Gradlife

Between 1985, and his death in 2002, Robert Girard wanted to capture the faces of gay and lesbian artists, writers and activists to document and celebrate an emergent queer culture and identity as it existed at the time. A curated collection is now on display through June 30^th at the UTAC, entitled Just As You Are: Portraits by Robert Gerard.

Capturing the spirit of the exhibit, in 1997 Gerard said:

It is my wish that tomorrow, when a viewer looks into the eyes of the subjects of these pictures, he or she will say in a spirit of wonder, ‘These people were here; like me, they lived and breathed.’ So too the portraits respond, ‘We were here, we existed. This is how we were’

With the current discussion of Gay-Straight Alliances in our schools, and a push towards creating a more inclusive curriculum, it is clear that Girard’s capturing of queer activist spirit is not a merely depiction of what once was, but that those voices are still pertinent now, 10 years later. The photos document a myriad of perspectives, and capture the experiences of those who fought not only for LGBTQ rights, but for marginalized peoples within the queer community itself.

Adding to the exhibit’s 40 vintage Girard prints, 8 portraits of prominent figures in the Canadian community are also on display.  The exhibit is a testament to past successes – and similarly a humbling reminder that achievement and progress does not occur overnight.

The exhibit hours are:

• Tuesday-Friday: 12-5pm
• Saturday: 12-4pm
• Closed Sundays & Mondays

Hart House and its prominent tower at night. Photo credit: Tomash Devenishek.

One of the things I find most interesting about campus is the merging of old and new, modern and aged. And so, taking a cue from this article, Before You Graduate: Things That Every U of T Student Should Do Once, I decided to venture into two of the architectural landmarks of campus – the study pod at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and the Soldier’s Tower at Hart House. I had not explored either of these two spaces in the past, and so were fitting to add to my own U of T Bucket List.

The Pharmacy building is that fancy, space-age one located at the north-west corner of College and University. Unfortunately, I was unable to go into the lecture halls that exist in the pods themselves (the admin I spoke to was on her way to lunch, and didn’t want to even entertain the idea of unlocking the pod for me), but I spent a good few hours reading in the study area located above the pod. Although marked “For Pharmacy Students Only”, I took advantage of summer hours and parked there regardless. I am not sure how closely monitored this is at other times – perhaps it would require more deceitful occupation during regular school hours. Regardless, it’s a pretty nifty place to study – full of lots of natural light, private lamps and new swivel chairs! The building itself is a bit of an architectural marvel, so I suggest just popping in for a look around, even if you don’t stay long.

Study pod at the Pharmacy Building.

The Soldier’s Tower at Hart House is one of those hidden gems that makes me love campus. Built in 1924 in memory of the 627 students lost during the Great War, it is Canada’s second tallest war memorial, after Ottawa’s Peace Tower. Schedule your visit for when the tower is open, and you can be witness to the beautiful stained-glass windows, as well as the museum of historical wartime artifacts located atop the tower. It’s definitely a worthwhile visit, and has knowledgeable staff working to offer additional backstory in addition to the informational plaques provided. A bucket list location for sure!

The Memorial Room atop the Soldier's Tower.

The hours of the Tower vary, as it is run by volunteer staff. Here are the scheduled openings through June. Appointments can be made outside of stated times for groups, or those doing research.

• Monday May 21^st: Noon – 2pm
• Saturday May 26^th: 11:3am – 1:30pm
• Friday June 1^st: 11am – 5pm
• Saturday June 2^nd: 11am – 3pm
• Sunday June 3^rd: Noon – 2pm
• Tuesday June 5^th: 2pm – 4pm
• Wednesday June 6^th: 1pm – 5:30pm

For more information please contact: soldiers.tower@utoronto.ca.

One of my problems with Toronto is that I find there is a lack of things to do after 9pm that doesn’t involve booze. I mean, unless you want to go to Tim Horton’s – where exactly do we hang out after 9 without ordering drinks? Most cafes close relatively early, and the movie theatre doesn’t exactly lend itself to conversation. So, when I first investigated The Pinball Café on BlogTO, I was caught off-guard by the comments – a good portion suggesting that it should serve liquor, and some commenters going so far as suggesting it would be impossible to manage a successful business without it. Well, controversy aside, The Pinball Café had peaked my interest by it’s gimmick alone – you guessed it, pinball.

If you want a place that has a friendly atmosphere, coffee, ice cream, sandwiches, board games (free) and pinball (for as little as 25 cents a game), this is probably a good fit. The pinball machines range from classic 1970’s tables to the more recent 2011 Transformers table. For the more videogame inclined, there’s an 1979 Atari machine featuring the classic Asteroids. For those on a date, there’s a love meter! What more could we ask for?! This retro hangout lends itself to conversation, eating and entertainment! And can be done relatively cheaply.

How cheap? Here’s some prices:

• Latte: $3.50
• Hot dog: $2.50
• Bagel with topping (cream cheese, peanut butter, nutella): $2.50
• Greg’s Ice Cream: $4-6
• Sundaes: $5
• Floats: $4.50

I stuck around for about three hours and felt very welcome. Speaking with Jason and Rachel, the owners, they really want to promote a laid-back, family friendly vibe. With the warm weather approaching, I am happy that my neighbourhood of Parkdale has a one-stop-shop for ice cream, coffee and entertainment… sans drunks.

And let’s not forget — one full week until Spring semester starts*! So please, let me share what one “academic” is up to:

1). Friend slept over last night. Friend wakes up at 7:30am to go to work. I smile at her in the morning just before she leaves. I know it is the least I can do — sucker.

2). Wake up at 9:30am. Feel guilty about waking up so early.

3). Make breakfast. Swat cat away from trying to eat breakfast. Drink 2 cups of coffee — it’s a big day.

4). I find truth on the internet:

5). Scan facebook feed. Same old. Mainly babies and weddings. Small judgements occur.

6). Did you know Brian McKnight is writing dirty ditties and putting them on youtube? These days are over folks.

7). Comes up with genius idea to ask twitter followers and facebook friends to send me entertaining things to look at. Gosh, I’m good at my job. Pats self on back.

8). I felt great about myself, then I’m sent this:

9). Recovers from necessary blow to ego. Watches time-lapse video of girl from birth to 12 years (in 2 min). Amazement ensues. Watch this:

10). Accuracy of this blog is proven when in reaction to my plea to friends and followers to send me entertaining things to watch, I am immediately offered suggestions by two fellow grad student friends. It appears the full-timers are actually at work, working. And in a poignant example of grad school summed up in one telling youtube meme, I offer you Greg’s suggestion: Nyan Cat. You can thank me later.

*I had to do some digging to find out when classes started. Next week is the first week of Spring session courses! Don’t forget!

Yoga has always been one of those things that I thought I might like, but was intimidated to try. I envisioned falling over on my mat, trying to reach an unattainable pose while everyone else around me found their balance flawlessly and easily. As a result, I’d never done yoga outside of the comfort of my bedroom and some youtube videos.

I attended a Hatha Yoga session at The Yoga Sanctuary as part of the Grad Escapes series.

Hatha yoga [n]: a slower yoga meant to bring balance, strength and a sense of well-being from the practitioner

This session seemed to be the perfect “balance” of challenge and relaxation, as its pacing provided a good work-out without causing any sort of overwhelming performance anxiety. I left the session feeling refreshed and hooked! The Yoga Sanctuary is a gorgeous studio, with lots of natural sunlight and is located close to campus at the intersection of Yonge and College.

That being said, I have a little secret. There is a series of free yoga sessions going on at the Multi-Faith Resource Centre. Every Wednesday between April 18^th – June 6^th, between 12pm-1pm, yoga sessions will take place on the 2^nd floor of the Koffler House. Mats and pillows are provided, and it’s FREE for students. How can you go wrong?

Interested in the social experience, without the yoga? GradEscapes has just released a sneak peak at its upcoming scheduling for the Spring Semester (with more to come!). You can register for the following sessions here.

•  TSO: Sci-Fi Spectacular with George Takei – Wednesday, May 2
•  Harbourfront Centre: The Toronto International Circus Festival – Saturday, May 19
•  ”What’s for Dinner?” Cooking Class – Tuesday, May 22
•  The Gardiner Museum: Pottery Class – Monday, June 4
•  TSO: Late Night – Saturday, June 9
•  Toronto Blue Jays vs. Detroit Tigers – Friday, July 27
•  Soulpepper Theatre: The Crucible – Wednesday, August 15

Remember this scene from Apollo 13?

Well, it turns out shortly after this heated moment it was none other than the University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) that was contacted to save the day. Yes! You heard me – U of T played a major part in the Apollo 13’s safe return to Earth.

For those of you who haven’t seen the film (and don’t know the history), on April 13^th, 1970, an oxygen tank on-board the Apollo 13 spacecraft exploded and threw a large kink into the plan to land on the moon. As a result, the original mission had to be aborted and NASA was forced to figure out how to safely get the crew home.

Comprised of three parts: a Command Module (for re-entry in the Earth’s atmosphere), a Service Module (pretty badly damaged by the explosion) and a lunar module (that was intended to be used on the moon), the Apollo 13 needed to be used in ways not originally planned for. Coming back to the earth, the craft would have to separate from the Lunar module, which wouldn’t survive re-entry into the Earth atmosphere – cue: “Toronto, we have a problem”.

UTIAS answers the call and gets to work to save Apollo 13. Photo courtesy of: AIAC

It turns out that: “UTIAS had been contacted to help with a crucial calculation on the correct pressure required to separate the entry module from the damaged spacecraft, because the two could not be separated using the mission profile… Their study and calculations provided a safe means to utilize pressure in the tunnel area between the Command & Service Module (CSM) and the Lunar Module (LM) to assure safe separation of the LM without damaging the hatch” (Canadian Air & Space Museum).

Ben Etkin, a professor for UTIAS at the time, recalls the experience: “We assumed that they had called other experts as well, but it turned out that we were the only group that they had contacted! After Apollo 13 returned safely to Earth, we received a letter from Grumman Aerospace thanking us for our participation and stating that our estimates had been the main quantitative information used to separate the components” (Aerospace Industries Association of Canada).

One of the flight simulators at U of T's Institute for Aerospace Studies

And how did I find this out? Luckily I had the privilege of visiting the Institute for Aerospace Studies a few weeks ago with the Parkdale Peer Mentorship Program. Fascinated by the flight-simulators and other research that goes on, I wanted to find out more information! And look what a little research found me – U of T, you’ve surprised me again!

If you’re interested in the Institute, and perhaps would enjoy a tour yourself, send an email to Joan Dacosta at dacosta@utias.utoronto.ca

Well, lucky for us grad students, there is no time of year that really lends itself to procrastinating. That being said, doesn’t that mean all times of the year are good times for procrastinating? Enter: UNIVERSITY LIP DUBS!

I discovered the phenomenon of the University Lip Dub just after graduating from Guelph. I checked out UofG’s rendition of Arcade Fire’s “Rebellion (Lies)” and was impressed with the orchestration of it all.

A lip dub is: a type of video that combines lip syncing and audio dubbing to create a music video.

Since then, there have been a few really impressive creations coming from York, UBC and now — U of T! I first caught wind of the UT version earlier in the year and have been looking forward to it. Alas! The wait it over.

But first, check out what UBC and York put together:

Highlights of the UBC Lip Dub:

• the underwater (!!) scene at the end
• the finale includes a birds-eye view courtesy of a helicopter (!! again)

When’s the last time you saw your campus decorated by yarn fixtures? Pretty recently if you spend any time in the Bissel Building, home of the Bissel Bombers. The Bissel Bombers are a group of top-secret yarn-bombers who do what they can to meet the gap between the “aesthetically uninspiring” i-school building and the friendliness of the characters who study within its walls. I was lucky to get in touch with “P-1 K-1”, a member of the group to discover more of the wooly details.

My first curiosity was, what’s the point? P-1 K-1 was able to explain that yarn-bombing, for her, meant “the act of altering a public space with yarn in order to make that space look more welcoming and friendly”. However, since being involved, she has met various people who use it as a statement against prescriptive gender and social roles, as well as those who use it for more commercial purposes.

Next, why this alias business? I mean, can there really be anything dangerous about knitting? Personally I don’t immediately think subversive when I think of needles and yarn – I had to get to the bottom of this. P-1 K-1 was able to explain:

Even though yarn bombs don’t actually damage the objects – they just wrap around them – some people would still categorize it as graffiti. To parody this, most yarn bomb groups will come up with silly gang names and aliases. I’ve made some jokes in past blogs about sneaking around and working under the cover of darkness, but it’s mostly just to add to the fun of yarn bombing.

Starting to understand a bit better, I can start to see how this is an appealing act. Part aesthetic motivation, part social movement, part craft, part friendship group (refraining from “close-knit” pun) – it seems to bring multiple positive components together in a fun way. Additionally, all aspects seem quite suited to an environment like the University campus. I wanted to know how any of us could get involved if we were interested. Main thing – check out the Bissel Bombers blog, here’s where you can get in contact with the group and contribute – whichever way you want.

And if bombing ain’t your thing, but perhaps you’re feeling a bit crafty, don’t forget to drop in to the last few sessions of Lunchtime Crafts @ Hart House. Go this Thursday, or next, between 11am-1:30pm!

Remember being in grade 10? Remember thinking about…“YOUR FUTURE”? Remember being totally confused about what you wanted to do, because well, you were 15, and you had barely realized what you were interested in? Remember thinking that “your future” was a bit less pressing than the myriad of other things going on in your teenage brain/life? Wouldn’t it have been nice to have someone older (and smart, and cool) who could answer questions, and perhaps just tell you that high school might not be the best time of your life?

Que the Parkdale Peer Mentorship Program! I’ve been involved with this program for the past couple of weeks and let me tell you, it’s kind of THE BEST. Started by the U of T Medical Society, in collaboration with the Parkdale Community Health Centre and the Parkdale Art & Cultural Centre, it’s an opportunity for grad students such as ourselves to get in touch with bright, young students who are stuck in the dredges of high school! (…Okay, perhaps I have latent negative memories of my own high school years).

Why so awesome? Well, check out what we did this past Saturday!

As a group, we adventured to Joe Rockhead’s Indoor Rock Climbing Gym, located in Liberty Village. Now, it’s been a couple years since I’ve gone climbing, but luckily I was the mentor in this situation and have recently shed-off most of my teenage athletic anxiety. We had a few ROCK stars (groan..) in our midst and I think everyone had a really good time. We went as a large group, but the facility caters to beginners to advanced, for group and individuals alike. It’s a large gym and all of the instructors I had the pleasure of working with were extremely patient, supportive and generally good-natured people.

And like all good places in the city, there is a Student Discount! Just show your ID with an expiry date (ie: you may want to bring proof of current enrollment), and you are entitled to these discounted prices:

• STUDENT DAY RATE: $15
• STUDENT 10 VISIT PASS: $125

There are also student memberships, which include discounted rates depending on how long you sign on. For more information on rates (student and non-student), check out the website.

For more information about the Parkdale Mentorship Program, email : uoftpmp [at] gmail.com

Last Wednesday I was able to attend “The Living Library Project” held at Hart House. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Provided was a list of the different “books” with short blurbs about their stories and identities. I signed up for 2 different books – Harla Receno (past leader and organizer of the LGBTQ community on campus) and David Robertson and Peter Ronn (a gay couple who is learning the ropes of being same-sex parents). Given my current involvement with Queer History Month, I thought these “books” might be particularly enlightening.

Started in Denmark as a way to reduce prejudice, intolerance and discrimination, The Human Library Project aims to allow for dialogue between people who otherwise may not encounter each other, or if so, may feel inhibited in the questions they ask. As a result, the “books” chosen occupy spaces that are often misunderstood, or are not always given safe and open spaces for discussion.

The event was amazing! I loved the buzz around the room (it was held in the Great Hall @ Hart House) —  it held a casual and friendly energy. To make things even better, I was pleasantly surprised with the fancy spread of appetizers, baked goods, and hot and cold drinks. As the “books” and their “readers” chatted, both nibbled on finger foods or sipped coffees. I feel that this definitely contributed to the relaxed atmosphere overall.

Unfortunately my time was limited for this event, but when (if?) it happens again I’d love to spend more time with different books. If you missed it this year, hopefully it happens again and you too can partake in what I think is one of the coolest experiences I’ve had on campus so far!