Breaking in;
The divine virginity of fresh leaves
As yet unlined.
Tilling fresh furrows in their tender flesh,
Hear me!
Gods of great unknown
I draw you forth in tilting glyphs,
A harness for your powers in blank verse
Distill your essence in these broken paths
To guard against the march
Of swift, forgetful, time.
© Guifré Bantjes-Ràfols, 2015
Important things to keep in mind when discussing Feminism
Dear Lauren,
In the last couple days, I have seen your video “Why I’m Not a Feminist” pop up a few times. In the video, you describe why you are not a feminist. At the heart of your message is the assertion, “I am not a feminist because I believe both genders should be treated equally.” Setting aside for a moment the problems with your assumption that gender can be reduced to a binary of male/female (here’s a decent introduction to that if you want), I want to talk about the misinformation you offer in your video: misinformation about feminist activism and scholarship, and misinformation about domestic violence and rape. I don’t often find engaging in these types debates online to be the most fruitful use of my energies, since people that produce anti-feminist content generally are not very open to meaningful engagement with feminist thought, however I’ve been stewing over your…
View original post 4,409 more words
What light! I see from yonder sun
A fleeting spark, caressing heaven,
Immutable in its fragility, but free.
Losing innocence as it swiftly tumbles
Earthward on a scything wind
The plunging path a portent
Of a dim deluding blaze.
© Guifré Bantjes-Ràfols
Longing, a warm sharp tug
Plucking at my gut.
Missing times gone before.
I lie here awake,
Dreaming of what used to be.
My friend, my lover,
A most significant other,
O how I wish
You would keep that name,
Keep that light aflame.
A well known stranger,
What you’ve now become.
Changes irreversible;
From bad seeds sown,
An ugly weed is grown.
Forget me not, my dear,
I lie on the brink of sleep,
I think on our debris,
And cannot rest for fear…
Darling, forget me not.
© Guifré Bantjes-Ràfols, 2015
Mired in decision
I find my soul weeping
O’er the mirrored waters
Of my heart
Where like Narcissus
I cannot escape th’alluring vision
Of my desire
Caught within my mind
I see but my lonesome self.
© Guifré Bantjes-Ràfols, 2015
If only I possessed a craft like that
Which did in Phebus’ face undo great Troy,
That vessel then might pump me through your wards,
Past reason’s throne, which guards against advance,
And to your tender heart where, as hot breath
Does melt off frost from frozen windowpane,
So might my whispered love be carried thence
To thaw the stiffness of thy cool resolve.
I finally have work. Which is great but as always it comes in a deluge. I went from having no work to having three jobs which meant that this weekend I ended up working from 4pm Saturday to 9am Sunday. While I appreciate the money, lack of sleep can be quite taxing on the body and mind.
Before I laid my weary self to sleep at midnight Monday (what? I got stuff to do) I learned a lot about my brain on conscious.
Number 1:
Keep moving. I have known this one for a while but it still holds. If you need to stay up all night, you can never stop. This one is generally more important if you need to do things the following day. As soon as you sit down, or let yourself relax in any way, you’re toast. The Sandman cameth and you’re being swept away to dreamland. The trick is to always be doing something. Preferably physical. (Walking is great). This keeps your mind and body engaged, preventing you from falling asleep.
Number 2:
Hydrate. I was working in a very dry building which I am sure had an effect but I feel that keeping that water intake high keeps things running smoothly. In addition to keeping you in frequent transit to the washroom (Moving keeps you awake, remember!), it mitigates some of the side effects of sleep deprivation, which for me includes headaches. As Sunday morning approached and the sun rose, ineffectively attempting to penetrate the walls of the MTCC and reach me so many feet below, a throbbing ache set into my skull. As the day progressed and I obtained that precious nectar “O of 2H,” I felt my pain subside.
Number 3:
Focus. I discovered that my head was strangely clear, as if all extraneous processing functions had been shut down. I was more clear-headed than I had been in ages. Imagine an empty house. You can see the far wall and everything in between. A chair appears in the centre of it. You are able to focus on and describe the chair because you are not being distracted by the zebra print carpet beneath the chair or the table strewn with whirling, whistling, bubbling, and chirping gizmos. That is what my brain felt like.
Number 4 :
The second wind. And third, fourth, fifth… The danger zone is between 9am and 4pm. If you stop between these times, you’re done for. However, the second wind tends to kick in around 4-5pm leaving you feeling strangely refreshed and awake. This carries you through til around 10pm, when you are hit with a fresh wave of exhaustion. This is the time to go to bed. If you miss this window, by 12am or so the third wind hits and you probably wont get to sleep until 1-2am screwing up your potential for productivity the next day.
Number 5:
A very odd relationship with food. I became simultaneously hungry and not hungry. When I ate, the food tasted miraculous, but as soon as I stopped eating, I immediately forgot the taste. I have no idea why this is but I would love to find out.
As you may have noticed, this post has been much delayed. I hope to get back on schedule next week, but I know that work will be taking up a lot of my time and I may have to shift to a more infrequent schedule.
I have discovered something wondrous.
The golden cash cow! The tree that grows money. The goose that lays the golden eggs! Did you know that people are out there offering thousands of dollars in exchange for a short essay? They are called scholarships. I recently discovered them while cruising the information superhighway in search of ways to pay for school (Can you believe I was actually looking at jobs!?). The first one is for $2000 and all I have to do is write 600 words about some doctor’s quotes:
“Is it always the rich that prosper?”
I say no. I say that only those who are fulfilled prosper. Although it may seem awfully kitschy to say so, I think that true prosperity comes from being happy with ones current situation. The definition of prosperity is “to do well.” If wellness were categorized merely by wealth, then the rich would be much more well behaved. but wellness is the symptom of a culmination of satisfaction. Be it spiritual, circumstantial, or financial.
Prosperity is elusive and we can see clearly in the rampant greed of the wall street culture that money does not inherently bring satisfaction. In fact, when money is the sole objective and not merely a means to an end, there can be no satisfaction. “Unlimited growth,” the rallying cry of capitalism, spells out this unfettered desire and constant hunger: They are the zombies of our time. But prosperity is not so easily found among the poor either. The truth is that prosperity is not something that can be obtained. It must be attained, and the first step is to realize that you are not prosperous. Once the path has commenced, the second foot will follow the first. A question must be asked: “Why am I not satisfied?” and a decision must be made to rectify the situation. Without this decision, you will remain mired in apathy wishing desperately to be freed from inaction. Similarly, if the first step has been skipped you will continue on fruitlessly, never finding satisfaction because you will never know when you have reached your goal.
If you are among the lucky ones, you may find that you had reached this goal long ago and simply failed to realize it, or you may find that you are much closer than you thought. You may also realize that you have a long way yet to go, if this is the case, take solace in knowing that the road has an end.
300 words in… I discover that this is, like, a contest… There is no guarantee that I will get the cash. Oh well, I’m a good writer. I can totally win this thing!
Let us return to the concept of prosperity. I said it was satisfaction in one’s current situation. I would gnomically express that, although one need not be rich to prosper, those who prosper are rich. Too long have we equated riches with money. You, my friend, might be satisfied with a wealth of knowledge, a wealth of friends, or a wealth of spirituality.
Is money necessary for satisfaction? Well, it depends. I could fall in love. My love and I could find an unclaimed patch of land. We could build a home, a cozy cottage by the lake. We could plant a garden, raise a chicken, and a cow. We could live, uncomplicated and at peace. I could be happy in this life. I would be satisfied in my love. I would be satisfied in my work, and I would be satisfied with my life.
But I cannot live in the woods, my life is in the city. And living in the city, I must indeed have money. How much, you ask? If I could make enough to live more than I worked, I would be satisfied. If I had money to spend on my mind and heart, not just my body, I would be satisfied.
Oh. … It’s a public voting competition. I am supposed to pepper my friends and acquaintances with a barrage of voting requests. Burying them under a plenitude of apathy and annoyance.
…
But… I’m already 500 words in… Another 100 won’t hurt, right?
So, no! You don’t need to be rich. You need open eyes, to see what needs to change; an open mind, to know what to do; an open heart, to accept the change; and the will to take the first step.
Prosperity requires a plan and a choice. Some are not given the ability to make that choice. That is why those of us who can must realize the privilege we are given and fight for everyone’s right to choose. Because what’s the point of prosperity if we don’t do it as the whole human race.
Well, I’m sober(ed) now. And I can clearly see that I was a fool to expect money to be free. I will never (I swear!) be fooled like this again.
*UPDATE*
Oh hey! I just got an email from this Nigerian prince! He wants to give me money! Will keep you posted.
Toronto Web Series Festival just celebrated its inauguration this weekend. True to form, I only found out about it the evening before via random coincidence.
Being the broke student that I am, I was drawn like a moth to flame by that effervescent tagline: “FREE!” Without paying a cent, I was able to attend the festival, see the screenings of all the shows, attend the actual awards ceremony, and go to the after parties. SCHMOOZE TIME!
But wait, there’s more! If unlike me you have some spare change rolling around, a festival pass is only $50 which allows you to attend 11 panel discussions on topics ranging from “Financing web series” and “Courting brands” to “The web series soundtrack” and “Actors bringing it to the web.” (If you feel like mixing and matching, the panels are $10 each).
I attended all three days and met many wonderful people. On Friday, the festival opened with the screening of the official selection for the Sci-Fi category. This was my first introduction to the following video:
TO WebFest 2014 – Official Trailer by towebfest
I have seen that video so many times over this past weekend that it has lost all meaning.
The official selection was: Abigail, Aeternus, Chronicles of Syntax, El Gran Dia de los Feos, Olympia, One Hit Die, Out of Time, Pete Winning and the Pirates, Polaris, State of Syn, and The True Heroines.
During the talkback, we were treated to some scrumptiously useful tips:
“Put your generator on ‘Eco’ mode”
“Don’t build huge sci-fi sets out of Masonite”
“Fewer Locations!”
Saturday began with Children’s programming. I know we all expect kids shows to terrible, dumbed-down pieces of kitschy drivel, but this was not the case. I witnessed some of the best children’s shows I have ever seen. Some short and sweet, like “What’s Inside?,” and others longer, like “My Lupine life.” I think my personal favourite was “My Lupine Life, ” although “The Invaders web series: Angie’s Logs” wins for sheer cuteness (But Angie does bring it). If you are a film and/or literature buffs, you should definitely check out “Rubber Chicken Players” (If you’re not, just do it anyway).
The official selection was: Kid’s Town, Kimchi Warrior, “My Lupine Life” By Louis Pine, Out With Dad, Rubber Chicken Players, Ruby Skye P.I.: The Haunted Library, The Invaders web series: Angie’s Logs, and What’s Inside?
My talkback tips and bits for this category were:
“We started creating buzz a year in advance” – Kid’s Town
“The crew donated a lot of their time” – Ruby Skye
“I got this Facebook message, written in broken English, from someone saying they wanted to fund our project. I was very sceptical but I played along and sent an email asking for details. …And then I received a reply with a specific amount and a contract.” – Out With Dad, on getting a broadcasting contract in France
“In web series creation, there are no rules.” – Everyone
The next screening was the LGBT Programme. Unfortunately, I was unable to see this screening so I cannot tell you anything about the wonderful cinema revealed in the confines of that dark auditorium. But I can tell tell you what it was…
The official selection was: GAY NERDS, LESlieVILLE, Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files, Producing Juliet, Re(l)azioni a catena, The Vessel, Vanessa’s Story, and Venice The Series.
Quick on its tail, the Drama programme made an entrance. “Libres,” a series out of Madrid, stole my attention when they incorporated Catalan. This was totally unexpected because generally a Spanish show would not. Having the Catalan slip into the conversation when the conversation involved Andreu, the Catalan character, was a nice touch that I wouldn’t expect to see on mainstream Spanish television. The series follows a group of seven youth who, because of the economic crisis, abandon the city to squat in an abandoned village in the Pyrenees.
The rest of the shows were great and they continued the festival’s trend of shattering my preconception of web series as “Like TV but less production value.” Other than “Libres,” I think that my favourite would be “In Between Men.”
The official selection was: 3some, Big Country Blues, CUCKOO, Fight Night Legacy, In Between Men, LES BÉLIERS, Libres, Long Story Short, Someone Not There, Teenagers, and The Steps.
Tidbits and tricks are:
“Don’t shoot in November”
“Edit the script down”
“Know what you want to say”
“Get permission for locations”
“Have a ‘Social Media Person’”
And then the shadows fell, leaving all but the tiniest sliver of light to illuminate the horror of what happens After Dark. The Horror & Pulp programme was everything I hoped it would be. From B-movie and black comedy, to thrillers and plain old WTF. I don’t know that I have a favourite, although “Bloody Cuts” is definitely up there. #noduds
The official selection was: After, Asset, Bloody Cuts, Esther’s Style, FUTURE DUCK!, Horror Hotel, Malice, Manigances: Notice Rouge, New Eden, Noirhouse, Stage Fright, La Grieta, and Who The F##k Is Nancy?!
“Pinhead, with a magnet”
“Freddy Kruger, I haven’t slept since I began working on this”
“The Mummy, with a pair of scissors”
— Some of the answers given by show creators when asked what classic horror villain they would like to go up against and how would they defeat him.
The final day was full of hilarity with two whole screenings dedicated to comedy. On this day I again missed things. Namely: “Super Geeked Up Live” and the Documentary & Lifestyle programme.
The official selection for Documentary & Lifestyle was: What’s In My Bag?, AsapSCIENCE, Burgundy Jazz, Garage Sale Diaries, Last Chance Saloon, Marriage Pressure Points, Often Awesome the series, Tailgate32, and Truth Mashup.
Hey there readers! {Insert funny joke here} Eh? Eh? Alright, I get that humour is perhaps not my strongest suit… But these people knock it right out of the park!
The official selection for Comedy was: Backpackers, Bad Indian, But I’m Chris Jericho!, Day in the Life of Death, Failed First Dates, Job Review with a Vampire, La Brigadière, LARPs: The Series, Last in Space, Miss Guidance, Missing Something, Mommy Uncensored: Confessions of a Real Mom, My Gimpy Life, Off2Kali Comedy, PARKED, Pretty Darn Funny – Season Two, Pretty In Geek, Research., Secret Diary of a Call Centre Girl, Super Knocked up, The Casting Room, The Monstrometer Report, Les Tout-Nus, The People That Touch Your Food, The Poke Folks, Under the HUD, Versus Valerie, and WRECKED.
Also got some juicy gems of knowledge from this one:
“What are you ok with your parents seeing?”
“Shoot a pilot”
“Set some money aside for ‘just in case…’”
“Trust the script”
“Know when you have authority/license”
Of course, the info you’ve all been waiting for is “Who won?”
The winners are:
And that’s the festival.
I had a great time this weekend: I made a whole pile of new connections (and friends!), stayed out til 5, and saw a lot of great film. I recommend for anyone who is at all interested in web series to keep their schedule free for next year.
It only goes up from here.
As the cost of living outstrips the average income available to people wanting to complete post secondary education, we find ourselves poised on the brink of precipitous descent into a reincarnation of Victorian England. It seems as if all the domestic news these days is hinting at this decline: housing prices rise, unions are being attacked, healthcare is being privatized, education is being privatized, public education is being degraded, democracy is being compromised, privacy is being eroded, and the Internet, the last holdout of free access to information, is under threat.
“A report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows that since 1990, average tuition and compulsory fees for undergraduates have risen by 6.2% annually — three times the rate of inflation.”1
All things considered, it seems rather trivial to be concerned with whether or not the Millennial generation is spoiled, lazy, entitled, and all too eager to spend their lives in the luxury and comfort of their parents’ home…
But then again, how is it even possible that a group so large and diverse has collectively decided to be lazy? Why are we being arbitrarily convicted and condemned as unwilling to support ourselves? I believe that the disparagement of Millennials is a symptom of a shift toward the establishment of a class of working poor.
The Victorian class divide was maintained by creating an economic climate that ensured that an individual had to spend all their time working in order to survive. Leaving them no energy or time to rebel or educate themselves. As the cost of education rises, it becomes more and more the domain of the upper class. Only those children whose parents have enough extra money to put them through university are able to afford it. The rest must take out student loans which, depending on the discipline, can be massive. This means that we are coming into the post-scholastic world deep in debt. If we are lucky and find a well paying job in our field right out of the gate, this is not such a big problem. However, this is not the case for everyone.
“60% of undergraduate students go into the working world with an average debt of $27,000.”2
There are three areas that directly affect this shift: The cost of living, the cost of education, and the availability and quality of work. I want to start with housing because the accusation that we Millennials are lazy and unmotivated is often supported by the fact that we are choosing not to move out from our parents’ homes.
The average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Toronto is currently $1,400. A minimum wage job, as of June 1st 2014, will pay $11 per hour. With the 20.5% income tax (Combined federal and provincial tax), I would have to work a 40 hour week just to make enough pay my rent. Let’s say I move into a two bedroom with a roommate, reducing my rent to $990. I now have enough to cover my grocery expenses, $250 per month, and cleaning supplies/toiletries, approx $15 per month. This leaves me with $145 for internet, phone, transportation, and going out.
Remember, this is based on a 40 hour work week. Evidently, it becomes unsustainable once I start attending school. Now, any student worth their salt would balk at rent like that. I pay $700 per month for a room in a three bedroom basement apartment. I have also managed to keep monthly grocery costs down to $200. I pay $30 for internet and $62 for my phone. Including transportation, I have an overhead of about $1,050 per month (I walk most places). Leaving me with $350 of discretionary spending.
Even if I limit myself to $100 per month of social expenses, a rather conservative estimate ( 4 $3.50 cappuccinos, 2 $20 drinking sessions, 2 $20 meals), I only have $250 I can save per month toward school.
In light of this reality, staying at home while attending school begins to take on the air of noble sacrifice. If nothing else changes, that same job now allows me to save up $950 per month. Once school starts I only need to work 14 hours per week to cover my living expenses.
It is true that housing will not be the same everywhere but the Canadian average still sits at around $900. leaving it well above easily affordable on a minimum wage job. Many students do not have a university in their hometown and, if they do, it may not offer the training they require. Even if it does, by staying in their hometown students are often opting out of attending a school that offers a much higher calibre of education. Again, staying home is a sacrifice.
If it is possible for a student to stay at home while they go to school, they should choose to do so. They should of course contribute to the household as they would in any other cohabitation, but they should not burden themselves with rent if it can be avoided. This is perhaps the smartest decision one can make when budgeting.
Some might suggest that, if post-secondary education would be such a burden, we consider the option of just diving straight into the workforce. However, this is not as viable an option as perhaps it was. In addition to the fact that there are few jobs with potential for advancement that do not require a degree of some kind, the competition for them still includes those who have them. Overall, it has become almost essential for people who want to build a career and a family to obtain a degree, especially when degrees make a huge difference in projected income. in 2010, the average difference in income for 15-34 year olds with a High school diploma and those with a bachelors degree was around $13,000 per year.
“Half of youth from families with incomes in the top 25 percentile attend university by age 19, compared to less than a third for those from families in the bottom quartile.”3
This leads me back to my opening point: there is a shift toward re-establishing the class of the working poor. The people at the bottom of the economic ladder are being prohibited higher education by the increased cost of tuition and housing, thereby being forced into jobs that provide enough to survive, but not enough to advance. As tuition keeps increasing and the income gap expands, more people will find themselves slipping off that bottom rung.
To be continued…
Notes 1, 2, 3. NatPost, Get ready for $10K tuition: Canadian university fees rising faster than incomes and inflation, report says
Works Referenced:
Photo source: http://unsplash.com/
Photographer: Martin Wessely
URL: http://37.media.tumblr.com/5d586f521b11de846229fa3cce2fc413/tumblr_myp9enmO9z1st5lhmo1_1280.jpg
Urban Castaway 
