Sums it up

So I turned 30. Lots of thought. I really thought this video, which one of my students showed me, sums it up.

Nude Modelling Crisis at Lakehead University

I recently learned from a friendly visual arts student that the Visual Arts Dept at Lakehead University has had only had one model to draw all year...apparently many potential models drop out when faced with actually dropping their drawers and standing in a certain position for 1 to 3 hours.


At a rate of around $15 an hour, you'd think students would be flocking to stand naked in front of discerning artists....that's, like, a pitcher of beer an hour. And I know the value of beer at LU, many students use the substance before class to increase the entertainment value of their lectures.

Obviously, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for the education of many that the residents of Thunder Bay learn to get naked and pose for money. Also, I heard from another kind student that people who are less attractive make for better art work....and soooooo I am considering it myself....the only question is.....in terms of trimming do we want "boreal forest", "prairie grass" or "desert landscape". Call (807) 343-8747 to sign up!

Taking a Bite out of Crime

So, this week on my street. Neighbors smashing windows to steal their own family member's tools and also a young lady attacking a car parked in front of my house with a broken beer bottle, only to have someone jump inside it and back down the street with her laying across the hood. The guy pulls a quick 180 and flings her off the roof. I go over to do some first aid, she pops up, she's fine....the cops come by smiling and write some things in a little book.

So I had to turn to Giada for comfort....

Thanks to her cookbook and inspiration I made "Zucchini al Forno" - "Homemade Marinara Sauce" - "Mushroom Stuffed Pasta Shells" - "Steak and Feta Cheese Salad" over the course of 30 hours. Let's hope things keep happening, because golly gee I just had an amazing lunch with leftovers galore in the fridge!

Being a Man

Heaven is two slices of Harry Bakery toast, Miracle Whip, salt, pepper and freshly sliced garden tomatoes (thanks Cindy). That's what I'm eating while I write this. Yum.

So, my 3rd and final child turned 1, a momentous occasion, a milestone...that little baby, born about 4 feet away from where she ate her first piece of cake is growing up. For some peculiar reason, this makes me question what being a man is....is it being a husband, father, worker, provider, example....am I really a man yet? Probably not. Is "man" simply a socially constructed phenomenon that we subscribe too? Probably not. Quite simply, as a man, what do I offer that is of use to this little girl: Snuggles, attention, walks in the baby backpack, back rubs, dancing sessions, crawling practice, voice mimicry. I don't know.

I recently completed Forrest Griffin's "man survey". Let me tell you, I didn't measure up. That's okay though. Still, though, look at that little sweetheart. What do I owe her? Does being a man mean confronting the all drug dealers in my neighbor because the cops won't do anything? Does being a man mean confrontation...fighting...does it mean taking risks and chances? There's just a tiredness...and a sadness building up. Why do people continually act this way? What do we do about it? I don't think I want to raise my children in a neighborhood like mine but then will anything change if we leave? Probably not.

I've been reading some books lately that include phrases such as "it's time to man up"....and I kinda thought that was somewhat sexist...or something...but there's truth in it. We run through our lives as though we are on a treadmill....a smooth gait, until we slip....and then we need to regain traction. I think that process of regaining traction in life is the essence of "manning up" or "womanning up".

Perhaps this seems somewhat dramatic.....but men love drama....c'mon now, WWE, UFC, landlord stories about tenants, MNR fishing regulation violations.....we love it, get used to it.

Heidegger

Okay, I need some help here. Your interpretations of this phrase

"[Phenomenology] is concerned with allowing that which shows itself to seen from itself in the very way in which it shows itself from itself" (Heidegger, 1926)

I think it means, (using a person as an example) that if you can see someone the way that they see themselves, then you have found the true "them". So letting yourself view the truth of a particular phenomenon. You can see from an external perspective what the internal reality of the phenomenon is.....????

In Memorium

Today our family lost a dear friend, a friend who transported various immediate and extended family over 430,000km. The little white car is currently awaiting the harvest of it's organs to support the life of another little white car...I see a gap in it's regular spot on the street...it was so tired that it literally would not start in the morning...only in the afternoon.

And also, MAX AND OLIVIA WENT TO SCHOOL ON DIFFERENT DAYS! And we move the mailbox daily just to keep the mail person entertained.

Back to the Grind

Well, we're all going back to school. We're getting schooled. School....a breeding place for illness. A social jungle of intricate friendships. Look at the pictures of these children...teetering on the brink of a 12 year (not included post secondary) education venture. Godspeed.