Category Archives: Opinion (Editorial & Commentary)

Feb
09
2010

Valentine’s Day: All My Thoughts

Valentine’s day looms and I’ve deftly avoided the topic by not posting new stuff lately. Brilliant!
But I guess it’s time for my annual rant against the Big Machine and the perpetuation of the belief that, hey, if it’s love, it’s worth going broke for.
I know men buy gifts because they feel obligated. I know women [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Dimestore Philosophy, Society, Steff Rants, keeping it real | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Jan
29
2010

RANT: Labels Kill Sexuality

Four years ago I wrote a posting about cheating and in it I had a little rant about being called an “older woman” by the letter-writer when I was only 32. The posting is here, and today I deleted a comment that referred to the rant-within-the-posting with this comment that I’ve chosen to delete for [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Communication, Lifestyle, Modern Feminism, Oral Sex, Specifically Steff, Uncategorized, keeping it real, sexuality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (5)
Jan
21
2010

Life x Hard = A Given

“Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. By god, you learn.” -C.S. Lewis.
This year, when adversities come your way — and they will — remember that quote.
That’s the one piece of knowledge that has gotten me through every experience in my life.

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Dimestore Philosophy, Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
Jan
18
2010

RANT: “Whine, Whine. #FML! Fuck My Life!”

ED. NOTE: This posting is meant for people who say “FML” and mean it. Like they say, people love the internet because they get to whine on it, and that’s fine. Go ahead, grumble. Just be interesting about it! And don’t be some snivelling fuckwit hyperbolizing and going “FML” because you woke up 30 minutes [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Dimestore Philosophy, Humour, Life 101, Society, Steff Rants, Twitter, existentialism, keeping it real | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (11)
Jan
08
2010

From There to Here

In 2007, I spent 7 months working for a toxic employer.
By the time I left my job, I was close to the highest I’ve ever weighed, at my most negative and always whining, feeling sorry for myself, and feeling pretty hopeless about everything, especially about writing, which I’d been sucking at for nearly a year [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Being me, Dimestore Philosophy, Journalling, Self-Love & Self-Esteem, Specifically Steff, existentialism, keeping it real, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Dec
20
2009

Thoughts On Brittany Murphy, Death, & Anorexia

Rumour has it that Brittany Murphy is dead at 32 from cardiac arrest.
Heart attack, in case you didn’t know, is one of the most common demises after long battles with eating disorders. Why?

“When anorexia has become this severe, the heart is often damaged. Not only is there not enough body fat to keep internal organs [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Eating Disorder, Hollywood, Hygiene & Health, Life 101, Loving and Knowing Yourself, Modern Feminism, Self-Love & Self-Esteem, Society, Steff Rants, keeping it real, weight loss | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (8)
Dec
17
2009

Writing about Writing

Let me just say this before I get too far into my thoughts here:

I know Canada is small, with about 10% of the US population.
I doubt many people vote in the Canadian Blog Awards.
I’ve checked my in-box, and I’ve still not heard from the Pulitzer Committee.

And yet I’ll write this.
______________
The Canadian Blog Awards nomination for [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Being me, Dimestore Philosophy, Journalling, Specifically Steff, keeping it real, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
Dec
16
2009

Things to Remember This Christmas

Since 1998, I’ve had every kind of Christmas imaginable. Lonely, magnificent, rich, broke, injured, healthy, in love, out of love. Had ‘em all.
I was raised to believe in the magic of Christmas. We’d have a houseful of people singing carols, Dad would make his famous cardiac eggnog, the house was full of decorations and laughter, [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Current Events, General, Society, Specifically Steff, keeping it real | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Dec
14
2009

Twitter: 7 Annoying Behaviours

Problems with Twitter exist on a few levels.
Most of them occur because it’s high school all over again. It’s popularity contests and bragging and teasing and everything else you thought you’d left behind as a grown up. Turns out? The high-school-asshat-inside never really grows up.
Unfortunately — it’s a high school that is AWESOME for promoting [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Etiquette, Steff Rants, Twitter | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (11)
Dec
11
2009

Flirting Fail: In Which Steff ‘Fesses Up

At the tender young age of 36, I find myself having to learn infinite new things because of the ways in which I’ve changed myself over the last two years, after a lifetime spent insecure, unhealthy, and fat.
One of those things I’m gonna have to learn now? Flirting. Truth be told, I’m a pretty terrible [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Being single, Dimestore Philosophy, Journalling, Self-Love & Self-Esteem, Specifically Steff, keeping it real, weight loss | Comments (5)
Dec
06
2009

6 Decembre 1989: Remembering a Formative Tragedy

I was 16 on December 6th, 1989, when gunman Marc Lepine stormed into Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique, an engineering school.
When the blood had spilled and screams for the 14 dead women faded into muffled tears, it was found that the gunman had left a note explaining his actions — he’d wanted to kill feminists for making [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Dimestore Philosophy, History, Modern Feminism, Politics, Sexism, Society, Specifically Steff, Women's Department, feminism, keeping it real | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (4)
Dec
01
2009

RANT: Can I *JUST* Talk?

It’s worth reading the note at the end of this if you really ARE in my life, because what I want online versus from people in the flesh are very different. Thanks.
This morning I’m feeling a bit hamstrung by the life I’ve carved for myself.
I know even saying this is going to ruffle some feathers, [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Journalling, Specifically Steff, Steff Rants, Twitter, keeping it real | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Nov
27
2009

RANT: Guilt-Tripping: What Friends Don’t Do

I had a classic big ol’ Twitter fight with an insensitive fuckwit last night, who I haven’t blocked because I’m not in Grade 5 anymore, but it basically came down to me saying, “No, I’m not coming out because I need some time to myself.”
Long story short: I’ve been up at 5 the last four [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Being me, Etiquette, Society, Specifically Steff, Steff Rants, Twitter, keeping it real | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Nov
24
2009

Sexual Addiction? My Thoughts.

Sex addiction — which includes addiction to cybersex and porn — is one of the fastest, most destructive addictions on the rise out there.
Unfortunately, the discussion? It’s a joke. It’s always along the lines David Duchovny or Bill Clinton wisecracks. People fail to see that the nature of sex addiction is to destroy every relationship [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Lifestyle, Psychology & Moods, Society, Twitter, keeping it real | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Nov
16
2009

“YOU’RE APPROVED!” Now, Sign Your Life Away.

I went to the bank Saturday. I told them to give me money. I fucked up my last loan, and my loans officer fucked it up even worse. It was a partial-debt-consolidation loan where the banker didn’t make my overdraft go poof. No sense consolidating debt if you’re continuing to live in your overdraft. Pity [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Dimestore Philosophy, Journalling, Life 101, Society, Specifically Steff, keeping it real | Comments (1)
Oct
23
2009

Why Do I Blog? Some Thoughts.

After editing this, it occurs to me it should be two separate posts, both developed more fully, but that’s a lot of work. I’ll try to expand a bit on the “social” aspect, or even the socio-political aspects I allude to, in another posting, and I’ll post this here & now as-is. That way, you [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Being me, Communication, Dimestore Philosophy, Journalling, Specifically Steff | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Oct
06
2009

Polanski Finally Pays, Hallelujah

This op-ed assumes you know that: Roman Polanski was convicted of “unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor” in ‘78, in which he admitted plying a 13-year-old full of Quaaludes & booze with the intent of having sex with her in every manner possible. He pled guilty, public opinion came against the law who were going [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Current Events, Modern Feminism, Society, Steff Rants, keeping it real | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Oct
05
2009

A Far-Ranging Post on Letterman’s Sex Scandal

Ten years ago this week, I moved into my apartment. Wow. In the first few months, I was at home a lot. My mother had just died. When I socialized, I’d have people over. The rest of the time I spent in a blur of drunkenness, dope, and getting by in my dayjob at a [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Current Events, Ethics, Hollywood, Society, Steff Rants, keeping it real | Comments (0)
Oct
03
2009

Giving Myself a Headshake

I’m having one of those days.
I’m having a dislike-myself day. Or is it discontent with myself? ‘Cos I like myself way much and feel it’s worth taking action to end some of the feelings I’ve got today.
The content of my internal dialogue today is staying internal, I’m afraid. No nitty-gritty deets for you people.
But this [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Being me, Humour, Journalling, Life 101, Psychology & Moods, Self-Love & Self-Esteem, Specifically Steff, keeping it real | Comments (1)
Sep
26
2009

Getting Philosophical as a Birthday Looms

“I commented to a friend once that I’d love to have the trappings of success, but could never live in the trap of success.”

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Dimestore Philosophy, General, Journalling, Life 101, Psychology & Moods, Society, Specifically Steff, existentialism, keeping it real, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
Sep
17
2009

Filler

We use words like “empty” and “full” to judge qualities of life –
“Oh, he’s amazing, he leads such a full life!”
“Wow. I feel so sorry for her when she leaves to go home, she looks so sad, like her night and life are so empty.”
…But how much of those “full” lives is filler? And how [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Being me, Dimestore Philosophy, General, Life 101, Lifestyle, Society, keeping it real | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Sep
15
2009

Burn(t) Out

I’m trying to psyche myself up. A new Post-It Note adorns my television-front with two messages, officially the only mantra-y thingies on my walls right now.
“Motion is lotion” and “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” Maybe now I’ll forget the love affair I’ve recently ignited with my sofa.
It’s the season premiere of The Biggest Loser [...]

By A Scribe Called Steff | Also posted in Dimestore Philosophy, Journalling, Psychology & Moods, Self-Love & Self-Esteem, Specifically Steff, keeping it real, weight loss | Comments (2)