Tim Minchin

The text of this sweet picture-book is inspired by Tim Minchin's song, When I Grow Up, composed as part of his Matilda: The Musical, and is paired with lovely artwork from illustrator Steve Antony. Children envision all the things they will be able to do and experience, once they are grown up, those very things that will provide them with the knowledge and qualities that define what it is to be a grown-up in the first place, at least in a child's eyes...

There is a certain kind of circular thinking in When I Grow Up that adult readers in particular will appreciate - in one scene, being grown-up means being smart enough to ask the questions that will provide the answers needed to be a grown-up in the first place - while child readers and listeners will relish the prospect (however unrealistic) of being able to do whatever they want, in that faraway time of adulthood. The illustrations are likewise appealing, depicting children in the act of doing all these fun, "grown-up" things. My favorite scene, unsurprisingly, was the one in the library, where all the children are carrying piles and piles of books. Recommended to Steve Antony fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories about what it means to be a grown-up. Even readers unfamiliar with Minchin's work (as I was) will enjoy this one, despite having no musical accompaniment in their head.… (mehr)

Actually science is a three-fold state, true, false, not proven and there are things that exist in a steady state of must be poked until we find out the truth. The idea that everything is known is a fallacy, but otherwise I get this rant. I have used tarot cards with people to help them discuss an issue and basically let their subconscious talk to them (for the princely sum of a cup of coffee, mostly because our society has made it that if you don't charge people don't concentrate or take things seriously, yeah capitalism).

I believe that things should be examined and that harmful things should be examined harder, that placebo has it's place and that truth is slipperier than I want. I do believe that we treat a lot of things too lightly and don't allow for the power, that we give away our power too much to people who only want our money and that modern drugs are a wonderful thing, they cured my cancer and keep my husband moving through his psoriatic arthritis, but I also see people being lost in a fog of medication where other avenues for wellness have been ignored. I was offered anti-depressants while undergoing chemotherapy when I admitted that there were days I felt overwhelmed and a bit down about it all, before being offered counselling or other choices, and of course I was a bit depressed by it all, I was 32, damn it, and facing my mortality.

Worth a read but probably preaching to the choir.… (mehr)