Brigitte Gemme

Yeah, it's a delightmare.

Snow on Douglas Park in Vancouver at 8 this morning.

A Pre-Raphaelite-style painting titled “Pandora” by John William Waterhouse, featuring a young woman with a laurel wreath in her auburn hair. She is dressed in flowing white and orange robes and is seated outdoors amidst lush greenery. She gazes thoughtfully into the distance while holding an intricately decorated open box, symbolizing the mythical Pandora’s box. The soft lighting and natural setting emphasize the painting’s serene yet symbolic mood.

They gave Pandora a box. Prometheus begged her not to open it. She opened it. Every evil to which human flesh is heir came out of it.

The last thing to come out of the box was hope. It flew away.

—Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake

The ol' tobacco playbook again :( So hard to reel lies back in after they've been out and about.

Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the Worl… From world-renowned historian and philosopher Yuval Noa…

Youth non-fiction: Yuval Harari's Unstoppable Us (1 and 2) were such a welcome change from the usual bedtime reading! (Wimpy Kid is okay... but I can only read each book so many times!!) I recommend it for kids and adults alike!

Favorite non-fiction of 2024? Nothing stands out strongly. But @emollick.bsky.social 's Co-Intelligence was very useful, @bobdoto.bsky.social 's A System for Writing brought lots of value beyond the common approach to Zettelkasten, and Li-Anne Tang's Get Off Your Cushion made me pause to breathe.

Somebody I Used to Know: A Memoir Wendy Mitchell had a busy job with the British National…

The only memoir I read this year was "Somebody I Used to Know" by Wendy Mitchell. What a poignant story! Mitchell decided to make the most of her life with Alzheimer's disease. I could relate to the challenges of having to learn to trust more as one becomes increasingly vulnerable.

Loneliness & Company A timely, beautifully observed debut novel set in near …

"Loneliness & Company" by Charlee Dyroff was my favorite fiction book of 2024. It's all about living with our eyes wide-open despite the difficult emotions that come with being born human. Bonus points for being about AI-based solutionism. Recommended!

Even as a Gen-Xer, I find this a little bit beyond my comfort zone.

I'm excited about a new Emmanuel Carrère book. I loved L'Adversaire and Limonov.

Focusmate - Virtual coworking for getting anything done Stop procrastination forever with virtual body doubling. Join for free and tackle any task, from studying and coding to meal prep and everything in between. As featured in BBC, NPR, The New York Times...

It's about 20 hours of work/week. :) I don't use the chat often, just state clearly defined tasks and appreciate it when partner does same. I work best with a friendly person who looks dedicated, and I prefer to work with favorites, it reduces no-shows and motivates me to put my best foot forward.

For me, 2582 sessions in, the novelty has worn off a little bit... but it's still the number 1 to get me started with work, to find clarity with regards to what I have to do, and to DO IT. As a self-employed creator, it's been transformative... but it would have changed my life as an academic too!

That's Focusmate - in case you haven't found out already!

Focusmate - Virtual coworking for getting anything done Stop procrastination forever with virtual body doubling. Join for free and tackle any task, from studying and coding to meal prep and everything in between. As featured in BBC, NPR, The New York Times...

I never fail to check in after a Focusmate session. Work with me! app.focusmate.com/user/brigitt...

The "You in Review" workshop by @nickmilo.bsky.social is a gem! I do a pretty elaborate process of yearly review and planning ever December and still gained a ton of precious insight from this Linking Your Thinking event. Strongly recommend attending the replay!!

I remember you.

Geneviève Bergeron
Hélène Colgan
Nathalie Croteau
Barbara Daigneault
Anne-Marie Edward
Maud Haviernick
Maryse Laganière
Maryse Leclair
Anne-Marie Lemay
Sonia Pelletier
Michèle Richard
Annie St-Arneault
Annie Turcotte
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz

Instead of a Black Friday Sale, I have built a habit of offering a free cooking class on the day after US Thanksgiving. This year, it's a Knife Skills Bootcamp on Zoom. I love the idea that participants will be saving money and become more resilient by growing their chopping skills and confidence.

YouTube video by Dan Holliday Incredible Orca sighting at Burrard inlet, Vancouver Nov 24, 2024

Orcas in downtown Vancouver!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIed...

I think the sentiment here is that no one seeks to become pregnant with the intention of seeking an abortion. Once one becomes pregnant, for whatever reason, they may want an abortion indeed.

What about Yuval Harari's Unstoppable 1 and 2? Both a hit with the 9 yo crowd.

Two years ago, I thought: I don't have enough time to read all the books, and I'd like more nerdy women friends. So I created the Vancouver Women Who Read Anti-Book Club. We each read whatever we want and share about it. After yet another gathering tonight, I say this: best idea I've ever had.

Vancouver view of False Creek east from Cambie Bridge

Vancouver view of the Olympic Village from the north east corner of False Creek

Hello Vancouver! Hadn't seen your blue sky in a little while.

Have you heard of Focusmate?

Never say never! What are your fave veggies?

Not a surgeon, but I appreciate the work you are doing. 🙏

Hi! I'm an educator and content creator empowering people to cook healthy plant-based meals at home (even if they'll never go vegan). Trained as a sociologist of science and education (!). Books are my true home, though I also live in Vancouver and work on Focusmate. At ease with conflicting ideas.