So, I'm presenting at a conference!

This semester has been an interesting mix of courses. Some I enjoyed from the start (I'm looking at you ARTH300 and WMST224A) and others, have well, let's just say the end of the semester will be a welcome relief. I have however, been surprised by one course that I had no intention, nay, desire to take. And it so happens that this same course has now provided me with the opportunity to present my own research at a conference this weekend. Life is a mixed up creature sometimes. I am very grateful (if more than slightly nervous and unprepared) for the experience. I feel a knot of anxiety for the topic I'm presenting, as it's something that has interested me for a long time, and as an art history student, has grown with my academic experiences. Based on that, I wish I could twist it to a more art-based presentation. I'm glad to do the research at this level, and I hope I will have another opportunity in my undergrad to apply my research and expand on it. As I haven't presented yet, I don't want to reveal too much, as not to second guess myself too soon :)

If anyone is interested in finding out more about my research, I'd be happy to discuss it! I can say that it involves tattoos and consumerism. 

*OK maybe that is the topic, but it's more complex than that...

Does anyone have their own experiences at academic conferences to share? The good? The bad? The not-to-be-missed?

crazy in the head [poem]

What's driving me crazy is this sensation that I’m forgetting

Where I put my most recent complaint.

I'm sorry if I dropped it on your head;

see, it seemed ok at the time,

But I’m realizing it’s a harder rock to drop

Than the speck of dust I thought I picked.

There’s a ringing in my ears,

And it’s making my hair prickle against the collar of my sweater

If I listen to its siren I almost feel seduced by the sound

Until it dies somewhere behind my left ear.

These bear hugs I wait for,

Seem so far and in between the madness ringing in my head.

I sometimes think it’s my phone

Letting me know you called.

Despite the jangling of my nerves,

The unsettling acidity of my stomach,

And the tears that bully themselves past the fortress of

My waterproof mascara.

Despite my petty worrying

I'm still a long way off from home.

The solitaire on my phone will only keep me occupied

As long as the structure of my neck holds out.

I have a feeling I’ll be leaning on my ancient chins,

Long into the night, still trying to beat the score

I set so absentmindedly last summer.

When the clubs fall short, their kings and queens more pixelated

And have lost all meaning – despite my numbing fingers

And the throbbing between my eyes

I’m still thinking about the way you smell.

Somehow hating all the little things

Makes me love the big things more.

The things that always pick me up,

When you’re the one I’m falling on.

Sugarpie Honeybunch

Successive blog day number 2: Here goes.
I started writing today about exactly what I was doing; writing notes on 18th century France...not that interesting for the general public. So I got a better idea. As part of my own 30 Day challenge, I am going to try a homemade recipe every day, report back, and encourage (or warn) you to do the same!
Today I'm starting with something that may sound odd, but a regiment that I've come to love!

Honey as a facial cleanser.
Bear with me friends, this one's a goody.
It started as part of my plan to limit the products I put on my skin. I've always been sensitive to chemicals and commercial products, and as a result, a bit of hippie when it comes to skin and body care. (not in the excessive body hair kind of way don't worry). More in the I-make-my-own-products and use food on my skin kind of way. And it's been one of the best things I've ever done!

Try it:
1 tbsp honey (or enough to lightly cover your face)
for an exfoliant I add about a tsp of baking soda.
Massage it into your face lightly in circular motions (this also helps with superficial circulation and cell regeneration, also tones and firms skin)
I like to leave either plain honey or the mixture on for about 10 min, but you can wash it off sooner if you like.
Pat your face dry. Marvel at your baby's-bottom-on-your-face feeling!
You can thank me later.

As a moisturizer I only use 100% coconut oil. Just a light covering, remember, your skin only absorbs the surface it touches. Same goes for lotions, sunscreen...ok maybe lather on the SPF but a BBQ thick layer of lotion isn't doing you any good. As far as oils go, anything that's 100% vegetable oil is awesome, and won't clog your pores! (I promise!) Try olive, coconut, jojoba (this is closest to your skin's natural pH level), sesame, the list goes on!

Honey is also a good hair mask. Don't worry it all comes out. Same goes for oils! Just REMEMBER to put shampoo in FIRST! Otherwise the soap won't get past the oil's surface. Massage thoroughly into scalp, a bit of olive oil mixes well with the honey, down to the roots and leave for 10-15 min.

Try honey on more than your toast tomorrow! Let me know how it goes!

Love,
Whit

p.s here's some links on more things honey-related:
Honey to Remove Whiteheads
Overall benefits of Honey
I wanna make these!
MD certified info

C'était un jour pour ne faire rien

It's the end of another semester, the light is starting to become visible at the end of the tunnel, le moment est arriver, tout est fait! I digress. I'll admit I'm getting a little anxious to end this semester. It's easy to fall into a comfort zone and studying (or not studying in my case 75% of the time), coffee, class, buses, sleep...I'll be doing something of an adjustment when i jet to Italy in exactly 21 days (!).
Until then, I'm working on a paper on the influence of Picasso in the early 20th century. As you can see, I'm hard at work. Ensuite, je vais faire mes devoirs de francais. Alors, ce n'est pas mon choix prefere, mais pour etre reussir a mes examens la semaine derniere, c'est important.

On another note, I am partial to photography that examines the human form with a non-human abstraction. Thus, I bring you Edward Weston. Amazing photographer in the 1920s. Here is one of my favourites.

Nude, 1925

image borrowed from History of Photography

St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I wish there was as much of a celebration for Irish holidays as there was for other cultures in Vancouver, however I'm glad to be able to participate today! Would love some soda bread and Guinness for breakfast mmmmm.

{via}

les livres sont etonnants

It's a late, rainy night and I've decided to prematurely put my tax refund to work. I haven't bought any new books in a long time and I've recently lusting after more from Colum McCann. I just finished Let The Great World Spin. Ironic that I loved it since it was assigned for my english class. Anyway, my Amazon account is getting some lovin' and I'd love some input on some great reads!
I loved Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy (no I won't see the movies.)
And Chuck Palahniuk is also a fantasic, cynically good read.
Gabriel Garcias Marquez is genius.
Margaret Atwood will always be close to my heart.
Yann Martel's Life of Pi is one I have read at least 5 times.


{I'd love to be perched reading here...}