I like to challenge myself to make up new words, so these are a few of my latest. Dentrification: Being wealthy enough to afford invisiline braces, porcelain crowns and lovely teeth. Dentrified: adjective. I’ve been dentrified!Look at my lovely new crowns! Textibitionist: One who clutters the sidewalk in order to text, forcing others to walk around him. Glaciers have lovely teeth- sharp, shiny and blue. Like sharks, the glacier seems to grow new teeth when a chunk calves, or falls off. Lovely creatures. I took this photo in El...
read moreHello dear readers. Why am I blogging about babycoyotes? Because one of my amazing philanthropic students created this baby and I’m so proud of her. Meet Vellar Chou and her fabulous ecologically friendly products. Part of her sales go to the Canadian Cancer Society. I’m impressed, and you should be too. As I just finished blogging about Daniel Pink and the new business model, along comes my brilliant student with a classic example. Enjoy, and support a good cause!
read moreEnglish, our much maligned language, has been criticized for centuries for its irregular grammar and guestimate spelling. Hundreds of years ago, before literacy was widespread, monks slaved away in candle-lit caverns, writing announcements with up to three variants of a word. Later, when Gutenberg invented the printing press, English was forced to comply -to a degree- to create a standardized alphabet. However, the more we try to pin down our bad boy of the romance languages to make it conform, the more our slippery English changes to reflect...
read moreIf you have not read Mark Haddon, the brilliant British author, you are in for a wonderful surprise. I could not put down his amazing work The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and I’m sure you will be burning the midnight oil. Haddon explores the world of autism by demonstrating every thought, sensation, and sense through his protagonist’s eyes. The novel explores life through this lens- which is no better or worse, and in fact appears to be far more logical than the experiences of his crazy parents and their...
read moreYou will be happy to know that my website will soon be even more user friendly for your cell phone or android as my webmaster performs a few surgical tweaks, but have no fear. Your one and only language lover is not a fan of artificiality- there will be no Botox! Just a few minor changes to make your life easier. SPOILER ALERT: I will be posting my grammar dominatrix song soon- yes, it’s a song about grammar but not too racy. Clothes remain on, but it’s guaranteed to give you a good laugh. I’ve performed it several times and...
read moreI am currently engrossed in Daniel Pink’s book Drive which discusses our reasons for being motivated. In fact, intrinsic motivation is the most important aspect of learning, and ideally, is linked to the greater good. Pink cites many examples of new companies such as Tom’s shoes which are both for profit, and charitable. Pink suggests that we move beyond a “carrots and sticks” mentality into one of joyous productivity. People need to explore their interests to grow, and the more flexibility the employees receive, the...
read moreSometimes students as me why I write. Writing is a form of seeing- of appreciating beauty. The direct experience of observation and becoming one with the item or idea is transcendent. Like artists who paint, I must relinquish myself. I become one with the idea, the movement, the beauty, the ballet of a tree, the aura of a tree at night, glowing white. Writing takes us beyond ourselves and back again. It’s a form of astral travel. Reading is the reverse side of the coin. Reading enriches me, fills me with the multiple perspectives of...
read moreJe dois dire quelque chose a tout les gens de la France. Je pense a vous, je vous envoyez la luz, amour, et j’espere que vouz etes bien. I do not have words to express my horror and disgust with such inhuman actions. I send you strength, love and peace. Lindsay
read moreWhat makes art so breathtaking or stimulating? I am a firm believer in the less is more rule- or quality, not quantity, an adage which I live by. This painting by renowned Argentine artist Uriburu is one of my favourites. His use of colour and form is electrifying- but there is no wordiness. We are in the photo, admiring la Seine in Paris as seen through his brush. The colours, shapes and textures are flawless. Make your essays a masterpiece- use as few strokes as possible. Use your words to create colour and texture. Have a look at the...
read moreJoseph Boyden is an award winning Canadian writer. The Orenda is a must read, documentary the early contact between missionaries, natives and colonial settlers in Canada. I swear Boyden was channelling spirits in this work. He has multiple narrators, all of whom are breathtakingly realistic. The atmosphere is haunting and palpable. Although this work was discussed at great length because of some graphic violence, I believe he wrote the history the way it occurred. I dislike violence, and had to skip scenes which were too much for me. This...
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