56 Comments
Jan 17Liked by Terry Freedman

Hope you feel better soon!

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Thanks, Mary!

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Thanks for this great piece Terry! I love the history and story of your dentist and the map to Leeds. You

have many talents. I’ll be popping over to see your new hero post.

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I should have been a cartographer! Thanks, Donna :-)

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Jan 16Liked by Terry Freedman

Sorry to hear of the covid, Terry. Hope you're on the mend soon.

Excellent selection of things to work through.

I laughed at the hat joke ;)

That handwriting of Austen's!!

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😂 Writing: brilliant, isn't it. What's also amazing is that it's actually legible.

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A box of chocolates for the week. Which to eat? (No- I won’t use that overly quoted phrase from Forest Gump.)

Your dentist story could be an every-dentist-story of the last 20 years. Even in the US. I’m grateful for the live person whenever I need an appt or customer service.

First time with Covid? My sister is still a Covid virgin. There’s a theory that RH neg blood type protects one from Covid. I am RH neg as well as sis but I got a wicked case Oct 22.

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LOL. Well, I stopped having the vaccine because the side effect last time was awful. I can't remember my blood type, but it's obviously the wrong one!

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Yeah— the side effects were awful. Whenever I go to the pharmacy they ask if I want the booster. Big No.

Hope you feel better.

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Thanks, Carissa. Am feeling a lot better. I was OK with the first vaccine, the Oxford one, but not the second. My body is a finely-honed machine, and whatever they put into the subsequent vaccine upset the delicate balance of my metabolism and immune system. It was a tragedy of epic proportions.

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Ugh.

We never had the Oxford one here. Oxford must be the mega pharmaceutical co in the UK?

Ours were either Moderna or PFizer. The Johnson one was taken off market.

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I don't think we had the Johnson one.

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Hoping you are feeling better. There’s way too much COVID around at the moment and a major shortage of COVID tests down this way. I’ll have a closer peek at some of your links when it’s daylight. Take care dear fellow.

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Thanks, Beth. I don't bother with tests because they always come out negative even when I've had covid.

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What sort of tests do you have in England? The up-the-nose ones or the saliva ones? I’ve found the up-the-nose ones to be pretty good once you’re actually showing symptoms. Hoping you’re not suffering any long COVID. All the best.

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First of all we had the ones that make you gag and almost throw up. Then we had the ones you stick up your nose. <Yeuucccch!> Then they stopped those for some reason, or they ran out of supplies. I don't think we've had the saliva ones.

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Jan 16Liked by Terry Freedman

Great stuff to start the week, Terry. I can identify with the experience of communicating with/visiting modern medical offices. The reminder texts, the automated phone calls, the online preregistration where you answer fifty questions only to be asked the same ones once you arrive.

Oh and by the way, I can still fit into my high school baseball cap. Nice huh?

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Thanks, Jim. Actually, I don't mind all the reminders, given that I have a memory like a sieve. Regarding the questions, that happens when we have to go to hospital. The doctir will look at the screen showing all the symptoms we've previously described to a nursse, and say "Well what seems to be the trouble?". It drives me mad.

Congrats on still being able to get into your baseball cap 😂

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Terry, what a terrific start to the week - you've given me so much to get my teeth (groan!) into! #dentistjoke

Things I loved: the Paul Jennings cutting, the Austen/Mark Twain commentary 🤣, the map, the PedTech review and - most of all - your links both to Karen Cherry's post and your own hero post.

*adds item to own to-do list for immediate attention*

Thing I hated: Terry, you've had Covid! AGAIN!!! I'm so sorry to hear it, and hope you're feeling very much better. 🤒

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Thanks, Rebecca. Jennings was great; glad you liked my Austen commentary 🙃 The map was the reesult of several hours consulting ordinancve survey data, as you can tell; you liked the Edtech rfeview? Why? It's very specific to education technology. Or was it my jibes against some school "leaders" that you enjoyed?

Covid: third time now. I used to be immune to everything but Covid, or lockdown, was not consucive to an illness-free existence. I have a theory that lockdown meant not being exposed to normal bugs. But what do I know?

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I'll admit that the paragraph in your Edtech review which I enjoyed the most was the one which made me both laugh and roll my eyes - it was this:

"I found the capitalisation of terms faintly irritating. When words and phrases such as ‘opportunities’ and ‘pedagogical beliefs’ are presented as ‘Opportunities’ and ‘Pedagogical Beliefs’ the effect is rather like reading something from the sixteenth century."

With my sensible hat on, though, I'll say that what I really liked was the balance of the review, in which you'd not only held up the good things to the light but also warned readers about what not to expect. Also, it came across to me loud and clear that the subject of the book is something in which you have your own expertise.

THIRD time? Gosh, you poor thing! I haven't had it once, thank goodness! #fingerscrossed 🫣

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We could meet up if you like, so either Elaine or I could pass it on to you. Then you could go home and give Jim a bug hug. It seems a pity not to sdhare.

Thanks for the feedback on that review. I'm delighted that you thought my expertise shone through (thanks, Coles Notes!). Something I rreally dislike is when reviewers use a review to aggrandise themselves, like" "As one of the chief experts in my field, when I presented at the World Conference of Egotists last year I drew attention to ...."

So you rolled your eyes, did you? Well it's true, it IS irritating. We stopped doing that sort of thing two hundred years ago! LOL

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Jan 16Liked by Terry Freedman

So many interesting topics this morning. I always look forward to starting the week with you. Thank you for the referral to Caroline's "What we Leave Behind". I have been writing my mom, Katy's, stories. As long as the stories live, it feel like she, too, lives, and it helps me cope with the grief. I am pleased you can still wear your hat after the holidays, Terry. Congratulations! I was relieved to discover I can still use my earrings, scarves, and handbags. Phew!

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Thanks, Sharron. I haven't had the courage to try on my scarf yet! Sorry to hear of your loss, but writing down your mum's stories is such a good thing to do.

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Your wonderful portrait of a dentist office made me smile today. I had an appointment scheduled for this morning, but got a stay of execution due to a snow storm.

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Thanks, Jacquie. But execution??? 😱

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A certain feeling of inescapable dread does hang over one's head in the hours before a dentist's appointment... or is that just me? ;-D

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'Execution'?! Jacquie, it might be time for you to change dentists! You've made me think of Sweeney Todd, the Steve Martin character from Little Shop of Horrors and the baddie from that dentist-related episode of Columbo all rolled into one.....!

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Jan 17·edited Jan 17Author

My reaction too, Rebecca. Sweeney Todd was a barbour, by the way. If you go to a barber or hairdresser to get your teeth fixed, the outcome is unlikely to be a positive one. Just a little tip for you. Columbo? I don't remember that episode. I think they're on Youtube or Amazon though, so I might have a look.

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Oh yes, so he was! My mistake!!! 🤣

The episode of Columbo to which I refer - and I have no idea why I know this - perhaps too many Sunday afternoons lounging in front of the box? - is called 'Uneasy Lies the Crown'. Quite clever, in its way.

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ooh, very shakesperian. I will check it out. Thanks! I always liked Columbo, and watching it 50 years after it was made is still a good experience

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One of the things I love about Columbo is the fairly limited pool of actors. Robert Culp features twice, Patrick McGoohan is the baddie in three episodes, and the real-life Mrs Peter Falk is a character in at least three, too (in one of them she's even one of the baddies). My favourite episode is the Donald Pleasance one - 'Any Old Port in a Storm'.

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I'm not famiiar with that one. You ever thought of going on Mastermind, special subject Columbo?

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Haha! The truth is, my dentists are lovely, but I still never want to see them :-\

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Same here!

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🤣 I know exactly what you mean!

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Chortle

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Jan 16Liked by Terry Freedman

Terry, thanks for all the great links. Can’t wait to check them out. And the shout out 😊

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You're welcome, Caroline. Thanks!

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Jan 16Liked by Terry Freedman

I enjoyed your article "What We Leave Behind" so much! Beautifully written. It helps validate and encourage my current mission of writing down all the stories of my mother's remarkable life. As long as I am alive, she will not be forgotten. I am fortunate to have recorded interviews with her that I have transcribed and old discs of her singing. As an historian, you may like this, Caroline. https://sharronbassano.substack.com/p/butte-montana-1936

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I will read your arfticle later, Sharron. Thanks for sharing the link.

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Jan 16Liked by Terry Freedman

Thank you so much, Sharron! I will take a look today!

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😀

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Thanks for the shout-out, Terry. FYI, I’ll be leading a Reading Challenge through Austen’s *Emma* this summer.

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That's good to know, John. Thanks

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Oooooh, sounds brilliant! I was given a copy of 'Emma' for Christmas but haven't started it yet - perhaps I'll wait until summer!

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Why? You could approach it tabla rasa, and then read it in the summer and get even more out of it. That's what I say anyway.

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Terry, stop giving me phrases I have to look up in order to establish what you're actually on about..... 🙄

*hits Google*

'Tabula rasa' - aaaah, there we are, a blank slate. Something you come to without any preconceptions. Good plan - I shall follow your advice! I'm three-quarters of the way through my current read, so I reckon I'll be in a position to start on 'Emma' next week. Looking forward to it already!

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sorry! It's used a lot in teaching. In my case it referred to kids' brains AFTER I'd been teaching them, which I found slightly worrying

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No apology needed!

And LOL! 🤣

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😂

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Thanks for the mention! :)

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A pleasure, Jillian

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