Pretty Bandages!

  

Remember when you were young and you would wear those Band-Aids with pictures of cartoon characters? Right, this is pretty much nothing like that.

  German researchers from the Fraunhofer Research Institute in Munich have developed a bandage that uses a new indicator dye to change colour if there is an infection. Depending on the pH value of the wound (the normal human value for healed skin and wounds is around 5, if it rises to 6.5 or 8.5 there is an infection) the bandage changes from a clear colour to purple, purple meaning you should probably get it checked out. And panic.

  Yes, this is a small innovation, but it could make medical care much easier, especially in third-world countries. It's obviously safer to let the wound heal safely beneath the bandage rather than remove the bandage (especially with potentially dirty hands) every few hours to check for infection. Let's hope this new design is implemented into mainstream brands; not rarely small innovations can make a big difference and can inspire other inventors and visionaries to design even more advanced creations.

Feo.

On a Plane, Again.

On a Plane, Again.

  A gray haze rolls over the wings of the floating tin can. The people inside don’t exist. They are suspended in a temporary state of freedom. Down below there are laws. There are rules and limitations. But whatever happens in this speeding tin cylinder cannot be stopped until the ocean stretches out far into the dimming light.

  But now, lost souls hang non-existent over a sea of gray cloud. Tin cans fly in the distance.

Summer 2011

  I began the summer with this piece. I find this piece, which I wrote on the plane to Menton this summer, a fitting way to close. Here's to another wonderful summer.

I'm Back.

That's right, mes amis! I have returned from France, and now you're stuck with me again! But you can't complain about that, can you?

  Anyways, a month and a half is quite a long time to be in a small town like Menton. And, I mean, some people could have gotten bored. I, I'm happy to say, did not. I had an amazing time there. I made an international array of friends. All in all, it's a summer I'm going to remember for years to come.

  Whether it's the rich European culture that surrounds you through ancient chapels and streets that people from the middle-ages walked upon, or the moonscapes that jut out into the sea, Menton is full of amazing things. And of course the Mediterranean Sea cannot go without mention. When the sun has almost set behind the mountains, the brilliant colours of the sky reflect into the water to create a sea the colour of oil. It's a beauty that has to be seen. At night, the stars shine like diamonds laid upon a black veil.

Dolceacqua

Moonlit Shore of Menton

Vintimiglia at Sunset

  Jumping from that serene vision, there is something we don't really have here in Canada: foam parties. All it is is just a rave where they shoot a soapy foam (which reacts with your eyes the same way soap does) at you. But once you've done it, there's no way of comparing it with a normal dance party. It's a whole different level of fun.

The Sky on my Last Day in Menton

Dolceacqua

  An absolutely massive thanks goes to the friends I met there. They really made my vacation complete. And of course to my family and brother. Good times all the way.

Walking to Monaco

  So that's what I did this Summer. I really hope you enjoyed the works I put up in that time. 

  Thank you, and goodnight.

Feo.

Further Still

Further Still

Waves quietly lapped against the moonlit shore. Several small lights glowed on the coast. Most of the shops were closed, save for a few cafes, orange light spilling out onto the sidewalk. And except for the people sat in these shops, chatting in the glow, the town slept.

Off in the distance a small yacht rocked, shining silver from the moon. A great man sat with a tumbler, the golden liquid gently tipping with the ship. He wondered where else he could go as he stared into the stars.

Further still was a great ship, almost invisible from the shore. Alone in the ocean, and yet no one on it was lonely. Lights hung on ropes, bathing the massive deck with the light. And on the deck danced lovers. So far away, and yet so near.

Near to others, far from the world.

2011

Consolation Prize

Consolation Prize

“Dad?"

“Yes?” replied the man, laying the book on the bed.

“What happens we die?”

Several thoughts crossed the man’s head. He was surprised.

“When we die, we’ll go to a place. The good people, the bad people. And everyone will be happy, and the night will never fall. I’ll be there, you’ll be there. Everyone you’ve ever loved or cared for will be there. There will never be silence, and yet it will always be quiet. And we’ll live together, you and me. We’ll always be together, here and there.”

“Will mom be there?”

A tear welled in the corner of the man’s dark eye.

“Mom will be there. Of course. Mom will be there.”

The boy’s eyes shut, a content smile on his innocent face. The caress of night had already reached him.

Taking the book, the man silently stood up. As he walked out of the room, he saw with clarity a beautiful woman, forever young, bathed in never-ending sunlight. A smile crossed his hardened face.

June 27, 2011

Playground Ends Here

Playground Ends Here

Traded cards in the afternoon air,

You held your head high above.

You had the best cards in the yard.

They complained your trades weren’t fair.

Traded notes among the class.

She’d blush as she wrote away,

You smiled inside with victory.

Jealousy called you an ass.

Traded words by the windowsill,

Rocks that nearly break the glass

Words of somewhat hushed fear

In the dark of the night still.

Summer 2011

Lighthouse

Lighthouse

The sea is hushed,

The sky is black.

The air is silent, like a

Widow, two weeks in.

Window lights fade out of sin.

The day is old. The Moon’s tipped grin

Is casting white waves still,

Like frozen rivers somewhere there.

A rotating lens flare

Breaks the silent airwave snare

But then again it turns around

And I am left to breath still air.

July 2011