In my day job I work with lots of economists, and I find myself fascinated by economic theory. In an effort to improve my understanding of this bizarre field, I started a study group/book club at work. Our first book is Thomas Frank‘s One Market Under God: Extreme Capitalism, Market Populism, and the End of Economic Democracy. A tough slog, but at page 43 of 375 I am still determined. These are some of the sketches I’ve been doing in the margins…

Check out this great new blog: Chronic Holiday.

What Donimo the blogger says about it:

fun times with chronic illness! this is a place to take the piss out of those who would tell us how to better live our lives. unsolicited medical advice, ignorant comments, should’s and ought to’s get the greeting card treatment. you’ve got to laugh or you might hit someone!

Here is one of the “greeting cards:”

Skytrain cops–are they the saddest thing in Vancouver or the grossest? This morning two of them were strutting around the platform at Main and Terminal, going up to people who looked poor and asking for their tickets. Thanks for saving the taxpayers $5, boys. Does it feel good to watch people shuffle away, staring at a ticket for a fine they can’t pay?

The other day a young South Asian woman told me that she was stopped by a cop as she was getting off a train. He demanded to see her baguette and broke off a piece. Wow. I’m so dumb I never thought of looking in bread for a weapon! Young South Asian woman with baguette. Hmmm. Racism? Boredom? Stupidity? All of the above?

And why is it that some bus drivers have no problem giving people a ride and
others act like the person is tearing money out of their own pockets? What
kind of world do we live in when a tottering skinny old man with holes in
his clothes can’t get a ride worth $2.25?

One afternoon these two women got on the bus and pretended to look for their tickets until we got to the next stop where they got off. As they walked away the driver called, “Users of the system!” God, what is wrong with these guys?

Some drivers go out of their way to talk politely with people who are high
or crazy or old or smelly. It sets the tone for the whole bus and the whole
day for everyone on the bus. It makes you proud to be human.

One day a driver kicked this guy off the bus because his transfer was too
old. The guy was wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase and could not
believe that anyone would deny him anything. That is the only time I loved
seeing someone kicked off.

Sigh.