And another thing… Here are two more issues I have with implication surrounding how we’re treating the sexual harassment and assault cases further to my concerns previously discussed and further provoked by an article “Now What Do We Do with Their Work?”. ART AS A VITAL COMMODITY If Alexander Fleming were
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A Puff of Absurdity: Chest Tattoo with a Side of Lymphedema
As a means of healing and prettying up my mastectomy scars, I looked forward to a chest tattoo. I envisioned never wearing a bathing suit top again! After my mastectomy, I asked my surgeon about it. His only concern was that it wouldn’t look good when I finally gave in
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Now I’m Trendy, Dammit
The NY Times published a piece last night:“‘Going flat’ after breast cancer,” about the nascent movement towards openly having a boobless chest. And here I thought I was doing something courageously original! Turns out I’m just an early adopter, not an innovator. When I first found out I needed a
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Just a Flesh Wound
This is a figuring kind of post wherein I try to make sense of it all. I have all sorts of thoughts about breasts now. I had to get the dressing changed today, so I got a glimpse of myself for the first time. The nurse at the CCAC was
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Dying and Grieving and Judgment
My dad passed away this week. He was older than the hills: 93 and a half years old. I’m not sad about his passing; he lived a long and fulfilling life. But I am troubled by how he went, and our expectations around grief. At his 90th birthday party, he
Continue readingThings Are Good: Typographic Design Can Improve The World
The font you choose matters, it sets the tone of what is read and the overall look of what’s presented. A simple decision around fonts can turn something beautiful into an ugly mess and vice versa. Be conscious of what you pick. Not only can fonts make things look nice they can also improve the […]
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Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Thigh Gap
My daughter is worried about it. She just turned 11. She’s been sick from the heat a couple times because she wears jeans everywhere. It’s a problem. I told a friend my concerns, and he advised me to ban the internet. But all she looks at on there is Heartland
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Backyard Studio and Garden Build
Three summers ago, I decided to take over the backyard, get rid of the playhouse that the kids had deserted, and build a big garden and waterfall with a little studio to work in. The next day, my son said all he wanted for his birthday was to take over
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Brief Hiatus
I’ve been busy gardening, and then I took a break to check out NYC. The entire album, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, played in my head on a loop while I was there. It was a nice distraction from the provincial election stuff, and the NDP couldn’t ask me for
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Self-Obsession and Self-Hatred
Today some students were discussing Victoria Secrets models. Some of the girls have significant contempt for the women that show off the latest fashions in lingerie. It’s curious to me that I don’t think I ever felt that way in high-school even though it seems to be the dominant mindset.
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Alain de Botton
de Botton Alain de Botton wrote one of my favourite under-praised books, Status Anxiety. I also quite like using his Consolations of Philosophy in my class as an additional resource because it simplifies and grounds some theories for the kids. And I show his TEDTalk on atheism 2.0 every semester
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Designer Vaginas and Media Influence
Labiaplasty is on the rise. Who knew? There’s an article in the Guardian in which Daisy Buchanan argues that we can’t blame porn for this rush towards plastic surgery to pretty-up our lady bits because it’s everywhere; in mainstream music videos we can see about as much as porn shows.
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: A Work-Out Rant
As soon as I was in my mid-30s, women everywhere started randomly looking me up and down and warning me that as soon as I hit 40, I’d have a much harder time with my weight. It didn’t happen at 40, but now, at 48, I see what they mean.
Continue readingDeath By Trolley: Reasons I hate hockey
Aesthetics. What is beautiful? What defines beauty, quality and goodness? What distinguishes different levels of quality? For example, why are Oasis’ Wonderwall or Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit iconic songs of an era, whereas Swirl 360′s Hey Now Now fell out of our collective consciousness in months? These questions teeter
Continue readingWalking Turcot Yards: “Hurricane Porn”?: The Aesthetics of Authenticity and Nature’s Wrath
Excellent article that discusses Superstorm Sandy and how events influence images and vice versa. By Paul Mullins n the wake of Hurricane Sandy photographers shared ten images every second on Instagram, documenting the storm, testifying to the power of nature, and underscoring the internet’s power to shape our collective imagination.
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