I adore the look of turbans that are worn by Sikhs and other cultural communities for various religious and practical reasons. I also love them as a fashion item, a pinnacle of refinement. Elizabeth Taylor comes to mind, who donned them often in the 1960s-70s. Those sparkling violet eyes, a sea of gemstones glimmering on…
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I'm an Associate Professor in the School of Health Studies at Western University in London, Ontario. An anthropologist with cultural and medical expertise, I conduct ethnographic research with women and others in sex work, people with HIV/AIDS, and Indigenous populations. My special research interests include sexuality and sex work, gender, marginalization, and the politics of health. Along with contributing to different academic and community settings through her research and activism , I enjoys creative writing and recently had a poem published in Anthropology and Humanism, entitled ‘Arboreal’ I'm currently working on on a manuscript that examines how feminist culture, sexuality, and gendered power dynamics are being (re)configured through Bumble, the worlds first ‘feminist’ dating app. I live with my cat, Elliott, and enjoy yoga, engaging with the arts, travelling, spending time with family, and finding new ways to experience the world.
Under the Bloom
Today starts with the customary 5 am wake-up call from Elliott, which I pretend to ignore in a futile attempt to stretch out the inevitable. I like when she and Jhona gather with me in the dark, stepping on my body like bedroom adventurers claiming their territory. We communicate in chirps, meows, and love. Once…
Read MoreIs this still available? My adventures on Facebook Marketplace.
PLANTS 2 snake plants, one with pot 3 blooming cacti 1 large cactus and basket PICTURES/FRAMES 2 picture frames 2 flower-bird pictures 2 huge women and flower paintings PILLOWS & DRAPES3 ‘boho’ pillows 2 blue pillows 4 panels of damask drapes FURNITURE 1 pink office chair 1 “Renaissance” chair 1 green office chair DECORATIVE ITEMS…
Read MoreIs American Gun Violence a Form of Cultural Cannibalism?
I wondered this question while listening to the news about the mass shooting at King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, the second of its kind in the last seven days. These events are the product of structural, social, and interpersonal factors, and endless streams of paper, protests, and policy revisions have been used to…
Read MoreIt’s been a year: Writing my way through the pandemic
When the maelstrom of masks, mandates, and mass retreat began a year ago, I began a special writing project. Housed in a Word file called “Corona writings”, it is intended to be a record of all the things I have written since the pandemic began. It includes creative writing, academic articles and book chapters, and…
Read MoreRED
The boldness drips from my brush as I rock out to Florence & The Machine. “Oh Patricia, you’ve always been my north star…You remind me that it’s such a wonderful thing to love.” Written for Patti Smith, it’s one of my favourite songs. Instead of the flowing Gucci dresses Florence wears, I am covered in…
Read MoreSparking Joy or Anxiety? Exploring the Global Shortage of Storage Cubes
I’m embroiled in a fun, mainly therapeutic design project: transforming my smallest bedroom into a sweet home office. I say mainly because I tend to get obsessive with activities like this and spend inordinate amounts of time window shopping online to select just the right pillow covers, desks, display units, and on it goes. There…
Read MoreThe Path
Simplicity is the path to freedom. This was the last line in today’s 3-minute Sagittarius Today podcast that I listen to every morning before getting out of bed. After replaying the last segment of the recording to make sure I got it right, I jotted it down in the notebook app on my phone, a…
Read MoreQuo·tid·i·an Musings
Quotidian is an adjective that means of or occurring every day; daily.“the car sped noisily off through the quotidian traffic” ordinary or everyday, especially when mundane.“his story is an achingly human one, mired in quotidian details” With pearls around my neck and not a bra in sight, I sit on my couch enjoying the first…
Read More777Hz
After making the obligatory post-birthday “thank you for all the messages” post on Facebook I look at my beautiful cat Elliott, who lays on her scratching post, and begin crying. I’m overwhelmed and my feelings are difficult to process. She is my number one nursemaid and comes to my side when I crumple on the…
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