Kendall Defoe
Bio
Teacher, reader, writer, dreamer... I am a college instructor who cannot stop letting his thoughts end up on the page. No AI. No Fake Work. It's all me...
And I did this:
Achievements (6)
Stories (840)
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Last Night, A DJ Shaved My Wife
Did I hear that right? I am sure that we have all been through the same experience with songs that we know and love. We hear a lyric, admire the melody, and then make the mistake of trying to sing it or discuss what we heard in front of a better informed audience.
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Beat
The Love of a Daredevil
I know, I know…who the hell is Dave Munday? In order to answer that question, I will have to go back to my childhood back in the awful, ugly and beautiful 1980s. My family took a trip to Niagara Falls sometime in my early childhood and I marveled at the sight of all that water at that incredible height. I noted the tacky tourist traps everywhere and the endless parade of other tourists who were also trying to remember the moment in their cheap camera poses. I was no better; neither was the family. My one memory of the trip there involves posing for a photo with a cut-out of a barrel and pretending to drop over the Falls with my family (a part of me wonders what happened to that photograph). And I even got a hat there.
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Wander
Granted
Like any artist, Jonah thought a lot about money. At this time of the year, forms had to be filled out, documents signed and initialed, calls made, emails sent, and even the odd fax shipped to keep his name in play and have his grant money coming in, as usual. In the early part of the new year, the first cheques would arrive, along with letters asking him to stay in touch with whatever agency provided the money. He would also make sure to note how quickly the money arrived and who seemed to be most tardy (they were usually connected to the government). He had work to do as soon as he found time for more than his art.
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Fiction
The Japanese ESL Shuffle
Okay, back to the old story... I spent three years in Tokyo teaching ESL, shuttling from private companies, colleges, schools, offices, and the occasional private home on multiple calendars and schedules. Now, I know that I have discussed this and written about my time there in other pieces here and other online pages. But I also realized that I could provide a lot of good advice for those of you considering such a career. There are guides to life in Japan; how to communicate; proper etiquette and dress. And yet, I have never read anything about what types of students you should expect with such a life. And that is why, with the best of intentions, I have come up with a list of who to expect when you are teaching English as a Second Language:
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Education
Advice to a Nephew. Top Story - September 2022.
This was a list of advice that I gave to my nephew when he was about to begin high school in the late 2000s. It was in a letter that I never sent, and a part of me regrets that I did not get to at least talk to him about most of these points. I did share some advice in texts and conversations, but I recently found this page in my notes and I thought that it was only fair to share it with the rest of you. Your judgment counts…
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Education
A Review of ''Three Thousand Years of Longing''
I went to see this film at a repertory theatre on Friday night expecting to be transported through some sort of carnivalesque ride on magic carpets, through ancient palaces, and over images of wealth and power that I had seen too many times before to be really impressed.
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Geeks
Summer Reading for 2022
This is not a complete list of all the books I am still reading as the season ends, but I thought that it would be interesting to look back at certain titles that I am glad to have picked up and enjoyed. They do not cover only one particular genre or style (my reading habits have always been very open and liberal; only science fiction and westerns have never really haunted my lists), but I did decide not to include graphic novels or comic books (I am still a fan, but I want to focus of novels and books that may not have the appeal of Marvel, Image or other imprints).
By Kendall Defoe 4 years ago in Education
Clare Torry and the Great Gig. Top Story - August 2022.
I have always been fascinated with the stories behind those moments in the arts when one person, event, change, movement or accident created something very new and exciting; something that no one else could have done. This is the story of one woman who does not have the level of fame that is equal with her role in popular music history. There might be some fanatics out there who do know her and even love her, but I have had too many responses over the years when I mention this story gape and feel as though they are learning something new and exciting. I hope that this adds to the story of one of my favourite groups and that you also feel as though you have discovered something new.
By Kendall Defoe 4 years ago in Beat
Sex vs. Books
I have a room at the front of my place with a lot of natural light being reflected off of the windows of my neighbours' homes across the road. Never really considered how I had to watch out for my own privacy after five years living so closely in my own darkness and with no real concept of the word. It is a type of comfort that I never knew I missed.
By Kendall Defoe 4 years ago in Filthy
