Archive for August, 2007
I like to think that in today’s day and age the stigma surrounding mental illness is a thing of the past. I was lucky (in some ways) to be raised in a house that dealed openly and honestly with mental illness. My father sufferred from it and from a very young age (too young to fully understand, even) my brother and I were aware of it. When I was five years old and my mother found that she could not answer all my questions she took me to see my father’s psychiatrist so that I could really understand the situation to the best of my little brain’s ability.
But the truth is that the stigma is not gone. Matthew Good, has chronicalled his struggle with discovering he suffered from bipolar on his blog throughout this past year, and apparently recieved loads of emails and comments regarding the positivity surrounding someone so open. The stigma survives and people like Good are the exception.
I even had a coworker when I worked at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health who was afraid to admit to us that they suffered from a mental illness. We were all psychologists, psychiatrists and/or students of psychology working in a psychiatric hospital and they were afraid of being judged, or misunderstood.
How is it that this is still the case? Mental illnesses are a reality that can only be made worse by ignoring them. By being open, and dealing with them, they become easier to understand and may even be curable.
Please if there is someone in your family who suffers from a mental illness do what you can to see if they are recieving the help they need. If you feel that their condition is affecting you directly seek out support groups for the families of people with mental illness. If they are going to be in continual contact with children, teach the children as much as you can about the problems.
Don’t stigmatize these people. Their problems are real, and they exist for powerful reasons. Accept them, and help them to the best of your ability.
Read what CAMH has to say about stigmas regarding mental health
August 30th, 2007
Those of us living in Ontario (and possibly a bigger radius, frankly) are probably familiar with the age(/decade)-old Staples Business Depot ads equating back-to-school with “the most wonderful time of the year”. When I was a young’un I remember finding the TV ads of mothers skipping down the isles of the store vaguely offensive, but today I went to the U of T Bookstore (heinously overpriced, for the record) and collected my books for the upcoming year, and as I carried my parcel over to the basket on my bike that old Christmas song was playing happily in my head.
I love piles of new books. I love Tables of Contentses. I love looking at the closed covers on books with uncreased spines and imagining what knowledge will be imparted to me throughout the year as I happily work my way through their pages.
In summary: I am a nerd. And I’m loving it.
August 29th, 2007
Has anyone else started to become increasingly afraid of the turns for American our country is taking? Years ago (let’s say 7) like many Canadians I had a completely neutral-leaning-toward-favourable view of America. Then gradually leading up to about 3 years ago I became rather fervantly disgusted by America. And now the last year or so, I am afraid. Because I am Canadian and my country is leaning closer and closer in the direction of all that which disgusts me about America.
There was a big summit up here recently. I don’t know a lot about what it was about, to be completely honest. I know it involved Bush, Harper, and the President of Mexico, and I know that the storms in Mexico were threatening to cut it short. And I know that it involved economics and that the public was not allowed to witness it.
What I have been learning more about is the protests that took place, and the shockingly uncanadian results. According to CBC thousands of protestors were present. Harper, however, was quoted as claiming it was more like 500, and said it was “sad”. Belittling democratic action much?
Now according to Matt Good’s site there are allegations that the police actually infiltrated the protesters to incite violence. Brilliant. Proud to be Canadian on a day like today.
August 22nd, 2007
I have changed a lot in the last few years. In little ways, that probably don’t seem to amount to much from the outside, but change my entire experience of living–and as best as I can chalk it up it is simply the growing pains of the tomboy who inevitably grows up into a woman. So what has changed?
I cry more. I scream when I’m startled. I get startled. Bugs scare me. I love small children. My heart stops when I see a newborn baby sleeping. And I have grown to be nostalgic.
I remember 2 short years ago (if that), discussing with a dear friend of mine the idea of having chapters in your life. You know? Sections which open, develop and close. Fully-contained. I used to feel like my life had sections like that–things I had been through and learned from, which I had left behind. Now too much thought about a time in my past and my heart begins to bleed for moments which seem lost.
They say ‘it’s a small world’. And with globalization it’s just getting smaller. But you know what? Japan is just too bloody far away. And a whole year of your life somewhere is a hard thing to have left behind.
I can’t imagine how those people, even just 50 years ago, got on those boats and left Europe and came to this corner of the world knowing they would never have the luxury of looking back. I can’t imagine it for a second. I don’t understand how you can say goodbye to homes of yours, and to the people who have made those homes what they were. I don’t understand how you are supposed to move on.
When did I get to be so bloody emotional?
August 13th, 2007
10 questions from James Lipton on Inside the Actor’s Studio. While having a new agent (yay!) might make one think my doing this is because I dream of one day being on the show, it’s really just because Darren Barefoot got Meg to do it, basically.
1. What is your favorite word? Ladle
2. What is your least favorite word? Bigot
3. What turns you on? Inspiring discussions and sparkling eyes.
4. What turns you off? Small-mindedness
5. What sound or noise do you love? Birds out my window.
6. What sound or noise do you hate? That sound when a small child is crying so loud it’s a scream.
7. What is your favorite curse word? Shit
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Pilot
9. What profession would you not like to do? Criminal lawyer
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Everyone is here.
August 7th, 2007
As part of Toronto’s SummerWorks festival my friend, Caitlin McCarthy, from highschool (far left) is in a fantastic new play called Muhammed of Yorkville. Written by a fellow student at University of Toronto during the scandal regarding the comics depicting Muhammed this play asks and explores some of the most interesting questions surrounding the controversy and what it means for those living in a multicultural city like Toronto. It’s also wonderfully funny.
“A play about religious controvery, artistic integrity and getting dumped on the phone,” Muhammed of Yorkville can be summed up (or at least, is being summed up) by the following:
When a Yorkville art gallery decides to exhibit a painting of the Prophet Muhammad, it sparks a string of controversies ranging from the thought-provoking to the absurd. Religion, politics, ideology and sexuality clash as gallery owners, angry teens and Muslim protestors say what they think and hear what they want.
Fantasticly written and wonderfully acted. Go see it!
Remainging shows are:
Wednesday August 8th 8:00pm
Friday August 10th 6:30pm
Saturday August 11th 12:30pm
Sunday August 12th 9:30pm
Buy tickets here, or an hour before at the show at The Factory Theatre on the corner of Bathurst and Adelaide.
August 6th, 2007
My aunt Mairin likes to say that she would always let my cousin Frank out of just about any work if he would play music for her (I am sure his memory of the truth of this might waver from her own).
My boyfriend moved in with me about two months ago and with him came a host of guitars, amps, keyboards and the like, which now enjoy taking up a whole quarter of the living room, always ready for a moment of inspiration or a need to escape other things that might be going on. It has been fantastic.
While he is getting excited about playing music at various places in the city*, and hoping to get involved in new groups, I get to have him sit on a stool just outside the kitchen and seranade me as I wash the dishes. I think I get what aunt Mairin was on about.
*like the Free Times Cafe on Tuesday the 14th of August!!
August 6th, 2007