Being Human

It’s Only Towel Day – Try Not To Panic

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Douglas Adams died in 2001. Hard to say, but I am uncertain that the grief over losing him twenty years ago has yet ended. With this in mind, welcome to the twentieth anniversary of International Towel Day (May 25). The day created by Douglas Adams' fans two weeks after his passing to remember Douglas and his works. The day when all the zarking froods of the world hold their towels high. A day we should all drink Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters. A day when all math answers 42. It is also the one day it is acceptable to yell two words at anyone you see: No one ever panics, of course, regardless of what the good book tells us. Well, if people didn't panic, then the Kubler Ross Stages of Grief would be useless. And, full disclosure, [Read more...]

Dishonesty of Omission

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I've been listening to a lot of Ray Wilson, lately. You know him, right? No? You're not alone. Recently, I had a discussion about Ray with Lochlin Cross, host of the Locker Room on 95.7 CRUZ FM in Edmonton. Lochlin is an old high school colleague as I mention in my newest book, In One Convenient Package. Lochlin is a music aficionado and doesn't know much about Ray either. Ray Wilson replaced Phil Collins with Genesis for the 1997 album Calling All Stations. I still feel that, although Ray was not the showman that either Collins or Gabriel are, he is a much better vocalist. I've specifically been listening to an album he released in 2014 called Genesis vs. Stiltskin 20 Years and More. It's a fun live album recorded in his [Read more...]

In One Convenient Package

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Just a brief note to announce the release of my newest book, "In One Convenient Package - The Adventures of a Polyamorous, Introverted and Atheist Husband - Part I" Introversion, polyamory, bi-friendly, left-leaning liberal ideas, and atheism are all things that, on their own, get many eyebrows raised in judgment. Seeing as I embody all in one convenient package, it would seem I am a glutton for punishment. Introvert for as long as I can recall, atheist taking hold in my 20s, with ethical non-monogamy and polyamory coming into focus through a seven-year (so far) open marriage. It really has been a bumpy ride combining these, and there is no guidebook on how to deal with it. Until now. Okay, not really a guidebook, but this [Read more...]

Now, Where Were We? – Polytix Episode 11

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...and... we're back after 2-1/2 years with Episode 11 of Polytix. This week, @LaurasPond and I discuss the benefits of dealing with people experienced in ethical non-monogamy and polyamory, as well as some boundaries that are difficult to see when dealing with inexperienced folk. https://soundcloud.com/c-p-mcclennan/ep-11-now-where-were-we-2020-03-10-703-pm

Polyamory and Introversion: The Anxiety of it All – A Blogiversery of Sorts

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Nine years ago...Nov 15, 2010...I began the Stranded in Toronto site on WordPress. It seems like eons ago. I recall sitting at the computer and debating the title, finally settling on Stranded as I simply missed my Rocky Mountains. That's right. They're mine. You gonna make something of it? I was listening to the song linked above by Billy Joel as I began writing this mess. A melancholy song about trying to evolve before it's too late. During that time, I did evolve. I began to push myself outside my comfort zone...made easier by the fact I found an audience that fed my need for assurance and was single, giving me the ability to search without restraint as I needed. I went so far out of my comfort zone, in fact, that I declared myself solo [Read more...]

The Shame Of It

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shame /SHām/   verb gerund or present participle: shaming (of a person, action, or situation) make (someone) feel ashamed. There is a problem with the definition above. The word, shaming, has become a word that is associated with how people are made to be ashamed over that which they cannot control. We have all heard the damage this does and how it is a form of bullying people for something they cannot necessarily control. I'm not a little guy and I've been shamed over my size being a shape, not in shape. We all have heard how a certain president was accused of raping a 13-year-old only to have it go away when the accuser was bullied through slut shaming and death threats. That same president has also shamed [Read more...]

Steph Curry and the Jets

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This morning a radio story made me angry. I'm heading into work on my usual short commute and the broadcasters tell a sad story of basketball star Steph Curry. First off, I don't like basketball...not my thing, but I understand how it is to be a fan. This, however, is not about basketball. It is not about Curry, either. He is one of, not the one, in this scenario. It seems they feel bad for Mr. Curry as he took a flight from Shanghai to New York in order to talk another player, Kevin Durant, face to face about signing with his team. He took a private jet with his own money and found out it was all for naught as Durant signed elsewhere before the flight landed. Poor Mr. Curry. All that money and time lost. Poor us. All that jet fuel [Read more...]