Although I no longer consider myself to be deeply inured in the academic system, there are still days where I spend a lot of time thinking about the nature of research and the processes which go into interpreting and communicating the world around us. My graduate days, after all, are still relatively close behind me….
Category: Life Thoughts
The Terrors of a Long Commute
We all know people who have to commute long distances to get to a job. Living in one city and working in another, with perhaps a one-hour car ride between both, may seem reasonable at first. But the true health and financial cost of commuting over one’s lifetime will quickly wear away at any benefit…
This Mud Puddle Lures Me
This past weekend, the time jumped one hour ahead and the hope of spring erupted into everyone’s hearts. After weeks of negative 30 degree Celsius temperatures and seemingly endless snowy, icy, grey days, we had plus-six degrees outside today. Giant piles of snow started to sweat and release their hard-packed bulk into the streets and…
What a Contrast! You’re Either Overpaid or “Free”
It’s a crazy world we’re living in. Truly. Making the news these days we can see examples of extreme weather events the world over, and the employment situation is not too far behind. It seems that you’re either burning hot or frigidly cold as an employee – or, to put it in less analogous terms,…
An Attitude of Gratitude
After writing several caustic and critical posts this week, I feel it important to share a reminder and an affirmation with the world; things are not really so bad. Truly, they’re actually quite good. I’m happy. The reason I’m happy, and feeling more so with every day that passes, is a result of the wonderful…
Painting in Black and White: University versus College Education
I hate it when the news paints things in black and white. I admit that I, too, have occasionally presented a one-sided argument and expected the world to accept my ideas without a squeak of protest. I suppose my hope has always been that someone would call me out on my assertions and we would…
Wallflower Syndrome, or: Youth, Know Thyself
This past weekend I was reflecting on my job search strategies and current prospects. After doing some mental gymnastics (mirrored in the furrows of my brow), I turned to my significant other and asked if he thought I was lacking in tangible, real-world skills and this was the reason behind my lack of motivation to…
Yet Another Diversion: College, Skills, and Work
As the weather offers us a brief glimpse of sunshine and milder temperatures here in Southwestern Ontario, I feel the winds of change approaching. Doesn’t everyone go through a little mini transformation, a shedding of the skin, when springtime approaches? Houses are cleaned of rubbish, cars are scrubbed free of ice and salt, and winter…
Audiobooks: Hands-Free Entertainment
I don’t mind confessing that I have a life-long love affair with audiobooks. If you’ve never tried ‘reading’ a novel with an audiobook, the experience is somewhat challenging to describe. It’s a visceral, enchanting, and hands-free way of experiencing a story. The performer(s) reading the story will bring the characters to life in ways that…
Savour Your 20s – They Only Happen Once
In a recent bulk email from my new favorite blogger, Rebecca Fraser-Thill, I was pleased to read her article entitled “Hiding From Our Life’s Work Behind Our Careers“. Though there is much that I could say about this particular article, I’m instead going to focus on the investigation and deep thinking that it generated for…
Why I’m Following #SOCHI2014
After many years of self-imposed oblivion towards matters pertaining to sports, news, and world events, I am awakening to the importance of events like Sochi 2014 with a kind of bleary dull-headedness. (I’m also acutely more aware of pop culture scandals than I have been at any previous time in my life; but then again,…
The Death of a Great Cat – #RIPColonelMeow
I know you’ve reached your saturation point of pop culture knowledge this week – between the constant, blaring headlines over Justin Bieber’s purposefully bad behavior, Pharrell’s hat at the Grammy awards, Super Bowl ad speculation, and Vin Diesel’s viral dance video – but let’s talk internet meme here. I was terribly saddened today to learn…
Maria Legault 