I got hooked on this. Beaaaautiful poetry, very relatable. It was refreshing after all the contemporarian poetry i consumed this year that was too focI got hooked on this. Beaaaautiful poetry, very relatable. It was refreshing after all the contemporarian poetry i consumed this year that was too focused in social media and phones in general. This was a breath of fresh air. Very raw, very vulnerable, very intimate.
"I hope that he stays but i would leave me if i could"
"How strange to be writing about having when i spent too long writing about longing"...more
This was absolutely amazing. The story of Prudence that works fornthe pharamedics and has to deal with a lot of different paranormal beings. The graphThis was absolutely amazing. The story of Prudence that works fornthe pharamedics and has to deal with a lot of different paranormal beings. The graphics are, of course, a piece of art, cause they are done by the fantastic Raulo Caceres....more
Super endearing graphic novel about love in contemporary Iran. How to find love and how to navigate intimate relationships in a country that is highlySuper endearing graphic novel about love in contemporary Iran. How to find love and how to navigate intimate relationships in a country that is highly oppressive. Every chapter is narrated by a different person that agreed to do an interview....more
Reading this book was the best decision I made during pregnancy. Ina May gives soon to be moms the reassurance that our bodies know what they are doinReading this book was the best decision I made during pregnancy. Ina May gives soon to be moms the reassurance that our bodies know what they are doing, they were made for childbirth. In a society that is so medically inclined when it comes to child bearing, treating it like a disease or labor on tv being portrait as an horrifying thing full of fear, it definitely could give women the idea they are going to be sent to a slaughter house to be butchered (which taking in account the amount of C-sections done in hospitals, we are not so far from the truth). I am in love with the concept that we are a team with our baby and we are working together with the same goal. I was never really afraid of childbirth per se, but I was and still am afraid of trusting hospitals with the process (because of its dehumanization/ previous eperiences of friends/ unresolved traumas etc) and all that goes with it: C-sections, episiotomies, induction of labour, meds, you name it. The thought of a natural birth at home or in a birth home surrounded by knowledgable women that respect you, your baby and the process fills my heart with joy and I am very excited to welcome our very much desired Kjartynn into the world.
I took some notes of inspiring testimonials: "The second he came out, it was as if he had always been with me, he was meant to be with me. Nothing felt weird about it at all. It felt so natural and so perfect. I just held him, and I looked at him and I thought, You are what was missing in my life." "Birth was a strenghtening rite of passage for women".
Notes of things to take in consideration: - I learned that true words spoken can sometimes relax pelvic muscles by discharging emotions that effectively block further process in labor. - First stage of birth: the cervix is sealed during pregnancy with a plug of thick mucus, which is expelled during the hours before labor begins. Usually this mucus is slightly tinged with blood, giving it a pinkish, reddish, or brownish color. When this mucus, called show, is expelled from the cervix, it signals that labor will soon begin. - Once the cervix is pulled completely open, a combination of uterine contractions and some pressure from the abdominal muscles pushes the baby outside of the mother's body. This is called the second stage of labor. - The third stage of labor lasts from the birth of the baby until the expulsion of the placenta. The uterus continues to contract after the birth of the baby, quickly diminishing its size to that of the placenta. Further contractions shear the placenta from the uterine lining. This event is usually signaled by the expulsion of dark red blood within fifteen or twenty minutes after birth. - The fourth stage of labor is the postpartum or newborn period, roughly the six weeks that follow childbirth. This is the time during which the mother's body adjusts to new motherhood and returns to the nonpregnant state. - If oxytocin is the accelerator of birth (since it stimulates the contraction of the uterus and makes it work harder to open), adrenaline is the brakes. - The big "secret" is that it is better able to accomplish this task when we can imagine or "picture" this happening. Those who are not terrified are more likely to secrete in abundance the hormones that make labor and birth easier and less painful - sometimes even pleasurable. - The state of relaxation of the month and jaw is diretly coorelated to the ability of the cervix, the vagina, and the anus to open to full capacity. - Laughter opens the sphincters - Other factors and practices affect the ease in which the sphincters can open. Deep abdominal breathing causes a general relaxation of the muscles of the body, specially muscles of the pelvic floor. - This deep adbominal breathing is not only relaxing to the heart, the nervous system and the mind, also allows for the greatest lung expancion. This increases the amount of oxygen that can fill your lungs. - Emerging in a warm water bath can also be very calming to a laboring mother. - Women whose mouths and throats are open and relaxed during labor and birth rarely need stitches after childbirth. - I have never noticed anyone's cervix remain tight and unyielding while speaking loving and positive words. - sounds that help dilation: low pitched moaning and orgasmic sighs - being amused also aids relaxation - "horse lips" or "raspberries". When a person totally relaxes the lips and breaths a good amount of air through them at considerable pressure, softly flapping them together in the process - Love is another very powerful, healing and easing emotion. Trust and love make relaxation possible. - When the women's emotional needs are filled, there is less risk for the baby. The reality is that the baby has no choice but to feel what the mother feels - The midwifery model of care recognizes the importance of good nutricion as the best way to prevent the most comun complications of pregnancy. It emphasizes the importance of companionship and encouragement during labor as a way to minimize technological intervention in the birth process. It does not impose arbitrary time limits in physiological processes. - Most feel a noticeable increase in the distance between their pubic bone and tale bone after leaning forward. No wonder monkeys - who are built much like we are - tend to lean forward during birth - My partners and I noticed early in our midwifery practice that women who were sexually active during pregnancy were more likely than those who were not to go into labor around forty weeks - Nipple stimulation causes the release of oxytocin into the maternal bloodstream, and this oxytocin then stimulates contractions of the uterine muscles. Both manual and oral stimulation are affective at stimulating oxytocin release. - beginning a castor oil induction at breakfast after a full night of sleep. One tablespoon of castor oil is added to scrambled eggs or is mixed with fruit juice to make it more palitable for the woman. If necessary she takes one more table spoon one hour after ingesting the first. - When the uterus contracts, blood can't flow through the placenta as easily as usual, which means that the baby gets less oxygen. Babies normally tolerate this fluctuations in oxygen levels quite well. - I don't know anx midwives attending out of hospitals births which prohibit eating and drinking during labor. In fact I think that some women require nourishment in labor. I know that a few bites of food gave the mother the strenght she needed to push her baby out without forceps or a vaccum extractor. In this cases, the woman experienced an almost immediate benefit after taking a little nourishment. Vomiting normally helps the dilation of the cervix, Ã la Sphincter law. - Movement greatly helps cervical dilation during the early part of labor and helps bring the baby into the most advantagious position for passage through the pelvis. Don't be surprised if you feel restless during the first stage of labor. - The list of benefits of upright positions in labor includes: better use of gravity; maximum circulation between mother and baby (no compassion caused by the baby's weight on the mother's major blood vessels); better alignment of the baby to pass through the pelvis; stronger rushes; increased pelvic diameters when squatting or kneeling. - Be sure to drink a lot while in labor and to pee every hour or so. Drinking a lot will prevent dehidration while you are in labor. Going to the toilet causes your pelvic muscle to relax. This will increase pressure against your cervix if you are still dilating or help descent of the baby if you are pushing. - Most women get immediate pain relief from hydrotherapy. Being in water is calming and relaxing. - the application of sexual energy can make labor more effective and less painful without any use of medication - Touch and massage can give incredible relief when labor is painful - Shaking the large muscles of the mother's bottom or thighs is an effective way of helping some women relay during labor. - not to let your over-busy mind interfere with the ancient wisdom of your body (let your monkey do it) - I often suggest to pregnant women that they imagine themselves to be a large mammal when they are in labor. Many say it helps them to find the wild woman within and to tap into the ancient knowledge that is the potential of all women. - you push only when the urge comes. Most women like to push two or three times, taking a quick breath between them -When the baby's head is about to come out, you slow down your pushing as much as possible. - Some women like to stimulate their clitoris as the baby emerges, this seems to increase vaginal engorgment, which may explain why I never observed the slightest laceration in a women who used this method of relaxation during birth - If making noise helps you as you push, keep your sound at the lowest register as possible, so that it vibrates the lower part of your body. Low sexy moans are good. - It may help you to know that first baby's heads normally advance towards birth and then recede once that push is over. It helps the vulva gradually attain the size necessary for birth. Circulation to the area increase with the alternate stimuli of pressure, release, pressure, release. - Your baby will have a much easier time adjusting to breathing and will be less likely to suffer from anemia if the cord is left intact for several minutes after birth - Our normal practice is to place the newly born baby directly unto his mother's chest with a warm blanket on top. this skin to skin contact mantains the baby's body heat and facilitates early communication bettwen mother and baby. - We generally help her into an upright position. Just as upright positions help babies descent, so do they facilitate the expulsion of the placenta in many cases. Breast stimulation also helps....more
It was worth all the year waiting for this book to finally land in the library!
This book focus mainly on illegal working conditions in Malmö, Sweden It was worth all the year waiting for this book to finally land in the library!
This book focus mainly on illegal working conditions in Malmö, Sweden and how swedes give their immigrants a hard time to be able to integrate in society and also on the side we get a glimpse of Daria's love life, friendships, flat struggles and so on....more
It took me a while to read and digest this enourmous outstanding book. It was quite indimidating at first and i was not so sure if it was worth the efIt took me a while to read and digest this enourmous outstanding book. It was quite indimidating at first and i was not so sure if it was worth the effort and carrying the kilos in my backpack almost daily but after a short while i was hooked on it. Especially the Patti after motherhood. Patti Smith is such an inspirational person, I really love her intake on life and i will always be forever thankful to have access to her thoughts.
I cried at times, when she was talking about the death of her husband followed by the death of her brother. That the first gave her the drive to continue to express herself through music and the latter to have to joy to live. These events could have crushed her but instead she made something beautiful with it. She said Ginsberg told her you have to let go of the dead in order to keep living (something related, i do not remember the exact words) and she lives with the dead among her, carries them with her.
We also share the same love for most of the same poets. The ones i do not know, i took notes to check them and try to find their books. I am sure they will impress me too.
I remember at one point she talks about Jim Morrison and how she could not grasp how an individual that writes such intricate poetry was able to come up with such catchy lyrics to songs like "Hello I love you" but that song was written by Robby Krieger.
Anyways, long story short i am the proud owner of 3 more of Patti's book and I am planning on reading everything she ever published....more
This comic was glorious. One of the best ever. Very well written,very captivating, the graphics were beautiful, the colors were just right.
LonelinessThis comic was glorious. One of the best ever. Very well written,very captivating, the graphics were beautiful, the colors were just right.
Loneliness is explained in a factual and scientific manner, also from a personal perspective and it ranges from a lot of different sides of perceiving loneliness. I loved it. It made me feel lonely though but that's ok. It was extremely good for self reflection...more
I am going to start by saying that I understand how Kraus came up with a new literary style that she called something like "dumb cunt reflexions" or sI am going to start by saying that I understand how Kraus came up with a new literary style that she called something like "dumb cunt reflexions" or something similar. Although Kraus is nothing close to be dumb. And the twist is that Dick is a total dick. Ahah.
You get to figure out why he went out of his way to make sure this book was never going to be released,i would too if i was in his position, out of embarassment for his poor judgment/ self entitlement/ pedantism...
This book does something to you cause it is quite cringe in a way, you feel embarassed for Kraus/ with Kraus, and her unrequitted (and quite nonesensical) love.
Those love letters written to him were a gem and all the references to great books/ authors/ feminist artists, they just flow so well in all the intimacy that goes in between and are even connected/ directly related with her book.
I watched the series with the same title years ago and i decided it was one of the best things i ever saw, now i need to rewatch it with another angle and more knowleadge on the whole thing. But this was just genius and i wanna read more from her. I want to get to know her more, but without dicks, that have no respect from women (to the last moment when he sends her a copy of the letter he wrote to Silvère, back paddling on his take on the whole thing, cause all of that was in her head, and as a last desperate attempt of not being mentioned in the book. Pathetic and just utterly disrespectful.)
some gems: - "We suicide ourselves for our own survival. Is there any hope in dipping back into the past and arding round it like you can in art?"
- "Dear Dick, I guess in a sense I`ve killed you, you've become Dear Diary."
- "and isn't sincerity just the denial of complexity?"
- "One book leads to the next like serial monogamy. Dear Dick, I've never been to school but every time I go into a library I get a rush like sex or acid for the first few minutes when you're getting off. My brain gets creamy with associative thought."...more
Rilke is always a great pleasure to read. I did not previously knew that he could be so sensual/ erotic, that was a lovely surprise.
And what is thereRilke is always a great pleasure to read. I did not previously knew that he could be so sensual/ erotic, that was a lovely surprise.
And what is there not to love about an author born in the 1800's that implies that women are more mature than men? I also love his affirmations that real love will only be possible between two human beings as equals accepting and embracing both individualities (or solitudes as he likes to call it)... feminist much?
There were a bunch of mind blowing poems too....more
I strongly recommend this book. This woman she knows what she is talking about when it comes to education. There are alot of tips and insights on how I strongly recommend this book. This woman she knows what she is talking about when it comes to education. There are alot of tips and insights on how to interact with toddlers in the best way possible. It is also very holistic and I appreciate that.
There is a quote in this book that I really liked and it goes more or less like this "if you complain you tried to teach your child something for the thousand time and he still does not learn it, he is not the one with a learning disability". Sweet....more
This is one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. It is beautiful and touching and moving, it will make you cry occasionaly but it is soooo beaThis is one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. It is beautiful and touching and moving, it will make you cry occasionaly but it is soooo beautifuly written and the graphics are lovely.
It is the journey of Brás, that could have ended in different ways. It faces his possible death at different stages of his life and it gives you a glimpse of who this relatable charater was. ...more
The illustrations were awesome and I couldnot take my eyes off this comic. I personally love Emma Goldman and what she represented so it was beyond inThe illustrations were awesome and I couldnot take my eyes off this comic. I personally love Emma Goldman and what she represented so it was beyond interesting to get acquainted with her life story....more
Camus does not want to define himself as a philosopher prefering to remain in the realms of poetry with a terrible urge for reflection.
This book is aCamus does not want to define himself as a philosopher prefering to remain in the realms of poetry with a terrible urge for reflection.
This book is about the absurdity of human existence and the correlation and discrepancy in the theories of various existentialist philosophers.
Notes I made: - "The method is of analysis and not of knowledge" - Perceiving suicide not as a social phenomen but analysing the relarrion between the individual thought and suicide - The absurd discoveries are not what is important but their consequences - For mankind, to understand the world is to reduce it to what is human, to mark it with its seal - It is futil to try and classify the ego - "I will always be a stranger to myself" - The human denial is the core of existentialism - Sartre: the relativity of the absurd - The absurd man liberated himself from the illusion of freedom - To live in absurdity is to be indiferent to the future and to desire passionately to exhaust everything that exists - The myth of sysiphos is the historical interpretation of absurdity (working for a goal that will never be complete) ...more
I've heard of Deborah Feldman from the documentary "Female Pleasure" and posthumously from the series with the same title, based on her story. I reallI've heard of Deborah Feldman from the documentary "Female Pleasure" and posthumously from the series with the same title, based on her story. I really enjoyed the series and was glad to find the book in the library, and even glader to realize the book is 10 times better than the series.
The author brings us to her family story, her upbringing and the intricate reasons why she never really fit in her community which subsequently would play a big part of her rejection of her Hasidic roots... She talks about their costumes, how she got married at 17 to a guy she barely knew... How they both needed to discover their sexuality on a very clueless basis and so on.
What spoke mostly to me was that she would always find places in her room to hide books she was allowed to read (Jane Eyre, Little women...), books with strong female characters that would make her realize she wanted more from life than what was offered to her.
How their community was able to hide murder (of the 13 year caught masturbating and killed by his own father); pedofilia; sexual abuse etc.
This is a report of a very relatable person. We have basically the same age and while reading it, it seems like you could have been talking to a friend.
It is also very touching how she explains the cataclyst of her emancipation into the "world of the gentiles"; being the fact that she could not imagine her son having to go through the same upbringing as the boys in her community; she wanted more for him and more for her too. She is a very brave woman that understood very early in life that there is nothing more important than to explore and to be creative. This is a very inspiring story. ...more
About the title "who am i and if so how many?" and how enticing It seemed to be... after all the traumatizing experiences out of my control that happeAbout the title "who am i and if so how many?" and how enticing It seemed to be... after all the traumatizing experiences out of my control that happened in the past two years, i need to come up with strategies to forge my indentity, to reinvent myself in order to achieve some sort of balance, or try as hard as i can to go back to my "normal self". So there was the trigger.
But at the end, it's a book that it's not existential to that degree but comprises the road traveled by philosophy throughout the centuries and the most important/ well known philosophical questions and how they can, nowadays, be refuted or confirmed by neuroscience, unifying science to logical thought. And then there is a whole discourse about several moral issues faced by humanity dismantled to a point that you are sure you found the "truth", even though the author gives us space for interpretation or questioning so therefore dogma-free.
I took with me some thoughts/ideas/questions to reflect on:
* Learning without enjoyment wears you down, and enjoyment without learning is mind numbing.
* Someone could invent a fable of that sort and still not illustrate adequately how wretched, how shadowy and volatile, how purposeless and random human intelect appears within nature.
* Man is a clever animal with an overinflated sense of self, and a mind focused not on the great truths, but only on life's minutiae.
* We have never sought ourselves - how could it happen that we should find ourselves?
* Nietzsche's brutally frank assessment of philosophy and religion had revealed the hyperbolic nature of most self definitions of man (...) Human conciousness was shaped by an attempt to survive and move ahead (...) Nietzsche held out a vague hope that this self-discovery could make man cleverer, could perhaps create an Ãœbermensch who truly expands the parameters of his knowledge.
* It is not the sum of our neurons but our attention span that limits our learning ability.
* It IS correct to say that my thinking is the only window into my existence.
* Feelings can sometimes get by without too much involvement of reason, but without feelings, reason gets stranded, because feelings orient thought. Emotions are rather stereotypical and automatic processes. Feelings on the other hand, are a far more complicated matter, involving a major dose of consciousness. Feelings can be hidden, and people can try not to let them show. That is difficult with emotions, because we have no control or influence over them. Feelings are a mixture of emotions and ideas.
* Not being loved is difficult, but, Weiss discovered, having no one to love is even worse.
* Anyone who, like Rousseau, was convinced that man was good by nature found it necessary to explain the rise of evil. Huxley faced the opposite question: if man was bad by nature, where does "the ethical progress of society" come from? Since Huxley was not religious, he did not find its origins in God. If there is nothing good in man by nature, how was it possible for the interaction of all those bestial people to have led to a reasonably well regulated society? Where does morality come from - if not from human nature? And if man is not moral by nature, why does he have the capacity to act morally?
* Values are by nature an outgrowth not of reason but of feelings.
* The ultimate basis for any moral rule is hopes and wishes, not insights or knowledge.
* Paradoxically, the fact that chimpanzees and gorillas display mathematical and linguistic powess in the laboratory is regarded as their ticket of admission to the human moral community, yet humans themselves have no need to prove intelligence in order to receive moral consideration (...) We must accept every living creature that fulfills the condition of being a "person".
* My senses enable me to gain experiences, which my understanding turns into representations, and my reason helps me to sort out and assess them. But I know nothing of what lies completely outside the world of my sensory experience.
* Man does not become good in the christian sense by his faith, but only by his deeds, by assuming responsibility and by serving his community.
* You are only as rich as you feel (...) And the story goes like this: in a Mediterranean harbor, a poor fisherman is dozing in the midday sun. A tourist strikes up a conversation with him and tries to convince him that he should get out and fish. "Why?" The fisherman wants to know. "To earn more money", replies the tourist, who quickly calculates how many additional catches could make the fisherman a wealthy man, with a large staff in his employ. "What for?" The fisherman again wants to know. "You'd be so rich that you could lean back and relax in the sun" the tourist explains. "But that's exactly what I'm doing now", says the fisherman, and goes back to dosing.
* Lasting happiness can be achieved only if our expectations are grounded in reality. If happiness and unhappiness are essentially of our own devising, they are largely a function of how we set our expectations. Rules to achieve happiness: 1. Keep alive! Sports are wonderful, because the mind rewards itself for sucessful physical efforts by forming new neurons. Interests also boost the joy of life. 2. Be sociable! Living in a social network ensures that you are not alone with your cares and worries 3. Focus! Enjoy the here and now 4. Have realistic expectations 5. Think good thoughts! Act as though you're happy and you will be. Don't take yourself too seriously; laugh at yourself
* We seem to devote far more thought to the question of the meaning of life than to why and by which criteria we are actually seeking it. In other words, we examine everything except the quest itself. (Reference to Monty Python's meaning of life) " Now here's the meaning of life... well it's nothing very special, really. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations". And if you ask me: Keep your senses of curiosity alive, make good ideas a reality, and fill your days with life - not your life with days. <3...more
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