Stein. Baum\whelmed

This is a response to my dedicated follower, @mile_end_gurl. She has recently brought to my attention the presence of an up and coming philosopher, theologist, historian and beat poet by the name of Steinbaum.

Steinbaum is renowned for his work in the ghettos of Montreal, if you will. He is a graduate of McGill university and a founding father of frozen-yogurt megacompany, Yeh. Steinbaum is a quiet man, not known for his public appearances, but for what he has done for the young people of Montreal, notably, Mile End. Stein, or "Baum" and he is known to today's youth, has made appearances at local parties and can often be found bike riding on Rue Bernard. He rides a black Supercycle, circa 1987 and has "tricked it out" as they say, with off-road tires and a reinforced multi-purpose carry-all pouch in the front. Look for stein at your local beat-poetry convention, Korova, or just any old Friday night in Mile End. He's always a good time.


(Steinbaum. 1932-Present. Photo, Dax Moward)

Best known for his haiku, "Ratchet Hoz"

Ho got a trill weave,

Being whelmed in Quebec City,

Bi#chez are so Baum

Tattoos in the 1950s

Tattoos are a trend that are presently becoming far more accepted and normalized in popular culture. In the '50s, and even up until the late '80s, tattoos were very expensive and seen as a socially deviant activity that only people on the fringe of society would even consider getting. Since then, tattoos have become very main-stream and acceptable in both professional work places, schools and ad campaigns.

I see a lot of 1950s styles coming back into play in the current decade. Many of the images below mirror women who would be considered sexy and attractive today, although they are from over '60 years ago.

Even today's most mainstream artists (I have looked specifically at the portrayal of females in this sense) have tattoos. Rihanna and Megan Fox are both seen as sex icons, but even with their tattoos, they aren't seen as social deviants or outliers. 

What are your thoughts on the way that tattooed women (and men) are seen both in the '50s and today? What does this say about the mentality of the present generation or about what we find beautiful?

Saigon Restaurant

Saigon is honestly my favorite restaurant. As a McGill student, I need quick, cheap and easy-to-get-to restaurants. Saigon is right across the street from Bronfman and is located on Metcalfe, right past CIBC bank.

My friends and I go to Saigon probably twice or even three times a week. David, the owner always recognizes us and the service is friendly and fast. My favorite thing to order is definitely the Chicken Vermicelli bowl, which comes with a DELICIOUS breast of teriyaki-ish chicken, some iceberg lettuce and vegetables, a spring roll, and lots of vermicelli to cover with Sri Racha and Hoi-sin sauce.

If you're hungrier than a vermicelli bowl, the Pad Thai is the next best choice. Saigon is owned by one Thai man and one Vietnamese man, so the food is a variety of the two.

Try it out! Everything is less than $10 and student get 10% off every day of the week.

Gay Marriage campaigns

Although the vote is over, there has been an outpour of criticism of funny/ shocking PSA's and videos that were created in hopes of changing people's opinions before the vote happened.

With all the talk about Romney's "1950's values" (and the fact that he did not win...) it is amazing how outdated so many ad campaigns appear to be.

Legalize gay marriage parody PSA:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6846855/gay-men-will-marry-your-girlfriends

(unfortunately you cannot watch it on youtube)

Anti Gay marriage campaign:

Given these clips, do you think that the 'majority' of our society has moved past 1950s ideals of marriage and relationships?

Do you think using a parody to get the point across actually works in our day and age?

There's nothing better than good taxidermy, than bad taxidermy. I mean who thought of stuffing their dead pet in the first place and what did their friends say when they saw it on the mantle? What good taxidermy has is weird eyes. The eyes say it all and taxidermy is no exception to the rule. Take this weird cougar thing for example:

This little guy is pretty decently done, but the look in his eye just makes him look like a complete psycho.

The next best thing about bad  taxidermy is the snout. Animals rarely ever show their teeth but when they do, they usually have pretty streamlined teeth and a decent amount of symmetry to their jaw.



This cat-like cartoon-faced creature is another case of bad eyes meets bad mouth. Classic. and hilarious.

Essentially, taxidermy rarely ever looks real so why not make it always hilarious?

My Best Buddy

Best Buddies is an organization that I got involved with through McGill, after passing their stand at the Clubs Fair last Fall. Best Buddies matches you up with a mentally challenged partner with whom you play games, go on trips, talk to on the phone, write letter or just hang out. I decided to Join Best Buddies first of all, so that I could help someone out in such a simple and fun way, but also to see what my Buddy could teach me.

I was matched with an awesome, crazy guy named Morty who is 64 and loves to bowl. When I say he loved to bowl, I mean this guy has been sent around the world bowling with Canada Special Olympics. He laughed at me the entire time when we went bowling... But bowling isn't all he likes to do. Morty and his friends, who live very independently, in single unit flats near the Namur metro, are totally normal and are exactly like you and I. 

When I'm with Morty, we usually go to Harvey's burger shop and he tells me about his week at work, working as a janitor in his apartment building. Most nights he has a TV dinner, but eating the same thing every night doesn't bother him, because unlike myself, routine is something Morty needs in his life and it makes him feel the most comfortable.

Before I met Morty, I was unaware that there were so many services and government subsidies for mentally challenged adults, who live independently but require some assistance with things like their finances and applications for jobs. Morty has a care aid who lives on his floor in his building and who he can go to for help or just to chat. Best Buddies is also government subsidized and although the funding could be MUCH larger, the small amount of money does allow Morty and his friends to be able to afford trips to Ottawa and to be able to afford to go bowling every Sunday.

What Morty has taught me about myself is that everyone just wants someone who cares about them and who is curious to ask them how their day was. He doesn't ask for much, but it's so rewarding to hear how excited he gets when I send him a postcard or call to ask what show he watched on TV. He always seems to remember the stories I tell him about particular friends or events in my life, and I sometimes wish that I could show that same sort of interest in all of my own friends' lives. 

To get involved with Best Buddies McGill, email bestbuddiesmcgill@gmail.com 

or call them at 1-800-89-BUDDY or

http://www.bestbuddies.ca/

Homesickness

Back to the intended focal point of my blog: West Coast homesickness. Why don't we start by making a good ol' Venn Diagram.

First of all, what I miss most about my hometown of Vancouver, when I'm in Montreal, is not the mountains or the ocean. Sure, I miss those all the time. But most of all, what I miss is good, cheap, convenient, fresh SUSHI.

Vancouver Sush: Britannia sushi has the worst service and the most bizarre decor, but nowhere else in the city can you get a bento box this good, for 6 bucks. Yes. 6 bucks will buy you 6 cali rolls, 6 pcs mixed veggie tempurah, fresh salad with the BEST dressing, and your choice of veggie, chick, beef or salmon teriyaki. YUM and the price makes it taste just that much better.

Might I add that they have good beer deals. It's not a bar by any means but the servers are so oblivious that it has been treated as a Friday night pre-party location once or twice before.... so I hear....

Montreal eats: Mikasa is the best sushi I've had so far but we had to sit in this weird and overly fancy little room with mood lighting all over the walls and uncomfortable seating. The sushi was fairly good and the fish was pretty fresh but considering that rolls were over 10 dollar for six!!!

Next reason that this venn diagram will only weigh why Vancouver beats Montreal...


islands.

Vancouver's archipelago of islands allow you to feel like you're miles away from home, when in reality you're only about 40 minutes and $20 away from your doorstep. The islands all have a laid back and cooperative feel to them and the scenery is found nowhere else on earth. From Tofino (on Vancouver Island) to Cortez, the islands are the best getaway at the most reasonable price and time investment.

While Montreal has some great getaways like the Laurentians and close vacations like the Maritimes and Toronto and even New York, none come close to the ease and price of Vancouver's islands.

Come out West! You wont regret it!

Painting your Pets

Today's post is my first, so I thought I'd make it a good one! What is with dying your pet's fur and is it actually an issue that surrounds animal rights?

Let's start by looking at some pictures of dyed pets. I'm more of a dog person so I'm partial to that type of rainbow fur...

Yes, yes, very cute but... why? It seems to be a bigger trend in Asia than in North America, but it also might be a cultural thing such that we severely humanize domestic pets in Canada and the US. There are tons of pet conventions and festivals these days and people are always coming up with new weird ways of making their pets look like anything besides what they actually are...

I see no problem in it besides the fact that cats' and dogs' faces are very delicate and sensitive. Dying an animals face could alter their senses and permanently affect their ability to see, smell or hear. Besides that, I don't think animal rights activists need to spend their time worrying about the well-being of animals who are overly-pampered.