Dear Barb: Hi, my brother is addicted to opiates. His wife and two kids have suffered extensively from his addiction, as have my parents. He has tried many times to get off the drugs but it hasn’t worked. He mostly lives on the streets and has no income to speak of. He often shows up… Read more »
The long, international tradition of starving artisthood has already brought you a list of general tips for surviving on a shoestring as well as advice on how to eat well and decorate your learning (and living) space. Today we tell you how to look like a member of the counterculture. Which counterculture, you ask?… Read more »
Learn how to paint words—in your writing, life, and dreams. Creative people think thoughts as vivid as movies, says author Barbara Baig (2015). So, daydream Gone with the Wind in words. But first, study your dreams. Once, I awoke during a dream, but the dream kept playing. So, I quietly watched the dream like a… Read more »
Last month, I wrote an article describing five different instant noodle brands. You might be thinking, “I can do better than instant noodles” and you absolutely can. So this week we bring you the best of traditional starving-student meals with a twist. For AU students juggling between full-time work, family, and postsecondary, it’s a wonder… Read more »
The day Papa dies marks the day my telomeres shrink. But let’s backtrack. Daily, I munch flaxseed, fruits, veggies, bran, and beans—yes, fiber. (Fiber-bombs scrub small intestines in ways worthy of bowl-selfies.) I sleep 8 ½ hours, weightlift, shadow-box, and eat like David Suzuki fasting after a Burger King binge. Despite all that, nausea and… Read more »
Dear Barb: My husband and I’ve been married ten years. A couple years ago he had an affair while we were going through a bad time in our marriage. He was very sorry and begged for another chance. I’ve tried to forgive him to make our marriage work—we have two young children. But it’s been… Read more »
At a recent conference, speaker Curt Steinhorst’s keynote address was called Thriving in the Age of Distraction. He’s a talented guy that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing before, and this time was no exception. Not only is his material fact-based, but he offers simple solutions to keep this from being “just another speech.” Regrettably,… Read more »
Success can be a funny thing. We tend to think, “Once I get to this specific point I will have succeeded, and then I will be happy.” But the idea of success tends to morph and change the closer we get to realizing one form of it. For example, success could have been starting university. … Read more »
Did you ever get denied an empty seat taken by a “ghost”? Or open doors for strangers who soak you with love or sock you with anger? Whatever the woe, tame that temper. Take scenario one—love: As I walked past a storefront, a middle-aged woman appeared in the parking lot. Her shoulders slouched. Her strides… Read more »
Want the secret to getting an A? Use simple language sprinkled with big-words. That’s what the dean I knew did on her ascent to deanship. Her papers sounded grade-two jammed with jargon. That way, she didn’t pickle herself as either too stuffy or too stupid. To gather jargon for your essays, use critical theory—any theory. … Read more »