My thoughts on the 1,000 books everyone should read

December 16 2009, Launch Magazine

Once the academic term winds down for the holidays, I find that I can finally start reading for pleasure: something I can’t normally do when I’m expected to read 200-700 pages a week in my classes.

Over the next couple weeks I plan to tackle the rest of Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine, Geoffrey York and Loreen Pindera’s People of the Pines, and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series; hopefully more depending on what I end up doing over the break.

Even though I’m a student and I complain about all of the books I have to read during the year, I don’t think I will ever stop loving reading, and I am not alone.

A journalist friend of mine, Joey Coleman, recently asked me an a bunch of other friends via Facebook note for suggestions for books to read over the holidays because he wanted to get away from the things he normally reads for class. Although Joey wanted more classic literature (something I don’t typically tend to be a fan of), I gave him a rather long list of some of my favourite books.

And then I started thinking about how many books have been printed in the last 550 years or so and how many of them are considered must-read books. It turns out that the British newspaper The Guardian has printed a list of the best 1000 novels everyone one should read.

Of that list, I have read only 38, which I find surprising; given how much I love to read and how important literature has been to my university degrees.

I have several shelves filled with books at my parents’ house and another sizable collection with me at school. And yet, I’m always buying more books and don’t ever feel like I have enough. Predictably, I plan on buying some more books over the break.

If you’re looking for something to read over the break, check out The Guardian’s list for a couple of possible options. I think you should also check out Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. It has been my favourite book since I was 12, and I know a few people who also cite that book as one of their favourites. Hugo and Nebula awards have to count for something too.

Books with an astericks denote some of my favourites. They are:

1. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams *
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
4. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
6. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess *
7. Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
8. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
9. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
10. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
11. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
12. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
13. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
14. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
15. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides *
16. Time to Kill by John Grisham
17. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
18. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
19. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
20. The Shining by Stephen King
21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee *
22. The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis *
23. The Call of the Wild by Jack London *
24. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
25. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
26. Animal Farm by George Orwell
27. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
28. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
29. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
30. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
31. Maus by Art Spiegelman *
32. Dracula by Bram Stoker
33. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
34. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien *
35. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
36. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
37. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
38. Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Do you have any books you think other TalentEgg readers should check out? Please leave your suggestions!

Book Review: What's My Pee Telling Me

November 19 2009, Launch Magazine

Even though we are adults, many of us have not outgrown toilet humour, myself included.

All immaturities aside, I often wonder if my body is functioning normally and I know I am not alone: this is one of the reasons why Dr. Oz is so popular.

I recently received Josh Richman and Anish Sheth’s What’s My Pee Telling Me? as a gift. And because apparently I go to the washroom frequently (said the person who gifted the book to me), I decided to give it a read (and I was [not-so-secretly] also hoping for some punny toilet humour).

The book is the “sequel” to the best-selling What’s Your Poo Telling You?, which came out in 2007. Like its predecessor, What’s My Pee Telling Me? is about your bodily functions. Although this book focuses primarily on urination, it also delves into a few others areas of your gastrointestinal tract.

Richman and Sheth were college roommates, and both shared a fascination with bodily functions and were amused with fart jokes. Sheth later went on to medical school where he became a gastroenterologist, so this subject matter is something he is very familiar with. Some years later, the two decided to write a book, which became What’s Your Poo Telling You?

What’s My Pee Telling Me? goes beyond silly and immature humour and actually provides reasons why your body functions they way it does.

It explains the different properties of urine, what can cause it to change, and does the same for poop and flatulence. The fourth section of the book debunks various myths that have developed about the human body, such as if you urinate on yourself it will remove the sting of a jellyfish. (It doesn’t. I feel that Joey, Chandler and Monica from Friends lied to me.)

The book is also filled with little tidbits, offering suggestions on how to stay healthy as well as bathroom habits throughout history. Additionally, it has amusing illustrations and lots of toilet humour. I found it hilarious, of course.

Perhaps most importantly, I learned that my body functions normally (more or less, in terms of bathroom habits anyway), and I know what signals when it is not.

If you’re the type who likes to read while doing your business, What’s My Pee Telling Me? a good book for you to occupy yourself with while you’re in the washroom. If you don’t read in the bathroom it a great book of reference that you can use well into the future.

Why you should dump your high school sweetheart

Novembr 12 2009. Launch Magazine.

The hardest thing about being in a long-distance relationship continued from high school into college or university is that feelings can change, and they often do.

Why you should dump your high school sweetheart

Being in a relationship can really hinder your ability to meet new people. This is especially important in first and second year, as the friends you make there can help you get through your classes, give you something to do when not in class or studying, get you involved in extra-curricular activities, and likely be people you will keep in touch with for the rest of your life. Each year you should aim to meet new people – you never know what you could gain from a friendship.

So, how do you dump your high school sweetheart without looking like a complete jerk?

I have been dumped cruelly in the past. The worst one happened while we were at a bar. He was drunk, I had no cash and a bunch of my belongings were at his friends’ house. Best. Night. Ever.

Unfortunately, there a lot of jerks out there (I seem to have dated quite a few) and there are ways people get dumped which are frankly pretty mean.

If you ever want to end a relationship, don’t do it this way – ever

• Through Facebook, Twitter or other social networking sites
• While at a bar
• Via text message
• At a sports game allowing the ordeal to be caught on the JumboTron
• Using a friend to deliver the news
• By leaving a note on the car windshield
• On their birthday
• In public in the middle of a date together
• Right after sex
• Via instant message (like GChat, MSN, Facebook, etc.)
• Leaving a Post-It note

For the (rather unfortunate) dumpee

You’re probably not feeling too great about yourself at the moment. I’ve been dumped in some pretty cruel ways myself, so I know how you feel: sometimes you just don’t see these things coming.

What to do now? Move on. What it takes can really vary from person-to-person, but usually you mourn your relationship for a little while, accept that it wasn’t a good match, and then get back to normal. Regardless of how soon you are ready to date again, spend time outside of class, homework, and sleep, around other people.

Think about all of the awesome things you do and why others like to be around you. Keep doing the things that make you the amazing individual you are (or maybe try some new things), and you will meet a whole group of people you never could have met if you were still pining over your ex. This is the best time of your life to meet new people so get out and do it! There are multiple ways you can do it in university or college, such as joining clubs, student government, intramurals, volunteering, or working part-time.

Why being single is actually great

• You’re not accountable to anyone
• You can flirt and not get in any trouble
• You can watch whatever you want on TV
• You can be happy with who you are, not who your significant other wants you to be
• You don’t need to discuss going to certain social engagements
• You can spend as much time with your friends as you want
• You don’t need to give a lame excuse for not spending enough time on yourself
• You can wear what you choose to bed and no one steals your blankets
• You don’t need to tolerate moodiness
• You don’t need to worry about if they will call
• You can buy whatever food you want
• You can appreciate your independence

Beans give you the healthiest bang for your buck

November 4 2009. Launch Magazine.

There are many reasons why one may choose to adopt the vegetarian lifestyle, but vegetarians primarily focus on religious beliefs, ethical grounds and/or dietary reasons when they opt to go veg.

As for myself, I am a semi-vegetarian because eating some kinds of meat now literally makes me ill due to an intestinal infection I had several years ago.

The meat I consume now is poultry or some kind of fish, in addition to substitutes made from soy. I am a little bit of a weenie though – I don’t prepare uncooked meat because the thought of it grosses me out.

Quite often, however, people don’t recognize going vegetarian once a week (or more!) can save them quite a bit of cash. The best way to do this? Eating beans and other legumes to get the protein you need.

If you think about it from an economic standpoint, “growing” meat costs money. The animals need to be housed, fed, transported and inoculated. Depending on what those animals eat , all these processes could contribute to meat’s higher cost.

Of course, vegetable crops also need to be fed, harvested and transported, but the costs involved are much smaller than those for meat. The difference is ultimately reflected in the prices they sell for in the store or supermarket.

Looking at my local grocery store’s flyer for this week (utilizing flyers is another way to shop frugally), I found the sale price for one pound of boneless stewing beef is $3.99, one pound of boneless chicken breast is $4.99, and a pound of pork loin chops with bones is $1.49.

In comparison, a 540 gram can of beans at the regular price costs around a dollar. There are approximately 454 grams in a pound, so if you were to compare costs relatively, a pound of beans costs you 84 cents. If you buy dried beans in larger quantities (1-5 lb bags), they cost even less than beans in the can ($2-3), but they do take longer to cook.

Beans are one of the best foods you can consume in terms of nutritional value. They are low in calories, high in fibre and protein, and full of all kinds of other nutrients and vitamins. Beans are also believed to regulate blood sugar, reduce cholesterol, and prevent cancer as well as heart disease. Due to the fact that they are inexpensive and so nutritionally sound, they are a staple food item all over the world.

Of course, not everyone likes the taste of beans, but there are some easy ways to add them into your diet in smaller amounts until you get used to the flavour. Even substituting half or a quarter of the meat you eat with beans can save you quite a bit of money over the course of the year.

If you’re not sure where to start in terms of recipes with beans, there are tons for you to peruse on the internet, and for free. There are even recipes for brownies with beans in them (I haven’t had time to test those yet though)!

And to make beans even more fun to eat, there is that little rhyme we’ve all known since childhood…

Q&A with an economics-sciences student trying to be a pro photographer

October 29th 2009, Talent Egg Incubator

I have a real passion for photography and would love to do it as a career, but I’m not sure how possible that is for me.

There is an over-saturation of people trying to make it as photographers right now and, from what I’ve seen, many of them aren’t very good.

I don’t really know how to get myself in there without taking a huge risk, so for the time being at least, I am on the fence.

But the same is not true of Jeff Jewiss. He’s a photographer and designer who has captured some pretty impressive artists (Jonas Brothers, IllScarlett, the Weakerthans, and Dallas Green) and organizations as a photographer.

Jewiss’ work focuses primarily on portraiture, promotional and concert photography, but he has also done some work in other areas, such as shooting sports events. In addition to working as a photographer, he attends McMaster University where he is completing a bachelor of economics degree, with the possibility of simultaneously finishing a physical sciences degree.

I interviewed Jeff recently about his work and education while we were people-watching on campus in between classes.

Q. Why did you decide to go to university for science?

A. At the high school I went to that’s what they pushed, mostly the sciences in general. Our school was known for sending kids off to Queen’s, U of T and [McMaster].

We were told to put our time in at high school, get one of these degrees, and get a good job at the end of it all. I applied to those kind of schools, but I have family here [in Hamilton] so here I am.

Q. How did you get started in photography?

A. I worked finance full-time for one and a half years. If you’ve ever worked a job like that, you’d understand there is a lot of downtime. It’s against the corporate culture to talk about it, but there is. So I’d look at photography websites and photos when I had the chance. One day I just walked into a Henry’s and bought a camera.

I’ve always had a love of music, so I’d go to shows and take pictures. I started making friends with people in bands who’d appreciate what I was doing. So I started doing promotional shots, parties, etc., for different bands.

Like anything artistic, you need to continue what you are doing no matter how discouraged you get. You’ll think your stuff sucks, but others will appreciate what you’re doing, and pushing forward and keeping your head up will give you access to bigger and better things. You also have to be realistic.

One of the hardest things – for me at least – was fighting [a] ceiling. I mean kind of like the glass ceiling that women face in the workplace. It’s years of experience, time and equipment that make you successful.

But let me debunk the equipment thing a little bit. Just because you have really good equipment doesn’t mean you will take a better picture; it can make your job easier, though. It’s knowledge that makes you a better photographer, a better everything, really.

The hard thing for me is I’ll soon mark two years of doing this and I’m basically using the same equipment I started with. I haven’t been doing it for very long in terms of freelancing – I’m an amateur at best. I’m thankful for what I have but I want to shoot better bands, take more interesting photos and continue to grow.

Q. How do you think your education has helped you and can help you in the future?

A. All degrees . . . serve a purpose. Still, the person who markets themselves better will make more money, even if they’re not the best. Sadly, incredible talent often goes unnoticed.

It’s frustrating because there seem to be two main types of photographer: those who are technical and those who are artistic. The ones who get paid aren’t necessarily the ones who have a high technical aptitude, since the buyer is often ignorant to these aspects of a photo.

For a lot of people it’s chance. They will take thousands of photos and hope their idea will happen. But I want to be able to make it happen every time.

My hope is that I’ll end up in graphic design or photography. It’ll give me a stable job where I can support myself and do freelance work. That’s the way I’ve chosen to do it and it’s worked [so far]. Degrees are taken seriously, like a diploma from Seneca or degrees from OCAD or Ryerson. I won’t have that, so I’ll have to work harder to get my foot in the door.

Q. What do you recommend to other students who want to pursue a career different that what they have gone to school for?

A. I don’t want to mislead anyone. I’ve made mistakes which have cost me a lot of money. The route I took is probably not [the best] one.

Students need to realize what they’re doing now should be what they want as a career. Take into account the money and effort you’ll invest. From my experience, if you don’t love you subject of study, either stick it out because you’ve committed, or don’t waste [more] time and money and take a step back.

Trying new things and getting out of your comfort zone may let you find your dream job, or let it find you. What it comes down to is if you can afford to make lots of mistakes: mentally, physically, socially, but mostly financially.

You don’t want to be in school forever, but you don’t want a degree you won’t use either.