So it is over, the coursework, the paper, the practicum, the assignments, the (required) readings, the routine. I woke up a couple weeks ago to find this in my inbox after submitting my big research paper (the one I had trouble finishing): “Please accept this email as confirmation that Trish Starling has completed all necessary [...]
I recently spent some time at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery (located at Hart House) to check out their latest exhibit, I Thought There Were Limits. This exhibit “brings together five Toronto-based artists whose work engages with both the material and conceptual dimensions of space” (Exhibit brochure). Coming towards the end of my program, I [...]
Well, thesis deadline soon approaches (ahem, tomorrow) and I am finishing off the final edits of my research. Not generally a procrastinator, I have had trouble finding the right head-space to get those last revisions onto paper. I have found myself somewhat immobilized in the process, finding myself staring blankly at a computer screen until [...]
Last Wednesday my trip with GradEscapes was a far more positive affair than the last time I visited the AGO. I think I found exactly what I needed when I ventured downstairs to check out the exhibit, Life of a Craphead Restrospective courtesy of Toronto artist-duo Amy Lam and Jon McCurley. Described as a “consistent [...]
It was 7:15pm in the Galbraith Building. About 25 students gathered in room 221 while a nervous buzz emanated. No one motioned to the table with (FREE!) fruit, cookies and sandwiches – this was obviously serious business. The competition had reached its final round, and 9 contestants remained in the Three Minute Thesis Competition last [...]
Alright Gradlife blog, don’t take it personal but I don’t have time for you. No really, I don’t. I have been stressing all week about what I am going to write about because well, I have a deadline, but to be extremely honest, this deadline is last on the list of other deadlines and I [...]
Although women represent more than half of the world population, the continued structural and societal inequities women face result in the arguably Band-Aid solution of International Women’s Day. In no way do I suggest that we should do away with the day – rather I hope for a time when no longer does the marginalization [...]
As a writer, words in my world tend to carry a fair bit of weight. Earlier today during brunch a couple friends and I discussed the frustration felt when others don’t see words as quite so heavy. Needless to say, believers of the “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt [...]
I grew up in a household that didn’t have cable TV. It seemed like torture to me, this absence of cable-privilege. I used to plead, “Mom, even inmates have access to cable TV!” Post-adolescence, I now understand living without cable was a well thought-out and conscious choice by my mother who believed less “good” TV [...]
Those who have been following the Gradlife blog for awhile (PS. I love you) may already be aware that I take part in the Parkdale Mentorship Initiative which engages Grade 10 students in exploring career opportunities after high school. There is a certain irony to this project, as some of us Grad student mentors are [...]
