Choking Up At Glee

Glee handled Emma's OCD a bit more this week and I think they did a great job. In general I have a hard time with the way that they show her symptoms - it doesn't seem accurate or believable - but this stems from not having much experience with the washing/cleaning type. However, they are definitely on the right path in term of attitude towards mental illness.

The imputes for the episode is that Glee plans to do a group number where they will perform Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” They are to wear white T-shirts that will each have a word to describe the part of themselves that they are most ashamed of or want to change. However, as an example Emma has chosen “Ginger” to describe herself.

Will is upset that Emma doesn't choose OCD and realizes that she isn't doing much to work on her issues. He calls her on this and asks that she go to therapy. The therapist scene was very nicely done. (Though my affection for it might be the use of 'diabetes' which is a classic example I use all the time.) Though the whole scene is good, here is the best section:

Therapist: There's a stigma in this country about mental illness. I mean depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar - they're hard to diagnose, so people don't always appreciate that they are serious problems, but they are.
Emma: Yeah, umm, I don't know. You know I'm not sure I want to lay on a couch and tell some stranger all of my secrets. And I don't want to start popping pills just so I can turn into someone that other people want me to be. This is how I am. This is who I am supposed to be.
Therapist: Your illness is not who you are supposed to be. It's keeping you from who you're supposed to be. Look, your a guidance councillor right? So if a student came to you and said they had diabetes would you give them insulin, or would you say, "Hey, that's just who you're supposed to be."
Emma. I...hum....I, I just feel, umm, I feel so ashamed...

At the end, during the big Gaga number, Emma and Will are at the side of the stage watching and she opens to jacket to reveal a T-ship that reads "OCD."

The Wii Knows I Suck

It isn't like I've ever been good at tennis in real life, but it is sad how bad I am at tennis on the Wii. I never win! Often I don't even get any points. This evening, actually very early in the morning, as a break from all-night essay writing I played a couple of rounds on the Wii with my night-owl father.

My dad has recently retired so plays the Wii a lot. He has over 1000 points for his little tennis Mii, mine has 137. The difference in our skill level is so wide that Wii Sports automatically assigned him a second player. Normally each side of the court has two players and you control both, the front one and the back. I'm pretty bad at getting the front one to ever do anything, I'm not fast enough to have that one hit the ball and just use the back one for everything. However, my Dad didn't get two of his Miis, he got some other random chick with a point level of 120, and didn't have control of her.

Basically the Wii decided that I sucked so bad that I needed a player worse than me on the other side so that I could get some easy shots. It didn't even work! I still lost, badly.

Please Say Something Nice

After almost eight months of graduate school, I have yet to find something to excel at. I often get feedback from essays or presentations that is lackluster at best. However, a professor for a course I am taking on visual culture wrote the following in the comments for a presentation I did:

"Throughout this class, I've been impressed with your ability to analyze pictures in terms of their formal properties and to understand how compositions work. This is a real strength."

Basically I think this means I should have taken some art history classes in undergrad and maybe looked for an image-based Masters instead of literature. She also said, "You have a very relaxed presentation manner, with a clear voice and good engagement with your audience." This may have been true for that particular presentation, as well as presentations I have done in the past at work or school, but as a whole for this program I have been terrible at presenting. I am currently writing an essay for this class, which involves analyzing a lot of images, I hope I do well on it.

Almost Like Baby Chicks

So it is Easter weekend and I'm The Cottage for the weekend. (Teri, or was it Kristen? Someone was asking when I would stop calling it The Cottage and start just referring to it as my parents' house. I don't think ever.) Anyway, my grandparents are visiting along with their friend from England and later on today my aunt and uncle and little cousin will be here for a big turkey dinner.

This morning we went to the Bird Studies Canada - Long Point Bird Observatory. (I can feel your judgement already.) My grandparents are hardcore birders, and they wanted to show their friend. My mom and I went along because the place is pretty awesome. Anyone who I have brought there would agree that it is way cooler than they thought it would be. They catch birds in these huge nets strung up all around the forest, then go get them and put them in bags, then bring them back to the lab area to band, identify, and document before letting them go again.

Today the nets were filled with birds. I was walking past one that had three birds caught in it and was looking at them. My grandfather came up beside me and I turned to him and said, "This one is pretty. The one in the middle is not so pretty, I don't like that one very much. But I like this one, it's cute."

Pa replied with, "Wow, you're a great birder Chris." I was never very strong with the remembering of names or the identification part. I also don't like to be particularly near the wild birds. I like to watch other people handling them from a safe distance. Wild things, and dead things, just make me feel very very uncomfortable, and a little scared.

While we were there, wandering through the paths in the wooded area, someone saw a bunny. I missed the bunny but I figure that, and the fact that little birds are kind of like baby chicks, makes The Long Point Bird Observatory an appropriate place to visit for Easter.

Oh But He Is Pretty

I love Jack Layton and Anna just put this link up on Facebook. Check it out. I love him now, and wow would I have loved him back then! Click the link:

Young Hot Jack Layton

Research Your Vote

The election is coming, the election is coming. Election Day (Federal) is May 2nd and if I stand for anything political it is for sure the strong belief that everyone should vote. Though I am finding myself for the first time in my life sadly cynical about Canadian politics.

I don't know what it is about the 2011 Federal Election that is draining me of all my hope and passion but there is one thing that I am finding exciting - The Vote Compass! Developed by a team of 15 top Canadian election researchers and political science scholars, and co-ordinated by the University of Toronto, this survey uses a series of questions to take each person's political temperature.

I think this is the greatest tool ever. I love it!! Though am very surprised to see where I ended up. This is what I got:

Try it out for yourself HERE at
CBC News - Canada Votes 2011 - Vote Compass

To A 'T'

To double the 't' or not to double the 't', that is the question...
-write
-wrote
-written
-writing
-writer
More reasons why I can't spell!

Emo Pony

This isn't as good as Goth Guinea Pig and it isn't nearly as awesome as the Emo Bunny, which was hilarious. However the saga continues:
Text and photo from Cute Overload (See Link to Right)

Nobody Understands Emo Pony
Emo Pony is destined to travel through the misty and cold fog of existence alone and cold. Emo Pony is going to put on his tight, itchy wool sweater and contemplate the failure of humanity. Emo Pony isn’t afraid to express himself with a forelock that covers 3/4 of his face at an angle.
Life is hard for Emo Pony.
(Erin AH sent this to me, she knows I love them!)