Embrace Your Inner Child Through Crafting! Posted on April 6, 2022 Image Credit: Unsplash I admit it – I’m a crafter. My obsession began as a kid, when I went through an intense origami phase. Although I was totally unable to follow the intricate origami instructions and could only make a paper crane, all I

A Conversation With Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project Posted on April 5, 2022 Image Credit: Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project In my last blog post for SpiritLive, I wrote about a very educational conversation I had with a former inmate of Joyceville Institution in Kingston Ontario, Kevin Belanger. While incarcerated, Belanger had served as the Inmate Committee

What to Watch Until the MLB Season Starts Posted on April 5, 2022 Image Credit: UPI.com/Yonhap The MLB lockout may finally be over, but we’re still a few weeks away from the real season starting, and if you’re anything like me, you’re probably looking to scratch that baseball itch before opening day on April 7th.

Book-to-Screen Adaptations: The Good, the Bad, and the Anticipated Posted on April 4, 2022 I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “the book is always better than the movie,” and in most cases, I tend to agree. I often get frustrated at movies or TV shows because they have a tendency to leave out important details

Turning your Playlists Red and White: Spotlighting Canadian Musicians Posted on March 28, 2022 I seem to be very fond of lists and recommendations so here’s another one for you. If you know me, you know I love music and I love looking for music from everywhere in the world but there is a certain

No Longer Human and Its Significance, Almost a Century Later Posted on March 27, 2022 (Please be made aware that this book and blog contains topics such as suicide, depression, depersonalization, social alienation, alcoholism, violence, and sexual assault. Discretion is strongly advised.)  If you have been keeping up to date with TikTok lately, you may

Queer Representation in Cartoons: A Trip Through Time Posted on March 26, 2022 Recently, The Proud Family was rebooted, and given a fresh, modern makeover on Disney+. One of the characters, Michael, made headlines. In the original Proud Family, Michael had more feminine characteristics, and was occasionally made fun of in the plot of the

The Canadian Women’s Hockey Team is Canada’s Team Now Posted on March 18, 2022 Image Credit: Annegret Hilse/Reuters Back in late December when the NHL announced that their players wouldn’t be participating in the Olympics there was some pretty widespread disappointment. People were disappointed that they wouldn’t get to see players like Connor McDavid and

How to Deal With Burnout Posted on March 17, 2022 Image Credit: Pexels Almost everyone experiences burnout in one way or another – you may feel mentally or physically exhausted, unmotivated, and have a lack of care. It’s a common, shared experience that many students go through, especially during periods of excessive studying and stress.

The Effects of COVID-19 on the Incarceration System Posted on March 11, 2022 Joyceville Institution Kingston Ontario | Image Credit: CSC Over the last couple of years, COVID-19 has forced our society to adapt to a new normal. We moved all socializing to online formats, we implemented social distancing measures, and we started wearing PPE.

Karlie’s Toronto Bookstore Recommendations! Posted on March 9, 2022  If you’re a book lover like me, I’m sure it’s safe to assume that you’ve been meaning to check out some other bookstores within Toronto that aren’t Indigo. With the return of in person classes, what’s a better way to get to know the city than

The Best Animated Feature Film: According to Me Posted on March 7, 2022 The Oscars have recently released all the film nominees including those in the Animated Feature Film Catagory. Being a huge animation fan, I took it upon myself to watch all the nominees in the Best Animated Feature Film Category. This is not

How Moneyball Captures the Greatness of Baseball Posted on March 3, 2022 Baseball has this reputation of being the “boring sport” and honestly, I don’t blame the people who think that. On its surface, baseball can seem pretty uninteresting. It doesn’t usually have the flashy plays that sports like hockey have or the big personalities

How to Cry In Different Media Posted on March 2, 2022 I like to cry.  Obviously I don’t like to be sad, but I find crying can be a very cathartic experience that leaves you feeling refreshed and better for it. I figured now was the perfect time to recommend some tear jerkers seeing as

Toronto’s Best Parks (That Aren’t Trinity Bellwoods!) Posted on February 22, 2022 Ah, February. The month where the sad reality of winter truly sets in. This is the time of year when I start to daydream about the warmer days of summer, which now feel so distant.  Fond memories of getting ice cream, biking, swimming