geranium.9:22pm

Heidi still needs 2,026 delegates. Come on Puerto Rico!8:36pm

Heidi loves the statement she heard at a workshop: "as far as I'm concerned, if you're up @ 3AM wine & dancing should be involved; Foucault should not be." 12:25pm

Heidi is half the man she could be.8:09am
May 19

Heidi distrusts the email she just got promising she can be twice the man she is now.9:43pm

Heidi shouldn't be surprised to discover that standing in her backyard and whining "warm uuuupp!!!" doesn't achieve much.5:19pm

Heidi would really like to be sipping Campari on her front deck while neighbours ask "hot enough for ya?" Instead she's shivering and sipping tea inside.2:22pm

Heidi is grateful for the leads on butlers.7:03pm
May 17

Heidi is wondering if people still hire butlers these days; she thinks she would like one.3:50pm
May 16

Heidi is considering practicing random acts of microwaving.3:40pm

Heidi is baffled as to why, an hour after wondering why she's still here, she's still in her office on such a nice day. How did she miss lunch?? And coffee...3:21pm

Heidi is baffled as to why she's still in her office on such a nice day. How did she miss lunch??2:43pm

Heidi has been on the phone since 9:20...11:07am
May 15

Heidi is surprised that she is surprised to realize that emoticons lack subtley and precision.12:00pm

Heidi is wondering if her Tigers jersey would be considered business casual....10:43pm

Heidi has just been given a pair of brown argyle socks as a gift. Really.3:14pm

Heidi can't stop thinking about her lunch.12:25pm

Heidi feels like librarianship's Jim Leyland.11:16am

Heidi wishes she had a pain au chocolat for breakfast.9:04am
May 13

Heidi is not expected to win the West Virginia Primary. Things also don't look great for her in Kentucky, South Dakota, Oregon or Montana. Puerto Rico however...8:03pm

Heidi is not expected to win the West Virginia Primary. Things aren't looking great in Kentucky, South Dakota, Oregon.8:00pm

Heidi is not set to win West Virginia either but will take aim at McCain nonetheless.5:18pm

Heidi 's feelings of invincibility have been dashed. She just got a phone call from the circulation desk asking if she'd returned her own DVDs with her books. Ah.9:26am May 12

Heidi is feeling invincible! She can outsmart jetlag by ignoring it!8:21pm

Heidi is home! Her cats are happy; her inner vegetarian is joyous but her inner aesthete is singing a sad song by Edith Piaf.5:02pm
May 9

Heidi is sufficiently self aware to realize she is naive in believing Dale is charmed by her encyclopedic knowledge of dog breeds in Paris.4:50pm

Heidi is amazed at what looking at classical sculpture for a morning can do for one's body image.10:56am
May 7

Heidi is fond of Paris in the spring time.11:27am
May 6

Heidi is in Paris. She is happy to no longer be hearing the Eagles everywhere she goes. Really, Belgium, what gives??3:40pm
May 4

Heidi apparently has allergies that work in the European Union as well as NorthAmerica. Oh well.2:59am

Heidi now knows where bad American pop songs from the 70s went.8:36am
May 2

Heidi is in Brussels; Bruges tomorrow; all well.10:39am
April 28

Heidi is not married to Seal.3:47pm
April 25

Heidi is taking on 418 words. She might take Renee's advice and get rid of all words starting with T. Would anyone notice?9:25am
April 24

Heidi has 418 words to expunge and 72 hours to do it. But she also has a date with Curtis at 1:05. 418 words can wait.11:40am

Heidi has 682 words to expunge before first pitch.10:27am

Heidi is discovering BobbleHead Curtis's forte is not open ended questions.10:17am

Heidi is trying to delete 913 words before first pitch.9:18am
April 23

Heidi has lost her strathspey.10:31pm

Heidi is home and more mirthful.5:21pm

Heidi is looking a lot less merry than BobbleHead Curtis after a long day of editing.4:33pm

Heidi and BobbleHead Curtis only need to get rid of 961 words now. He's so agreeable.3:18pm

Heidi and BobbleHead Curtis are ecstatic that the AC is kicking in at work!1:52pm

Heidi has found that while BobbleHead Curtis is a very agreeable co-writer, he's not very speedy. She still needs to get rid of 1,164 words.1:24pm

Heidi is going for a walk and leaving BobbleHead Curtis with her revisions. Hopefully he'll delete 1300 words by the time she gets back.12:20pm

Heidi and Bobble Head Curtis are deleting 175 words per hour.12:14pm

Heidi is happy Bobble Head Curtis has agreed to help her rid her article of 1,438 words.9:17am
April 22

Heidi is amused R said it must be baseball season because "all the boys are coming to see you." I didn't want to say "they're actually here to see BobbleHead Curtis".2:28pm

Heidi is worried that her evilness has escaped her fragile facade of innocence.1:55pm

Heidi has just come back from a lunch where she shared many of her pranks over the years. She feels the need to apologize to everyone she's ever known. Sorry...1:44pm

Heidi still hopes to woo superdelegates, elected legislators and party insiders.11:25pm

Heidi is attempting to dispel rumours that she has a crush on a certain center fielder.11:17pm

Heidi is glad to hear she's appearing tactful.2:21pm

Heidi is not exactly as illustrated.2:04pm

Heidi finds that watching Curtis' bobble head bobble is a lot more fun than tending to some of her work email.1:54pm

Heidi would like you to know that Bobble Head Curtis is in the Leddy house.9:20am

Heidi regrets mentioning the baseball and is surprised people are emailing to say "are you ok" rather than "you got a Curtis Bobblehead? WOW!!!".10:08pm

Heidi sustained no major injuries after getting hit by a Toledo Mudhen baseball. She also now has a Curtis bobble head doll. EEEEEE!!!!7:50pm

Heidi is sort of weepy after seeing La Rondine at the Detroit Opera house. Poor Magda.10:45pm

Heidi has been researching shoes and finds the recurrent claim "where style and comfort meet" spurious.3:51pm
April 18

Paris photos

As many of you know, I've been in France and Belgium the past 2 weeks and am working through my photos.  I found this very lovely site this afternoon; sigh... it's not helping me adjust to work life but it's nice to look at.  

When Obama Wins

This is a site worthy of a visit and a few dozen clicks. I think my contribution to this would be "When Obama Wins, people will stop wearing UGG boots." Thanks to PB for passing this along.

3 months of facebook updates

Heidi is remembering her physiotherapist's advice from October: "when those cute shoes come out in the spring, I want you to remember how much this hurts.".
11:21pm

Heidi 's mind is hosting a monumental battle between good and evil: kitten heel sling backs or the wrath of her physiotherapist. Which side will win? Tough call.
6:11pm

Heidi is a hermit in her own mind.
10:04am

Heidi anticipates she will be scurvy free AND malaria free for the next several years. Hurrah for quinine and lime!
12:48am

Heidi thinks eating a cupcake and staying out way past her bedtime on a school night was exactly what she needed.
12:20am

Heidi can't believe she just read a story about "Farfallegate" and the McCain campaign.
6:43pm

Heidi is in a better mood because of a cupcake.
6:32pm

Heidi would have a live-in physio therapist if she were Celine Dion. Heidi would also be a lot taller and thinner if she were Celine Dion. She would annoy herself.
5:02pm

Heidi has had her name mispelled by 3 different people in the past 24 hours. She is starting to think she is spelling her own name wrong.
3:52pm

Heidi agrees with R however she thinks Cicero's cuter than Phaedrus the Epicurean but not as cute as Pliny the Elder.
1:01pm

Heidi wishes 1. she could get the image of the squashed rat she saw this weekend out of her head and 2. that she'd stop equating it with her scholarship.
9:53am

Heidi is alarmed that people actually read her status updates and regrets using the phrase "intellectual roadkill."
9:40am

Heidi thinking about baseball when she should be thinking about her article's impending deadline and its current state (which reminds her of intellectual roadkill).
9:22am

Heidi is thinking about getting a theramin for her cats.
4:12pm

Heidi apologizes to L and D for not sharing her Junior Caramels. She will know better next time.
2:34pm

Heidi wishes she hadn't eaten all those Junior Caramels. She feels ill. She can, however, take your calls now.
2:13pm

Heidi should know better than to answer the phone with a mouth full of Junior Caramels.
1:24pm

Heidi is wondering if cake is a form of rhetorical persuasion.
12:01pm

Heidi is apparently on the Survivor Leddy tribe who lost the challenge where the winning team gets room temperature work spaces.
9:20am

Heidi is miffed. After 3 weeks of leaving milk and cookies for the laundry fairies, she's decided she needs to take matters into her own hands.
6:24pm

Heidi found the hidden immunity idol.
9:21am

Heidi thanks D for acknowledging that it is he not she who curses at What Not To Wear.
3:55pm

Heidi does not curse at the TV during What Not to Wear.
2:14pm

Heidi is listening to D curse at the TV and having a hard time believing that D watches sports because it "relaxes him".
1:44pm

Heidi is laughing herself silly at P B's new political campaign: "The Audacity of Heidi: Change Albertans Can Live With.".
8:13pm

Heidi is uber proud of her brother. He's so swell.
11:18am

Heidi has written a lot of status updates about pudding lately. She wishes she had some now. Alas, she only has proof.
10:56pm

Heidi thinks R's on the right track again. The right pen and pudding. That's all. Then you can footnote "For proof, see pudding."
5:06pm

Heidi is happy with the frozen paneer tikka masala she got from the cafeteria.
1:37pm

Heidi is reconfiguring her email's "out of office" function to say "Heidi is out of sorts. She should be back to a less snarky state in several weeks. Thanks."
10:55pm

Heidi is wondering if she spilled pudding on the proofs she's correcting, would the proof be in the pudding?
10:16am

Heidi is having a hard time believing she just quoted the Fonz in a work-related email. Sigh.
9:41pm

Heidi is Nemo still.
8:18pm

Heidi is wondering why a database suggested she might be interested in newspaper articles on "Mascots in football." How did they know that?!?!
5:18pm

Heidi is five runs away from not being called Nemo.
5:06pm

Heidi is still hopeful today will be the last day Dale calls her Nemo even though the Tigers are still scoreless.
2:51pm

Heidi is brought to you by the number 7 and the letter B.
10:49am

Heidi is sad that her writing momentum from yesterday has seriously derailed .
10:04am

Heidi is surprised that D really is calling her "Nemo" until the Tigers win.
9:24am

Heidi is trying to recreate the logic that led her to believe making a curried carrot souffle on a school night would be a great idea.
7:13pm

Heidi is wondering if anyone would mind if she installed a porch door in her office and maybe a porch swing outside.
3:27pm

Heidi is kind of alarmed by the number of sandwich crumbs stuck in her keyboard.
2:22pm

Heidi fears she looks like a blonde Magglio Ordonez when she wears her ball cap.
10:27am

Heidi is getting very tired of her bad Tigers knock knock joke. The punchline's now Owen Six. To make things worse, D's calling her 'Nemo' until they win a game.
11:39pm

Heidi is telling her Tigers knock knock joke again. This time the punchline is "Owen Five.".
12:35am

Heidi wonders if, when he visits Canada, Jay-Z is Jay-Zed.
9:53am

Heidi has been restored by an hour of Motown.
9:35pm

Heidi has been upgraded to "ok" and is approaching "swell".
7:44pm

Heidi has been downgraded from "chock full 'o crankiness" to "crabby".
6:36pm

Heidi is chock full o' cranky-ness and wonders if that's an improvement from being one surly little hombre. She doesn't think it is.
4:02pm

Heidi is chock full o' cranky-ness.
4:00pm

Heidi is one surly little hombre.
1:39pm

Heidi is thinking about her career options at Dunder Mifflin ("The People Person's Paper People").
9:53pm

Heidi would like J to know that Heidi is "one tired little hombre.".
1:41pm

Heidi 's inner terrier is a little tired today.
11:59am

Heidi didn't quite realize how many traits she had in common with Scottish Terriers; it's really quite eerie.
3:21pm

Heidi just scored another 73 point word. She thinks it's the giant Toblerone she's been eating that's inspiring these words. She is still getting lots done at work.
2:36pm

Heidi is also getting lots of work done.
11:33am

Heidi just scored 74 points in Scrabble. Sorry M. K, aren't you glad it's not you?
11:12am

Heidi is glad she launched a 'bring tofu to Comerica Park" letter writing campaign; she hopes D B will forgive her for signing his name to all 900 letters.

Heidi is not Shelby Lynne
5:34pm

Heidi regrets making K that evil pudding.
3:03pm

Heidi is disappointed that K has realized that Heidi is an evil librarian.
1:19pm

Heidi is playing her own walk-up song as she approaches the mound that is the reference desk: she's chosen Wonderwall.
10:54am

Heidi is doing some calculations to see if she can have a bed built under her desk like George Costanza has.
9:35am

Heidi is never going to fall for this line again; if you like Jane Austen, you'll love this novel!" Blaaaaah.
8:32pm

Heidi found her Tigers cap and saw the injured Curtis.
6:37pm

Heidi is looking for her Tigers cap and looking forward to seeing Curtis (he'll still be there, right??).
10:18am

Heidi is happy to be watching Austen-a-palooza again.
9:44pm

Heidi just got wished "carpe diem" on her birthday card from the upper adminsitration. She wonders if "carpe diem" is administrative code for "take the day off... live a little!"
3:03pm

Heidi is feeling more cromulent.
3:42pm

Heidi is feeling low corpulent.
3:21pm

Heidi is surprised that it took 16 years but is happy that D finally realized she wasn't joking when she asked if he'd hide Easter eggs for her.
6:53pm

Heidi is feeling nostalgic for the days when she wrote amusing status updates.
5:44pm

Heidi would like to wave a white flag at 2008.
11:51am

Heidi is wondering what happened to her inner Nina Simone.
9:25pm

Heidi is unfortunately needing to think about what Death Cab for Cutie said that Sarah said again.
12:49pm

Heidi ate too much caramel corn...
6:27pm

Heidi would like to have a word with 2008: "could you be a bit kinder?".
6:07pm

Heidi 's inner Jane Austen is at war with her inner Nina Simone.
6:16pm

Heidi hasn't had enough coffee.
6:59pm

Heidi has received scholarly validation. She feel validated. She will now dance.
6:46pm

Heidi has been chipping away at mountains of minutiae all day and has conquered very little.
3:06pm

Heidi 's webinar is experiencing technical difficulties. She was about to type "I hope someone doesn't sing the Jeopardy theme" but someone already has.
2:23pm

Heidi listening to a webinar...though perhaps the fact she's on facebook suggests she is not.
2:19pm

Heidi makes a fine spinach lasagna (if she may be so bold as to say so).
1:42pm

Heidi is noticeably happier after reading her virtual puppy is "nicely fed, happy and well-loved." Ah, Marigold....
10:53am

Heidi is listening to Fountains of Wayne and thinking she too has a bright future in sales.
9:26pm

Heidi is feeling like one half of the Flight of the Concords. She won't tell you which. And she won't let you guess.
8:41pm

Heidi is glad she is nowhere near the 50-hour "Danny Boy" singing marathon.
3:58pm

Heidi might could be confused with Typhoid Mary.
12:46pm

Heidi is not at one with her daytimer.
11:08am

Heidi and Lily are celebrating Curtis's birthday.
10:15pm

Heidi is, apparently, kind of like Kermit the Frog.
6:44pm

Heidi had no idea Jimmy Page is "a collector of museum-quality pre-Raphaelite and British Arts and Crafts Movement pieces".
3:25pm

Heidi went to the Joffrey Ballet with E yesterday and was very excited to see two Borzoi dogs in the performance. There should be more dogs in ballet, she thinks.
12:56pm

Heidi is no longer feeling Dickensian now that the furnace has been fixed.
4:49pm

Heidi is ill but her virtual puppy is on the up.
1:53am

Heidi is wondering if she can find a sandwich in Pearson that is made of actual bread instead of a space-age polymer shaped like bread.
8:59pm

Heidi still has two Tim Tams which she will share with D.
8:57pm
March 12

Heidi is a firm believer that friends don't let friends wear conference name tags in public.
8:31pm

Heidi feels like a super hero now that she is carrying two Tim Tam cookies to save her and protect her from evil. Like Obi Wan says, "Use the Tim Tams, Luke".
10:50pm

Heidi thinks Melville Dewey would be pretty impressed with the way she arranged condiments in her newly cleaned and organized fridge. Heidi must get out of the house.
9:15am

Dancing Cupcakes!

This came from D with a note that says "This will make you feel better." Indeed it has!!!

When Librarians Make Films

 As my brother would say, "oh, those nutty librarians."  Four films for your biblio-enjoyment.

A little Tyson will do one good...

Four strong winds that blow lonely, seven seas that run high, all these things that don't change, come what may. But our good times are all gone and I'm bound for moving on. I'll look for you if I'm ever back this way.

Low Corpulent, Stout or Stooping?

A friend, needing to order academic robes, passed this little curio onto me. It's the actual order form she needs to fill out. "Please, please tell me I'm not on my way toward 'low corpulent,'" she wrote. Indeed, one might worry about one's chosen profession when allowable body type options include low corpulent, stout, and stooping and when it is assumed one has one low shoulder: "Low Shoulder: Which? R_____ L______."

Mr. Collins??

After an agonizing three minutes of deciding upon my ideal "Man of Austen"( "Mr. Darcy! Henry Tilney? Willoughby! Colonel Brandon (only if it's actually Alan Rickman)? Frank Churchill? Mr. Knightley... Mr. Darcy!"), I finally decided on Henry Tilney. His interests in fashion, shopping, horseback riding and long walks in the country finally tipped the scales in his favour. Not surprisingly, Mr. Darcy ranks first among people like me who spend part of their Monday nights weighing the merits of various fictional men. But, Mr. Collins in 8th? Gack! Who is voting for Mr. Collins?!?! Maybe it's Lady Catherine de Bourgh? What would Miss Austen say? Vote for Willoughby?

We Tell Stories: Digital Fiction from Penguin

Lately I've been doing a lot of reading about the history of the book, the future of the page and all manner of topics related to those questions. Today I stumbled upon the We Tell Stories site which looks very interesting. Six authors. Six stories. Six Weeks. This week it's Charles Cumming's The 21 Steps, an homage to John Buchan's The 39 Steps. It is, as the site says, "an adrenaline-fuelled adventure written and designed for Google Maps." Penguin has just given me another reason to love them.

What White People Like: or, today I discovered what a predicatable demographic I am

Thanks to PB for pointing out this nifty blog. It starts out being sort of funny and then it turns kind of eerie. Like Barack Obama?: yup; own one of these water bottles?: indeed; am I one these coffee drinking people?: uh huh; own Apple products?: yep; go out for breakfast?: that too; fan of the Bluth family?: guilty as charged; Wrigley Field?: been there; and sigh, there's this too. I'm going to stop now.

Presidential Libraries and you.

This is pretty neat. From the Chronicle and sent to me by MA.
"For millennia, great and not-so-great leaders have celebrated themselves in monuments. . .
Modern U.S. presidents have only their presidential libraries. Now that the George W. Bush era is almost over, the world needs a place to archive the legacy of the 43rd president. That place will be Southern Methodist University, in a building designed by Robert A.M. Stern. The building will probably cost $500-million... We thought that Chronicle readers would have their own ideas about how that building should be designed, and we invited people to send in designs on the backs of envelopes. About 120 people sent in sketches that were good, bad, serious, humorous, abstract, or really angry. Their designs took the form of toilets, bunkers, crosses, and W's, some crudely drawn and some very elegant. A sampling of those designs is displayed on these pages."

More on scurvy; Or why you should eat an orange

I don't know why this is but every Canadian I know has vivid memories of learning about scurvy in elementary school. Usually it was incorporated into units about explorers where we learned two things. One: there were Coureurs de Bois (which, as we all memorized, means "runners of the woods"); two, that explorers got scurvy because they didn't eat oranges.
Many people I know remember quivering in their tiny desk as their teacher described in freakish detail how scurvy made explorers' teeth fall out, their gums bleed and their skin get all icky. Some kids, like me, made a life-long mental note right then and there to eat a lot of oranges. Some kids, like me, have also made a lot of scurvy jokes over the years. Just last week I declared, "I must procure some oranges so as to prevent scurvy. One must be ever vigilant about scurvy, you know." Imagine then my amusement to find an a nifty write-up about scurvy in today's paper. In case you aren't Canadian or missed that particular day of class, here's what you need to know about scurvy.

"Winter can be associated with a decreased vitamin intake because of a drop in the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables available during that season.
Some notes:Scurvy, an ailment caused by a lack of vitamin C, was common onboard 15th-century exploration ships. By 1519-22, when Magellan circumnavigated the globe, 90 per cent of his Portuguese crew did not survive because of scurvy.

Also by the 16th century, fresh food was known to be a preventive and remedy for scurvy.

The great British navigator Captain James Cook (1728-79) was the first naval officer to provide fresh fruit and vegetables, gathered whenever possible on his voyages of discovery. He did not lose a single man to scurvy.

By 1793, the British Navy began the compulsory issue of lemon juice, as fresh citrus fruit had been found to be a successful cure for scurvy.

In his 1987 book Plagues & Poxes: The Rise and Fall of Epidemic Disease, Alfred Jay Bollet wrote that many American colonists developed scurvy because they didn't get enough vitamin C during the winter. This vitamin deficiency causes fatigue, general weakness, anemia, loose teeth, gum disease and bleeding near the surface of the skin. According to Dr. Bollet, scurvy often surfaced in the late winter or early spring, after stored vegetables and fruits were finished and before new crops began producing. "The timing of the usual early symptoms of scurvy is thought to have led to the term 'spring fever,' " he wrote.

Sources: The Globe and Mail who quote The (Quincy, Mass.) Patriot Ledger, Manawatu (N.Z.) Standard, news services"

Facebook Haiku Volume 4

Heidi dumb. Wet hand. Metal door. Winter. Swift. 10:38pm

Heidi would like to add "yeah but it's a wussy cold" to the list that includes "yeah but it's a dry cold." 4:33pm

Heidi is amused that her friend's 8 year old has declared himself to be a Jacobite. 10:48am

Heidi is slowly coming to terms with the fact that the laundry fairies are not coming today and is embarking on Plan B. 6:44pm

Heidi is wondering if Peter's reasons for only going to dim sum occassionally are the same as hers. 6:03pm

Heidi is reading Food and Drink and regretting that she's eating Mac and Cheese. 2:03pm

Heidi is taming the beast that is her unread in-box. 1:44pm

Heidi is not as illustrated. For the most part. Well, maybe she does look a little like an Ugly Doll Ice Bat. 12:48pm

Heidi has really really really nice friends and family. 10:27pm

Heidi is trying to get her stomach off mountain standard time. 8:58pm

Heidi is home. She will retreat from the world like Alice James. Well, Alice James with cable. 12:48am

Heidi is happy to be escaping more -30 weather. 12:41am

February 7

Heidi is wishing she didn't have the Shaft theme running through her head; though it might be the Sesame Street version that features Cookie Monster. 12:49am

February 5
Heidi is thinking about giving up CNN for Lent. 11:06pm

Heidi is wondering how one caters a Super Tuesday soiree but then realizes she and D will just finish off this tin of low-fat Pringles. 11:40am

Heidi estimates that she has spent 47 minutes of her waking hours each day this week putting on and taking off snow clothes. 12:48am

February 3
Heidi is thinking about what Death Cab for Cutie said that Sara said. 11:43am

February 2
Heidi is not, as Dale keeps insisting she is, reading the "Directors Cut" version of Emma; there are not any highspeed barouche chases or fiery coach crashes. 12:51am

February 1
Heidi is grateful for thick Jane Austen novels. 1:35am

January 31
Heidi is sitting on a beach listening to Rickman, Firth and Granderson argue about who is going to get her her next mojito. 12:22am

January 29
Heidi is amused to find herself thinking "oh good.. it's warming up" when seeing tomorrow's high is -35. 10:59pm

Heidi is feeling nostalgic for yesterday's warmth. It's now -37 C but, according to Environment Canada "it feels like -53." 12:05am

January 27
Heidi is uhh happy to be participating the coldest January 27th since 1972. It's -28 but apparently feels like -44o C. 10:51pm

January 26
Heidi is hoping the -27o C forecast for Edmonton is a typo. 10:14pm

Heidi is wondering if Dale will believe you're supposed to buy your wife flowers on the day pitchers and catchers report.
9:42pm

Heidi apparently reminds a coworker of Annie Hall. She also reminds her mum of Elaine from Seinfeld 9:02am

Heidi now understands those dropped call commercials. She wonders if Dale knows he agreed to adopt three pug puppies. 12:16am

January 24
Heidi is kinda sorta wondering how it's all going to get done. 11:35pm

Heidi is not home. But Gracie has taken over Heidi's facebook account and all of her Scrabble games. 10:24pm

Heidi likes this Fountains of Wayne rhyme: I saw you talkin' to Christopher Walken. 5:01pm

Heidi is hoping the Russian Futurists are better company for Dale than the Russian Formalists she's been running with this week. 12:09pm

Heidi is pondering her shoe choices for tomorrow. 8:55pm

Heidi is now getting email from John Kerry. 7:38pm

Heidi is adding "laptop" to her list of things she owns with imprints of Gracie's teeth in the upper right corner. 5:07pm

Heidi is apparently detoxified having just used her detoxifying honey and milk lotion from Shoppers Drug Mart. Who knew 3.99 could do so much? 12:55pm

Heidi is watching snow fall. 9:08am

Heidi is clinging to her empty cup and waiting for the coffee shop to open. 8:15am

January 21
Heidi is having a hard time admitting to her Edmonton peops that she now finds -10 cold. "But it's a damp cold". 8:46pm

Heidi is annoyed to find herself singing songs about Piers Plowman. 4:51pm

Heidi is wishing Jones New York made thermal business attire. 9:11am

January 20
Heidi has decided on small TV & warm room rather than big tv & cold room. She'll save her chit for the big TV for big screen Colin Firth. She also forgives Aki. 7:31pm

Heidi is in the midst of domestic negotiations regarding the big screen TV: Jane Austen vs the Packers. She regrets she's up against a rhetorician. 1:04pm

Heidi is blissfully slothful or slothfully blissful. 11:38am

January 19
Heidi is wondering if she'd feel less guilty about not writing if she thought of it as solidarity with the striking writers rather than an actual slump. 6:37pm

Heidi is having to write her own status updates since the writers are still on strike. 1:00pm

Heidi is smiling at this email from a publisher: "the following new publications are available now. Please collect your necessary copy hurry." 9:22am

January 17
Heidi is feeling less surly now that she has a lemon cannoli. 7:15pm

Heidi is sad to realize she's becoming the kind of person who gets annoyed by headlines like "The deconstruction of Britney Spears". 4:53pm

Heidi is grossed out at the hawk outside her window pulling apart a pigeon. 2:42pm

Heidi staring at a picture of Virginia Woolf and humming a James Brown song to herself. 10:59am

January 16
Heidi has been scared into eating another orange now by Dan T. 11:13pm

Heidi is now operating under Wednesday's schedule: apparently it is not Thursday. 11:09am

January 15
Heidi is eating an orange so as to prevent scurvy. 9:47pm

Heidi is ever hopeful that the laundry fairies will come! 9:40pm

Heidi will not offer chatty banter during sporting events. Heidi will not offer chatty banter during sporting events. Heidi will not offer chatty banter during sporting events 8:50pm

Heidi is turning next week's classes into "surrealistic mime-acrobatic-dance pieces". 8:25am

January 14
Heidi is wishing she had a "surrealistic mime-acrobatic- dance piece" (Jan 7, New Yorker, p 26) to work on instead of prepping for next week's classes. 1:08pm

Heidi is sad how often people say "Oh no" when I say "Hey, I've got something for you" or "Hey! I was thinking...". 11:45am

January 13
Heidi is updating her New Year's Resolutions to include items like "I will cease to offer chatty banter during football games". 10:47pm

Heidi is getting excited about watching PBS's 3-month-long Jane Austen-a-palooza (isn't that what it's called?). 6:31pm

Heidi is back here... 8:25pm

January 10
Heidi is outta here.. 11:39am

January 9
Heidi is trying to figure out what to do for Professor Snape's birthday (Jan 9): take him to the Keg? Get him a gift certificate for Le Chateau or a spa weekend? 11:50pm

Heidi is wondering if salad can be archival. If so, she's found some in her fridge. 6:12pm

Heidi thinks her garbage can lid might be floating in the Detroit river after last night's storm. 11:04am

Heidi is wondering if Dale is googling "Collagen Marshmallows" yet. 8:56am

January 8
Heidi is wondering how to cater New Hampshire Primary Night: Obama Babka? McCain French Fries? Huckabee-rry Pie? Won ClinTon Soup? 5:01pm

Heidi is being taunted by a pigeon. 9:19am

January 7
Heidi is having a conversation about Scott Baio on the phone. 9:19pm

Heidi is absorbent and yellow and porous, is she. 7:52pm

Heidi is hoping Mita will forgive her...1:45pm

Heidi is still smiling about her latest caper of which she is mighty proud. 7:40pm

Heidi wondering why there are so many people wandering around her workplace...12:27pm

Heidi is listening to Badly Drawn Boy and wondering if she's a Badly Drawn Librarian. 9:06am

January 6
Heidi is a few days away from a pink Magnolia cupcake. 8:58pm

Heidi is unabashedly giddy to learn PBS is playing the complete Jane Austen over the next weeks. She also predicts Dale's response will be "oh no...". 3:57pm

Heidi is realizing the New Hampshire primary is kind of like Survivor. She wonders if Jeff Probst will host the next debate.
9:14am

Heidi is trying not to wonder how it is that Kevin Federline became the "good parent." 11:50pm

Heidi is laughing nervously at the OLA Conference tag line: "Because there is Nothing cooler than a convention center full of librarians!". 3:03pm

January 4
Heidi is reluctantly going to admit that she just googled "Barack Action Figure". 6:06pm

Heidi is being summoned out of her office by a cup of Tim's coffee... 1:52pm

Heidi is thinking she should have adopted more challenging New Year's resolutions. 12:19pm

Heidi is enjoying the serenity of an empty campus. 8:32am

January 3
Heidi is excited by the email she just got from Barack: "Heidi-- turn on your television. We just won in Iowa.".11:35pm

Heidi is STILL convinced that Wolf Blitzer is a handpuppet. 9:00pm

Heidi is wondering what the Iowans did today. 7:41pm

Heidi is researching how she might go about providing a half-dozen monkeys with typewriters-- just for the heck of it.5:16pm

Heidi has just learned a new word: prosopography. 3:02pm

Heidi is singing "Barack Me Amadeus". 11:38am

Heidi is wondering why librarians don't get horn sections to accompany them. 11:01am

Heidi is at war with her inner Bridget Jones. 10:32am

January 2
Heidi is singing hey-la hey-la, her boyfriend's back... 11:37am

Heidi is pleased that January is Curtis month in her Tigers calendar. 9:12am

Heidi is generally feeling less like her Secret Mission IceBat now that she's back at work. She feels odd wearing shoes and clothes that match though. 9:05am

January 1
Heidi feeling like her Secret Mission Ice Bat at the thought of going back to work. EEEEEEEEEE. 10:59pm

Heidi has just purged 7 years of files from her filing cabinet. 6:56pm

Heidi is wondering if Gracie has atoned for eating Atonement. Interestingly, like many people I know, Gracie didn't get past the first 50 pages of the Golden Compass either. 10:45am

December 31
Heidi is sad to be running out of Hello Kitty bandaids. 2:28pm

December 30
Heidi wishes Gracie's appetite for contemporary fiction was more readerly. 7:53pm

Heidi is wondering if Gracie's joined a cat book club that requires her to eat the corner off at least one book a week. 5:00pm

December 29
Heidi is amused by what she overheard: "He's tall AND athletic? If you can find yourself a man's who's tall, athletic and not an idiot, well then you've hit the jackpot." 9:19pm

Heidi is feeling nostalgic for Dale's Amy Winehouse songs. 7:57pm

Heidi is wondering how long Dale will continue to sing his daily communiques as Amy Winehouse songs: "they tried to make me make some coffee and I said no, no, no...". 9:09am

December 27
Heidi is no longer under the control of her Svengali-like alarm clock. 12:58pm

December 26
Heidi is making a lizard out of blue felt. 7:11pm

December 25
Heidi is probably not going to broadcast her Christmas message on Youtube but nevertheless she, like the Queen, wishes you a very "heppy" Christmas. 9:42am

December 23
Heidi thinking "Rough winds do shake the darling house on Moy".
4:43pm

Heidi is still reading a baseball novel, drinking coffee from a Red Sox mug but is now watching snow fall. 4:13pm

Heidi is reading a baseball novel, drinking coffee from a Red Sox mug and watching the rain pour down. 8:23am

December 22
Heidi trying to figure out what to buy a Democratic Presential candidate for Christmas. A sweater from the Gap? Pepperidge Farms basket? Oprah's lastest book pick? 11:15am

December 21
Heidi had no idea that buying a Barack Obama bumper sticker would mean Barack would email her every day, She now feels pressured to send him a Xmas card too. 9:17pm